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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

THIS VOLUME CONTAINS

KBiograpbtcal Shetcbes

-OF-

Leadinq Citizens

OF-

CHENANGO COUNTY, N. Y.

"Biography is the only true history."— Emerson.

BIOGRAPHICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY,
BUFFALO, N. Y.
1808.

PREFACE

AVING brought to a successful termination our labors in Chenango County in
compiling and editing the sketches herein contained, we desire, in presenting
this Book of Biographies to our patrons, to make a few remarks, neces
sarily brief, in regard to the value and importance of local works of this nature.
We agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson that " Biography is the only true History," and
also are of the opinion that a collection of the biographies of the leading men of a nation
would give a more interesting, as well as authentic, history of their country than any
other that could be written. The value of such a production as this cannot be too highly
estimated. With each succeeding year the haze of Obscurity removes more and more
from our view the fast disappearing landmarks of the past, Oblivion sprinkles her dust of
forgetfulness on men and their deeds, effectually concealing them from the public eye,
and because of the many living objects which claim our attention, few of those who have
been removed from the busy world linger long in our memory. Even the glorious achieve
ments of the present age may not insure it from being lost in the glare of greater things
to come, and so it is manifestly a duty to posterity for the men of the present time to
preserve a record of their lives and a story of their progress from low and humble begin
nings to great and noble deeds, in order that future generations may read the account of
their successful struggles, and profit by their example. A local history affords the best
means of preserving ancestral history, and it also becomes, immediately upon its publica
tion, a ready book of reference for those who have occasion to seek biographical data of
the leading and early settled families. Names, dates and events are not easily remem
bered by the average man, so it behooves the generations now living, who wish to live
in the memory of their descendants, to write their own records, making them full and
broad in scope, and minute in detail, and insure their preservation by having them put
in printed form. We firmly believe that in these collated personal memoirs will be found
as true and as faithful a record of Chenango County as may be obtained anywhere, for
the very sufficient reason that its growth and development are identified with that of

PREFACE

the men who have made her what she is to-day — the representative, leading men, whose
personal sketches it has been a pleasure to us to write and give a place in this volume.
From the time when the hand of civilized man had not yet violated the virgin soil with
desecrating plough, nor with the ever-ready frontiersman's ax felled the noble, almost
limitless, forests, to the present period of activity in all branches of industry, we may
read in the histories of the county's leading men, and of their ancestors, the steady growth
and development which has been going on here for a century and a half, and bids fair
to continue for centuries to come. A hundred years from now, whatever records of the
present time are then extant, having withstood the ravages of time and the ceaseless war
of the elements, will be viewed with an absorbing interest, equalling, if not surpassing,
that which is taken to-day in the history of the early settlements of America.
It has been our purpose in the preparation of this work to pass over no phase or
portion of it slightingly, but to give attention to the smallest points, and thus invest it
with an air of accuracy, to be obtained in no other way. The result has amply justified
the care that has been taken, for it is our honest belief that no more reliable production,
under the circumstances, could have been compiled.
One feature of this work, to which we have given special prominence, and which we
are sure will prove of extraordinary interest, is the collection of portraits of the represen
tative and leading citizens, which appear throughout the volume. We have tried to
represent the different spheres of industrial and professional activity as well as we might.
To those who have been so uniformly obliging and have kindly interested themselves in
the success of this work, volunteering information and data, which have been very helpful
to us in preparing this Book of Biographies of Chenango County, we desire to express
our grateful and profound acknowledgment of their valued services.
Buffalo, N. Y., June, 1898. THE PUBLISHERS.

 NOTE 
All the biographical sketches published in this volume were sub
mitted to their respective subjects, or to the subscribers, from whom
the facts were primarily obtained, for their approval or correction
before going to press ; and a reasonable time was allowed in each
case for the return of the type-written copies. Most of them were
returned to us within the time allotted, or before the work was
printed, after being corrected or revised ; and these may therefore
be regarded as reasonably accurate.
A few, however, were not returned to us ; and, as we have no
means of knowing whether they contain errors or not, we cannot
vouch for their accuracy. In justice to our readers, and to render
this work more valuable for reference purposes, we have indicated
these uncorrected sketches by a small asterisk (*), placed imme
diately after the name of the subject. They will all be found on
the last pages of the book.
BIOGRAPHICAL PUBLISHING CO.

Book of Biographies
chenango county, n. y.

DAVID MAYDOLE.

Book of Biographies

CHENANGO COUNTY

B

AVID MAYDOLE. The village of
Norwich has cause indeed to re
member with esteem, veneration
and gratitude the gentleman named above,
who over half a century ago, as a simple
worker at the forge, laid the solid founda
tions of the great hammer industry, that
more than any other agency has brought
prosperity, wealth and fame to Norwich.
Seldom has it fallen to our lot to compile a
life record that compared in uniqueness and
in the practical lessons taught with that of
David Maydole, whose name will ever be
associated with the best and most finished
types of that most useful industrial tool, the
hammer. His was a busy life, and whatever
the success that he achieved, and whatever
words of praise have been uttered in his be
half, all that came to him was richly deserved.
Labor he did incessantly ; even when fortune
had beamed on him and made him a rich
man, he was still to be found in the factory
with his employees, directing their efforts,
and seeking by experiment to improve his
products. Such labor as his was surely en
nobling, for he put his soul into what he did,

always with the ever present idea of doing
the best he could. He was never satisfied
with good work until he was thoroughly con
vinced that it was the best. His careful atten
tion to the smallest details, and his careful
search for improvements that could be made,
met with results that could hardly have been
looked for by Mr. Maydole in the commence
ment of his career, for the hammers with the
inscription " D. Maydole " are par excellence
standard of the world, and may be found in
the markets of every civilized country.
Mr. Maydole was born January 27, 1807, in
the town of Seward, Schoharie County, N. Y.,
near " Neeley's Hollow," better known by
the people of the present day as " Seward's
Valley." In him were united by right of
descent the enterprising and persevering
traits of the Scotch-Irish, and the solid,
patient characteristics of the Hollander. His
paternal grandfather was of Scotch origin,
while his mother traced her ancestry to the
"land of dykes and ditches." They both
took up their residence in the English col
onies of America prior to the Revolution,
and the close of the century found both

12

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

families domiciled in Albany, N. Y. Alex
ander Maydole, the father of the subject of
this writing, was one of several children
whose names are still represented in those of
descendants, who live chiefly in New York
State. Alexander Maydole was born at East
Albany, Rensselaer County, and served an
apprenticeship as a shoemaker. His trade
having been acquired, he journeyed into
Schoharie County, where he labored at his
bench with awl and last for several years.
His location was in the town of Sharon, on
the old Cherry Valley turnpike; there he
settled down to a happy domestic life with
his wife, Anna Van Valkenburgh, who was a
member of an old and well known family in
that part of the state. Nine children out of
the twelve born to this worthy couple grew
to maturity and were present at their father's
funeral, in 1818.
Our subject's boyhood life was such as to
bring out all his capabilities and to school
him for a life of great usefulness. He was
the sixth child in the family of twelve, and
from the age when he was first able to help
in the least in the work of the household his
time was fully taken up, chiefly with work,
for the size of the family rendered it neces
sary that every member contribute his part
to the support of the whole family. Even
many of the benefits of a school education
were denied him, thus forcing him to rely
mainly on his own efforts for a rise in life
and for a fit preparation to cope with prob
lems that were sure to come to him. Thus
at an early age habits of prudence and indus
try were formed in him, and valuable lessons,
whose wholesome effects have been seen in a

life of great prosperity, made a deep impres
sion on him. His school education was begun
at a school in the town of Sharon, Schoharie
County, and was concluded by that afforded
during several winters in Cortland County,
where the family had moved in 1816, settling
on a small tract of land in Texas Valley, in
what is now the town of Marathon. Mr.
Maydole's mother was a woman of excellent
judgment and stability of character, as was
shown in the impress she made upon the
minds of the children, the care of whom de
volved upon her in 181 8, at the death of her
husband. Under her guiding hand and in
the light of her own exemplary bearing, her
large family of boys and girls grew up to be
respected and industrious members of the
different and widely separated communities
in which they lived in after years. From the
time of his father's death, David Maydole,
who was then but eleven years of age, ex
perienced little but hard work, with little or
no schooling or leisure. Until 1822 he was
employed by different farmers in the sum
mer, being able in the winters to attend
school. In January, 1822, having passed his
fifteenth birthday, he took the step which
initiated him as" an apprentice member of
one of the oldest and most honorable trades
followed by man. He became apprenticed
to the late James Glover of Oxford, who
was a well known blacksmith and most re
spected citizen of that village, the indenture
papers being drawn by the late Governor
Tracy, at whose instance David also chose
Mr. Glover as his guardian.
Having attained his majority and finished
his apprenticeship, he went to Eaton, in 1828,

CHENANGO COUNTY

T3

and entered into partnership with his
brother Jacob, who had finished his appren
ticeship at the blacksmith's trade a year or
two previous. The two brothers worked in
company until the fall of 1830, when David
sold his interest to his brother and made
an engagement with Gardiner & Abbott to
work at his trade for them for one year.
In 1 83 1 he went into partnership with David
Abbott at Lebanon, in the edge tool busi
ness, which arrangement satisfactorily con
tinued for two years. Mr. Maydole then
returned to Eaton and bought out a chair
factory, attached to which was a water
power, which was utilized when he trans
formed the plant into a blacksmith establish
ment, and entered upon a business in edge
tools and carriage springs, besides attend
ing to general blacksmithing work. The
custom he received was large in quantity,
and quite flattering was the success that
attended his efforts, the magnitude of the
work requiring four fires. In 1837 he pre
pared to enlarge his business, and for that
purpose he built an addition to his build
ings, designing to begin the manufacture of
lumber wagons for the Chicago markets ;
however, misfortune, in the form of fire,
overtook him, his building, stock and
machinery being destroyed. But nothing
daunted Mr. Maydole; in the same year
(1838), in company with a younger brother,
James, who was also a blacksmith, he bought
the Gardiner & Abbott scythe factory, con
nected with which was a water power and
sixty acres of land. The remainder of the
year was spent in working the farm and in
preparing for business, but nothing more

was done, for the title to the property
proved to be defective, and the brothers re
fused to accept it. At this juncture Mr.
Maydole was induced to consider the sub
ject of leaving Eaton for another location,
and the result was he became a resident of
Norwich in 1840, and formed a partnership
with Levi Ray, since deceased, in the old
stone blacksmith shop, which still stands on
East Main Street. His special part in the
business was the manufacture of edge tools
and carriage springs, in which branches he
had become an acknowledged expert, the
character of his work having given him a
wide reputation throughout this section.
It was soon after locating in Norwich
that the events occurred that led up to the
founding of the present mammoth hammer
business. At that time there was no recog
nized hammer industry ; blacksmiths made
their own hammers, and similar tools for
other artisans as well. Mr. Maydole's ham
mers did not suit him ; oftentimes the heads
would fly off, then if the iron was soft, the
head would spread and wear away, while if
the metal was a trifle too hard it would split.
But the chief trouble was the head coming
loose from the handle; there were a number
of expedients to obviate this, one kind had
an iron rod running through the handle,
with nuts at either end, another was made of
metal throughout, handle and head being of
iron, but all were clumsy and awkward. In
regard to the mixing and tempering of the
metal, Mr. Maydole only reached a point
where he could feel satisfied by many years
of experiment, carried on at odd moments.
He finally came very near to his desires in

M

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

the metal and at the same time hit upon an im
provement which led to his being able to put
a hammer upon a handle in such a way that
it would stay there, the head being attached
to the handle after the manner of an adz ;
the improvement consisted in merely making
a longer hole for the handle to go into, thus
giving a much firmer hold of the head. He
made a number of other changes, all for his
own convenience, however, for he did not
dream as yet of going into the manufacture
of hammers. He would have hardly bene
fited from the improvements he had originat
ed, at least not so soon as he did, for very
few hammers were ever required in the little
village, had not a party of six carpenters
come to Norwich to work upon a new
church. It so happened that one of these
men had left his hammer at home, and the
necessity was so great that he repaired to
the village smithy, which David Maydole
was then conducting, to have one made,
there being none at the village store. "Make
me a good one," said the carpenter, "as good
a one as you know how." David had in his
experiments arrived at some notion of what
a hammer ought to be, and knew that he was
able to produce a very superior article, but
he was not sure that the workman wanted
the best, so he asked him about his willing
ness to pay a good price, remarking, " But
perhaps you don't want to pay for as good a
hammer as I can make." To this the carpen
ter rejoined, " Yes, I do ; I want a good ham
mer." So the tool was made, the best one
probably that was ever made in the history
of iron-working, for it contained several im
portant improvements, original with Mr.

Maydole. To say that the customer was
satisfied would be a mild expression for his
feelings ; he took the greatest delight in the
hammer, showed it to his friends and fellow-
workmen, and could not say enough in
praise of the young blacksmith and his work.
The result was that on the following day the
man's five companions went to the shop, and
each ordered one, and when they were done
the contractor came to the shop, and ordered
two more, intimating that the blacksmith
ought to make his hammers a little better
than those he had made for his men. " I
can't make any better ones," said honest
David. " When I make a thing, I make it as
well as I can, no matter who it's for." Soon
after the store-keeper of the village gave him
what seemed the magnificent order for two
dozen, which in due time were placed on the
merchant's shelves. There the hammers
chanced to catch the eye of a New York
tool merchant, who at once recognized their
superior merits, and when he left Norwich,
it was after giving David Maydole a standing
order for as many hammers of that kind as
he could make. This was the beginning of
prosperity for David Maydole, for orders in
creased, and gave him an opportunity of
enlarging his works, and of employing more
men, thus in the end building up the great
industry of which Norwich is justly proud.
About this time, in the summer of 1845,
Mr. Maydole leased one-half of the building
that stood on the site now occupied by the
Maydole Hammer Factory, and engaged in
the manufacture of edge tools on his own
account and in his own name. In this build
ing he began the manufacture of the adz-eye

CHENANGO COUNTY

i5

and other hammers in quantities. In the
spring of 1847, the partnership that had
existed in the blacksmithing business with
Mr. Ray was dissolved, and from that time
on our subject's attention was devoted to the
hammer business. In 1848 a fire burned the
building and stock, causing Mr. Maydole a
loss of $1,500.00, above his insurance, which
was for the same amount. This second
scorching he did not allow to interfere much
with his work, for he at once set about the
work of repairing damages, recovering lost
ground, and firmly establishing himself once
more. He purchased the entire property of
the owners, and erected a factory, which is
the eastern portion of the present main
building, but it was then only two stories in
height. The works have since been several
times enlarged, an extension upon the ground
and a third story over the whole having been
put on in 1856.
During the first twenty )Tears, Mr. May-
dole was constantly experimenting with a
view to perfecting the hammer. The proper
combination of ores was at last decided, and
the requisite amount of tempering found by
experiment. The curve of the handle, the
curve of each part of the head, and every
little point about the tool was carefully con
sidered, thought over, tried, until at last Mr.
Maydole could say with pride, " I make the
best hammer in the United States." The
handle is made of selected hickory, seasoned
for a term of three years, so as to prevent
any appreciable shrinkage, when the head is
put on. Mr. Maydole never tried to com
pete with others in price ; he made the best
tool he could, set a fair, price on it, and let it

sell on its own merits. He never advertised
his hammers, never pushed the enterprise,
and never borrowed money. He was con
tent to secure a steady growth, that had its
foundation on real merit.
In 1857 the hammer business suffered with
other manufacturing enterprises, but while
Mr. Maydole's business felt, it did not long
nor materially suffer from the effects of the
panic. As early as i860 he was working'
from 75 to 80 hands, and was forced to put
in a 50 horse-power engine to supplement the
water-power obtained from the canal. From
then to the present time, the business has
gone on increasing, and except for the period
of depression that followed the panic of 1873,
there has been no time when the establish
ment has been able to keep up with its
orders, despite the constant enlargement of
facilities. In 1873 there were 115 men em
ployed. The forging had all been done by
hand up to 1876, each hammer being heated
slowly and carefuly over a charcoal fire, and
then fashioned by experienced workmen. In
that year machinery was first introduced,
and has been added to from that time to this.
At the present time the adz-eye hammer is
made in three heats, while the ordinary
blacksmith and riveting hammers are forged
at one heat. The capacity of the establish
ment has in this way been increased very
largely, at the same time greater perfection
being obtained than by hand forging. Mr.
Maydole invented the now common adz-eye
hammer, and it was always a matter of
regret to him that he never had it patented ;
on the introduction of forging machinery, he
invented and patented several important im-

2*

i6

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

provements, the one for drawing up the adz-
eye being especially ingenious and perfect,
excelling all other known contrivances de
signed for the same kind of work.
Mr. Maydole was often interviewed and
visited by great men, who had been at
tracted by his original character and excel
lent traits. In 1878 James A. Garfield, after
wards president of the United States, visited
Norwich and was shown around the works
by Mr. Maydole. A year later, Gen. Gar
field made an address before the Consolidated
Business College at Washington on the " Ele
ments of Success," and told the story of Mr.
Maydole, substantially as we have told it,
citing him as an example of a successful man,
who by diligent application on one object
became the leader in his special line of work.
James Parton, in his " Captains of Industry,"
gives an account of his beginning in life, and
places him with Peter Cooper, Horace Gree
ley, Richard Cobden, and Henry Bessemer, all
kings of business in their own fields of effort.
At the time of his death, Mr. Maydole was
the head of the concern, his sons-in-law,
Charles H. Merritt and Cyrus B. Martin,
being associated with him. In 1861, Mr.
Merritt bought a quarter interest in the
plant, and from then until his death was
most influential in building up the business.
In 1877, Mr. Martin purchased a quarter
interest of Mr. Maydole, and has since been
and is now identified with the management
of the company. In 1890, the present com
pany was organized, the interest of each part
ner continuing in the new concern. Mr.
Merritt was the first president, and was suc
ceeded by Mr. Martin, who still retains the

presidency ; he and his children own one-half
of the stock. Mrs. Cornelia E. Merritt owns
the other half of the stock, and is the vice-
president of the company.
The Maydole hammer has received prem
iums in every industrial exposition where ex
hibited. In the Centennial-Columbian case,
now standing in the engine room of the fac
tory, may be seen the Chicago exhibit intact.
The machinery used requires a 200 horse
power engine to move it, and several hun
dred tons of solid, crucible steel, made espec
ially for their use, are cut up in the works
each year. Grindstones by car loads are used
up. A half million and more hickory handles
are necessary for a full year's supply. In
their catalogue are shown thirty-six different
styles of hammers, some new in design, but
.most are of old and approved patterns. Many
sizes are made of every style, but the heaviest
hammer on the list weighs but four pounds.
The works employ about 130 men, and turn
out about a hundred dozen a day.
Mr. Maydole's habits of life were ever tem
perate and industrious. At the age of eigh
teen he first experienced religion, and,, united
with the Presbyterian Church of Oxford,
and was at different times a member of socie
ties at Morrisville, Eaton and Norwich. He
was a pronounced advocate of temperance.
He was a generous contributor to church,
charitable and public enterprises. Though
Mr. Maydole was no politician, he took a
hearty interest in public affairs, affiliating
originally with the Democrats, but becoming
a Republican, when the former organization
became hopelessly wedded to slavery.
Mr. Maydole was joined in marriage, May

CHENANGO COUNTY

i7

5, 1830, with Mary Madelia Hartshorn,
daughter of Jacob Hartshorn, long a magis
trate and prominent citizen of Lebanon, Madi
son County. Three daughters were born
to this union, namely : Jane Madelia, wife
of Col. William B. Guernsey ; Ann Vernette,
wife of Cyrus B. Martin ; and Cornelia
Eliza, wife of Charles H. Merritt. He con
tracted a second marriage with Charlena
Dickinson, daughter of Abner Dickinson,
Esq., who now survives him.
David Maydole died October 14, 1882, at
his residence in Norwich. The funeral serv
ices were most impressive, business generally
being suspended, while the citizens of Nor
wich and adjoining towns joined in paying
their last respects to him who had finished
his life-work, and had been called home. The
casket was borne by eight of Mr. Maydole's
trusted employees. At the close of the ser
vices, which were held in the Congregational
Church, the coffin lid was removed, and
nearly the entire audience availed themselves
of the opportunity of gazing upon the face
of him who for upwards of forty years had
been most intimately associated with every
thing that was best and noblest in the vil
lage of Norwich. The casket was then
placed in the hearse, and was followed by a
large number in carriages and on foot to the
cemetery, where the last impressive rites of
the burial service were concluded, and white
flowers, " emblems of immortality," covered
him from the sight of those left behind.
David Maydole, after a life of the greatest
usefulness, had entered into his reward. Mr.
Maydole's portrait appears as the frontispiece
of this work.

T^iLARK LAWRENCE HORTON, one
I jp of Afton's energetic business men, is
^>fc  ' a dealer in farming implements and
fertilizers, and is also business manager of
the Coventryville Creamery. He is a son of
Leonard and Jemima (Conover) Horton, and
was born in the town of Coventry, Chenango
County, January 8, 1847.
The Hortons are an old and well known
family, and are descendants of Puritan stock.
Benjamin Horton, grandfather of our sub
ject, was a native of the State ot Connecticut
and came to the State of New York in 1816,
locating in the town of Columbus, Chenango
County. About 1826 he moved to the town
of Coventry, where he remained until his
death, which occurred on May 24, 1841, when
he was aged sixty-seven. He was. extensive
ly engaged in farming and owned a large
farm in the town of Columbus. He was
united in marriage with a Miss Peninah
Newton, a native of Connecticut, by whom
he had eleven children, one of whom was
Leonard, the father of our subject:
Leonard Horton was born at Naugatuck,
Conn., November, 15, 1807, and was nine
years of age when his father brought him
to Columbus. He was reared upon a farm,
where he worked until he was eighteen
years of age. He then received employment
in a brewery, but finding it unsuited to his
tastes he soon gave up the position and be
came an apprentice to the wagon maker's
trade in New Berlin. After serving a three
years' apprenticeship, he engaged in business
for himself near South Oxford, and later at
West Coventry. Four years later he moved
to Coventryville, where he plied his trade

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

until near the time of his death, June 19,
1888. In connection with the manufacture
of wagons, he owned and operated a farm,
from which he obtained handsome profits.
In his political belief, he was an unswerving
Democrat, and voted uniformly and consci
entiously with his party. He was joined in
the holy bonds of wedlock with Miss Jemima
Conover, who was born in the town of Glen,
Montgomery County, N. Y., December 27,
1809, and died in the town of Coventry,
April 9, 1877. Her father was Cornelius
Conover, of Dutch descent, who came from
Montgomery County, N. Y., in early life and
settled in the town of Oxford, where he
spent the rest of his days engaged in farming,
and died in 1863, at the age of sevent}T-nine
years. Her mother's maiden name was Polly
Furman, and she died about 1827, aged forty-
eight years. As a result of their union, Mr.
and Mrs. Horton became the parents of four
children, whose records are as follows : Mar
cus N.; Emily J., who married Wells Streeter,
deceased, and now resides on the old Horton
homestead in Coventryville, was for many
years a successful teacher ; Avis A., de
ceased, was at one time preceptress of Wal
ton Academy in Delaware County, N. Y.,
and later became the wife of S. D. Silliman
of Herkimer County, N. Y.; and Clark Law
rence, whose name heads these lines. Mar
cus N. Horton was born April 6, 1830, re
ceived his education in the Delaware County
Institute at Franklin, N. Y., and in Williams
College, from which he graduated. He was
a man of much prominence as a teacher, and
at one time was county school commissioner.
He was also superintendent of schools of

Williamsport, Pa., and in its early days was
appointed a professor of the Agricultural
College of Ithaca, N. Y. He is now living
in retirement at Bloomfield, N. J., as his
health will not permit him to perform his
duties as professor.
Clark Lawrence Horton was educated in
the Jefferson County Institute, and later at
Oxford Academy. Leaving school at the
age of twenty, he taught during the winter
seasons and followed farming in the summers.
From 1868 to 1893, his time was devoted
almost exclusively to farming in the town of
Coventry. He operated a farm of 250 acres
and made a specialty of dairying, keeping
from twenty-five to thirty-five cows the year
around, and making a decided success of the
business. In 1894, he moved to Afton, N. Y.,
where he has since dealt in farm implements
and fertilizers, and also acted as business
manager of a co operative creamery of Cov
entryville. He is a man of strict integrity,
and by his honest dealings in his business
transactions has made many friends since
becoming a resident of Afton. In political
views he has always been identified with the
Republican party, and has filled many of the
town offices of Coventry, including that of
supervisor, and has also filled the position of
supervisor of Afton. Religiously, he is a
faithful member of the Baptist Church, and
for fifteen years was deacon, and many years
trustee and clerk in that organization at Cov
entry. Socially, he is a prominent member
of the Grange.
Mr. Horton was joined in Hymen's bonds
with Martha E. Parker, August 23, 1871, and
two children have blessed their union, namely:

ffflms,

<rr^

CHENANGO COUNTY

Rachel A., born September 6, 1876; and Har
rison Grant, born January 1, 1881. Mrs.
Horton is a daughter of Gaius and Lucretia
(Coffin) Parker, and a granddaughter of Oli
ver and Abigail (Lewis) Parker. Oliver Par
ker was a farmer and hotel keeper, and at
one time followed the occupation of a black
smith. He was an active church worker and
was a member of the Baptist Church. To
his union with Miss Lewis were born four
children : Thankful, wife of Nahum Newton,
both of whom are now deceased ; Merab, de
ceased, was the wife of Deacon John Stod
dard ; Esther, deceased, was the wife of Rev.
Daniel Root, a Baptist minister ; and Gaius
L. Gaius L. Parker was reared and always
lived in the town of Coventry. In early life
he was a farmer and blacksmith, but his lat
ter days were devoted to farming only. He
owned a farm of 150 acres, and was one of
the leading farmers of the community in
which he lived. He was a quiet, retiring
man, but was always forcible in his convic
tions of right and wrong. He was a stanch
Republican in his political belief. He was
united in marriage with Lucretia Coffin, and
they reared the following children : Aurelia,
deceased, was the wife of Thomas Hale of
Auburn, N. Y.; Edwin, who died at an early
age ; George also died young ; Eliza is the
wife of Daniel Walker, and resides in Oxford ;
Hannah, deceased, married Orville Wilson ;
Miss Julia of Oxford ; Mary, deceased, was
the wife of Jacob A. Sanders ; and Martha E.,
the wife of our subject.
Mr. Horton is a man of intelligence, well
versed on all subjects of interest to the peo
ple, and actively supports all things tending

to improve the public condition. He is well
thought of by his fellow citizens, who respect
and esteem him as a man of great worth and
influence in the community.

ON. GEORGE B. WHITMORE.
This prominent citizen of Chenango
County, and resident of the village
of Sherburne, whose steel plate portrait we
present on the opposite page, is the senior
member of the large commission firm of G.
B. Whitmore & Co. of New York City.
This firm transacts an enormous business in
cheese, butter, eggs and other products of
the farm, and is accorded the distinction of
handling more cheese than any other house
in the metropolis. The mercantile agencies
rate G. B. Whitmore & Co. from $300,000.00
to $500,000.00. This powerful commercial
force was organized in a small way by our
subject when following his trade as a carpen
ter in a humble way in Chenango County ;
it did not take him long to see with his
sagacious business sense that there was
money in the commission business for him, if
he only gave his whole time and attention to
it. He accordingly gave up his trade, and
moved to New York City, where for a
period of nearly thirty years his name has
been familiar and respected among the com
mission houses. He is preeminently a self-
made man, and has accomplished wonders
by means of the talents Nature gave him, —
an acute, vigorous intellect, excellent judg
ment, and willing hands. He possessed the
qualities that win success, and he made a

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

happy use of them to achieve wealth and in
fluence. His position to-day is as the most
prominent, most wealthy, and best known
citizen of Chenango County. In his struggle
for prominence he has had little, if any, help
from the outside. He has fought his own
battles, with how great success is only
known by those who are nearest to him, and
in his confidence.
Mr. Whitmore was born in the town of
Columbus, Chenango County, June 29, 1835,
and is a son of Luther and Elsie (Perkins)
Whitmore, and grandson of Samuel and
Annie (Blackmail) Whitmore. Samuel Whit
more came into Chenango County from the
State of Massachusetts at an early day, when
the hills and valleys were alike covered with
a dense forest, that harbored in its fastnesses
many varieties of game as well as savage
animals. He was by trade a cooper, but
spent the greater portion of his life, at least
after coming to Central New York, as a
pioneer farmer. He cleared and placed
under cultivation the farm now owned by
Mr. Shawler, which he afterward sold to ad
vantage and located where Lewis Simmons
lives ; there he built solid substantial farm
buildings, and attained a place high in the
esteem of his neighbors as a man of judg
ment, industry and integrity ; the barn that
he built is still standing and in service. Both
he and his wife lived to be eighty-six years
of age.
The only child of Samuel and Annie
( Blackman ) Whitmore was Luther, the
father of our subject, who came into the
world in 1792 at his father's home in Colum
bus township. After attending the district

school, Luther Whitmore became a graduate
of the Fairfield Academy in 18 15. He
clerked for a time in one of the early stores
of the region, and also followed the profes
sion of a surveyor. He was one of the best
educated men of his day in the county, and a
great reader of Shakespeare ; when a young
man he taught in the district schools. He
settled on a farm, now owned by Edward
Bryan, of 130 acres, which adjoined his
father's tract of 100 acres; in later life he
owned both of them. His marked thrift and
good methods in carrying on his agricultural
operations made him very successful, and as
time progressed he became one of the
heaviest land-owners, and most extensive
agriculturists of Columbus township. After
his active days on the farm were over, he
retired to Columbus Center, purchased a
home for himself there, and passed the
remainder of his days, being called to his
reward at the age of seventy six. He was
very active and influential in both the Whig
and Republican parties, his connection with
the latter organization dating from the dis
solution of the former one. He was very
frequently honored by his townsmen, and
there was scarcely a time during the active
part of his life when he was not holding
some office. Thus were the qualities of this
enterprising and prominent citizen recogniz
ed and rewarded. His wife, Elsie, who lived
to be eighty-five years old, was a daughter of
Daniel Perkins, who was an early settler on
Shawler Creek, near the Great Western
Turnpike. The following children made up
the family circle of our subject's parents:
Samuel; Daniel E.; Ann F.; Augustus C;

CHENANGO COUNTY

23

John L.; George B.; Henry J.; Lee H.; and
Alice. Samuel, the eldest of the family,
resides in Chenango County, and is retired
from the pursuits of agriculture. Daniel E.,
a leading citizen of Marathon village, Cort
land County, is engaged in a wholesale pro
duce business, which is connected with and
related to that of G. B. Whitmore & Co.
Ann E., now deceased, was in life the true
and faithful wife of Nicholas Richer. Au
gustus C, also deceased, was a farmer of the
State of Wisconsin. John L., who is a phy
sician and a pharmacist, resides in Minnesota,
where he is receiving his just due as a prom
inent and representative citizen. Henry I.,
now retired and living in Minnesota, was for
a number of years a teacher, and was then
engaged in mercantile lines. Lee H. has
been in business for years in Minnesota.
Alice wedded Andrew Robinson, a stone
mason, and has lived in Chenango County all
her life.
Hon. George B. Whitmore pursued his
education in the district schools, and in the
academy, preparing himself for the life of a
teacher, which, however, he did not elect to
follow. He then learned the carpenter's
trade, and was engaged in building and con
tracting for a number of years with great
success and commendable results, employing
many men and accumulating a capital, that
enabled him in a small way to launch out in
the produce and commission business. He
at length gave up his trade, and interested
himself solely in the wholesale produce busi
ness, with headquarters at New Berlin and
Edmeston; buying produce and shipping it
to market at New York City comprised his

operations during this stage of his career.
In establishing this business, he afforded the
farmers of Chenango County a market for
their goods near at hand, and offered such
prices as were honest and fair to the pro
ducers. By fair, unbiased treatment he
gained the confidence and good-will of a
large acquaintance, which proved useful to
him, when he established himself in New
York City in 1869. When he started in
business in the metropolis, he opened a com
mission house at 89 and 91 Warren Street,
and by his energy and excellent management
he built up an enormous trade. During the
first five years he had a partner ; after he
bought him out he continued alone for nearly
ten years, and achieved a glowing success.
The volume of business was doubled many
times over, operations were extended into
many a new field, and facilities were provided
by means of which the vast increase in the
trade and amount of goods handled could be
accommodated without the loss of time, money
or labor. This was the busiest period in our
subject's life, and well did he conduct him
self in the management of his commission
house, that then rivalled the largest and
oldest establishments of its kind in the city.
His shrewd foresight and enterprising spirit
brought him wealth, that was not dissipated
by ill-judged ventures or carelessness in its
handling, but was rather retained and hus
banded by conservative methodical habits of
business for the further extension of his com
mercial activity. In July, 1885, Mr. Whit
more admitted into the firm his nephew, D.
W. Whitmore, son of his brother, Hon.
Daniel E. Whitmore of Marathon, Cortland,

24

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

County ; the firm then became known as G.
B. Whitmore & Co., and remained so when a
younger brother of D. W., D. L. Whitmore,
was made a partner. This live commission
and produce house has allowed no cause to
give it a set-back ; it has gone right on in
creasing its business, gaining more patrons,
and making itself a distinct power in the
commercial world, until it is safe to asseverate
that at this day few commission houses in
New York City do so large a business in
general farm produce, while none handle
more boxes of cheese. Chenango County
has not another citizen whose rise to promi
nence and wealth has been so steady and un
interrupted, of such splendid personal char
acteristics, that ennoble him in the minds of
his friends, as Mr. Whitmore.
Our subject is actuated in his dealings
with his fellow men by only the most noble
and generous of sentiments, and few men
enjoy so large a measure of respect and
esteem as falls to him. He is very charitably
disposed, and is a most liberal supporter of
the Episcopal Church of Sherburne, of which
he is a member and warden. Those in real
need and distress find in him a real friend
and sympathizer, who well knows how to
provide for their wants. For. fifteen years
he lived in his beautiful residence in Brook
lyn, but as advanced age came to him, his
thoughts turned toward the countr)' and to
his native county, where his youth and
young manhood were spent. He accord
ingly came to Chenango County, and located
in the beautiful village of Sherburne to live
a more retired life, far from the distracting
scenes of city life, his business being left to

the immediate supervision of his partners.
He purchased the M. L. Harvey property,
consisting of two acres of land, fronting on
Main Street. There he built a handsome
residence, replete with modern conveniences
and the latest appliances for domestic com
fort, and furnished luxuriously throughout.
It is without question one of the very finest
homes in Chenango County, and derives
especial beauty from its tasty and artistic
surroundings. The spacious grounds were
graded and laid out in an extensive park,
with shade trees, shrubbery and flowers in
abundance ; there is, however, nothing ob
trusive in the arrangement of the various
natural and artificial features, — each and all,
from the large handsome fountain that plays
throughout the long summer days to the
groups of shrubbery and flower beds, form
one harmonious whole, that pleases and
delights the eye with its symmetry and
beauty. No citizen of Sherburne can boast of more
assistance or heartier interest in the progress
and welfare of the village than our subject,
who, since becoming a resident, has been
more than eager to make Sherburne a model
village, and raise its already high standing.
He is an extensive holder of real estate, and
owns a number of tenement houses in the
village, and a number of fine farms in Sher
burne and the adjoining towns. He owns
the Empire Block on Main Street, which is
devoted to stores and offices, and a brick
block, which contains a bakery. He has
given his services gladly and willingly, when
called upon to hold public office, and none
can complain of lack of public spirit on the

CHENANGO COUNTY

25

part of Mr. Whitmore. He is a Republican
as respects his political views, and served
as president of the village corporation from
1886 to 1 89 1. He has been supervisor of the
town two terms, and was chairman ol the
board of supervisors one of these terms. In
1885 he was elected to represent Chenango
County in the State Assembly, and received
a plurality over his Democratic opponent of
1,130 votes. In the Assembly he served as a
member of the committee on Banks, and as
chairman of the committee on Charitable and
Religious Societies. He has been very prom
inent in county politics, and is a very influen
tial and able member of the Republican
organization ; he has been chairman of the
county committee, and in other like posi
tions has been able to offer good counsel and
advice. Mr. Whitmore married Miss Marian
Furman, daughter of Frederick Furman,
deceased. Their only child is Marian O.,
who lives at home. She is an accomplished
artist, and is extremely popular in the best
social circles of the village.

"ON. HIRAM ELEAZER STORRS,
deceased, late an esteemed resident
of Sherburne, will long be remem
bered in Chenango County as one whose life
history was closely interwoven with the
development of this section. Public-spirited,
and enterprising, he was in his prime the
peer of any citizen of the community, and
could be relied on to stanchly uphold and
zealously guard the interests of Chenango
County. He was born in the town of

Columbus, October 12, 1813, and was there
fore an indigenous product, and closely
related to all that concerned the growth of
Central New York.
His father, Benjamin Storrs, left his home
at Mansfield, Conn., at an early age, and
came to Columbus, where he was for many
years engaged in carrying on a flourishing
mercantile business. He was married on
January 4, 1807, to Mindwell Crosby, and
these children were born to them : Mariam ;
Catherine, who died January 25, 1898;
Experience ; and Hon. Hiram E. Benjamin
Storrs served in many of the town offices,
was assessor and clerk, and did all in his
power to advance and further his chosen
home. His death occurred June 20, i860.
Hiram E. succeeded to the care of the
homestead, even before the death of his
father, and cared for his parents in their old
age. He built a new store and ran it for a
number of years. He was a very popular
and much esteemed man, and' in the local
councils of the Republican party occupied a
leader's position. He served as town clerk
and assessor, and represented Chenango
County in the State Assembly in 1846. At
Albany he easily sustained the reputation he
had gained at home for fluent and able
speaking, and the proper occasion always
found him ready to champion, with force and
an earnestness most convincing, state meas
ures that appealed to him as needed. He
was one of the most enthusiastic of party
workers, and in 1844 he constructed a small
house, modeled after the White House at
Washington, in which he placed a live rac
coon. The house and " coon " were then

26

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

placed on a platform after the manner of a
" float", and the whole was drawn from place
to place by a team of eight horses, and
exhibited at political meetings, that occurred
during the Whig candidacy of Henry Clay
for the Presidency. After the exciting times
of that Presidential election had passed, Mr.
Storrs had the house fastened to the gable of
his store ; at the present time, it adorns the
front of the barn of Mrs. Ida R. Deitz, Mr.
Storrs' daughter, who caused it to be placed
there in remembrance of the early days. Mr.
Storrs was however more than an ordinary
party worker, and was not interested in the
elections for any advantage that might accrue
to him. Out of a love for the cause, he de
voted much of his time, and subscribed large
sums of money. Upon the outbreak of the
late rebellion, he enlisted in the 161st Reg.
N. Y. Vol. Inf., and served for three years.
His death occurred December 27, 1893.
On September 19, 1839, he was united in
marriage with Eunice A. Crary, daughter of
Capt. Henry Crary, and granddaughter of
Capt. Henry Crary, Sr. The latter was a
sea-captain, and followed nautical pursuits
the greater part of his life, his home being in
Connecticut. Capt. Henry Crary, Jr., was
born in Groton, Conn., March 12, 1782, and
spent the early part of his life on the sea,
following the sea-faring business for twelve
years, until about the breaking out of the
War of 18 12 between England and the United
States, his course lying between Middletown,
Conn., and South America. He in 1814 with
his wife set out for Central New York. They
traveled the entire distance from Groton to
Columbus, this county, in a one-horse lumber

wagon, a long, tedious and difficult journey
for those days. He bought on his arrival in
this locality the farm now owned by the
Crary heirs, three miles north of Columbus
Center, the property then consisting of 250
acres of choice land, its owner being a Mr.
Thompson, who had inherited the property
from his father-in-law, John Lawrence, who
had settled on the place near the close of the
last century. Capt. Crary was possessed of
ample means and spared no expense in fur
nishing and in building the new house that
he erected on his property. It was built in
1830, Richard Lloyd being the carpenter, and
it stands today as a testimony to excellent
materials and the best of workmanship.
After the house was built, Capt. Crary,
journeyed to Albany via the Cherry Valley
turnpike for a sitting-room stove and other
hardware ; the Franklin stove that he secured
is now owned by our subject's daughters,
Mrs. Ida R. Deitz, and Mary E. Storrs, and,
with the original stove-pipe and other fixtures
still intact, is still in a good state of preser
vation, and still in use. The andirons that
stand upon the hearth were brought by the
famity in their removal from Groton. Much
of the other original furniture of the house is
still in use, and includes hand-made dressers,
lockers, desks, beds, tables, chairs, dishes,
etc., a great part ot these pieces of furniture
being in beautiful antique designs, so much
prized by the relic hunters. Capt. Crary
died August 23, 1865. He was a very active
Whig partisan, and identified himself with all
the interests of his town, serving some seven
or eight years as its supervisor, and was held
in such confidence by the community that he

HON. WILLIAM F. JENKS.

CHENANGO COUNTY

29

was in 1834 elected one of the Members of
Assembly for the county, and had a place in
that body in the session of 1835. Although
age interfered with his activity in the closing
years of his life, his intellect exhibited no
signs of impairment, and his interest in local,
state and national affairs continued until the
last. Through all his long life, and especially
during his residence in Columbus, Capt.
Crary was held in great and deserved esteem
by all who came in contact with him. He
was a sagacious counsellor, an intelligent and
active citizen, a kind and sympathizing
neighbor and friend, and an honest man. He
was married in 18 14 to Mrs. Collins York,
who was born June 27, 1784, and died No
vember 19, 1848. Three children grew to
maturity from this union, as follows : Mary
Ann, born June 9, 181 5; Eunice A., born
February 15, 1818, became the wife of Hon.
Hiram E. Storrs ; and Henry, who was born
November 17, 1825, in Columbus, N. Y , and
died unmarried, December 4, 1888, at Colum
bus Center, from injuries received from a fall
while at work in one of the buildings on the
Crary farm. Emily and Eliza, twins, died
young. Capt. Crary married for his second
wife Lucy Ann Lewis, in 1849, at Stoningtbn,
Conn. She died September 4, 1890, at
Eureka, Cal., at the residence of her daugh
ter, Mrs. A. F. West.
Three children comprised the family of
Hon. Hiram E. Storrs, 'two of whom now
survive him. Hiram H., born June 29, 1842,
was a soldier in the same regiment as his
father, and met his death in 1863. Ida R.,
born July 10, 1847, married Malcolm G.
Dietz, now deceased, who was a member of

the firm of Dietz & Walker, merchants of
Sherburne. They had one child, Grace, who
is now deceased. Mary E., the third of the
children in order of birth, was born Sep
tember 21, 1 85 1. Miss Storrs and her sister,
Mrs. Dietz, own and occupy their parent's
home, a beautiful modern house, surrounded
with wide lawns, well-shaded with magni
ficent trees.

\^Yi P°litk

ILLIAM F. JENKS. Social and
ical position in the United
States is not dependent, as in the Old World
monarchies, on titles or on long lines of
family ancestors, but is rather based on a
man's own achievements. A self-made man,
one who owes his success in great part to
his own individual efforts, is the type of a
man of whom we Americans are pardonably
proud, perhaps because his struggles against
adverse circumstances and a comparatively
humble beginning to success and honor so
nearly resemble the life of our own nation.
Among the number of self-made men of
whom Chenango County boasts, we would
be extremely unwilling to pass by without
due mention the subject of this sketch, Wil
liam F. Jenks, ex-judge of Chenango County.
He is a son of Hawkins and Lora (Flint)
Jenks, and was born August 29, 1831, in
Burlington, Otsego County, N. Y.
Peter Jenks, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was a prominent farmer in the State of
Rhode Island, and came to Burlington about
1794, where he farmed the rest of his active

3°

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

life. He was the father of twelve children,
nine sons and three daughters..
In politics Hawkins Jenks was a Whig, and
held important offices in his town. After the
disbanding of that party he acted with the
Democratic party. Religiously, he and his
wife were members of the Universalist
Church. He was joined in matrimony with
Miss Lora Flint, and they reared two chil
dren, namely : William F., the subject of this
personal history, and Sarah, the wife of
Charles P. Sprague. Mr. and Mrs. Jenks
have both passed from this life.
William F. Jenks attended the district and
select schools, and improved every oppor
tunity by which he might add to his stock of
knowledge, and so become equipped for life's
work. He taught school for some time and
then chose law as a profession. After study
ing the fundamental principles of legal pro
cedure and jurisprudence, he was admitted
to the bar in 1853, and began to practice in
the town of Friendship, Allegany County,
N. Y. In 1855 he went to New Berlin and
remained there until 1875, when he came to
Norwich, where he has since resided. He
was elected judge of Chenango County in
November, 1877, and was again re-elected in
1883. He also has been supervisor of his
native town for one year.
Judge Jenks is a member of Emmanuel
Episcopal Church, and senior warden of that
church. He is a member of the Masonic
Order, Phoebus Lodge, No. 82, of New
Berlin, and of the Chapter and Commandery
in Norwich. He chose for his life companion
Eliza Matterson, daughter of Nathan W
Matterson, and they- were married November

10, 1854. They have reared and educated
five children, namely : Florence E. ; Carrie
L. ; Anna B. ; Albert W. ; and Laura M.
Professionally, the life of Judge Jenks has
been marked by a high sense of justice, a
keen sympathy for the poor and oppressed
suitor and a plainly shown impatience at that
public clamor which now and then usurps
the place of justice and demands a victim
without much heed as to the question of guilt
or innocence. On the bench he had a grace
ful, dignified bearing. His rulings and
opinions were delivered firmly, dispassion
ately and with evident full intent to treat the
case fairly and impartially. He was alike
courteous to the youngest attorney and to
the oldest member of the bar. As an indi
vidual in the private walks of life, it matters
not whether he meets a banker or a laborer,
he is sure to give him the same warm grasp
and hearty greeting. On a preceding page
we take pleasure in presenting a portrait of
Judge William F. Jenks.

JB

R. DE WITT CRUMB, who has
charge of a large practice in the
village of South Otselic, is a
veteran of the late Civil War, and has a
record for bravery and faithfulness while in
the service that is a source of great pride to
his family, and will continue to be so for
many generations to come. He was born in
the town of Preston, Chenango County, and
attended the district schools. Upon leaving
school he learned the trade of a carpenter

CHENANGO COUNTY

3i

and joiner with his father and continued in
that line of work until November 23, 1863.
He enlisted as private in Co. G, 22nd Reg.,
N. Y. Vol. Cav., which regiment was at first
assigned to the Army of the Potomac
under Gen. Wilson, but later on, June 9,
1864, was transferred to the Army of Shen
andoah under Gen. Custer. This company
of brave troopers took an important part in
some of the fiercest battles fought in that
cruel war, and but seventeen of these heroes,
who willingly and with light hearts left
happy homes to fight for the Union, lived to
return to those homes where loving ones
awaited them. They were actively engaged
in the following battles : Wilderness ; Spott
sylvania; Todd's Tavern; Cold Harbor;
Paumonkey ; Ream's Station; Wilson and
Kautz Raid ; Winchester ; Cedar Creek ;
November 12th on the Back Road; Tom's
Creek ; Waynesborough ; and twenty-eight
other engagements of lesser importance.
Our subject received a wound in the leg at
Stony Creek, and was also hit in the head by
a bullet at Bottom's Bridge, but they were
not of enough importance to prevent his
participating in further service, although
they were very painful for some time.
August 1, 1865, he received his honorable
discharge and returned to his home at Pres
ton, having previously been promoted to
the rank of sergeant.
Dr. Crumb comes of distinguished ances
tors both paternally and maternally. He is
a son of Ralph and Laura A. (Clark) Crumb,
and a grandson of Phineas Crumb. Phineas
Crumb was a native of Scotland, his home
being near Edinburgh, where he followed the

occupation of an agriculturist. Upon com
ing to America with his family, he located in
the town of Pharsalia, Chenango County,
N. Y., at what is now known as the Old
Deer Pond. He was one of the pioneer
farmers of that time and was a very promi
nent man. He was an earnest worker in
church affairs, and was instrumental in the
building of the Free Will Baptist Church of
Pharsalia, of which he was a member. He
reared a remarkable family of seven sons,
who were brought up under religious in
fluences, and were never known to take a
drink of liquor or use tobacco in any form.
The family consisted of seven sons and four
daughters, whose records are as follows :
Ralza, deceased, was a farmer of the town of
Plymouth and for seven years was county
pdormaster, and supervisor for a consider
able period ; Ruel followed farming, and
died in the town of South Otselic in 1858;
Ralph, the father of our subject ; Reuben,
who died at an early age ; Jesse was a far
mer, but is now living in retirement in
Steuben County, N. Y.; Samuel, deceasedj
was a farmer of Canandaigua, Ontario
County ; Phineas is a farmer of Pharsalia,
who inherited the old homestead ; Hannah
married Darwin Parks — they were among the
earliest settlers of Ashtabula, Ohio, and were
the parents of three sons, all of whom lost
their lives in the Second Battle of Lookout
Mountain ; Rachel, deceased, was united in
marriage with William B. Lewis, a late
farmer of the town of Preston and a deacon
of the church ; Lydia married Lorenzo Bar
low of Plymouth, and both are now deceased;
and Louise, who married Miles Newton, and

32

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

was the mother of Newton Bros., shirt man
ufacturers of Homer, N. Y.
Ralph Crumb, our subject's father, was
born near Edinburgh, Scotland, August 10,
1 813, and came to America with his father.
He was reared on the farm, but after reach
ing manhood he followed the trade of a car
penter and joiner, being considered a skilled
workman. He made his home in the village
of Preston, but his reputation as a contractor
extended throughout the county, and many
of the older buildings in the village of Nor
wich are results of his workmanship. He
was a stanch Republican, and was interested
in politics to the extent of a very dutiful
citizen. Religiously, he was an earnest
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
His companion in life was Miss Laura A.
Clark, and they were the parents of four
sons and one daughter, namely : Henry A., a
well-to-do farmer of Kanona, Steuben County;
Lucius, a glove and mitten manufacturer of
Norwich; Alson, a farmer of the town of
Preston ; Dr. De Witt, the subject of this
biography ; and Amanda, deceased, who
married George Nicholson, and at the time of
her death resided on the old Clark home
stead, which has been in the possession of
that family since 1802. Mrs. Crumb comes
of the purest of Puritan stock and traces her
ancestry back to one, William Clark, who
came to this country in the Mayflower.
William Clark, the great-grandfather of our
subject's mother, was a native of Stonington,
Conn. He was one of the brave men of the
Revolutionary War and served under Gen.
Putnam. While storming Stony Point on
the Hudson, he lost a leg, for which he after

wards received a pension, which was the
eighth on the Government's pension list to be
granted. In 1802, accompanied by his family,
he came to the town of Preston and located
on what is now the County Home Farm.
His son, Alfred Clark, grandfather of our
subject, was a farmer of the town of Preston,
and was a soldier in the War of 1812, being
one of the defenders of Sackett's Harbor.
He was united in marriage with Miss Han
nah Minor, a daughter of William Minor, a
Revolutionary soldier who died, after with
standing the vicissitudes of fortune for one-
hundred and two years, and now lies buried
by the side of^ William Clark in the cemetery
at Preston Corners. Alfred Clark also lived
to reach a ripe old age, dying at the age of
ninety-one. He was an adherent of the doc
trines of the Universalist Church, and his
son, Rev. A. G. Clark, an uncle of our sub
ject, is a minister of that denomination.
Our subject, after returning from the war,
entered Haverling Union School of Bath, and
graduated in 1868. He then began reading
medicine with Dr. Thomas D. Wight of
Preston in the fall of 1868, and later entered
the University of Buffalo, where he pursued
the study of his profession until February 20,
1 87 1, the date of his graduation. After
practicing for five and a half years in the
County Home, he came to South Otselic,
where he has since remained. He has a
large general practice and possesses the con
fidence of his patients. Kind and charitable
in all his dealings, he is well liked, and can
boast of as many friends as can most men in
the vicinity.
Dr. Crumb formed a matrimonial alliance

DR. ALVIN C. HAZARD.

CHENANGO COUNTY

35

May 30, 1 87 1, with Miss Amelia G. Janes, a
daughter of Sidney Janes, a late farmer of
Preston, and two children have blessed their
union, namely : Mary E., who married Dr.
J. Perry Horle of Cato, N. Y.; and J. Mott,
a medical student at Fairfield Military
School. Politically, our subject is a stanch
supporter of the principles of the Republican
party. He is a member of the New York
State Medical Society ; the Central New
York Medical Association ; and is a member
and past president of the Chenango County
Medical Society. Socially, he is a member
of the South Otselic Lodge, No. 659, F. &
A. M., of which he has been master and
secretary since 1878; of the Norwich Com-
mandery, No. 46 ; Lake Ontario Consistory,
No. 12, A. A. S. R.; Cascadilla Lodge, No.
478, I. O. O. F., of South Otselic, of which
he is past grand master. He belongs to the
J. E. Parce Post, No. 456. G. A. R., of South
Otselic, and has been commander for the
past ten years. He always attends the state
and national encampments, and has been sent
as delegate to represent the State of New
York at the last four national encamp
ments.

yKv^of

LVIN C. HAZARD, M. D., deceased.
history of this eminent physician
)f New Berlin presents a record
of a busy and useful life. He was born at
Little Meadows, Pa., June 21, 1838, and was
a son of Oliver Perry and Prudence Aruba
(Dobson) Hazard. He received a good
academic education in his native village,

after which he took up the study of medicine
under the tutelage of Dr. E. A. Wilmot of
Little Meadows. He studied diligently for
three years, and in 1863, as the notes of war
were resounding through the land, he prof
fered his services for the preservation of the
Union. He enlisted in the United States
Railroad Medical Department as assistant
surgeon and served in that capacity for two
years. He also had charge of the Military
Railroad Department at Alexandria, Va., for
one year. He served until the close of the
war and was always at his post when needed,
caring for his patients night and day. After
the war was over he moved to South New Ber
lin, Chenango County, in January, 1866, and
was licensed by the County Medical Society
to practice his profession. There he built
up a good practice, but in 1871 removed to
New Berlin, which was his home until his
death. During the first nine years of his
residence, he was associated in the drug
business with J. L. Dykes, but the partner
ship was amicably dissolved when Dr.
Hazard was elected sheriff. He was a care
ful practitioner and possessed the confidence
and esteem of a large patronage. He did
not confine his attention to the care of the
well-to-do class, as his best efforts were as
often put forth without hope of remunera
tion, and there were many poor families to
whom he gave free advice, medicines, and
other needful articles. The character of Dr.
Hazard presented the happy combination of
great refinement of mind, and the practical
adaptation of the qualities which enabled him
to carry on his life pursuits with dignity and
honor, and at the same time made him finan-

36

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

cially successful and a favorite with the com
mon people. He was never too proud to
listen to a tale of distress, and no one turned
from him without aid and sympathy. Men
tal])', morally and physically he was a model
man. He will be affectionately remembered
in his community long after those who knew
him most intimately have passed away. He
was also liberal in the support of everything
which tended to ameliorate the condition of
mankind. Dr. Hazard was united in marriage March
10, 1858, with Miss Angeline D. Sage of South
New Berlin, and they became the parents of
three children, namely: Mrs. Ella M. Pal
mer ; Ransom E., deceased ; and Oliver. He
was bereaved of his wife's companionship
April 11, 1872. He took for his second con
sort Miss Adelaide Briggs of New Berlin,
and one son, Harold, blessed their union.
Mrs. Hazard was an affectionate wife and
mother and still resides in New Berlin. Our
subject was an unswerving Republican, and
had far-reaching influence in political affairs.
He served in official capacity as supervisor
in 1869, and was honored by an election to
the office of sheriff in 1879. At the time of
his death, he was health officer in Pittsfield,
Otsego County, and New Berlin, Chenango
County, and railroad surgeon on the O. & W.
R. R., and also an active and interested
member of the board of education of New
Berlin. Socially, he was a member of the
Chenango County Medical Society, and
Phoebus Lodge, No. 82, F. & A. M. In
religion, he was an adherent to the faith of
the Baptist Church, and liberally supported
that organization.

Dr. Hazard passed away at his home in
New Berlin, Monday evening, April 19, 1897,
and his death was a cause for general mourn
ing and commiseration. The funeral services
were held at the church on the Friday fol
lowing his demise, the Rev. E. A. Bacon
officiating. The Chenango County Medical
Society, the board of education, and the
faculty and students of the public schools at
tended in a body, and the members of Phoe
bus Lodge, F. & A. M., acted as escorts. It
was the largest and most generally attended
funeral ever held in New Berlin. He was
regarded as a representative of the best type
of a physician and as a very nobleman of his
profession, as is shown by the following reso
lutions adopted by the Medical Societies of
Chenango, Otsego and Madison Counties,
and Phoebus Lodge : " Whereas, Dr. A.
C. Hazard's life was a continued record of
faithfulness to his chosen profession. His
untiring energy, his ready response to all
demands, his willing sacrifices, his generos
ity, his loyalty and his keen judgment were
specialties that not only made him successful
in the highest sense, but brought to him the
confidence, respect and friendship of his fel
low-laborers in the ' art of healing'. There
fore, we, representing the Medical Societies
of Chenango, Otsego, and Madison Counties,
express our great sorrow that death has
taken him from a work for which he was so
well fitted, depriving a community of his
skillful labor and the medical fraternity of
his wise counsel and fellowship." Signed by
L. J. Brooks for the Chenango County Medi
cal Society ; O. W. Bushyter for the Madi
son County Medical Society; and W. R.

CHENANGO COUNTY

37

Lough for the Otsego County Medical
Society. In order to call to mind and keep
fresh the memory of Dr. Hazard's nobly
lived life, the publishers of this volume
present his portrait on a preceding page in
connection with this personal history.

Ji>

AN1EL A. CARPENTER, ex-sheriff
of Chenango County, and one of the
oldest business men of Afton, who is
now leading the life of a private citizen, is a
son of Benjamin and Catherine (Salmon) Car
penter, and was born in the village of South
Bainbridge, now Afton, August 12, 1820.
The family is of the sturdy English race.
The grandfather of our subject was Samuel
Carpenter, who lived in Orange County, this
state, and was one of the earliest settlers,
being successfully engaged in the cultiva
tion of the soil.
Benjamin Carpenter, the father of our sub
ject, was a native of Orange County and was
born in 1765. He was among the first set
tlers to locate in the village of Bainbridge,
where he conducted a merchandise store and
hotel from 1785 to 1790. Owing to the light
travel there was in those days he abandoned
his business and purchased a farm of one hun
dred acres, situated one mile from where the
village of Afton now stands and along the
Susquehanna River; there he was engaged
in the prosecution of the development of the
soil until his death, which occurred in 1835.
He was originally a tailor, having learned
the trade in New York City, and followed
this business in connection with farming. He
3*

was a stanch Democrat in politics and took
an active part in the political affairs in his
community. During the Masonic excite
ment throughout the state he took a decided
stand against secret societies, consequently
he was an Anti-Mason man. He married
Catherine Salmon, and they reared a family
of eleven children. Mrs. Carpenter passed
to the unknown beyond in 1824, aged fifty-six
years. Daniel A. Carpenter, the subject of this
brief narrative, was the youngest of a family
of eleven children, and was educated in the
common schools and at Oxford Academy.
He was compelled to leave school owing to ill
health, and at the age of twenty-three years,
he went south and taught school one term in
the State of Kentucky ; he then went to New
Orleans, La., where he remained during the
winter of 1845-46. He spent three months
working for a commission house, and his
health then being greatly improved, he re
turned home. In 1847 ne engaged in farm
ing one mile east of Afton, but being dis
satisfied with that occupation, in 185 1 he
moved to Wyoming County, Pa., and en
gaged in the manufacture of lumber, ship
ping most of it, to Port Deposit, which is
located at the mouth of the Susquehanna
River. In 1854, in partnership with his
cousin, Daniel Carpenter, he engaged in the
mercantile business in the village of South
Bainbridge, now Afton, the firm name being
D. & D. A. Carpenter. In 1857 our subject
sold his interests to his cousin, and two years
later he again embarked in the same business
in partnership with Eli M. Shay under the
firm name of Carpenter & Shay. In 1857 the

33

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

town of Afton was formed from a part of
Bainbridge, and in the following year he was
elected the first supervisor, and in 1859 ne
was re-elected to the same office. Mr. Car
penter was a Democrat up to 1856; being
opposed to slavery he was forced to join the
ranks of the Republicans, and remained
identified with that political organization
until 1872, since which time he has been a
Prohibitionist. In 1864 he was elected sheriff
of Chenango County on the Republican
ticket for a term of three years, which made
it necessary for him to move to the village
of Norwich. On January 1, 1868, he re
turned to Afton, built a large brick building
and opened a general store, and was actively
engaged in mercantile business for twenty-five
years. He also built him a handsome home
the same year, where he now lives, passing
his latter days with ease, having retired from
active life in 1894, owing to his ill health.
Our subject served as justice of the peace six
years prior to being elected as sheriff, and
also served as president of the board of
education. Mr. Carpenter and Miss Sarah M.
Williams, daughter of Jirah Williams of
Richfield Springs, Otsego County, N. Y.,
formed a matrimonial alliance and were hap
pily wedded June 24, 1847. They are the
parents of five children, of whom three are
at present living. They are : Daniel Arthur ;
Horace Raymond ; and Samuel Frank.
Daniel A. was born June 11, 1858, and was
educated in the Afton Union Schools and
Wyoming Seminary and later took a four
years' course in Yale College and graduated
with the class of '81; two years later he

graduated from the Yale Law School, and
returning home, he engaged as clerk in the
patent office of Gilbert M. Plymton, patent
right attorney in New York City. Five
years later he opened an office at No. 15
Wall Street, where he makes a specialty of
patent law. Horace Raymond was born Oc
tober 7, i860, and received his preparatory
education in the Afton Union Schools and at
Williston Academy at East Hampton, Mass.,
and entered the Scientific Department of Yale
College, from which he graduated in 1883.
He then accepted a position as civil engineer
with the Union Pacific R. R., and remained
with that company for seven years, when he
accepted a like position with the Denver &
Rio Grande R. R. Later he engaged in
mining and speculation at Victor, Col., in the
Cripple Creek mining district, and became
one of the wealthy and influential citizens of
that community. Samuel Frank was born
April 13, 1864, and received his primary edu
cation in the Afton schools and Williston
Academy. He was joined in marriage with
Miss Angie Derby, now deceased, and lives
in Carbondale, Pa., and with Frederick Forbes,
he is editor and proprietor of the Morning
Herald.

ILLIAM W. LYON, one of
Smyrna's energetic business men,
and a member of the popular firm of Lyon &
Ferris, dealers in hardware, was born in the
town of Sherburne, this county, December
30, 1849.
Mr. Lyon is a son of Benjamin T. and

FREDERICK E. BARNARD.

CHENANGO COUNTY

41

Mary U. (Rogers) Lyon, and grandson of
Benjamin Lyon, who in 1804 came from
Rhode Island to the town of Sherburne, and
settled on a new and uncultivated tract of
land. In the midst of a deep forest he
planned and developed a fine farm, built a
log cabin, and returned to Rhode Island,
whence with his ox team he brought his
family to his new home. There they settled
and cleared the farm now owned by our sub
ject, the original property being 100 acres of
the old Griggs tract. Later he built a frame
building on his farm, and there carried on
farming operations until 1854, when he died
at the age of eighty-seven years. To his
first wife, who died in young womanhood, a
family of seven children were born : Alden ;
Benjamin T.; John; Reuben; Cyrus; Richard ;
and Eliza.
Benjamin T. Lyon grew to manhood and
bought the old homestead, erecting thereon
the buildings that are now standing. He
married Mary Comstock, who bore him four
children : Lucian ; Arnom ; Hannah ; and
Mary ; all the above are now deceased. His
second wife was Mary U. Rogers, daughter
of Alva and Desire (Eaton) Rogers ; she died
in 1866 at the age of fifty-eight years. Mr.
Lyon and his second wife reared and edu
cated a family of ten children, named as fol
lows : Amy; Delia; Roxie; Charles, who
died in infancy ; Cornelia ; Cynthia ; Ellen ;
Kate ; William W., the subject of this sketch;
and Edward P. In connection with farming,
Benjamin T. Lyon also ran a shoe shop. In
politics he was during his younger years a
Whig, but upon the formation of the Repub
lican party, he joined its ranks. Religiously,

he was a member of the Baptist Church, and
for many years he held the office of deacon,
and assisted in directing the spiritual welfare
of the organization. Mr. Lyon died May 30,
1865, aged sixty-seven years.
William W. Lyon, at the age of twenty-
three years, entered upon his business career
by clerking in A. K. Dixon's hardware store;
later our subject and C. L. Ferris bought out
Mr. Dixon, and under the firm name of Lyon
& Ferris opened up a store, containing a full
line of stoves, hardware, whips, paints, oils,
and agricultural implements. The store
house on School Street contains a line of
wagons, sleighs, and bicycles. On the
second floor of the store is located the tin
and plumbing shop.
Mr. Lyon married Miss Cora A. Karr,
daughter of Huse and Ruth Karr, and as a
result of this union one child has been born
to them, Edward Benjamin, who at the age
of nineteen years is at present attending Col
gate Academy. Our subject is inclined to be
liberal in his religious views. Politically, he
is a stanch Republican, and is a trustee of
the village corporation. He is a past grand
of the I. O. O. F. Lodge of Smyrna. Mr.
Lyon is a successful business man, a good
citizen, and enjoys the confidence and esteem
of the entire community.

TJrei

REDERICK EUGENE BARNARD,
|_ Is a retired merchant of Greene, and a
scion of one of our country's oldest families,
was born in the village of Cooperstown,
N. Y., September 1, 1817.

42

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

The Barnard family was first represented
in this country by three brothers, Robert,
John, and Thomas, who with others formed
a party of ten, that purchased Nantucket
Island, in 1664. Prior to that date they
lived in Salem, Mass. The family of Fred
erick Eugene Barnard is descended in a di
rect line from Thomas Barnard. Nathaniel
Barnard, a son of Thomas, formed a matri
monial alliance with Mary, a daughter of
Robert Barnard, and they reared John, the
great-great-grandfather of our subject. John
Barnard was united in marriage with Mary
Macy, by whom he had a son, Robert.
Robert Barnard, the great-grandfather of our
subject, was the husband of Hepsibah Coffin,
and they were the parents of Abishai, our
subject's grandfather.
Abishai Barnard was a native of Nan
tucket Island, and was one of a party of six
teen men, who in 1784 came to the State of
New York, and located at Hudson. They
were the first settlers- of that town and they
formed a company that engaged in the whal
ing business, which was continued until 1855.
Abishai was a member of that company until
his death in 1815. His companion in life was
Susanna Paddock, by whom he had five sons
and five daughters, one of whom was Charles
E., the father of our subject.
Charles E. Barnard was born in Hudson,
N. Y., in 1792, and there spent his boyhood
days. He learned the trade of a cabinet
maker and followed it for some time in
Cooperstown, N. Y. While there he made
good wages and saved enough money to en
able him to enter business in Rochester, but
was there but a short time, when his store

burned down. He then returned to Coopers-
town, and after remaining a short time moved
to the village of Greene, where he embarked
in the mercantile business in 1821. The store
purchased by him was the first established
store in the village. He conducted it until
1843, and with good results, when he retired
in favor of his son, Frederick Eugene. In
1816, he was united in marriage with Lau-
rinda Osborn, a daughter of Elnathan and
Sally (Jarvis) Osborn of Cooperstown, and
they reared seven children, five sons and two
daughters. He passed into the unknown be
yond at the age of fifty-nine years, and his
wife survived him nineteen years, dying at
the advanced age of seventy-eight.
It is a pleasant thing to be able to trace
one's family record through long years of
change and struggle and it is doubly pleasant
when this record presents the lives of honest
men and good women, such as we have just
made mention of. Frederick Eugene Bar
nard, in whom the interest of this sketch cen
ters, is well worthy to bear the name of this
old and honorable family. He was reared in
his native town and attended the public
schools there, and later at Greene. He was
ambitious and adventurous, and when nine
teen years of age he left his parental roof
and cast his fortunes with many other young
men who sought a livelihood in New York
City. He secured work and remained there
for two years, when he returned home and
succeeded his father in the ownership of his
store in Greene. He was a shrewd business
man and a successful manager, and in 1857
his financial position was such that he was
able to retire and live his declining days in

CHENANGO COUNTY

43

the quiet of home life. He took his brothers
into the business, and after teaching them its
rudimental principles, he turned it over to
them. Mr. Barnard was joined in matrimony in
1840 with Jane Mullander of Geneva, N. Y.,
and they were the parents of one son, Fred
erick, a resident of Indianapolis. In 1868
Mrs. Barnard passed into the world of rest.
His second union was with Mrs. Elizabeth
Gray, and was consummated in 1873. Mr.
Barnard is a good substantial citizen, in
terested in the welfare and growth of the
county, and merits the recognition to his
worth that is accorded him by the best citi
zens. Mr. and Mrs. Barnard are both mem
bers of Zion Episcopal Church, in which
Mr. Barnard is choir master, having held
that position for the past fifty -nine years. He
has been warden for forty-six years, being
senior warden for the past twenty-five years.
Accompanying this sketch on a page in prox
imity is to be found Mr. Barnard's portrait.

T5>&L>
,, M-ofG
-^•"¦¦¦i *r is

& L. E. CHASE, the leading law firm
Greene, Chenango County, N. Y.,
is composed of Lester Chase, one
of the oldest and shrewdest members of the
Chenango County Bar, and his son Lester E.
Chase. Lester Chase was born in Broome County,
May 2, 1 81 5, and is a son of Reuben and
Laura (Waterman) Chase, and a grandson of
Josiah Chase. Josiah Chase made his home
in Bristol, Mass., until after his marriage,
when he came to the State of New York and

settled in Worcester, Otsego County. He
owned a large farm and was engaged mainly
in agricultural pursuits throughout his life.
Like many of the farmers of that day he kept
an inn for the accommodation of travelers,
who were obliged to make long journeys on
horseback, and his home was a welcome rest
ing place for many a weary stranger. He
was the progenitor of a family of six boys
and five girls, one of whom was Reuben.
Reuben Chase was reared in Worcester,
Otsego County, and remained there until
after his marriage, when he moved to Lisle,
now Triangle, Broome County. His occu
pation was that of a farmer, which he fol
lowed all his life and with good results. His
companion in life was Miss Laura Waterman,
and they were the parents of the following
children: Mary A., deceased, who was the
wife of Sheldon Frost ; and Lester, the elder
subject of this sketch. Mr. Chase was a
Jackson Democrat in his political belief,
and although he was not an office seeker,
when called upon to serve as supervisor, he
faithfully performed his duties. Religiously,
he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, being an active worker, and for
many years a class leader. His home was
often used for religious gatherings, and the
minister was always a welcome visitor. He
was one of the good substantial men of the
community, and he was well known through
out the county. His earthly career came to
an end at the age of sixty-four years.
Lester Chase received his primary educa
tion in the common schools of his native
town, after which he taught school several
seasons, and in that manner earned enough

44

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

money to take a complete course in Oxford
Academy. Upon the completion of his
schooling, he studied law with Robert O.
Reynolds, whose office stood upon the same
spot where Mr. Chase's now stands. He
also studied with Judge Robert Monell, and
in October, 1840, was admitted to the bar at
Albany, and was also admitted in chancery
in New York City during the same month.
Immediately, thereafter, he began the prac
tice of his profession in the village of Greene,
where he has since remained. As he was a
man of superior natural ability, and had
received the benefits of study with men of
experience, he was qualified in every particu
lar to take charge of the large clientage
which soon became his. He is a man of
superior legal mind, of remarkable energy
and clearness of expression, and is indefati
gable in the prosecution of anything he under
takes. He is logical, clear and forcible in all
his arguments, and his knowledge of law and
his evident honesty win the confidence of all,
and carry conviction to the minds of his
hearers. Since 1878, he has been associated
in business with his son, Lester E.
In 1842, Mr. Chase was united in marriage
with Mary A. Ringer, a daughter of John
Ringer, of Geneva, N. Y., and they became
the parents of one daughter, Catherine W-,
who is the wife of John C. Reynolds of
Chicago. After his wife's death in 1848, he
formed a second union with Catharine E., a
daughter of David Hollenbeck of Greene,
and one son, Lester E., has blessed their
home. Lester E. Chase was born in the town of
Greene, June 2, 1852, where he was reared

and received his primary education in the
common schools. He then attended a pri
vate military academy at Rochester, and
later the Phillips Andover Academy at
Andover, Mass. After leaving school, he
began the study of law with his father and
was admitted to the bar in 1878, and since
that time has shared in his father's large
clientage. He is a man of great force of
character, possessed of a mind peculiarly
adapted to the requirements of his profession,
a close student and a keen observer. He has
risen rapidly in his profession, and promises
to become as popular as his father. In 1881,
Lester E. Chase was united in the holy bonds
of wedlock with Miss Attie M. Dennison, a
daughter of J. D. Dennison of Greene.
Socially, he is a member of the Eastern
Light Lodge, No. 126, F. & A. M.
The firm, L. & L. E. Chase, has an estab
lished reputation, and as legal advisers are
well known throughout Chenango County.
The elder Mr. Chase has reached the
advanced age of eighty-three years and still
directs the affairs of the firm, but his son per
forms the more active duties. In political
belief, they are unswerving Democrats.

^TOLLAND Y. BURLINGHAM, an
'^| enterprising business man of Sher
burne, who has been closely iden
tified with the interests of the village, and
who has done much to elevate her standing
among her sister villages of the county, is a
druggist and jeweler. He was born in Hart-
wick, Otsego County, N. Y., February 3,

WILLIAM H. SULLIVAN.

CHENANGO COUNTY

47

1862, and is a son of William and Catherine
(Little) Burlingham.
William Burlingham was also a native of
Hartwick, Otsego County, and was a prom
inent farmer and stock raiser. He was one
of the good, substantial citizens of his time
and was well and favorably known. His life
companion was Catherine Little, who was
born in England. She was a kind and loving
wife, a devoted mother, and is one who is
ready at all times to sympathize with and
help others in their troubles, remembering
that she, too, has had sorrows. Mr. and Mrs.
Burlingham were the parents of seven chil
dren, namely : William Hopkins ; Holland
Y., the subject of this biography ; John ;
Curtis ; Mary ; Josephine ; and Annie. Our
subject's father lived a long and useful life,
passing away at the age of seventy-five years.
Mrs. Burlingham is now living in Coopers
town, N. Y., and is enjoying remarkably
good health for one of her years, being sixty-
three years old.
Holland Y. Burlingham received his intel
lectual equipment for life's battle in the com
mon and select schools of Hartwick. At an
early age he began clerking in the general
store of H. D. & S. L. Robinson, and re
mained in their employ for three years. He
then traveled through the State of Pennsyl
vania selling small tables. In this manner he
gained experience by contact with the world.
He was ambitious and energetic, and spent
only such money as was necessary. In time
he saved enough to buy a jewelry and sta
tionery store in Hartwick. It was a success
from the start, and he continued at his stand
for six years. Thinking Sherburne afforded

better opportunities for carrying on his busi
ness, he sold his store in Hartwick and trans
ferred his business to the village of Sher
burne. He purchased the jewelry store of
A. C. Hartwell. He purchased the drug
business of C. L. Easton in 1893, the year of
bank failures, when a general cry went up
complaining of hard times and inability to
make a business pay. Mr. Burlingham
proved that it could be done by diligent
work and successful management. During
that year of ^panics he established a large
trade and realized good profits. He has
since added a full stock of books and station
ery to his store. Being a well read man he
is able to choose those books that will meet
with a ready sale. In politics, he is a Repub
lican, but has many friends in both parties.
For two years he served as chief of the fire
department, and has been a member of that
organization for the past five years. He is
past grand master in the Norwich Lodge,
I. O. O. F.
Mr. Burlingham was united in marriage
with Annie V. D. Case, a daughter of De
Witt C. Case, whose personal history w.e re
late elsewhere in this book. Mr. Burlingham
is a man who is still in the prime of life, and
has a brilliant future before him.

w

ILLIAM H. SULLIVAN, a promi
nent young man of the village of
Norwich, is following a meritorious career
in the legal profession, and is making himself
felt in town and county politics. Already,
though a comparatively young man, he oc-

4S

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

cupies the enviable position of leader of the
Democrat County organization, and is a man
of considerable influence and following. He
was born in the town of Norwich, or North
Norwich, May 25, 1869, and is a son of Pat
rick and Mary (Hill) Sullivan.
Patrick Sullivan was born in County
Cork, Ireland, March 17, 1834, and received
a good education in the parish school in his
native place. He came to the United States
in 1848, and located at New Berlin, Chenango
County, where he followed the occupations
of a farmer and a stone mason. He lived
there some little time, and then moved to
what was known as King's Settlement in
North Norwich, where he followed his trade
for ten years. He next located in Wood's
Corners, town of Norwich, and lived there
five years, in 1870 moving to a farm in North
Norwich, where he resided until the close of
his life, his death occurring May 18, 1S91.
He was a devout and earnest Catholic,
taking a lively interest in the development of
church interests throughout the county, and
especially in the village of Norwich. He
was a member of the first Catholic congrega
tion in that village, and helped to organize
St. Patrick's Catholic Church. He was a
superior workman at his trade of stone
mason, and for a considerable period was
superintendent of masonry on the Utica
Division of the D., L. & W. R. R. His polit
ical views coincided with those of the
Democratic party. Six children gathered
about his fireside, as follows : Julia M.;
Michael H.; Annie, who married M. W.
Dolan ; Jane, the wife of Ed. Quinn ; William
H., our subject; and Mary L.

From the public schools William H. Sulli
van advanced to the Norwich High School,
from which he graduated in the class of
1889. He then read law in the office of Hon.
George W. Ray, then Congressman from the
district, but his legal education was begun
while he was still a student in the school, for
he occupied his spare time then in reading
Blackstone. He was admitted to the Che
nango County Bar in 1891, and in 1893 was
chosen a member of the New York State Bar
Association, of which body he is still a mem
ber ; in 1891 he was also elected a justice of
the peace of the town of Norwich ; he was
re-elected to the same position in February,
1895. He remained in Mr. Ray's office a
short time after his admission to the bar, and
opened an office for himself in January, 1892.
In April, 1895, he took in Mr. Randall as a
partner, and the firm of Sullivan & Randall
has secured its portion of the legal business
of the county.
Mr. Sullivan is perhaps best known over
the county as a Democrat oi prominence,
whose activity is much appreciated in the
circles of his party. In May, 1896, he was
elected chairman of the Democratic County
Committee, and has served as a delegate to
four or five state conventions; in the conven
tion that met in Buffalo in the fall of 1896
Mr. Sullivan was a member of the committee
on Resolutions. He is a convincing and forci
ble speaker, and has been seen on the stump
in advocacy of Democratic candidates and
principles ever since he was of age. He has
been the orator of the day on several holiday
occasions. This being before the public eye
has served him well in his professional

CHENANGO COUNTY

49

career, and has conspired to aid him in
building up a large and lucrative practice,
very flattering to his few years of experience.
Besides having been justice of the peace con
tinually from 1 891 to the present time, he is
also assistant police justice of the village of
Norwich. „.Soon after beginning his public
life, he was appointed a deputy in the State
Comptroller's office, which position he held
until the election of the Republican state
ticket in 1893.
Mr. Sullivan was joined in marriage, June
25, 1895, with Miss Annie E. Conway, a daugh
ter of the late Michael Conway, which union
has resulted in the birth of one child, Kath
erine M. Mr. Sullivan is president of the
Chenango County Firemen's Association,
and is Deputy Grand Knight of the Order of
Knights of Columbus. He is president of
Alert Hose Company, No. 1. In St. Pat
rick's Catholic Church he is highly esteemed
as a willing and active worker, and devout
and loyal member ; he is clerk auditor of the
church. Mr. Sullivan has a bright career
before him, and he has the best wishes of
hundreds of friends, who have learned to like
and admire this warm-hearted, generous and
enterprising young citizen. Those who like
to see a young man achieve success will do
well to keep an eye on the gentleman whose
name heads this brief biography, and whose
portrait appears on a preceding page.

TTO SMEADER, a leading hardware
merchant and a prominent citizen of
South New Berlin, is a son of Mor
ris and Frances (Windsor) Smeader, and was

born in Baden-Baden, Germany, November
26, 1847.
His parents were both natives of Baden-
Baden, Germany, and were married there ;
they reared a family of nine children, all of
whom were born in that country. Morris
Smeader emigrated with his family to the
United States in 1853, and made his first per
manent settlement in Oswego County, N. Y.
He came here, like many others, hoping to
better his financial condition and to procure
a home for himself and family, and although
he encountered many obstacles he succeeded
in accumulating a competency, and at the
time of his death was the owner of a fine and
productive farm of 150 acres, with all
modern improvements. His family consisted
of nine children, who were as follows :
Frances, the wife of Andrew Shillinger and
a resident of Oswego County ; Terressa,
widow of the late John Brickheimer of
Syracuse; Mary, deceased, was the wife of
John Hush; Godfrey is a miner in Califor
nia ; Morris, a resident of Syracuse, N. Y.;
Lewis, a resident of Syracuse ; Otto, the
subject of this brief biography ; Florentine
also resides in Syracuse ; and Fred, who
lives in California. Mr. Smeader died in
1872, aged seventy-three years. Mrs. Smeader
passed from this life in 1875 at the age of
seventy-five years.
Otto Smeader was but five years of age
when his father emigrated to the United
States, and he grew to manhood in Oswego
County. He received a liberal education
and left school at the early age of eighteen,
and began the learning of the tinsmith trade
in Syracuse. He followed the above trade

5°

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

for five years, and in 1870 moved to the
village of McDonough, where he followed
his trade for ten years. In 1880, he came to
South New Berlin, and engaged in the hard
ware business, and is doing a general job
work in trade-tin roofing, plumbing, etc. He
is the owner of the Smeader Block, in which
he conducts his business, and which contains
three other good store rooms ; the second
floor is a large hall, which is known as the
Smeader Hall. He was one of the organ
izers of the South New Berlin Water Com
pany, and is now its vice-president and a
director. He was also one of the organizers
of the Gas Company of that town, of which
he is vice-president and a director. Politi
cally he is a Democrat, and votes with his
party honestly and conscientiously whenever
opportunity offers. He has never sought
office, but the willing, hearty votes of his
fellow-townsmen have placed him in public
position. He has been town clerk for a
number of years. He is a member in good
standing of the Baptist Church. Socially, he
is a member of the Improved Order of Red
Men. He was married in 1880 to Ella
Brown, daughter of William L. Brown of
McDonough, and two children have blessed
their home : Anna Louisa, and Ada May.
Mr. Smeader's several business ventures,
aside from becoming to him a source of great
profit, have greatly assisted in augmenting
the business of the city, and have been the
means of giving employment to many men.
By the generous and sensible distribution of
his capital he has greatly aided in building
up the business section of the village, and in
i his manner has become one of the most pop

ular and valued citizens. He is systematic
and methodical in his plans, and executes
them promptly and to good advantage. His
business qualifications are duly recognized
by his fellow-townsmen, and are rated at
their true value. His business is carried on
in a straight-forward manner, and his goods
are invariably just what they are represented
to be. As a natural result he has customers
from far and near, and he is on the highway
to a competency, to enjoy which he may
retire in later years.

T5lIHT_

LIHU L. HICKOK, proprietor of the
\  best livery stable in the village of
Norwich, and one of its most popular and
enterprising citizens, is a son of Harry F.
and Esther A. (Gilbert) Hickok, and was
born in the town of Butternuts, Otsego
County, N. Y., June 8, 1850.
His grandfather, Horace J. Hickok, was a
native of the State of Connecticut, and about
the year 1800 came to Otsego County, where
he married and was blessed with eight sons
and five daughters. Later he moved to
Norwich and purchased a large tract of land
in the northwestern part of that village and
extending across the Canasawacta on to the
hill. After a time he exchanged this property
with Theodore Miller for a farm on which
was a plaster, saw and grist mill, located at
Plasterville, in the town of North Norwich,
all of which he successfully conducted until
early in the fifties, when he returned to
Butternuts, where he was instantly killed by
falling from a load of bark, in 1861.

HARRISON L. BEATTY.

CHENANGO COUNTY

53

Harry F., one of the sons of Horace J.
Hickok, spent his early years developing the
soil of his father's farm. At the age of
twenty-one he married, and after the birth of
Helen M., now the wife of George H. Buell,
of Plasterville, and Elihu L., the subject of
this sketch, he moved from Butternuts to a
farm in the town of New Berlin, where he
remained for about two years, and then suc
ceeded his father in the business at Plaster
ville. There two more children were born
to him : Mary E., the wife of William
Mason of Norwich, and Anna D., who
married Smith W. Davis of Norwich, where
they resided for a few years prior to re
moving to Oneida. Mr. Hickok was active
in the construction of both the Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western, and the New
York, Oswego and Midland railroads, and
served as railroad commissioner for the town
of North Norwich. In 1875 he moved to
Norwich, and for a time held the office of
commissioner of highways. He continued
to reside in Norwich until his death, Sep
tember 16, 1886, at the age of sixty-two
years, his wife having died in 1882, at the
same age, and both of apoplexy.
Elihy. L. was the only son of Harry F.
Hickok, and was educated in the district
school at Plasterville, and at Norwich
Academy. He assisted his father on the
farm and in the mills at Plasterville until
1875, when they removed to Norwich, where
he has since made his home. Here he en
gaged in teaming, and in 1886 was elected
highway commissioner. At the expiration
of his term, being especially fond of horses,
he entered the livery business, and for five

years was the proprietor of the Eagle Hotel
livery. In 1895 he opened the Park livery,
which by enterprise and industry he has
made one of the most complete in all its ap
pointments for day and night service, and
for funeral occasions, to be found in the
county. Prompt, reliable, liberal in senti
ment, and of pleasing address, he has won a
deserved popularity. Politically, like his
father and grandfather before him, he is a
Democrat in his views and affiliations.
Mr. Hickok was married in Norwich,
October 10, 1871, to H. lone Skinner, who
was born in the town of Sherburne, April 4,
1848. She was the only daughter of D.
Barnes and Harriet Helen (Leonard) Skinner.
Her father was born in the town of Sher
burne, September 1, 18 17, and died on the
same farm, November 19, 1858. Her mother
was born in Amsterdam, Montgomery
County, N. Y., May 20, 181 8, and died July
15, 1853, in the town of Sherburne. Three
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hickok :
F. Harry, May 13, 1873, in Plasterville;
Leonard S., July 8, 1878, in Norwich; and
Helen lone, October 14, 1888, in Norwich,
where she died, March 13, 1!

ARRIS ON L. BEATTY. Among
the brainy young men of the village
of Bainbridge, Chenango County,
N. Y., whose futures seem especially bright,
there are few whom it would give us greater
pleasure to give a place in this Book of Biog
raphies than the gentleman whose name heads
this short sketch. He is a son of William C.

54

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

and Mary Elizabeth (Baxter) Beatty, and was
born October i, 1870, in the town of Bloom
field, N. J.
The ancestors of our subject are of that
sturdy Scotch race, but in 1817 the great-
grandmother emigrated to the United States,
where she lived a short time and then moved
to Canada. She came to this country with
five sons and three daughters. They were as
follows: John; James; Frank; William;
David ; Margaret ; Mary ; and Esther. Of
these David was the grandfather of our sub
ject. The family moved to Canada, where
they lived for a short time, when John was
for a period president of the seminary at
Colbury, a Methodist institution. David
Beatty was born in 1798 at Fintona, County
Tyrone, Ireland. He lived in the City of
New York the greater part of his life, where
he was engaged in mercantile business. He
married Elizabeth Whaley of Canada, April
21, 1819, and they had three children born
to them: James H., born May 27, 1820;
Thomas, July 20, 1822 ; and William C, No
vember 23, 1824. David Beatty died in the
City of New York, May 1, 1879, at the ad
vanced age of seventy-two years. Mrs.
Beatty also died in the City of New York ;
both of them were buried in the Greenwood
Cemetery of that city.
William C. Beatty, the father of our sub
ject, was educated in the public schools of
New York City, and then engaged in mercan
tile business in that city all his life. He was
united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Bax
ter, and they reared three children : Wil
liam I.; Harrison L.; and a daughter, Ida M.
William I. was born in Brooklyn, N. Y.,

January 18, 1863, and is now in the real
estate and insurance business in Newark,
N. J. He was joined in wedlock December
19, 1888, with Edith L. Mickens, and they
have one child, Norman L., born July 16,
1 891. Harrison L. Beatty received his education
in the public schools of Broomfield, N. J.,
and when he was ten years of age his parents
moved to Newark, N. J., where he attended
the schools until the death of his father, when
he, his sister, and his mother moved to the
village of Bainbridge, N. Y., where he re
mained in school until he was seventeen. He
then entered the First National Bank of Bain
bridge, of which his uncle, Joseph Bush, was
vice-president, and remained in the employ
of that institution until November 24, 1890,
when he accepted a position with the Bing-
hamton Trust Company of Bingham ton, N. Y.
April 1, 1892, he accepted a position with the
Bank of Strong & Strong of Binghamton,
N. Y., as cashier, and December 1, 1894, he
resigned his position, and through the winter
of 1894 and the year 1895, he took an ex
tended trip throughout North and South
America, touching Mexico, Central America,
and the northern part of South America. Re
turning to his home in Bainbridge, N. Y., he
assisted his uncle, Joseph Bush, in looking
after his business interests in that village.
He was made residuary legatee in the will of
Mr. Bush, and upon that gentleman's death
the old Bush homestead came into his posses
sion. The old homestead is one of the best
farms in the county, and consists of 235 acres,
of which 100 acres is timber land. The farm
is well stocked with a high grade of cattle,

CHENANGO COUNTY.

55

and the buildings are all large and in first-
class order.
In politics Mr. Beatty adheres to the Re
publican party, and never fails to cast his
vote in favor of his chosen party. Relig
iously, he is an active and devoted member of
the Episcopal Church. Socially, he is a mem
ber of the Susquehanna Lodge No. 169, F. &
A. M. He early learned the value of time
and applied efforts, and is proving a worthy
successor to his uncle. In the management
of the farm he shows rare skill and judg
ment, and in all business affairs he is keen,
accurate and upright. On account of his
pleasant social ways he has the friendship
and esteem of all who know him. To his
many friends the excellent portrait of Mr.
Beatty on a page preceding this will have
many attractions.

JB

AN I EL M. HOLMES, a retired
merchant of the village of Nor
wich, who is much respected by
his fellow townsmen, was born in Stonington,
Conn., November 7, 1818, and is a son of
Daniel and Hannah (Chapman) Holmes, and
a grandson of Thomas Holmes. For almost
fifty years he was engaged in carrying on his
business, which consisted in a trade in hard
ware. His business success kept pace with
Norwich's development, so that he is in many
respects a representative citizen of that vil
lage and town. His long residence would
entitle him to that distinction if nothing
else. Thomas Holmes, the grandfather of our
subject, was born and lived in Stonington,

Conn., where he spent his entire life engaged
in agricultural pursuits. He did not regu
larly enlist and fight in the War of 18 12, but
helped, however, in the defense of Stoning
ton, when it was attacked by the British. His
first wife left him a family of four sons and
two daughters, of whom Daniel, our subject's
father, was the third son. Flis second wife
bore him five sons and one daughter. Mr.
Holmes died at the age of sixty-six.
Our subject's father was born on the old
Holmes homestead at Stonington, Conn., and
was reared and educated in his native town.
When starting out in life for himself he
rented a farm within a few miles of his old
home and made it his home, and the scene
of his labors until 1836, when he moved
to Norwich, and engaged in farming on a
tract of land he bought, located but a few
miles from the village. He was a Demo
crat, politically, and favored the Baptist
Church, when it came to church allegiance.
He lived to be eighty-seven years old. His
wife, who was Hannah Chapman of Volun-
town, Conn., died at the age of seventy-one.
Daniel M. Holmes was the only child born
to his honored parents. Although the edu
cational advantages of that time were ex
tremely meager, he succeeded very well in
obtaining a first-class mental training, and
fitted himself for teaching. He taught his
first term of district school when he was but
sixteen years old, and thereafter for ten win
ters and one summer he continued to preside
at the teacher's desk. Meanwhile he was in
dustriously working during the summers on
his father's farm, for he was the only son, and
his assistance was needed during the summer

56

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

when the work of haying and harvesting was
great. He remained on the farm and taught
school ten years, and then began to clerk in
a dry goods store in the village of Norwich.
He filled that position for about three years
and a half, and then launched into the dry
goods business for himself. After five years'
connection with the merchandising of textile
fabrics, he went out of the dry goods busi
ness and became a hardware merchant. In
1888 he gave up his business, for he had
reached the age of three score years and ten,
and he thought with good reason that it was
time to retire from the active scenes of life,
and enjoy the few remaining years allotted to
him. Since then he has lived a very quiet,
peaceful life, in which no discordant ele
ments have blended to mar his happiness.
In 1848, Mr. Holmes was married the first
time, on that date being joined in matrimony
with Sarah L. W. Packer, daughter of James
Packer of Norwich. She passed away at the
age of sixty, leaving one son, Daniel P., who
married Flora Cox, daughter of Charles Cox
of Norwich. Our subject was married the
second time, in 1895, to Mary S. (Thorp)
Prindle, widow of Hon. E. H. Prindle.
The family favors the Baptist Church. Mr.
Holmes has always been a Democrat in his
political views ; he was sent to the New
York State Assembly in 1875 from Chenango
County, and served three years on the
County Loan Committee. He served on the
board of supervisors of Chenango County
for six consecutive years during the War of
1 861. He has taken a very lively interest in
educational matters, and has given liberally of
his time and means in behalf of the Norwich

schools. He has been a valued member of
the board of education for the past twenty-
three years, and has been chairman of the
board for fifteen consecutive years. During
all the time he has been on the board he has
had entire charge of the school funds, and has
received all the moneys, and disbursed all the
funds. The Norwich High School is one of
the best in the Empire State, and the three
splendid new ward school buildings are mat
ters of congratulation to every loyal citizen,
and especially to the subject of this sketch,
who was so closely connected with their
erection and subsequent management. Mr.
Holmes is a very generous, public-spirited
man, and deserves a place among the very
first of his townspeople, not only from his
connection with the schools, but also by rea
son of his participation in every good work
that arises. He is highly esteemed, and his
counsel is listened to with attention on every
occasion. He is a director of the Chenango
National Bank, and is its vice-president.

iJlDWARD S. MOORE, editor and pro-
J  prietor of the Chenango Union, at
Norwich, N. Y., is one of the able writers of
to-day, and has made a very creditable paper,
which is liberally patronized, and a credit to
the town. He was born at East Lyme, New
London County, Conn., July 21, 1867. He
is a son of Ezra and Juliette (Beckwith)
Moore. His ancestor on his father's side
came to this country in 1630, and settled in
Connecticut, where he lived the rest of his
life. Edward S. Moore, at a suitable age, com-

•>N

SAMUEL M. ROBINSON.

lOA

MRS. SARAH A. ROBINSON.

CHENANGO COUNTY

61

menced his education in the district school,
and, after graduating from the Bulkeley High
School at New London, Conn., entered the
Sheffield Scientific Department of Yale Uni
versity, graduating with the degree of Ph. B.
in 1888. While attending college he was one
of the editors of the Yale Daily News, and
after graduating engaged in the newspaper
work in New Haven, Conn., being connected
with the Morning News and Evening Union.
Resigning his position in New Haven, he came
to the village of Norwich in the fall of 1890,
and purchased a half interest in the Chenan
go Union, then owned by Gilbert H. Man
ning. In 1895 he purchased the other half
interest of Mr. Manning, and has conducted
the paper alone ever since. He also has
written for the monthly magazines. Al
though the Union is a pronounced Demo
cratic paper, Mr. Moore refused to support
Bryan in 1896, and conducted his paper in
opposition to Free Silver.
In January, 1891, he married Miss Marga
ret Kelsey Strong of New Haven, Conn.
The Chenango Union is one of the best pa
pers in the county, and has a large circula
tion, and is devoted to the welfare of the
village of Norwich and the surrounding
country ; it is of great value to advertisers,
as it exerts a deep influence on the reading
public as a reliable, newsy sheet.

'AMUEL METCALF ROBINSON,
deceased, a life long resident of
South Oxford, whose name is held
in affectionate remembrance by his many

surviving friends, was a son of Jabez and
Anna (Ten Brook) Robinson. He was a
man possessing more than usual business
ability, and was considered a very prosper
ous man. His character was irreproachable
and forbade him to engage in any conduct
that would sully it. He was a direct descend
ant of John Robinson, the clergyman, who
came over to this country with the early
Pilgrims. Samuel Robinson, the grandfather, came
to Oxford, N. Y., in 1800, from Connecti
cut, his native state. He engaged in farm
ing and milling and became known as a
most prosperous farmer, and one possessing
considerable wealth. He was a recognized
political leader, and a stanch supporter of
the Democratic party.
Jabez Robinson, the father, was born in
Lebanon, Conn., April 19, 1783, and came to
Oxford in 1808. He entered the War of
1812, and was promoted to the rank of brevet
Major. In 1834 he was elected sheriff of
Chenango County, and discharged the duties
in such a manner as to win the commenda
tion of both parties. He was at first a Dem
ocrat, but joined the Republican party later,
and was an important factor in the campaigns
of his time. He was universally respected
for the probity of his official acts, and the
upright conduct of his private life. He was
married to Maria Ten Brook, who died
April 4, 1818, leaving three daughters, —
Frances, who married Alvin S. Perkins of
Oxford; Sarah died unmarried; and Mary,
who married Calvin Wheelock of Pitcher,
N. Y. Mr. Robinson then married Anna
Ten Brook, a sister of his first wife, and

62

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

several children were born to them : Samuel
M., whose name heads this biography ; John
W., deceased ; Maria A., who married
George Stratton of South Oxford ; Rev.
James A., deceased, who married Sarah
Hale of Maine ; Perez P., deceased ; Jennie
A., deceased, who married Tipton Bradford
of Alabama ; and Charles. Mr. Robinson
died in 1864 at the advanced age of eighty-
one years.
Samuel M. Robinson received his educa
tion in the old Oxford Academy, and after
leaving school worked on the home farm and
also engaged in the saw and grist mill busi
ness. His shrewdness and sagacity soon
became apparent, and in a few years he was
recognized as one of the foremost men of the
county, as well as one of the most successful.
He was a man of sterling integrity and had
a reputation for honorable conduct and fair
dealing, that was common not only in the
immediate community, but wherever his
name was known, an enduring monument
to the worth of a noble man.
On February 22, 1848, he was united in
marriage with a most estimable lady, Sarah
A. Brown, a daughter of Thomas Brown of
New Berlin, this state, the marriage being
blessed by the birth of five children, whose
names and places of residence are given below.
Emogene, deceased, was the wife of Dr.
Warren Scott of Cromwell, Indiana, and was
the mother of one child, Frances M., who
resides with her grandmother, Mrs. Robin
son, at South Oxford. After the death of
Mrs. Scott her husband was again married
to a Mrs. Lulu Hunter of Lima, Ohio. Mar
garet W. is deceased. Mary J. was married

to Albert Tremaine of Greene. Sarah L.,
deceased, married Dr. De Witt Hitchcock of
Whitestown, N. Y., and bore her husband
four children, as follows : Samuel R., de
ceased ; Emma F., deceased ; Dewitt R., de
ceased ; and John R. Frances A., deceased,
married Edward Robinson of Greene. Mr.
Robinson and his family were Universalists,
and lived up to the broad teachings of that
church, believing that we are expected to
improve this life and make the most possible
of it, lend a helping hand to any needy
brother, and scatter sunshine to dispel the
shadows that may darken the path, while we
leave the future to the care of an all wise
and loving Father. He held many offices of
trust, such as supervisor, justice of the peace,
road commissioner, etc., and discharged the
duties faithfully and well. He died Decem
ber 15, 1896, in the ripeness of age and the
consciousness of a well spent life. He was
seventy-six years old. Mr. and Mrs. Robin
son adopted a child, Archer Robinson, when
about four years old, who has remained with
them twenty-seven years, and now has a halt
interest in the mill property. He was mar
ried to Clara Ives of Afton, and is an in
dustrious, energetic young man, a credit to
the community.
Thomas Brown, the father of Mrs. Robin
son, was a prominent farmer and highly
respected citizen of New Berlin. He was a
man of sound judgment, and his advice was
much sought by his neighbors, and always
cheerfully given in the manner he thought
would be productive of most good. He was
a Free-Soiler, but finally allied himself with
the Republicans, and held a number of town

CHENANGO COUNTY

(>i

offices, such as supervisor and justice of the
peace. He was also elected from that dis
trict as a Member of Assembly. Mrs. Robin
son is still a resident of South Oxford, where
she has a host of friends. She is possessed
of many admirable qualities, and is a woman
of rare intelligence and pleasing address.
On another page of this work, in connec
tion with this biography, appear companion
portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, which
add a decided value to the foregoing record.

'OHN B. HARD, half owner and super
intendent of one of the leading cream
eries of Chenango County, and deputy
postmaster of Haynes, was born at Wells'
Bridge, Otsego County, N. Y., March 20,
1874. He is a son of Amos J. and Margaret
(Blower) Hard ; the former was born in Cats-
kill, Conn., and the latter in Butternuts town
ship, Otsego County.
Amos Hard, the grandfather of our subject,
was born in the State of Connecticut, and
came to Unadilla, N. Y., in 1855. He at once
turned his attention toward tilling the soil and
followed that occupation all his life, becoming
one of the well-to-do farmers of his section of
Otsego County. In politics he was a Repub
lican. He was the father of six children,
namely : Julius ; Ann ; Adaline ; Julia ; and
Amos. Religiously, he was a member of the
Episcopal Church.
Amos J. Hard received a liberal education
in the common schools of Connecticut, and
at Unadilla Academy. He then carried on
general farming on what is known as the
4*

Hard estate until 1892, when he moved to
Wells' Bridge and lived in retirement. Fie
was one of the successful and enterprising
farmers of his time, and an honor to his
chosen occupation. Politically, he sided with
the Republican party, and was honored by his
fellow-citizens by being elected collector of
taxes. He was joined in wedlock with Miss
Margaret Blower, daughter of Isaac Blower,
and they reared the following children :
Marcia, the wife of Frank Moodey of Una
dilla Centre ; John B., the subject of this
sketch ; Edward S., who is employed at the
milk station ; and George, who is also em
ployed at the milk station.
John B. Hard received his education in the
Unadilla Academy, and upon leaving school
he engaged in the cheese business at Guil
ford, where he remained for two years; he
then worked for York & Brown three sea
sons, and on February 18, 1897, he was en
gaged to superintend the Haynes creamery,
a position he has filled with satisfaction to the
owners of the plant. The factory is one of
the largest of its kind in the county, and has
a daily output that in quantity approximates
seven thousand pounds. The most of the
produce is shipped to the City of Brooklyn.
They also manufacture cottage cheese. In
January, 1898, Mr. Hard, in company with
his brother-in-law, A. H. Dresser, purchased
the above creamery. They bottle about 2,500
bottles of milk per day and ship to Brooklyn.
They also handle feed and coal and operate a
grist mill. Mr. Hard is considered an ex
pert butter and cheese maker, and his ser
vices have been sought for in various places.
Mr. Hard was appointed postmaster of

64

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Haynes in 1898, and assumed charge of
the office on April 1. April, 1894, he was
joined in marriage with Miss Alice J. Mott,
daughter of Leroy Mott of Unadilla Centre.
One child, Howard W., blessed their happy
home. The family favors the Methodist
Church.

ryni H. NEWTON, the senior proprietor
(¦^| of Highland Home Poultry Farm,
and extensive farmer of Greene, is
a son of Dexter and Laurinda (Rowley) New
ton, and was born in the town of Greene,
September 17, 1834. His grandfather, Allen
Newton, was an agriculturist of the State of
Massachusetts. Dexter Newton and his two brothers,
Allen and Nathan, were prominent farmers
of Greene, locating on Geneganstlet Creek
in the early history of the town. Dexter fol
lowed farming all his life. He was united in
marriage with Miss Laurinda Rowley,
daughter of the late Charles Rowley, a
farmer of Greene, who was a soldier in the
War of 1812. They were the parents of nine
children, five sons and four daughters :
Saphronia, wife of Stephen Bennett ; Aaron
D., a fruit grower of Napa Valley, Cal.;
Adelia, deceased ; Charles, deceased ; George,
a farmer of Jackson County, Kansas ; Caro
line, wife of M. L. Hoyt ; Albert, farmer of
Jackson County, Kansas ; Paulina, wife of
Thatcher Joslin, a retired real estate dealer of
Binghamton, N. Y.; and Helem H., our sub
ject. They were members of the Baptist
Church.

H. H. Newton was brought up on the farm,
and received his education in the district
schools. While still young, he learned the
trade of a shoemaker, which he followed for
a few years ; he then became engaged in the
daguerreotype business, and worked at it in
Norwich, Mt. Upton, Unadilla and Walton
for about two years. He then returned to
Geneganstlet Corner, where he combined
shoemaking and farming ; this arrangement
continued for a few years, when he finally
gave up the business of shoemaking and
turned his attention to the poultry and egg
business. Commencing on a moderate scale,
with a few fine birds, he has added to them
and improved upon them, until it would be
hard to find a larger assortment or a finer lot
of birds in the country. He has a poultry
yard of from 300 to 500 birds, of choice
variety, being the originator of the follow
ing breeds : Rose Comb Black Minorcas ;
Rose Comb White Minorcas ; also the Rose
Comb White Face, Black Spanish, of which
he has the entire stock. He was the first
owner of White Leghorns in the town, and
the first shipper to the New York fancy
trade. He still has an extensive trade in
that city, and his eggs and birds are shipped
also to western points, so high is their stand
ing. Mr. Newton still oversees the farm,
but does not for that reason forget the care
that is necessary to the successful raising of
chickens. Indeed chickens — nice ones — are
a hobby with him, and it would be well if all
persons with hobbies would emulate Mr.
Newton and make their pet theories of some
practical use. The greatest care is taken in
the selection of the birds for breeding, and

lb-
Mr*

i

DEVILLO C. CHURCH.

CHENANGO COUNTY

67

they were awarded first premium wherever
they were exhibited in 1897. One cockerel
Mr. Newton refused to part with even at a
consideration of $50.00. Everything about
the poultry houses shows the thought and at-*
tention that is given to the business. The
incubators, brooders, and all the appliances
are. of the best, and most approved make.
The chickens are all bright, lively looking
birds, no droopy, sickly birds are to be seen,
and a pleasanter way of spending a few hours
could not be found than accompanying this
gentleman or his genial son through their
Highland Home Poultry Farm.
Mr. Newton was married July 3, 1855, to
Miss Almira Canniff, daughter of Henry
Canniff, formerly a farmer of the town of
Greene. They are the parents of three chil
dren : Alice and Grace, both deceased ; and
Raymond, who married Donna Winchell of
Greene, this county, July 21, 1897, and is a
partner with his father in the chicken busi
ness. Mr. Newton is a member of the East
ern Light Lodge, No. 126, F. & A. M. of
Greene, also of the Patrons of Husbandry.
He has supported all the temperance organ
izations that have been in the town, lending
his influence to the cause of right. He is a
populist, but voted for William Jennings
Bryan at the last election.

EVILLO CORBIN CHURCH, de
ceased, whose portrait is shown on
the opposite page, was one of the.
most prominent and public-spirited citizens
that ever lived in the village of Afton, and

JB

identified himself with the leading business
interests of the town and county. Through
out his long and prosperous career, his name
was a synonym of financial integrity, and his
word was ever considered a full and sufficient
guarantee. As a member of the private
banking firm of E. M. Johnston & Co., which
has become since his decease Church & Hill,
he was in touch with the* most solid and en
terprising institutions of the county, and re
tained the good will and high esteem with
all with whom he was thus brought in contact.
All his ventures were remunerative, for he
directed them with superior judgment, and
never risked his fortune in enterprises of a
speculative or doubtful nature. The ample
fortune he accumulated' possessed no stigma
of having been acquired by questionable or
dishonest means ; everything he did was open
and above-board. Wise discrimination, scru
pulous care, and a conservative spirit of enter
prise characterized his whole business career.
He did much for Afton, and was ready at all
times to go to considerable expense in pro
moting some public work, if he could see that
it would benefit the people at large, and help
buildup and make prosperous the town. He
took an especially deep interest in educational
affairs, and by his own endeavors placed the
educational advantages of Afton equal to any
and superior to most of the towns of the
county. He was directly instrumental in se
curing the Afton Union School, which was one
of the very first in Central New York. His
townspeople hold his memory in great respect,
and as long as the institutions and the enter
prises with which he was connected shall still
continue, his name will ever be remembered.

68

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Mr. Church was a son of Levi and Ella
(Works) Church, and was born on the old
Church homestead in Afton township, which
was formerly a part of Bainbridge, on the
western side of the Susquehanna River. His
death occurred in Afton, January 12, 1894.
He grew to a sturdy manhood on the old
homestead, and received exceptional educa
tional training, being a graduate of Franklin
Institute, and an especially apt scholar in
mathematics. He taught school for a time in
the town of Bainbridge, but was compelled
to bring his labors in the pedagogical line to
a close because of failing health. In 1851 he
went to Eldorado County, Cal., and still later
located in Placer County in the mining dis
trict, where all were occupied in an eager,
zealous quest after the yellow metal. Mr.
Church engaged in mining for the first time
in the "drydiggins" below Auburn, and then
went on America River to Rattle Snake Bar,
a mining town of 1,000 inhabitants, that had
grown in almost a night; there he became a
very successful mining operator. He was
also interested with Samuel Estabrooks, a
blacksmith, and made considerable money in
that business, getting large prices for every
thing, for manufactured articles and provis
ions were very costly in the early days of the
gold excitement. Unlike many a miner of
that day, Mr. Church found his way home
again, returning to New York State in 1854.
He did not remain at home long, but went
to Iowa, where he engaged in civil engineer
ing, locating and pre-empting claims for him
self and others in the newer portions of that
state. In 1856 he once more returned to
Chenango County ; this time it was to stay,

for he bought a portion of the homestead,
and farmed on it until 1866, when he sold
out, and moved to the village of Afton, there
to enter upon a prosperous career in a larger
field of usefulness. The first business he in
augurated was the lumbering business, in
which he engaged with George Landers,
under the firm name of Landers & Church ;
they put in circular saws in 1 867 and made
other important improvements that enabled
them to do a splendid business until they
brought it to a close in 1872. In 1866, Mr.
Church purchased a lot of seven acres in Afton
village, where in the following year he built
a residence lor himself, in which he lived
until his death, and which his sons now oc
cupy. In 1872, after quitting the lumbering
business, he engaged in the manufacture of
firkins and butter tubs, continuing to busy
himself in that line for two years, with con
siderable profit. The following two years
found him prosecuting the callings of a civil
engineer and surveyor. In 1876, Mr. Church,
with E. M. Johnston, organized a private bank
in Afton ; it was styled E. M. Johnston & Co.,
and had as its president Mr. Johnston, and as
its cashier Mr. Church. This arrangement
continued unchanged until Mr. Church's
death in 1894. With James H. Nickerson,
under the firm name of Nickerson & Church,
our subject in 1880 erected the first creamery
and cheese factory in his part of the county ;
this concern the partners continued to oper
ate until Mr. Church's decease. In 1885, the
subject of this history purchased the Joslin
creamery, which he also ran until his death.
In 1887 he built the Grove creamery, which
he operated for four years, and then sold out.

CHENANGO COUNTY

69

In 1882 Mr. Church erected a steam saw-mill
in Afton village and made of it a very paying
investment, for he was thus able to supply
the builders with native lumber at moderate
prices. He helped to organize and was one
of the first to subscribe for stock in the Afton
Driving Park and Agricultural Association,
which became an assured reality in 1890.
Mr. Church married Augusta A. Landers,
January 19, 1856; two sons, Fred and George
L., now survive him. Our subject was always
an active and loyal member of the Demo
cratic party. He was supervisor one term,
and was a member of the board of school
trustees when Afton secured its Union
School. Socially, he was a Mason. In all
the walks of life he counted his friends by
the score, and it is needless to state that his
removal from the fields of his diversified
labors was the occasion of sincere regret and
sorrow to more than one. Afton has cause
to remember him as her benefactor, as well
as one of the most prominent men that has
ever done business within her borders.
The sons of our subject, under the firm
name of Church Brothers, operate all their
father's interests left in their hands at his
death. When Fred and George L. Church
succeeded to his interests in the private bank
ing house of E. M. Johnston & Co., that solid
financial institution was completely re-organ
ized, Mr. Johnston selling his interests to
Mr. M. G. Hill, who was elected president ;
George L. Church assumed the place his
father had filled so many years, that of cash
ier ; while Fred Church became vice-presi
dent. The bank, through all its history of
twenty-two years, has withstood all the pres

sure of the panics and other monetary mis
fortunes that have menaced its welfare, and
is to-day one of the strongest, most solid
and successful banking houses of Chenango
Count}r. A general banking and exchange
business is done all over the country, and col
lections are made in every quarter of the con
tinent. The success with which the private
banking house of Church & Hill is meeting
is the direct result of careful dealing and
equitable treatment of all who come under
the title of patron.
Fred Church, the oldest of our subject's
sons, was born in Afton, June 23, i860, and
obtained his education in the Union School
of that town. Leaving school at the age of
twenty, he became associated with his father
in business, and assisted him in managing and
caring for all his large interests till the death
of our subject, when Fred and his brother
took charge of the business. In political be
lief he is a Democrat, and in 1898 was elected
supervisor of the town of Afton.
George L. Church was born May 4, 1863,
in Afton, and attended the Afton Union
School. When seventeen years of age he
entered the bank, and for eighteen years was
in the banking business, fourteen years as as
sistant cashier or cashier. He has ever taken
a lively interest in village and town affairs,
and has been honored by his fellow-citizens
with several offices, of trust and responsibil
ity. He has been town clerk, and was ap
pointed by Comptroller Frank Campbell as
an examiner of the trust funds of Chenango
County in 1893. In 1894 he filled the office
of president of the village corporation of
Afton. He is a member and past master of

yo

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Afton Lodge No. 360, F. & A. M.; Vallonia
Chapter, No. 80, R. A. M. of Afton, N. Y.;
Norwich Comraandery, No. 46, Knight
Templars of Norwich, N. Y.; Otseningo
Bodies, Ancient and Accepted Order of
Scottish Rite Masons of Binghamton, N. Y.;
and Ziyara Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., Utica,
N. Y. He is also a member of Calumet
Tribe, No. 174, Improved Order of Red Men
of Afton, N. Y., of which he is a charter
member of first C. of R. Mr. Church was
married in 1890 to Charlotte A. McWhorter
of Ithaca, N. Y., and has these two children :
Helen Landers, born July 20, 1892; and
Devillo Corbin, born March 29, 1897.

(WZo

EORGE W. BROOKS, the genial
\£_X- proprietor of the popular Palmer
House, the leading and best patronized hotel
of the village of Norwich, was born in the
town of his present residence, March 2, 1841,
and is a son of Otis R. and Anna (Cady)
Brooks. The father of Otis R. Brooks was of French
extraction, and made his living on the high
seas as a captain of a sailing-vessel. Nine
children comprised the family that his wife
brought into the world to him. Otis R.
Brooks was born in the State of Rhode
Island, where he married his first wife, Miss
B. E. Smith, in November, 1831. He came
to Norwich, Chenango County, in 1835, and
engaged in the grocery business, in which he
was identified with considerable profit to
himself for five years. He then ran a dray
in Norwich for a time, and later moved on a

farm in the same town, where farming con
tinued to be his occupation until he was
forced to lay down his labors at the ap
proach of death. His life terminated De
cember 30, 1879. He was' originally a Whig
and then a Republican in his politics. His
first wife bore him one daughter, Louisa, who
married Willis Dexter, and died January 18,
1870. On February 5, 1S39, several years
after locating in Norwich, Mr. Brooks married
the lady who became our subject's mother.
Three children resulted from this union, as
follows : George W., of whom this sketch is
written; Betsey, born November 23, 1845,
and died September 21, 1849; and Emma P.,
born February 18, 185 1, who married Palmer
Edwards, and died in the prime of her young
womanhood, November 10, 1879. Our sub
ject's mother completed her life's pilgrimage
July 5, 1897, being over eighty years of age.
Otis R. Brooks was a good, law-abiding citi
zen, with a liking for the domestic comforts
of home, with a deep concern for the mem
bers' welfare, and a regard toward the educa
tion and proper training of the children.
George W. Brooks, after leaving school,
learned the carpenter's trade as an appren
tice in the shop of Gurdon Bowers, being
with him one year. He then became an em
ployee of the bridge and building depart
ment of the O. & W. R. R., and after being
with the company two months he was made
a gang foreman, in which position he con
tinued until the expiration of one year's serv
ice, when he was made division foreman.
After nine years as division foreman, during
which time he had carefully husbanded his
means and laid up a considerable competency,

CHENANGO COUNTY

7i

he rented the Palmer House in Norwich, and
after running it with success for three years
he bought it outright, and continued to cater
to the physical wants oi the traveling public
until 1892, when he leased it on favorable
terms. In 1897, circumstances arose that
compelled him to take the caravansary back
on his hands. He caused the hotel to be re
fitted and furnished anew throughout, and
has built up once more an enviable patron
age, that is flattering alike to the methodical
way in which the hotel is run, the neat and
tasty appearance of the rooms, both public
and private, and the excellent cuisine, for
which the- Palmer House is noted. Mr.
Brooks has al§o been interested in the show
business, and is even now, with his son-in-
law, Mr. Curtis, engaged in managing a show
that is on the road. In the late war, Mr.
Brooks took an honorable part, and fought
valiantly for the Union. He enlisted in the
army in 1861, soon after the firing on Fort
Sumter, and served three years, taking part
in many battles, and being wounded once.
During all his three years of active service,
he was in the hospital but one week.
Mr. Brooks entered the married state on
January 9, 1866, the nuptial ceremony being
celebrated on that date that bound him and
Julia Snow, daughter of John Snow, in the
indissoluble bonds of matrimony. Their only
daughter, Ada M., married H. A. Curtis.
Mr. Brooks has many friends in the town
and county, tor he has those companionable
traits of character that gain for a man the
esteem and good-will of his acquaintances.
He is an active member of the Republican
party, and has been on three different occa

sions elected to the presidency of the village
corporation. He has been an under sheriff
of Chenango County for three years. He is a
member of the Improved Order of Red Men.
He is a Mason of prominence of the thirty-
second degree, being a member of Norwich
Lodge, No. 302, F. & A. M.; Chapter No. 151,
R. A. M.; Commander}^ No. 46; and Ziyara
Temple of the Mystic Shrine of Utica, N. Y.

EV. CHAUNCEY DARBY, of the
village of Greene, has been engaged
in the blessed work of the Master
since 1839, preaching and ministering a con
siderable portion of this period to the spir
itual needs of his flock in the Baptist
Church at Greene, this county, where he now
lives in retirement. We take great pleas
ure in presenting the salient points of his
life, adding to such an account whatever
other facts of interest present themselves
to us, which will enlist the attention and
consideration of those who chance to read
this volume. Rev. Mr. Darby was born
in the town of Homer, now Cortland, Cort
land County, N. Y., February 14, 1816, and
is a son of Joseph and Asenath (Tylor)
Darby, both of whom were born in the State
of Connecticut.
Eleazer Darby, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was a native of Connecticut ; attaining
his manhood, he moved to the State of New
York and located in the town of Homer,
where he spent his life, actively engaged in
the tilling of the soil. He cleared the timber
in the forest, cultivated the land thus im-

72

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

proved, labored there and remained until the
time of his death. Religiously, he was an
able worker of the Baptist Church.
Joseph Darby, the father of our subject,
was one of the older children born to this
sturdy and courageous old gentleman and
his wife. He was reared in the State of
Connecticut, and received a liberal educa
tion for those times. After his marriage to
Miss Grow he moved to the town of Homer
and became actively engaged in farming,
which was his sole occupation throughout
his life. His perseverance was remarkable.
Amidst a deep forest he planned and de
veloped a fine farm. In politics he was a
Whig, and took a prominent part in local
affairs, and was elected coroner of Cortland
County, the duties of which office were faith
fully and honestly discharged. Mr. Darby
was an Anti-Mason man and was opposed to
any secret organization. He was twice united
in marriage. To his first wife, Miss Grow,
three children were reared, namely : Dilly,
Lyman and Thomas. After the death of his
first wife, he married a Miss Tylor, who was
born in Connecticut, and they reared a large
family of children, of whom six lived to
maturity. They were as follows : Ann ;
Joseph ; Lucius; Chauncey, the subject of the
sketch ; Asenath ; and Edwin. The father of
our subject was an active and consistent
member of the Baptist Church, and supported
the church of that denomination in the vil
lage of Cortland. He passed to the world of
rest about 1836, at the age of sixty -two years.
Mrs. Darby joined her husband about 1852,
aged seventy-two years.
Rev. Chauncey Darby received his ele

mentary training in the schools of Homer
and at Homer Academy. He then pursued
the theological course, and was graduated
from the Hamilton Literary and Theological
Institution. In 1839 ne was licensed to
preach, and was installed as pastor of the
Baptist Church at Greene the same year.
Later he was called to Binghamton to fill the
vacancy in the First Baptist Church and re
mained there five years. Mr. Darby was a
very fluent and convincing speaker, and
brought home to the hearts of his hearers
the blessed truths to be found in the life of
Christ, outlining their duty to God forcibly
and distinctly. Not alone in the pulpit did his
ability show forth in the best light, but also
in bringing before each repentant sinner the
plan of a personal salvation, free to all who
would accept it. He was also interested in
home and foreign missionary work, and went
to great pains to keep himself and his people
well informed as to the needs and the prog
ress in the various fields. Our subject re
turned to the village of Greene, where the
services were held in blacksmith . shops and
in a grocery store until the church was built,
which was in 1843. Now they have a con
gregation of over 250 members. Mr. Darby
has presided in the pulpits at McGrawville,
Cortland and several other villages, where
he assisted in the building of a house of
worship for each congregation. Later he
went to Marion, N. Y., where he remained a
short time, when he went to the State of
Iowa, where he preached at Fairfield and
later at Ottumwa. After spending eleven
years preaching in St. Joseph, Mo., he moved
to Philadelphia, whence he retired to his

CHARLES HENRY MERRITT.

CHENANGO COUNTY

75

former home, Greene, where he now enjoys
a well earned rest.
In 1839 Mr. -Darby was joined in matri
mony with Miss Mary A. Short, daughter of
Hammond Short of Homer. Their family
consists of the following children : Charles
H. and Edwin T. Charles H. married the
widow of Bishop Hawks of St. Joseph, Mo.,
who was a popular bishop in the Episcopal
Church. To Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Darby
was born one child, Ada. Edwin T. was
joined in marriage with Miss Carrie Thomas,
of Galesburg, 111., and they are the happy
parents of four children, namely : George B.;
Frances T.; Ethel ; and Marian. Mr. and Mrs.
Darby celebrated the fifty-eighth anniver
sary of their marriage in 1897. They show
in their daily lives the beauty of the teach
ings of the Gospel. They have, as they de
serve, the good will and cordial friendship of
the entire community in which they live,
and their record through life is one of which
their children may well be proud.

7— <iHARLES HENRY MERRITT,
I Sr deceased, was born on the nth day
^^ ^ of August, 1 8 14, and during his
long and useful life knew no other home than
Norwich. He was a direct descendant from
old Revolutionary stock, the names of both
his parents, who came from Eastern New
York, being familiar and favored ones in the
public affairs of the Hudson River counties
of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, and Westches
ter, from long before the War of the Revolu
tion down to this day. Mr. Merritt was a

son of Stephen S. Merritt and Hannah
Purdy, daughter of Abner Purdy. Stephen
S. Merritt settled in North Norwich, then a
part of the town of Norwich, in the year
1795. Back through these honored ances
tors, the subject of this sketch was able to
trace his lineage to the sturdy and heroic
settlers of the historic region of the Hudson
for more than one hundred years.
Charles H. Merritt was born at a time and
in a community that knew few idlers. The
children of that day were accustomed to
acquire, almost in their infancy the faculty
of taking care of themselves. Inheriting a
goodly amount of the sterling integrity of his
forefathers, Mr. Merritt early assumed large
responsibilities, and at the age of twenty one
embarked in the mercantile business in his
native town. A few years later he engaged
himself as collector for a firm at Darien,
Georgia, making the trip to that place on
horseback, and remaining in the South in the
above capacity in the neighborhood of a
year. Upon his return to the North, he set
tled in Norwich, and the remainder of his life
was spent in that village. In 1862, Mr. Mer
ritt purchased a quarter interest in the David
Maydole hammer factory, and thereafter,
until his death, he made the extension and
success of this business his especial object
and care. From the time of his entrance
into the concern, the effect of his cautious,
far-seeing and honest judgment, acquired
through years of careful and extensive busi
ness experience, was felt with advantage and
profit. During the twenty-five years that
marked his connection with the hammer
factory, its products became known and used

76

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

in all portions of the world. Devoting to
this industry his whole time, strength and
energy, to him much of this marvelous suc
cess was due. On the incorporation of the
David Maydole Hammer Company, in Janu
ary, 1890, although in poor health at the
time, Mr. Merritt was made its first president.
His mind was an eminently practical one, and
he retained the direction of the affairs of the
company until his death, which came to him
October 12, 1890, undesired, yet not un
expected. He spent the last summer of his
life in the enjoyment of family and social in
tercourse. The funeral services were held
from his palatial home, and were largely
attended by the citizens of the village and by
sympathizing friends and acquaintances.
The business places were closed in his honor,
and the members of the Democratic County
Committee attended in a body. The opera
tives in the factory turned out, and in one
company marched to the house, where for
the last time they looked upon the face of
their beloved employer. Tears, scarcely
restrained, bore eloquent testimony to their
love and affection for one with whom they
had been associated so long.
Mr. Merritt's known business ability and
careful management were rewarded by the
accumulation of a considerable fortune. In
1862 he was united in marriage with Cornelia
E. Maydole, daughter of David Maydole, and
with his wife and two daughters, May and
Nettie, he established a beautiful home on
North Broad Street, within whose circle his
friends were always made heartily welcome.
In his home he was always at his best. Shar
ing confidences and business cares with his

wife, whose advice he greatly valued, and
always thoughtful of the wishes and feelings
of his family, he never was known to address
them with an unkind or harsh word. Within
the sacred precincts of home he was all kind
ness, generosity and forbearance.
While most men are distinguished by some
particular trait of character alone, Mr. Mer
ritt was possessed of many. All were so
happily balanced, so harmoniously blended,
as to form a combination of virtues, which,
coupled with a natural fund and appreciation
of humor, made his friendship deemed a
privilege and an honor, and his society a
pleasure. He was public-spirited to a large
degree, and his influence in village and town
affairs was great. He was most liberal in his
support of all improvements, tending to
advance and beautify the village of Norwich,
and his advice and counsel were often sought
by others than his business associates. He
gave liberally to the churches, and was an
ardent supporter of the educational institu
tions of the town. Politically, Mr. Merritt
was a Democrat, never seeking office, but
earnestly and liberally supporting his party's
nominees. His was a life of honesty and
integrity ; " He was an honest man."
By his employees he was especially belov
ed. To them he was ever obliging, sympa
thetic and generous ; always ready to grant
a favor, or to assist in time of need. None
came to him for assistance but found a
friend. These acts of kindness were per
formed, as were his numerous charities, so
quietly and unostentatiously that few outside
his home knew of them. He was a great
favorite with the young people who came his

CHENANGO COUNTY

77

way, and an especial one with the children.
He was ever thoughtful of the many little
pleasantries that win a child's heart, and they
all knew him as their friend.
Physically, Mr. Merritt was a noble speci
men of manly strength and vigor. Standing
a little over six feet in height, with broad
shoulders, a well-proportioned body, digni
fied bearing, and a head and face of striking
and benevolent appearance, his was one of
the noblest types of manly beauty.
Upon the death of Mr. Merritt, his varied
business interests were left in charge of his
wife. Mrs. Merritt has since conducted
them with an ability and discretion well
worthy so able and successful an adviser as
her late husband. To every citizen of Che
nango County, and especially to those of
Norwich, the portrait of Mr. Merritt, appear
ing on a preceding page in connection with
the foregoing life narrative, will prove of
great interest.

>EV. GEORGE G. PERRINE, the es
teemed rector of the Christ Church
L^ y_^. of Guilford, was born at Lyons,
Wayne County, N. Y., December 24, 1838.
He is a son of William D. and Lucinda S.
(Kendig) Perrine, and a grandson of Peter
Perrine.
The Perrine, or Perrinn, as it was origin
ally spelled, family is of old French Hugue
not stock. Henry Perrinn and his brother,
Daniel, came to America in 1685 to escape
the persecution that followed the Revocation
of the Edict of- Nantes, by Louis XIV of

France. Henry, the paternal ancestor of our
subject, settled on Staten Island, where he
was married and reared four sons, namely :
John ; Henry ; Peter ; and Daniel. Peter
Perrine, our subject's great-great-grand
father, located in Cranbury, Middlesex
County, N. J., and there married Margaret
Day, who came from a well known New
Jersey family. They reared a family of fif
teen children, the seventh of whom was
William, the great-grandfather of our sub
ject. William Perrine was a soldier of the
Revolutionary War and served in the 3rd
Reg., Middlesex Militia, under his brother,
Capt. Peter Perrine.
Peter Perrine, the son of William and
Hannah (Mount) Perrine, was one of the
pioneer settlers of Lyons, Wayne County,
N. Y. His mother was a daughter of Mat
thias Mount, the grandfather of Judge John
Bailey Mount of Heightstown, N. J. Peter
was a farmer and builder by trade and was
well known as a man of great physical
strength. He was 1st lieutenant and later
captain in Col. Swift's regiment of militia
from 1806 to 1 8 14, and took part in the War
of 1812. He was united in marriage with
Ann Duncan, and they reared seven children.
William D. Perrine was the oldest son
born to his parents and first saw the light of
day at Lyons, October 20, 1812. He was a
jeweler and watchmaker, conducting a store
in the village of Lyons, where he was well
patronized. He took an active interest in
public affairs and did all within his power to
promote the condition of the community,
socially, morally, and religiously. He was
bound in the holy bonds of wedlock with Lu-

7§

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

cinda S. Kendig, a daughter of Martin and
Leah (Bear) Kendig, a family of high stand
ing in Waterloo, N. Y. Four children
blessed their union, namely : Annie G., the
relict of the late N. B. Mirick of Lyons ;
George G., whose name heads these lines ;
Eugene D., who enlisted in the army in 1861,
but before his regiment went to the front he
contracted a fever and died at home ;
William N., deceased, was freight agent of
the Erie R. R. at Buffalo ; and Duncan K.,
an employee of the freight department of
the Erie R. R. in New York City. Politi
cally, Mr. W. D. Perrine was formerly an old
time Whig, but after the organization of the
Republican party, he actively supported the
principles of that party. He was president
of the village corporation for a number of
years. Religiously, he was a member of the
Episcopal Church and contributed liberally
toward the support of that organization. He
belonged to the Agricultural Association and
acted as president of the society for a num
ber of years. His long and useful career
came to an end April 14, 1884.
Rev. George G. Perrine, after having com
pleted the course required in the Union
School at Lyons, entered Hobart College,
Geneva, N. Y., graduating in 1861, and re
ceiving the degree of A. M. in 1865. Imme
diately thereafter, he became a student in the
Episcopal Theological Seminary in New
York City, and graduated in 1865. He was
ordained a deacon in Calvary Church in New
York City, June 2, 1865, and received priest's
orders from Bishop Coxe at Grace Church
in Utica, N. Y., May 27, 1866. His first
charge was at Aurora, Cayuga County, N. Y.,

where he remained for three years. August
8, 1868, he accepted the rectorship of St.
John's Church of Oneida. Remaining there
until May 1, 1873, he became rector of St.
John's Church of Cape Vincent, keeping
that charge until September 1, 1880. For
the following twelve years he officiated as
rector of the churches at Thursa and Red
wood. October 1, 1892, he was installed as
rector of the Christ Church at Guilford, and
has presided over that charge since. He is
a man of great power, of exceptional organ
izing ability, and merits the esteem in which
he is held ; he is popular among all classes,
the rich and the poor, the old and the young,
for he always has a friendly greeting ready
for every one, and ever looks on the brightest
side of life.
December 20, 1861, our subject was united
in marriage with Mariah L. Hamblien, a
daughter of the late Rev. Lemuel Hamblien
of Geneva, N. Y., and they became the parents
of five children, whose records are as follows :
Edward E. was born at Lyons, January 9,
1865, and is superintendent of the Gilson
Asphalt Company of Kansas City, Mo.;
William D , who was born January 27, 1867,
and died in Guilford, November 22, 1896, was
in the employ of the Gilson Asphalt Com
pany ; Bessie L., who was born July 9, 1870,
and died in Buffalo November 20, 1895, was
the wife of J. Reynolds, a son of Judge James
Reynolds of Brockville, Ontario, Canada;
and two other children who died in infancy.
Mrs. Perrine entered the world of rest, May
5, 1890. Mr. Perrine's second union was
with Miss Mary Ellen Smith, only daughter
of M. H. Smith of Redwood.

IRVING L. RICHER.

CHENANGO COUNTY

fRVING L. RICHER. Conspicuous
among the leading business men of
Chenango County is the subject of this
biography, who owns and operates a large
flour and feed store in the village of New
Berlin, and is interested in many other enter
prises in that thriving community. He is
an active and energetic man, and is a good
example of what constant effort, constantly
directed, can in a short time accomplish.
He is a son of Nicholas and Ann F. (Whit
more) Richer, and a grandson of John Richer.
Nicholas Richer, the great-grandfather of
our subject, came from Berlin, Rensselaer
County, in 1800, engaged in agricultural
pursuits, and spent most of his life in the
town of Columbus, Chenango County, where
he died, November 1, 1829, aged fifty-eight
years. His son, John Richer, was born in
the town of Columbus, and like his father
followed farming as a means of earning a
competency. He lived a long and useful life,
dying in 1883, at the age of eighty years.
He was bound in the holy bonds of wedlock
with Juliana Lottridge, who came from one
of the oldest and best known families in the
county, and they became the parents of six
children, two sons and four daughters.
Nicholas Richer, the father of our subject,
an elderly gentleman, who is one of the
prominent citizens of New Berlin, has done
much toward that village's development, and
has been closely identified with its leading
interests ; he is in affluent circumstances, a
result he secured by hard work and excel
lent foresight. He was born in the town of
Columbus, in April, 1826. He had the or
dinary school advantages, which he improved

to the best of his ability, distinguishing him
self then among his school mates, as he did
afterwards among his associates in business,
by a fixedness of purpose and general ear
nest bearing that proved most valuable to
him in all his varied career. He has fol
lowed farming all his life, but thirty years
of his time were devoted mainly to butter
and cheese manufacturing. He began in
rather a small way, operating a cheese fac
tory in the town of Columbus. As the de
mand for his cheese became greater, he built
new and larger factories, and at one time
was operating fourteen, having an enormous
output. These factories were located at Co
lumbus, Brookfield, Edmeston, and Bridge-
water. He was also partner in a general
store, conducted in Columbus. Since 1891,
he has made his home in New Berlin with
his son. He has accumulated considerable
wealth and is an extensive land owner. He
owns six large farms in Chenango County,
and all are in the highest state of cultivation.
Mr. Richer's well-deserved success in life was
what might have been expected from a man
who combined an unusual amount of energy
with a certain amount of conservativeness,
that never led him to indulge in excesses or
in untried projects. He was a hard worker
in legitimate channels, and deserves, if ever
man does, the high respect which is almost
universally accorded him. He was united
in marriage with Ann F. Whitmore, and they
became the happy parents of one son, Irving
L., the subject of this personal history.
Irving L. Richer was born in Columbus,
November 21, 1858, and was intellectually
equipped for life's battle in the common

82

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

schools, and in New Berlin Academy. He
also took a complete course in Eastman's
Business College, graduating from that in
stitution in 1878. Upon leaving school he
engaged in general merchandising in Colum
bus, and continued in that line of business
until 1886, when he came to the village of
New Berlin. He then began the handling
of flour and feed. This business, which Mr.
Richer is still conducting, was formerly op
erated by Church, Morgan & Co., in 1870. It
then went into the hands of Morris Bros. &
Kimball. Later Mr. Richer purchased Mor
ris Bros.' interest, and two years later pur
chased the Kimball interest. Since that time
he has conducted the affairs on his own ac
count. It was the first business of the kind
established in New Berlin. He also handled
coal, plaster, cement, etc., and with good re
sults. He conducts a cold storage, and em
ploys from four to ten men the year around.
He identified himself with all the interests of
his adopted city, and it was mainly through
his efforts that the New Berlin Light & Pow
er Company was organized in 1889. He
has acted as a director and manager since its
organization, and the prosperous condition
of that plant demonstrates his ability to fill
that office. He is one of the directors of
the New Berlin Opera House, and also holds
a fourth interest in the Norwich Produce Co.
Besides his store in New Berlin, he also con
ducts branch stores in South Edmeston and
West Edmeston, in which he carries a line
of flour, feed, etc. Mr. Richer has attained
his present prosperity in the way open to all
by hard work and persevering endeavors,
and he is eminently deserving of greater

good fortune. We find just such men in
the front ranks of every business and in
every community, whose success has been
independent of another's assistance.
He was united in marriage, June 21, 1882,
with Elvira D. Wilcox, a daughter of Lewis
Wilcox of New Berlin, and they have reared
three children, namely : Winifred L.; Mar-
jorie; and John I. He is a Republican in
his politics, and has been supervisor of New
Berlin for two terms, also town clerk of Co
lumbus for two years. He is popular and
companionable, and counts his friends by
the score. In his business dealings he is dis
tinguished by square and honest methods,
and has conscientious scruples against taking
the least advantage of anyone with whom he
may chance to have business. In the com
munity at large he is known as one of the
best of citizens, whose every endeavor has
been to bring about needed improvements,
to elevate the moral tone, and keep it fixed
on a high standard. Mr. Richer's portrait
appears on a preceding page in connection
with this sketch.

ON. HARVEY A. TRUESDELL is
one of the prominent business men
of Mount Upton, having been close
ly identified with the business interests of the
village since 1871. He is a son of George A.
and Rhoda (Richmond) Truesdell, and was
born in the village of Rockdale, town of Guil
ford, Chenango County, October 22, 1849.
Ransom Truesdell, the grandfather, came
with his young wife to the town of Butter

CHENANGO COUNTY

33

nuts, Otsego County, in 1800, and was one of
the first settlers of that section. He was
born either in Rhode Island or Connecticut,
and there contracted marriage with Miss
Sarah George, by whom he had the follow
ing children : George A.; Rhoda, who was
a teacher for a number of years and after
wards married a Mr. Gadsby, late a farmer
of Butternuts; Cyrus, deceased, a carpenter
and joiner and later a merchant of Westville,
Oneida County ; Harriet, deceased ; Elisha,
deceased, a farmer of Butternuts ; Sarah, a
teacher in the public schools, died at the age
of twenty- four; and Harvey, a real estate
dealer and broker of La Porte, Ind.
George A. Truesdell was born on his
father's farm near Gilbertsville, Otsego
County, in February, 1801. He was edu
cated in the academy of that village and
spent several years in teaching in the old
Morris Academy. In 1835 he moved to
Rockdale, where he purchased a tract of
land of 340 acres, and devoted the remainder
of his life to farming, gaining quite a reputa
tion as a successful agriculturist. He was
also prominent in local politics. He was a
Whig and later a Republican, and at different
times filled nearly all the local offices. He
was justice of the peace for a number of
years, and while serving as school commis
sioner he did all in his power to advance the
cause of education. He was a man of wide
experience and more than ordinary executive
ability, and, in addition to his farming, car
ried on a number of other enterprises. He
was at one time connected with Almon Trask
in the manufacture of linseed oil, and also
operated the bedstead factory at Rockdale

for some years. He was one of the organ
izers of the Rockdale Creamery, now one of
the most important manufacturing establish
ments of the place. He was a communicant
of the Presbyterian Church, but about the
year 1870 he moved to Latham Corners,
where he became a member of the Metho
dist Episcopal Church, in which he was an
earnest worker up to the time of his death,
which occurred in 1 88 1 . He was twice mar
ried ; his first wife was Rhoda Richmond,
daughter of Joseph Richmond, a farmer of
the town of Norwich. This marriage re
sulted in the birth of four sons and two
daughters : Joseph, a physician of Hornells-
ville, N. Y., where he died in 1893, at the age
of sixty years ; Ransom G, a farmer on the
homestead at Rockdale ; J. E., a broker of
Minnesota ; Mary, who married Oliver C.
Bently ; Nancy, widow of Berrian Fish, re
siding in San Francisco, Cal.; and Harvey A.,
our subject. George A. Truesdell was widely
known as a mathematical scholar, and for his
knowledge in the points of common law, two
accomplishments that caused him to be in fre
quent demand by his friends who regarded
his opinions as indisputable. Joseph Rich
mond, the maternal grandfather of our sub
ject, was also a man of recognized business
ability and met with unusual success in his
undertakings. He was one of the first set
tlers of the town of Norwich, where he took
up a large tract of land which he cultivated,
while at the same time he owned and operated
the Rockwell Mills for a number of years.
Harvey A. Truesdell was reared on the
farm and received his educational training in
the Cazenovia Seminary and Norwich Acad-

84

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

emy. After leaving school he spent the fol
lowing four winters in teaching, and then
moved to Mt. Upton, where he and a Mr.
Brown opened a hardware store, under, the
firm name of Truesdell & Brown. They con
tinued this business for two years, when Mr.
Brown sold his interest in the store to a Mr.
Rood, and the business was carried on for
one more year under the name of Trues
dell & Rood. At the expiration of that time
Mr. Truesdell sold out to his partner and be
came the agent for the N. O. and W. R. R. at
Mount Upton, a position he continued to fill
for thirteen years. He was interested during
this time in coal, and at length resigned his
agency with the railroad to engage in the
flour, feed, grain and coal trade. He had a
partner in the person of F. S. Converse, and
for five years they conducted the business
under the name of Truesdell & Converse.
Since that time Mr. Truesdell has operated
the stand alone, having bought out the interest
of Mr. Converse. He is a very energetic and
industrious man, and carries a full stock of
supplies, such as are usually found in a store
of that description. He is a very popular
man and enjoys a good trade. Besides his
store he owns a fine farm of 162 acres in the
town of Butternuts, Otsego County.
Mr. Truesdell was married in December,
1873, to Ruby Chamberlain, daughter of C. Y.
Chamberlain, whose biography appears else
where in this book. The one child born to
this union died in infancy, and Mrs. Trues
dell died also April 18, 1879. In 1881 he was
once more united in wedlock, the lady being
Anna Babcock, daughter of Hobart Babcock,
a merchant of the town of New Berlin. Mrs.

Truesdell lived less than one year after her
marriage, leaving an infant son, Hobart, who
is still living. On October 30, 1884, Mr.
Truesdell formed another matrimonial alli
ance with a most estimable lady, Nellie M.
Davis, daughter of C. S. Davis of Phila
delphia. Mr. and Mrs. Truesdell are mem
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in
which he holds the office of steward. He is
a strong Republican and has represented his
party in a number of offices ; was president
of the board for one year, and supervisor for
five years, and in 1890 he was elected as Mem
ber of the Assembly. He was member and
president of the school board from 1892 until
1897. He was appointed by Gov. Morton
loan commissioner in February, 1895, a posi
tion he still holds. He is a charter member
and director of the Sidney National Bank,
organized January 1, 1888, and organizer and
director of the Morris National Bank, organ
ized January 1, 1892. He is public spirited
and liberal ; any scheme that promises to
benefit the community is sure of his hearty
support, while his strong personality is a
power for good, making itself felt through
out the entire locality.

£>r--DELBERT D. PAYNE, the accommo-
/¦=¦! dating and courteous postmaster of
* » v_^ Bainbridge, was born in the village
of Bainbridge, November 19, 1855, and is a
son of Dennis W. and Elizabeth (Avery)
Payne, and a grandson of William Payne.
William Payne was a shoemaker by trade,
living in the State of Rhode Island where he

THOMAS E. SEARLES.

CHENANGO COUNTY

§7

was born, until he came to Chenango County,
N. Y., where he followed his trade until his
death, which occurred in the town of Guil
ford. Dennis W. Payne, our subject's
father, is one of the best known carpenters of
Bainbridge, having been a resident of the
town for about forty-four years. Many of the
buildings in this locality bear witness to his
industry and efficiency. He was married to
Elizabeth Avery and four children were born
to them : Franklin G. lives in Bainbridge and
is a painter by vocation ; Adolphus is a
mechanic and lives in Bainbridge also ; Cora
E. is the wife of John R. Wilcox of Milford,
Otsego County. The father of our subject's
mother, Leonard Avery, was born in Con
necticut in 1803. Mr. Avery came to the
town of Bainbridge, where he owned and
operated a large saw-mill. He was a Demo
crat and voted for Jackson, was one of the
best posted men of his community, a
great reader, and one who retained in great
part what he read. He entered his last sleep
in the village of Bainbridge, and was there
laid to rest.
Adelbert D. Payne attended the common
schools of Bainbridge, and then entered the
employ of the Gilbert Manufacturing Co.,
with which concern he worked for ten years,
a faithful and trusted employee. He then
accepted a position with the Delaware and
Hudson R. R. at Bainbridge, as baggage
master, which he continued to fill until 1894,
when he was appointed postmaster at that
place and took charge. His record as post
master is among the best since the office was
first created ; he has proven himself an able
and efficient public servant, a fact that is
5*

realized by the patrons of the office. Mr.
Payne was united in marriage with Miss
Cora May Bundy, February 26, 1884. He is
a member of Susquehanna Lodge, No. 167,
F. & A. M., and is also connected with the
Episcopal Church, being one of the vestry
men. He is one of the trustees of the
village.

Gffiio:

HOMAS EMERY SEARLES. There
a" | are many men of prominence in the
County of Chenango, among whom none are
more favorably known than the subject of this
personal history, who is engaged in farming
in Bainbridge township. He is a son of Reu
ben and Ruth (Mead) Searles, and was born
July 27, 1840, in the town of Bainbridge, on
what is known as Searles Hill.
His grandfather, Abner Searles, was a
native of Dutchess County, N. Y. ; when he
came to this county he purchased a tract of
land containing 400 acres, which has ever
since been known as Searles Hill. His per
severance was remarkable. Amidst a deep
forest he planned and developed a fine farm.
The soil is now rich and productive, and the
improvements are among the very best. He
built him a house in which he lived the re
mainder of his life. He died in 1852. His
marriage with Miss Freelove Herrick was
productive of seventeen children, of whom
nine grew to maturity. Mrs. Searles passed
from this life, Feb. 15, 1853.
Reuben Searles, the father of _our subject,
was born Dec. 23, 1799, in Dutchess County,
and came to Bainbridge with his parents

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

when he was about ten years of age. He
lived on Searles Hill and followed farming
all his life. He married Ruth Mead, and to
them were born five boys and one girl, named
as follows : Arvine, a retired farmer, who re
sides in Bainbridge ; George, a mine owner
and operator of Tombstone, Arizona; Abner,
a prominent farmer of Bainbridge ; Lepha,
deceased, was the wife of George W. Davis
of Bainbridge ; Burton M., now a resident of
the State of Iowa, who entered the Civil War
Sept. 3, 1864, in the 5th Reg. N. Y. Heavy
Art., and fought gallantly until the close ; and
Thomas E. Religiously, Reuben Searles was
a member of the Methodist Church. Polit
ically, he was originally a Whig, but later
joined the ranks of the Republican party.
Mr. Searles was a man of generous impulses,
strict integrity, and pure moral character, a
kind and loving husband and father.
Thomas Emery Searles received his educa
tion in the common schools, and was reared
upon the farm. He commenced life on his
own account as a farmer, and has followed
agricultural pursuits all his life, with the ex
ception of the war period, when he with his
brothers willingly discharged his duties in
behalf of the Union. He enlisted in the 5th
Reg. N. Y. Heavy Art. as a private, and
served on guard duty all the time, being ever
faithful in the performance of whatever ser
vice was required of him. March 1, 1894, he
moved to the town of Bainbridge, and has
since lived a private life. Politically, he is an
unswerving Republican, and has always taken
an active part in his party's advancement.
He won the confidence of his fellow-men,
who appreciated his good qualities by con

tinuing him by successive elections in the
office of assessor for nine years. He is a
member of the H. H. Beecher Post, No. 582,
G A. R., at Bainbridge ; he has served as
quartermaster, and is at present acting in the
capacity of commander of the post.
The name of Searles is pioneer in Che
nango County, and for generations yet to
come, the Searles family without a doubt
will maintain its prominent place as being
among the first families of this section. The
publishers of this Book of Biographies take
pleasure in presenting to the readers of this
volume a recent portrait of Mr. Searles, exe
cuted from a photograph taken in the spring
of 1898.

jGuGENE CLINTON, who has estab-
J — . lished an excellent reputation as a
legal advocate and counsellor in the courts
of Chenango County, is a resident of the
village of Greene, where he has been engaged
in the practice of his profession since 1883,
his first three years after being admitted to
the state bar having been spent in the town
of Smithville. He has been very successful
in his professional labors, and holds an ever-
increasing clientage, that has been attracted
to him by the admirable, even brilliant
manner, in which he has conducted his
chief legal actions. Shrewdness and a nat
ural ability to concentrate all his powers in
fathoming the mysteries of a case character
ize Mr. Clinton as much as his energy and
enterprising habits. Our subject was born
in Willet, Cortland County, N. Y., January

CHENANGO COUNTY

89

13, 1855, and is a son of Ormond D. and
Almira (Payne) Clinton.
The great-great-grandfather of our subject,
John Clinton, son of Thomas, was born in
New Haven, Conn., November 8, 1721, and
married Elizabeth Beecher in November,
1746. One of their children, John (2), born
May 4, 1752, married Mary Scribner, who
bore him three sons and one daughter, and
died December 16, 1805, in her fifty-seventh
year ; she was buried in the old cemetery at
Fly Creek, Otsego County, N. Y. A small
brown tombstone marks her grave. John
Clinton (2) was a soldier in the Revolutionary
War. On page twenty-two of a manuscript
volume, entitled " Military Register," in the
custody of the Regents of the University of
the State of New York, in the State Library,
he is recorded as a private soldier in the
Fifth New York Line, or Regiment, of Con
tinentals, in the company commanded by
Capt. F. John Hamtranck, and served, as
there stated, from May 21, 1779, to January
1, 1780. On page eleven of Vol. 2, Treas
urer's Certificates, a manuscript volume, he
is also recorded as a sergeant in a regiment
of levies raised in 1781. The records show
that these regiments were in active service
in the War of the Revolution. The children
of John and Mary (Scribner) Clinton were :
John (3); Simeon; Joel; and Phebe.
John Clinton (3), the grandfather of our
subject, was born March 25, 1776, at Balls-
ton, Saratoga County, N. Y., and died at the
residence of his son, Ormond Doty Clinton,
in Willet, Cortland County, June 17, 1858;
he received sepulture at Hazzard's Corners,
Triangle, Broome County, N. Y. In early

life he taught school, and followed the car
penter's trade. He came into Central New
York from Ballston Springs, Saratoga
County, and first settled in Lisle, later
removing to the town of German, Chenango
County. He was married at South Walling-
ford, Vt, December 22, 1800, to Lemira
Doty, the seventh child of Ormond and
Phebe (Vail) Doty, born at South Walling-
ford, Vt., June 28, 1783. She departed this
life in German, Chenango County, N. Y.,
June 19, 1835. The following family blessed
their marriage : Orille, whose death occurred
in the State of Iowa ; Polly Shaft, who died
in Chautauqua County, N. Y.; Ormond D.,
the father of our subject ; Joel, who died in
Springfield, Bradford County, Pa.; Phebe
Doty, who passed away in the same town as
the preceding ; Elias D., born September 22,
181 5, died in Willet, N. Y., May 6, 1891 ; and
David, who is supposed to have been lost on
the Phoenix propeller, which was destroyed
by fire on Lake Michigan within sight of
Racine, Wis.
The grandmother of our subject, Lemira
(Doty) Clinton, was a member of an old and
highly respected family, whose founder,
Edward Doty, was a member of that gallant
band of Pilgrims, who, driven by religious
persecution, left their own fair land to take
up their residence in a new and unknown
land, where far from the persecutions of
those who would dictate their religion, they
could live and prosper in peace. The brief
outline, which we shall give of the Doty
family is taken from a history compiled by
Ethan Allen Doty of Brooklyn, N. Y.
Edward Doty, a London youth in the service

yo

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

of Stephen Hopkins, came over in the good
ship, Mayflower, and was one of the signers
of the solemn compact made in Cape Cod
harbor November u, 1620, and was in the
party, that in the following December landed
at Plymouth Rock. He was in the party
with Captain Miles Standish and William
Bradford, who first went ashore in search of
a suitable place to land the party. After
wandering about for several days they
selected a place at Plymouth Rock. He
married Faith Clarke January 6, 1635 ; the
entry on the colony record is: "6th. jany,
1635 Edward Doty and Fayth Clarke were
maried." In book two, on pages 15 and 16
of the Plymouth Colony Record of Wills is
the will of Edward Doty, and an inventory
of his estate, also showing the division of the
same among his widow and children, the last
numbering nine, all born at Plymouth. He
died at Plymouth, August 23, 1655. Isaac
Doty, the- fifth son and seventh child of the
foregoing couple, was born at Plymouth,
February 8, 1646, and married Elizabeth
England about 1673, at Oyster Bay, N. Y.
He was a party to a number of conveyances
of real estate at and near Oyster Bay, a
record of which may be found in the office of
the County Clerk of Queens County, N. Y.
Six children, all born at Oyster Bay, consti
tuted his family. Joseph Doty, the second
son and child of Isaac, was born about 1680,
and died at his native place, Oyster Bay, in
1716. His will is recorded at Jamaica,
Queens County, N. Y.; it bears the date of
July 7, 1 716, and divides his estate between
his widow, Sarah, his sons, Joseph and Isaac,
and his daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth.

Joseph Doty (2) receipted for his share of
the estate May 6, 1729, and this makes it
appear that he was born about 1708, for this
was a legal proceeding that was performed
when the children reached the age of twenty-
one. He married Lucretia De Long at
Charlotte, Dutchess County, N. Y., in 1744,
and had ten children, of whom the eldest,
Ormond, was born at Charlotte, N. Y.,
November 24, 1746. Ormond Doty, the
father of our subject's grandmother, Lemira
(Doty) Clinton, was married to Phebe Vail,
by whom he had eleven children. He died
at South Wallingford, Vt., November 18,
1826. Ormond Doty Clinton, the fourth child of
John and Lemira (Doty) Clinton, was born in
the town of Lisle, or Triangle, which was
formerly a part of Lisle, Broome County, N.
Y., December 4, 1807. He married Almira
Payne at Virgil village, N. Y., August 9,
1840, Rev. Hiram Green, a minister of the
Universalist faith officiating. Almira Payne
was born in Leicester, Providence County,
R. I., November 17, 1816, and was a daughter
of William and Lydia (Barnes) Payne. Our
subject's father died at German, Chenango
County, N. Y., June 18, 1881, and was buried
in Sylvan Lawn Cemetery, Greene, N. Y.
His widow lives with her son Charles, a
prominent attorney-at-law of Smithville Flats;
the children are six in number, the eldest son
having died in infancy. The family record
reads as follows: De Witt, born March 3,
1847, died October 18, 1849. Jane, born
April 12, 1849, married Lorenzo D. Leach
September 19, 1871, and bore him five chil
dren, viz: Elmer C, born September 8, 1872;

CHENANGO COUNTY

9'

Albertus, born January 23, 1874, died Septem
ber 10, 1880; Elpha, born September 18,
1878, died September 17, 1880; Mattie C,
born August 7, 1880; and Carl, born June
26, 1886, died July 17, 1887. Phebe, born
May 20, 1852, married George Schouten,
June 13, 1874, and has five children, as fol
lows: Gertie, born December 5, 1876, died
September 22, 1880; Alta, April 29, 1879,
died March 22, 1895 ; Lennie, January 20,
1885 ; Bertie, November 12, 1888 ; and Mary,
August 15, 1890. Eugene, the subject of this
personal history, is the next in order of birth.
Mary, born September 19, 1856, married
Charles C. Curtis of McDonough, N. Y.,
February 8, 1877, and has two children:
Bertha, born May 28, 1885; and Lillian M.,
born July 8, 1895. Charles, born August 2,
1858, married Emma Fosgate of German, N.
Y., September 15, 1880, who has borne him
five children, as follows : Almira L., born
January 5, 1882; Hattie M., February 22,
1884; Charles D., September 14, 1886;
George C, March 17, 1889; Julian B.; Feb
ruary 22, 1892. Charles Clinton is an able
lawyer of Smithville Flats, and has served as
school commissioner of the Second District,
Chenango County, continuously since 1890.
Emma, the youngest child, born June 2,
1 861, married John S. Mason of McDonough,
N. Y., November 30, 1880.
Eugene Clinton received his education in
the district schools of Clintonville, Otsego
County, N. Y., German, McDonough, and in
Bainbridge Academy. After completing his
schooling, he read law with George Windsor
of Bainbridge, N. Y., and later with Isaac S.
Newton of Norwich, N. Y. He was admitted

to the bar May 4, 1880, in Ithaca, N. Y., and
was admitted to practice in the U. S. Su
preme Court, December 5, 1888. He first
located in Smithville, where he remained
until 1883, when he moved to Greene, his
present location. He is a wide-awake, enter
prising man of much more than ordinary
ability. His knowledge of legal principles is
accurate, while his extended practice has
given him an intimate acquaintance with the
working details of his profession, that makes
him an antagonist to be feared, when he is
supporting his client in a case, where great
interests are involved.
Mr. Clinton was united in marriage ties
with Bertha L. Johnson of Greene, N. Y.,
January 10, 1884. He is a Mason of consider
able standing, and belongs to Eastern Light
Lodge, No. 126, of Greene. In politics he is
known as a stanch supporter of the Republi
can party. Eugene Clinton is of the 8th
generation in direct line of Edward Doty,
spoken of above, a Pilgrim ol the Mayflower.

ESSE HUNT. The gentleman, whose
name stands at the head of this
sketch, is an old pioneer of Che
nango County, and a successful farmer, who
now lives in retirement in the village of
Holmesville, New Berlin township. He
owns a fine farm, which is under a high state
of cultivation, and stands among the first-
class men of the community, noted for his
energy and enterprise. Mr. Hunt is a son of
Jesse and Lucina (Evans) Hunt, and was
born in New Berlin township, near where he

92

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

now resides, July 25, 1825. The Hunt family
is of English origin, four brothers having
emigrated to the United States in the early
colonial times ; the ancestor of our subject
settled in the State of Rhode Island, one in
Vermont, one near Utica, this state, and the
other in the South. The paternal grand
father, George Hunt, served in the Revolu
tionary War, as did the maternal grand
father, Richard Evans, who emigrated from
the Old World to the State of Rhode Island.
George Hunt was born in the State of
Rhode Island, near Providence. In 1820 he
came to New Berlin on a short visit, and
while here he died. The greater part of his
life was spent near the village of Rome,
N. Y., where he followed agricultural pur
suits. He was the father of seven children —
four sons and three daughters.
Jesse Hunt, the father of our subject, was
born near Providence in 1784. He was a
farmer by vocation, and spent his whole life
on the farm, engaged in agricultural labors ;
he was very successful in his chosen occupa
tion, and was considered to be one of the
leading farmers in his community. He was
married to Miss Lucina Evans, and they
reared nine children. In 1812 he moved with
his family to Chenango County and located
near Holmesville, where he again took up
his occupation of a farmer. He died in 1859.
Mrs. Hunt died in 1865, at the age of eighty-
six years.
Jesse Hunt, the youngest of a family of
nine children, and the only one who is now
living, was reared and educated in the town
of New Berlin. The early days of his life
were spent in operating a gun smithy, which

he followed twelve years, when he turned his
attentions toward carpentering and farming.
Continuing in the two occupations until 1885,
he then retired from active life. He is the
owner of 163 acres of fine cultivated land.
His farm is stocked with some thirty head of
cows. Mr. Hunt is a strong Republican and up
holds the principles of his party both by
voice and vote. He has served as overseer
of the poor and as assessor. October 3, 1866,
he was joined in matrimony with Jane L.
Harrington, daughter of Elisha and Lucy
(Goff) Harrington of New Berlin. Three
children bless their happy home, namely :
Charles H., who assists his father in operat
ing the farm ; Edwin E., who is a carpenter
and joiner in the village of Holmesville; and
Philo J., who is a prominent farmer of New
Berlin. Mr. Hunt has witnessed the devel
opment of this county from an uncultivated
condition to its present prosperous state,
when it is regarded as one of the most pro
ductive agricultural counties in the state, and
during this time he has been more or less
connected with its progress and advance
ment. His farm is a fine one, and in the
prosecution of his vocation he has met with
more than ordinary success.

TILLMAN S. SMITH is a promi
nent and prosperous farmer of the
town of Guilford, Chenango County,
N. Y. He was born March 28, 1820, and is
a son of Noah and Nancy (Blake) Smith.
His paternal grandfather was a native of

CALEB B. BARR.

CHENANGO COUNTY

95

New Hampshire, where he was engaged in
tilling the soil. Noah Smith was born in
Keene, N. H., March 10, 1780, where he
lived until 18 19, when he moved to this
county, locating in Coventry. He was a
mason by trade, but engaged in agricultural
pursuits after coming to Coventry ; he was
quite an extensive farmer and owned 250
acres of good land. He married Miss Nancy
Blake, a native of New Hampshire, and they
became the parents of nine children, eight
sons and one daughter; their names are as
follows : George, who died young ; Harry,
who died at an advanced age, was a mason of
Linn County, Iowa ; Charles died young ;
Rev. Lucius, a minister of the Congregational
Church, resided in Ohio, — in 1892, he was
taken sick while visiting in Washington, D.
C, and died there ; Clark, deceased, was a
farmer of Coventry ; Mary Ann was married
to Ging Smith ; Samuel, deceased, was a
mason and farmer of Coventry; Stillman S.,
the subject of this sketch ; and Francis, a
farmer of Bergen Point, N. J.; Noah Smith
reached the advanced age of eighty-six years,
when he passed away, October 6, 1866.
Stillman S. Smith was reared on a farm
and received his education in the district
schools of his native town. He engaged in
farming at Coventry, where he remained
until 1867, when he moved to Guilford and
bought the farm upon which he now lives.
It contains 100 acres of good and well im
proved farm land, and is well supplied with
neat and substantial buildings.
Mr. Smith's first wife was Miss Pamelia
Whitmore, and two children were born to
them, namely : Franklin, who is farming on

the homestead ; and Luella, who is the wife
of Otto Ives, a farmer of the town of Guil
ford. Mrs. Smith passed to her eternal rest,
April 1, 1874. January 14, 1875, our subject
married Miss Adelia Lyons, daughter of
Charles Lyons, a prominent farmer of Bain
bridge. Mrs. Smith early attached herself
to the Presbyterian Church, and has ever
exhibited the genuineness of religious ex
perience and true Christian life. Mr. Smith
is also a member of the Presbyterian Church,
of which he is a trustee, and a teacher of the
Sabbath School.

T^iALEB B. BARR, whose portrait is
I \f shown on the opposite page, is one
^^— ^ of the prominent business men
of White Store, Norwich township, Che
nango County, having been engaged in the
grocery business for"the past eighteen years
at his present location. His record as a fair
dealing, upright and conscientious business
man admits of no question, and his customers
place in him their entire confidence. He was
born in the town of New Berlin, this county,
and is a son of Matthew C. and Elizabeth
(Briggs) Barr, and a grandson of Abijah
Barr, who came from Massachusetts and
engaged in farming near the village of Nor
wich. From there he moved to the town of
Preston, and continued farming during the
remainder of his life. He was a Democrat.
He was the father of five children, among
whom were Alanson, Orin, Matthew, the
father of our subject, and Samuel.
Matthew Barr was born in Massachusetts,

96

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

but was brought to this county when but
two years old. When he reached man's
estate he followed agricultural pursuits,
residing in " King's Settlement." He was
twice married, his first wife being Miss
McNitt, by whom he had four children:
John, Alvira, Eleanor and Orlando. His
second wife was Elizabeth Briggs, who bore
him four sons and two daughters, viz : Caleb
B. ; Charlotte M. (Harrington); Roena
(Perry); Charles S.; William Ma; and Ham
lin H. Matthew Barr died at the age of
seventy-eight. Caleb B. Barr attended the district schools
of his native town until he was twenty-one
years old, receiving a good common school
education. He then engaged in farming, giv
ing agricultural pursuits his entire attention
for a number of years. In 1875 he took up
his residence in White Store, and a few years
later he opened his grocery, and has worked
up a very lucrative business. For the past
ten years he has served as postmaster, and
has the good will of the entire patronage of
the office. He is still interested in farming;
besides the farm of 25 acres, which he owns,
he conducts one for his daughter, Mrs. Lottie
Curtis. This farm contains 120 acres, and
was formerly owned by Mr. Barr, having
been sold by him to Stephen Curtis, his son-
in-law, now deceased. Our subject was for
merly a Whig and is now a Republican ; he
has held several town offices, is at present
justice of the peace, an office he has held for
seven years, and has served as collector,
inspector, etc.
Mr. Barr has been twice married; his first
wife was Julia Johnson, by whom he had

three children : Annie E. (Cook); Lottie M.
(Curtis); and Frank J. He is a member of
the Royal Templars, and for twelve years has
been financial secretary of the local lodge of
that organization. During this time he has
paid out to beneficiaries $11,000.00. He
keeps all the books and accounts of the
society, whose councils are held at Holmes
ville. He has held all the offices and served
as delegate to the Grand Council of Royal
Templars. He is also a great church worker,
being a member of the M. E. Church, and
acting as its steward and recording steward.
He has been superintendent of the Sunday
School. Mr. Barr is a very busy man, but
is never appealed to in vain for any worthy
object, and always finds time to attend to the
duty lying nearest at hand.

OSEPH E. JULIAND. Social and
political distinction in the United
States is not dependent, as in most of
the Old World monarchies, on titles or on
long lines of family ancestors, but is rather
based on a man's own achievements ; if a
person has estimable qualities he will be well
thought of. A shrewd, thrifty, economical
business man, one who owes his success in
great part to his own individual efforts, is
the type of a man of whom we Americans
are pardonably proud, perhaps, because his
struggles against adverse circumstances and
a comparatively humble beginning to suc
cess and honor so nearly resemble the life of
our own nation. Among the brilliant num
ber of such men of whom Chenango County

CHENANGO COUNTY

97

boasts, we would be extremely unwilling to
pass by, without due mention, the name of
the subject of this sketch, Joseph E. Juliand,
the present president of the Juliand State
Bank, located at Greene, this county. Our
subject was born in the above village Octo
ber 28, 1843, and since he has attained his
manhood, he has made an honorable record,
lending his means, counsel and enterprise
toward the upholding, not only of the village
of Greene, but of the county.
One hundred years ago there occurred a
great upheaval in the Empire of France,
which has gone down in history as the
French Revolution, in which the social and
economic world and the map of Europe was
reorganized. Louis XVI, the weakly, stub
born Bourbon King, and Marie Antoinette,
his frivolous Queen, were to all extent and
purposes prisoners of the powerful Third
Estate. The baleful star of Robespierre,
Danton and Marat was rising above the
national horizon. A majority of the Royal
family and thousands of the nobility were
fugitives across the boundaries to other
lands, and were known to the world as
Emigres. Already the nations of Europe,
through the demands of France, were taking
measures to force them without their bor
ders. America offered inducements as a safe
and desirable asylum, and thousands were
seeking its hospitable shores, eager to place
the wave of the broad Atlantic between
them and the horrors that drenched their
native land in blood.
Of the many French families who emi
grated to the United States, a large number
congregated in the City of Philadelphia,

where they decided to form a settlement in
the State of New York, and accordingly
sent one of their number, Simon Barnet, to
select a site for their settlement. He traced
his way along the Susquehanna River to
ward " Chenango Pint," which was then
known by that name, but now Binghamton,
and from there he followed the course of
the Chenango River to the present site of
Greene. He was so pleased with the situa
tion that he decided with little delay upon
it for the proposed settlement, and entered
into a contract with Malachi Treat and
William W. Morris, the original patentees,
for a tract of land, which became known as
the " French Tract," or " French Village
Plot." From the history of that time it is
evident that this occurred about 1792, and
that the settlement was located on the east
bank of the Chenango River, and embraced
the farms which are now the exhibition
grounds of the Riverside Agricultural
Society. At the head of this enterprise, as
the signer of the contract for the purchase of
this large tract of land, was Charles Felix
de Bolyne, one of the most learned and
wealthiest men in the colony. In 1795,
Talleyrand, the celebrated French states
man, who had journeyed to this country,
and who had landed in Philadelphia, was
entertained by the French colonists when he
passed through their settlement on his way
to Albany. While at Greene, Talleyrand
formed the acquaintance of a son of M.
Dutremont, one of the refugees, and was so
pleased with him, that he took him back to
France, and made him his private secretary.
Soon after this, in 1795, the colony mourned

98

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

the loss of one of its members, M. de Bolyne,
who was drowned while fording a river on
horseback, as he was making a journey to
Philadelphia in behalf of the interests of the
settlement. With his. death, the financial
affairs of the colony became sadly deranged.
As he had not paid in full for the land, it
reverted to the original patentees. A few
years later the colonists became discouraged
and some of them moved to parts unknown.
The plans of operation adopted by the
French Colony for carrying on their agri
cultural pursuits were the same which pre
vailed in their native country, where the
agriculturist with his family resided in the
village, and owned and worked a farm, more
or less remote from his residence. Rude
dwellings were constructed from the material
on hand, and each settler proceeded to put
a small piece of land under complete cultiva
tion, while their supplies of provisions were
drawn from great distances with much labor
and expense. " Under the circumstances,"
writes the Dr. Purple, " it is not strange that
persons, reared in affluence and accustomed
to the pleasures of refined society, should
yield to the pressure of the misfortunes that
soon overtook them."
In 1798, Captain Joseph Juliand, a native
of Lyons, France, who was among those who
fled from their native country during the
Revolution, came to Greene, where he lived
in the little French settlement, following the
vocation of an agriculturist. When the col
ony was in sore financial distress, which
caused many of them to seek homes else
where, Joseph Juliand was not to be discour
aged and he remained, and to him and Judge

Elisha Smith the foundation of the village of
Greene is ascribed.
Captain Juliand received a good academic
education and then took up the study of
medicine, which he abandoned later to adopt
maritime life. He worked upon the vessel
but a short time when he was appointed
commander of a vessel in the mercantile
marine of France. He made many voyages
across the Atlantic, principally between
Nantes and Bordeaux, France, and Boston
and Philadelphia in this country. During
his short stays in this country he became
acquainted with many people, and it was
during one of these trips he met at New
Haven, Connecticut, Hannah Lindsey, the
daughter of a respectable farmer of that
town. In 1788 he married her and took up
his residence on a farm in Greenfield, Mass.
In 1798, having heard of the French settle
ment at Greene, he sold his farm and with
his wife and two small children he set out to
find the new colony. When he arrived there
he found that many had gone and others
were preparing to follow, but he purchased
a farm and followed farming until the time
of his death, which occurred October 13,
1821. Joseph Juliand, the father of our sub
ject, was born near the village of Greene,
where he grew to manhood and where he
received his schooling. His first business
venture was that of a merchant. He was
associated with his brothers until 1839, at
which time the firm dissolved partnership
and Mr. Juliand conducted the business
alone for several years. In 1859, Joseph
Juliand started a private banking business

CHENANGO COUNTY

99

and was interested in it until the date of his
death, which was in February, 1870. His
progress in business was steady and constant
from his first start as a young man, and his
excellent judgment stood him in good stead
in many an anxious hour, and never failed to
point out the right course. His life reveals
the success that may be attained by self-
reliance, integrity and persevering industry.
Mr. Juliand was formerly a Whig, but upon
the breaking-down of that party he joined the
ranks of the Republican party, and was one
of the leaders of that political organization
in his county. He was a member of the
State Legislature in 1827 and in 1834, and
during his term he was one of the prime
movers in the securing of the Chenango
Canal. He was a member of the state militia
of which he was colonel, and ever after he
was known as Col. Joseph Juliand. Religi
ously, he was a member of the Episcopal
Church, and was one of the founders of the
church of that denomination in Greene. He
was joined in the bonds of matrimony with
Miss Ann Maria Perkins of Oxford, N. Y.,
and they were the parents of three children,
who were as follows : Cornelia J. (Russell) ;
Ann M.; and Joseph E., the subject of this
biography. Mrs. Juliand passed to the
world of rest, aged fifty-six years, in i860.
Joseph E., Juliand received his primary
education in the public schools of his native
town, and then took a course in the Hobart
College, Geneva, N. Y., graduating with the
class of 1864. Immediately upon his gradu
ating from college, he entered his father's
bank and soon became familiar with the bank
ing business. He remained in the bank, and

upon the death of his father he formed a
partnership with Mr. Russell, his brother-in-
law, and the bank was continued under the
name of Russell & Juliand. Although the
bank is still operated by the same parties, it
was reorganized in 1893 into a state bank,
and has since been known as the Juliand
Bank, and our subject has been president
since that time. He is also president of the
Lyons Iron Works of Greene, and has been
ever since its reorganization and incorpora
tion in 1890. He has been treasurer of the
Riverside Agricultural Society for the past
thirteen years.
Our subject was joined in Hymen's bonds
in 1870 with Mary A. Stevens, daughter of
Charles A. Stevens, and two children blessed
their home, Adelaide M. and Clara C. Mr.
Juliand is a spirited character, whose mem
bership in the Episcopal Church means more
to him than it does to many excellent people,
as he takes pains to live up to his spiritual
duties in every sense. He has been vestry
man of the church for twenty-seven years.
As a citizen, Mr. Juliand is abreast of the
times, and keeps himself well informed on
topics of the day. He understands pretty
thoroughly the political history of our coun
try, and delights in expounding Republican
principles and theories. On questions of
local issue he is invariably consulted, as he
influences a large following. He has served
in official capacities for his town many years,
being county supervisor for twelve years;
he has been sent as delegate to conventions
time after time, and acted as chairman for
the last county convention. Mr. Juliand has
distinguished himself as an excellent busi-

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

ness man, and public spirited citizen, to
whom nothing is more pleasant than the per
forming of some useful service for the com
munity. He is a man of character and re
finement. His good blood shows in all his
actions and ways. His share in the work of
this busy world is being performed carefully
and to the best of his ability. The success
which attends his efforts is deserving, and
has come to him mostly as a natural result
of his methods of life.

HARLES NEWMAN, a retired
farmer and highly respected citizen
«  ' of Sherburne, N. Y., was born on
the old turnpike near Newburg, Orange
County, February 12,1819. He is a son of
Jonas and Anna (Merritt) Newman, and
grandson of Isaac Newman, who came from
Westchester County, N. Y., and settled in
Orange County, where he followed the occu
pation of a farmer. Jonas Newman was born
in Orange County, and in 1821 moved to
Sullivan County, where he teamed from
Monticello to Newburg. Later he moved
to New York City, and for the subsequent
three years he followed trucking. He
married Miss Anna Merritt, and as a result
of this happy union, ten children were born
to them, Charles, our subject, being the third
in point of birth and the only one living.
Charles Newman followed trucking in
New York City until he was nineteen .years
of age, selling pure water. There being no
water system in the city he easily built up an
extensive trade, getting the water at the

foot of Thirteenth Street, where there was a
spring and three large wells. This business
was carried on until the Croton .Aqueduct
and Water Works were completed ; he then
went to Chemung County via Albany, and
bought a farm near Havana. He built and
improved its buildings and cleared the land ;
having put the property in a state of cultiva
tion, in 1873 he sold it and moved to the
village of Sherburne, and engaged in the
boot and shoe business under the firm name
of Wilbur & Newman. The firm continued
in business for nine years, when Mr. Wilbur
died, and Mr. Newman sold his interest and
retired from business.
Mr. Newman has a nice home and has
made many improvements upon it, and now
he takes great pleasure in his large and well
cultivated garden and small fruits. He is a
man of great physical strength and un
doubted courage, and a true type of that
pioneer class who are rapidly passing away.
He married Miss Euphemia H. Stewart, who
was born in Delhi, N. Y., January 26, 1820.
She is a daughter of Robert and Margaret
(Graham) Stewart. To Mr. and Mrs. New
man was born one child, Isabelle Josephine,
who married J. B. Wilbur, now deceased.
They had three children: Cora, deceased ;
Eva, deceased ; and Lena May, who married
Charles Benedict of Port Jarvis.
In politics our subject is an unswerving
Republican, and has contributed much to his
party's success. His qualifications eminently
fit him for public positions, and his fellow
citizens in years past appreciating this fact,
elected him as justice of the peace, as assessor
for seven years, and as trustee for two years.

N

T. SPENCER BAKER.

CHENANGO COUNTY.

103

The duties of every position to which he has
been chosen have been faithfully and honestly
discharged. Religiously, Mr. Newman is a
Methodist. Mrs. Newman was a consistent
and active worker of the Baptist Church.
She died January 24, 1898, aged seventy-
eight years.

QTsp

SPENCER BAKER, the leading drug-
&J_. gist of the village of Norwich, was
born September 28, 1837, at Bath, N. Y. He
is a son of Dr. Andrew and Ruth K. (Mar
shall) Baker, and grandson of Andrew
Baker. Andrew Baker, Sr., was a native of Berk
shire County, Mass., whence he removed
to Howard, N. Y., in 1825. At the latter
place he was engaged in farming a few years,
then moved to the State of Michigan, where
he followed the same occupation and became
one of the substantial, well-to-do citizens of
his town. He reached the advanced age of
eighty years before overtaken by death.
His loving wife survived him several years.
They reared a family of twelve children, one
of whom was Andrew, the father of our
subject. Dr. Andrew Baker was born in Berkshire
County, Mass., in 1805, and came to New
York State with his father in 1825. After
taking the required course of studies in the
public schools, he entered Geneva Medical
College and graduated in 1836. He first
practiced in Bath, remaining there until 1843.
In those days physicians did not have finely
cushioned vehicles in which to make their

professional calls, but were obliged to make
long journeys on horseback, and during all
kinds of weather. He next entered upon a
practice in Norwich, where he succeeded Dr.
Henry Mitchell, a prominent physician of his
day. He purchased a home on the corner of
North Broad and Mitchell Streets and built
an office adjoining the house. He soon
acquired a large and lucrative practice, and
was at the height of his success, when he
died at the age of fifty-eight years. Owing
to exposure on his long trips into the country,
he contracted a severe cold on his lungs, that
developed into quick consumption, and
resulted fatally. He was twice married, his
first wife being Armenia Graves, by whom
he had two children, namely : Austin and
Julia. His second union was with Ruth K.
Marshall, and they were the parents of the
following children : T. Spencer, the subject
of this personal history ; Clarence M.; Julia
A.; Delia L.; Caroline O.; Mary L.; Charles
O.; Adelphia; Fanny M.; and Ruth K. Dr.
Baker was a stanch supporter of the Demo
cratic party. Socially, he was a member of
the Norwich Lodge, I. O. O. F.
T. Spencer Baker took a course in Nor
wich Academy, after which he studied medi
cine with his father, but instead of complet
ing his medical course, he went to Illinois,
and was teaching at Ottawa, in that state,
when the war broke out in 186 1. He enlisted
in the nth Reg. 111. Vol. Inf. for three
months, and at the expiration of that period
he returned to Norwich, where he spent the
winter of 1862. He then went back to
Chicago, where he re-enlisted in Battery M,
1st Illinois Light Artillery ; he was engaged

io4

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

in many battles, among which were Chick-
amauga, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge,
and all the battles in Northern Georgia dur
ing Sherman's March to the Sea until the
columns reached Atlanta. Being a student
of medicine, he was chosen steward of the
Nashville Hospital, having been sent there
on account of sickness, where he had charge
of the Dispensary, and sold and gave out
medicine to 1400 patients. He also fought in
many minor engagements and skirmishes,
not enumerated here, continuing in the ser
vice until the close of the war. Mr. Baker
then went to Norwich, and entered the drug
business with John Mitchell. In 1871, he
purchased the grocery store of Elliott &
Gilbert, and after disposing of the stock on
hand, established a drug store in the building.
In 1888, he bought a vacant lot on the corner
of North Broad and Henry Streets, upon
which he erected a fine three story building.
The first floor is arrranged for two stores,
one of which is now used as a market, and in
the other he conducts his drug store. The
second floor consists of nothing but office
rooms, while the third is a large hall, 25 by
109 feet, in which public meetings or conven
tions can be held. The building is construct
ed of brick, and is one of the finest in the
county, reflecting much credit upon Mr.
Baker as a progressive and enterprising citi
zen. He also built a fine house at 106 Henry
Street, and owns a large block on Lock
Street, and a tenement at No. 50 Cortland
Street. Mr. Baker was united in marriage with
Miss Lucy Bailey, and three children were
born to bless their home ; they are as follows:

Maude, who died when an infant ; May was
born September 23, 1870, and graduated
from the Norwich Academy ; Grace was
born December 24, 1875, and is also a gradu
ate of the same institution. Mrs. Baker was
born in Northamptonshire, England, and
came to this country with her father, who
located in Delaware County, N. Y., becoming
one of that county's progressive farmers and
citizens. Politically, Mr. Baker is independ
ent, and has held the office of town clerk.
He is a charter member of the Col. E. B.
Smith Post, G. A. R., of Norwich. In re
ligious views, he is a Spiritualist. In connec
tion with the above outline of his life, Mr.
Baker's portrait appears on a preceding
page.

p)| D. BARR, manufacturer of gloves,
¦^l and mittens, is one of the popular
and energetic citizens of Norwich.
He is a son of A. D. and Fredelia (Button)
Barr, and was born June 9, 1865, in the vil
lage of Preston, Chenango County, N. Y.
A. D. Barr, the father of our subject, was
born in the village of Preston, where he re
ceived a liberal education in the public
schools. Leaving school he was appointed
agent for the Howe Machine Company, with
his headquarters in the city of Rochester,
N. Y. After following this business for fif
teen years he engaged in the manufacture of
gloves and mittens in the town of Preston,
later moving to the town of Norwich, where
he continued the same business until his
death. In politics, he was a solid Republi-

CHENANGO COUNTY

>°5

can. In religious views he was a firm be
liever in Methodism, and held many offices
in that church. Socially, he was a member
of the I. O. O. F. Lodge. No. 205, of Nor
wich. He chose for his life companion Fred-
elia Button, and their happy home was bless
ed by two children : Elizabeth, deceased ;
and H. D., who heads the above lines. Mr.
Barr died in June, 1889.
H. D. Barr was educated in the common
schools, and then turned his attention toward
the manufacture of gloves and mittens, which
is now his sole occupation. May 6, 1866,
Mr. Barr landed in the village of Norwich
with but thirty-three dollars in his pocket.
By the exercising of economy, thrift and
good judgment, he succeeded in establishing
one of the largest glove and mitten manufac
tories in Central New York. In 1895 he
built a large, commodious and beautiful resi
dence. It is one of the finest residences in
the town, and stands second to none in the
county. It cost $9,600, is fitted throughout
and heated by gas, and is situated on Guern
sey Street, the handsomest street in the vil
lage. Although Mr. Barr is an adherent of
the Republican party, and believes in the
doctrines of that political organization, he
has always voted for the best men, regardless
of party. In religious views our subject and
his family are consistent members of the
Baptist Church, in which he has been a trus
tee. In February, 1887, Mr. Barr and Alice
May Scott were happily married. Mrs. Barr
is a daughter of Walter R. Scott of Preston,
N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Barr are the parents of
one child, Guy D. Beginning life a poor
boy, Mr. Barr has worked his way up the

ladder of fortune step by step, until he has
succeeded in obtaining a handsome compe
tency, and has made a reputation for straight
forward and honest dealing that will shine
brightly upon his record when he shall have
gone to the home beyond the grave. Mr.
and Mrs. Barr are warmly beloved and high
ly esteemed by a large circle of friends, for
their probity of conduct, kindliness of heart
and their unswerving fidelity to every obli
gation in life.

WILLIAM E. NEWCOMB, a repre
sentative and successful business
man of Chenango County, engaged in the
undertaking business in North Pitcher, was
born October 24, 185 1, in the town of German
and is a son of William P and Catherine J.
(Bedell) Newcomb. William P. Newcomb
was a native of Bridgewater, Pa., where he
was born March 24, 1821. He is a black
smith by trade, which business he followed
for some time. He moved to the town of
German about 1849, ar,d while living there
was engaged in farming. In i860 he moved
to the town of Lincklaen, where he resided
until the death of his wife, since which time
he has lived with his children. His wife was
formerly Miss Catherine J. Bedell of Susque
hanna County, Pa. They were the parents
of four children, as follows : Almeda, at one
time engaged in teaching, now employed as
agent for nursery stock; William E.; G. F.,
an undertaker of Castle Creek, Broome
County, N. Y.; and Eva L., wife of Andrew
Wilbur, a merchant of South Otselic, N. Y.

io6

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

William E. Newcomb received his early
training on the farm, helping with the work
while he attended district school. No better
training can be devised for the youth of our
land than can be found on the farm ; from it
emanate our most successful and enterpris
ing men. He remained on the farm until he
had attained his twenty-fourth year, when he
determined to engage in some other line of
business, and chose that of undertaker as the
one most likely to suit him. In 1874 he
opened a shop in North Pitcher, and in 1876
built his first commodious rooms. In 1888
he erected a fine dwelling, one of the neatest
in appearance in the village. Mr. Newcomb
is a graduate of Prof. Clark's school of
embalming. He has three fine hearses ; his
establishment is well equipped with every
thing necessary for his business, and he has
spared no pains to make it the success it is.
Our subject owns a blacksmith and wagon
making shop, which is under his immediate
supervision. He also owns two farms, one
in Pitcher, and one on the Pitcher and
Lincklaen line.
In 1877, he led to the altar Miss Annette
L. Smith, daughter of the late L. P. Smith, a
farmer of the town of Pitcher. Politically,
Mr. Newcomb is a Democrat, although he
does not take an active part, believing his
first duty to be to his family and business.

RTHUR P. BALDWIN. Prominent
among the farmers of Chenango
County is the subject of this
sketch, who is a leading resident and agricul

turist of the town of Pitcher. He is a son of
J. S. and Susan (Hakes) Baldwin, and was
born November 25, 1842. His grandfather,
Elisha Baldwin, was a native of Stonington,
Conn.; in 1825 he moved with his family to
Pitcher, locating on what is known as Pink
Hill, where he bought a tract of woodland
and cleared a farm. He made farming his
lifelong occupation, and was very successful.
He was one of the brave men who so ably
defended our country in the War of 18 12
with England. In religious belief he was a
Baptist. He married Miss Patty Spalding,
and they became the parents of ten children,
five boys and five girls, one of whom was
J. S. Baldwin, the father of our subject, who
was born in 181 3, at Stonington, Conn., and
came to Pitcher with his father, where he
has since resided. He has always followed
the occupation of a farmer. Mr. Baldwin
has ever taken an active interest in politics
and was for several years a justice of the
peace ; originally he was a Whig and an
Anti-Slavery man, but upon the organization
of the Republican party he joined its ranks.
For some years past he has been a firm sup
porter of the Prohibition party ; even his old
age and the inclemency of the weather did
not prevent his going to the polls, November
2, 1898, and casting his vote in the interest of
that party. His first wife, whose maiden name
was Susan Hakes, was a daughter of Perez
Hakes, a farmer of the town of Pitcher.
The results of this union were six children,
namely : Arthur P., our subject ; Clara, who
is the wife of Dr. W. H. Dorrance of Ann
Arbor, Mich.; Cora, the wife of George
Dorrance, a jeweler of Jackson, Mich. ; EUa

MRS. ELLEN M. PUTNAM.

CHENANGO COUNTY

109

V., the wife of Dr. O. S. Phelps of the New
York City Sanitarium ; Rev. H. D., a min
ister of the Baptist Church ; and Willie, who
died in early manhood. Mi's. Baldwin was
in the prime of life when overtaken by death,
at the age of thirty-two. Mr. Baldwin's
second wife was Electa Baldwin ; although
their names were the same, they were not
relatives. She is a daughter of William
Baldwin, deceased, who was a farmer of the
town of Pitcher. Mr. Baldwin is now eighty-
four years of age, and enjoys good health for
one of his years.
Arthur P. Baldwin was reared on the farm
and educated in the public and select schools.
Farming has always been his occupation ; he
rented the Waldron farm at South Otselic,
upon which he resided until 1895, when he
removed to Pitcher to take charge of the old
homestead, as his father was getting too old
for active work. He is a close observer of
modern methods used in agriculture, and
those found worthy he puts into practical
use ; his farm is equipped with the latest
machinery and the soil tilled by improved
methods. He has quite a reputation as a
butter maker, having taken a premium at the
World's Fair. He was also awarded one
out of the five medals given for the best
maple sugar. During the late Civil War he
enlisted, but was not accepted on account of
his health and size.
On November 5, 1862, he married Delia M.
Burnham, a daughter of Norman Burnham,
who was a wagon maker, formerly of
Pitcher, but later of Binghamton, N. Y.
They are the parents of eight children, who
are as follows: Halbert E. went to Calif or-
6*

nia to live, but returned on account of his
health ; Norman J.; Floyd A., a clerk in
Cuyler, N. Y.; Ralph H., a merchant of
Oxford, N. Y.; Susan L., who is the wife of
Verner L. Snauble, a bookkeeper of Ann
Arbor, Mich.; Arthur Ray, a merchant of
Cincinnatus, N. Y.; Willie A., who is at
home; Ella D., who is also at home; and
Myrtie, who died in infancy. In politics Mr.
Baldwin has always been an unswerving
Republican and a strong Protectionist.

^VTVRS. ELLEN M. PUTNAM. Che-
1= I =/ nango County numbers among her
(A ~i- \^_^ residents not a few ladies who
have attained prominence in their chosen fields
of activity and employment, but there is no one
who has been so much in the eye of the pub
lic, or who has secured for herself state-wide
and even national recognition, as has the sub
ject of this sketch, whose connection with the
Women's Relief Corps places her among the
foremost ladies of the land. She makes her
home in the village of Oxford, where she has
charge of the New York State Women's Re
lief Corps Home, which is itself located
about one mile northeast of the village. It
was through her untiring efforts that Oxford
was chosen as the best site. The structure
was erected in 1896, together with the entire
plant, consisting of electric works, steam heat
ing, a large main sewer for the accommoda
tion of all buildings, water reservoir, etc.,
when complete, at a total cost of $75,000, and
is one of the best buildings of the description
in the state, having incorporated in it all the

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

latest improvements and labor-saving con
veniences. The Home has its own electric
light and power plant, and its own water sys
tem. It is located on the banks of the Che
nango River, the site being on a bluff about
1 50 feet higher than the village ; this eleva
tion insures the best of drainage and ventila
tion, and affords the inmates of the home a
beautiful view of the Chenango Valley.
52 people have availed themselves of
the advantages offered in the home; the
number is growing, and will some day reach
if not exceed 300, the capacity. No single
man is ever admitted to the home, there being
a home for old soldiers at Bath, N. Y. The
Women's Relief Corps Home is designed to
keep the old soldiers and their wives together
as long as they live. The widows of soldiers
are of course admitted, and form the greater
part of the inmates. All the furniture in the
Home has been donated by the various
W. R. C. organizations over the state, even
to the knives, spoons, tableware, bedding,
etc., and so the success of the institution and
Mrs. Putnam's management is viewed with
interest by thousands of ladies in every
county of the state. Her management of
affairs has met with the heartiest encourage
ment and approval that cannot help but be
gratifying, and even a spur to greater efforts
in behalf of the Nation's heroes and their
families. It is needless, we admit, to introduce the
subject of the work of the W. R. C. at this
point, but a few words as to the object of the
organization cannot come amiss. It came
into being as an auxiliary of the G. A. R.
with the same avowed purpose, to give aid

and succor to members of the army and navy
in the late Rebellion, to assist their families, to
foster a patriotic spirit in the land by instruct
ing the youth in the lessons that the war
taught, and to make all things in their power
tend toward making a united, patriotic, loyal
country, responsive to the best American
spirit. In 1891 and 1892 Mrs. Putnam was
president of New York State Women's
Relief Corps, and from that time dates her
connection with the leaders of the movement.
She has been vice-president of the state or
ganization, was chairman of the state execu
tive committee two years, state counsellor
two years, and was also a member of the
executive board of national and state patri
otic teachers. When the Women's Relief
Corps met in convention in the city of Buffalo
in 1897, during the great G. A. R. Encamp
ment of that year, Mrs. Putnam's name was
most prominently before the people as one of
the candidates for a national office. She had
the hearty support of the entire New York
delegation. Mrs. Putnam was born in Buffalo, N. Y.,
October 8, 1845, and was a daughter of John
and Mary (Clark) Rose. The Rose family is
of French extraction, as the records show.
Mrs. Putnam was connected with the public
schools of Buffalo for thirty-six years —
twenty years of which she was principal of
one of the largest departments. In 1869 she
became the wife of Frank Putnam, who was
born in Springfield, Mass., September 14,
1835, a son of Sardis and Dorcas (Starr) Put
nam, both natives of the Bay State. Mr.
Putnam is a descendant of Gen. Israel Put
nam of Revolutionary war fame. Our sub-

CHENANGO COUNTY

ject's husband was educated in the schools of
New York State. April 15, 1861, he entered
the ranks of Co. A, 19th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf.;
this regiment was later known as the Third
New York Heavy Artillery. . Three years
were spent in the service of his country, and
he had a very bright army record.
Mrs. Ellen M. Putnam is a bright, stirring
business woman, in whose executive abil
ity and capacity for management her asso
ciates in the Women's Relief Corps have the
greatest confidence. She is respected and
esteemed by Oxford's citizens as a lady of
noble, womanly instincts, whose very pres
ence in the community can do naught but re
sult in good. Every resident of Oxford takes
pride in the Home, and wishes Mrs. Putnam
continued success in her management. As
one of the best known members of the
W. R. C. in the Empire State, and as a
woman of enterprising and forceful char
acter, it affords us pleasure to be able to
present Mrs. Putnam's portrait on a preced
ing page.

/^fTo

EORGE M. BRYAN, assistant cash-
VJ^X- ier and one of the directors of the
Sherburne National Bank, and one of the vil
lage's enterprising citizens, was born in the
town of Sherburne, N. Y., November 21, 1850,
and is a son of David, Jr., and Angeline
(Bowen) Bryan, and grandson of David
Bryan, Sr.
David Bryan, Sr., was among the pioneer
settlers who settled in the above town, and
was a descendant of a long line of ancestors.

Richard Bryan was a son of Alexander
Bryan, who was born in Aylesbury, Bucking
hamshire, England, in 1602, and with his son
emigrated to the American shores in 1639,
where they located and were the founders of
Milford, Conn.; from there the family of
Bryan began to separate, some moving to
Vermont and others to New York. The line
of ancestors runs from Richard (1) to
Richard (2), who was born in Milford, Conn.,
to Richard (3), to Richard (4), to Richard (5),
to Richard (6), to David (1), to David (2),
who is the grandfather of our subject. The
latest named settled in the village of Sher-
burn in 1797, where he purchased a tract of
land and began to fell trees with which he
built a log cabin, which was one of the first
cabins built in this section of the county.
Later he built a frame house, which is still
standing on the farm now owned by Nathan
iel Bryan, and is one more proof of the hard
ships with which those sturdy pioneers had
to contend. He married Mercy Cook, and
they reared three children : Chester ; Orpha;
and David, the father of our subject. After
her death he married Betsy Hammond, who
bore him four children, namely: Richard;
Monroe; Nathaniel; and Mercy. Mr. Bryan
died at the advanced age of seventy-three
years. Our subject's father was born on his
father's farm in the town of Sherburne and
was reared to follow the pursuits of an agri
culturist, which was his sole occupation
throughout his life. When he reached his
majority he purchased the Gahan farm, which
he improved and then sold, thus reaping a
small sum of money. He made farming his

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

business ; among the farms which he sold
were the C. Parkhurst, D. Moore, B. Healy,
and the G. Bingham farms. Later he sold to
his son, E. C. Bryan, a fine farm ; after selling
the Henry Holmes farm, he moved to Sher
burne, where he passed his latter days in
retirement. He was united in marriage with
Angeline Bowen, daughter of Peter C.
Bowen. She was born October 18, 1816, and
is living at the home of her son, Charles
D. Bryan, and although she has passed her
eighty-first birthday, she is still strong for
one of her years, and has a wide circle of
friends, who know her to be a kind and loving
mother and a true neighbor. Her children
are : Alberto, deceased ; Edwin C, who is
farming on the old homestead; Fitch H.,
who resides in the village of Sherburne;
Charles D., also of Sherburne ; and George
M., the subject of this biography. Mr. Bry
an was an adherent of the Democratic party.
George M. Bryan attended the common
schools of his native town and then entered
New Berlin Academy. As his first business
venture, he engaged in the mercantile busi
ness with O. D. Larcher, under the name of
Larcher & Bryan, and at the expiration of
one year he sold his interest and moved to
Sherburne, and with F. M. Godfrey he again
embarked in the mercantile business. Two
years later he engaged in the hop business
with Edward Daniels, and they carried on a
large business for four years, when our sub
ject entered upon new duties as assistant
cashier of the Sherburne National Bank, a
position he has filled to the present time.
Mr. Bryan chose for his life companion
Miss Evelyn Cone, daughter of Charles E.

Cone of Columbus, this county. Charles E.
Cone was born in New Berlin, December 1,
1827, and is a son of Benjamin and Emily
(Root) Cone. Benjamin Cone was successfully
engaged in the cultivation of the soil at New
Berlin, but later moved to Columbus, where
he remained until his death, which occurred
at the age of sixty-three years. Mrs. Cone
passed from this life, aged thirty years.
They were the parents of the following
children, namely: Russell F.; Royal D.;
Josiah R.; Theo H.; Charles E.; and John F.
Mr. Cone married for his second wife Ann
Burbank, and they reared four children, who
were as follows : Tracy ; Emily ; Delia ; and
Benjamin. Charles Cone bought the Whit
more farm in Columbus, where he carried on
general farming. He succeeded in reaping
a handsome competency with which he is able
to pass his latter days with ease, and he is
now living with our subject. He married
Ellen Clark, daughter of R. W. Clark, and
they are the parents of one child, — Evelyn,
the wife of our subject. To George M.
Bryan and his wife have been given two
children, namely : Ellen Louise, deceased ;
and Hugh, born April 7, 1882, who is now
attending school. Our subject is a firm sup
porter of the Republican party, and has
served as trustee of the village for two years;
is now treasurer of the village; has been a
member of the board of education for the past
ten years; and has been water commissioner
for four years. Mr. Bryan has also been a
director of the Sherburne National Bank for
the last two years. Religiously, he and his
family are attendants of the Congregational
Church.

ELISHA M. WARREN.

CHENANGO COUNTY

n5

yLISH

ILISHA M. WARREN, whose portrait
J  appears on the opposite page, a
retired citizen of Bainbridge, highly re
spected wherever he is known, is a son of
Woodward and Patty (Miles) Warren, and
was born in Coventry, this county, March
27, 1822.
The grandfather of our subject was a
native of Cheshire, Conn., and early in life
came west to the village of Coventry, and
was considered one of the pioneer settlers
who contributed largely to the success of the
community. Woodward Warren was born in Connecti
cut, June 17, 1791, and came with his parents
to Coventry, where he followed the trade of
a carpenter. Politically, he was an avowed
Democrat, and served his fellow men as
supervisor in such a manner as to win their
highest praise. He married Miss Patty
Miles, who was born December 7, 1796, and
died January 30, 1881. Mr. Warren passed
from this life September 7, 1855. Two
children blessed their home, Elisha M., and
Simeon W., the latter born October 2, 1829.
Simeon W. Warren in his younger days was
a music teacher and ticket agent at Sidney,
N. Y. Later at Bainbridge he held a similar
position until forced to abandon it on account
of failing health. His death occurred July
25, 1886. He was joined in wedlock with
Miss Sarah Stoddard.
Elisha M. Warren received a liberal educa
tion in the common schools, and spent the
most of his early days on the farm, where he
learned from his father the trade of a car
penter and joiner, which he continued to fol
low for a short time. After the death of his

father, he purchased the homestead, where
he engaged in general farming until 1868,
when he took up his former trade as a car
penter, in the employ of the D. & H. R. R.
Since his connection with the railroad he has
been retired from active business. He owns
a large business block in the city of Bing-
hamton, and takes an active interest in all
matters pertaining to the welfare of that
community. Politically, he is a supporter of
the Democratic party, and for three years he
served as highway commissioner of Coven
try. September 18, 1879, Mr. Warren chose as
his lifelong companion Mrs. Julia M. Holcomb
(nee Bingham.) Mr. and Mrs. Warren are
both popular members of the Presbyterian
Church. During the late Civil War, Mr.
Warren was among those who early offered
their services to their country in the hour of
peril, but much to his disappointment he was
not allowed to serve, as he was found upon
upon examination to be disqualified on
account of disability. Nevertheless, he did
all in his power to aid in the support of the
Government.

T^tHANCELLOR H. BABCOCK, one
I jp of the substantial citizens of New Ber-
^ ^lin, is a son of Chester and Sarah
G. (Fox) Babcock, and was born in South
New Berlin, April 5, 1829.
His grandfather, Roger Babcock, was a
native of Massachusetts, and was among the
first brave and sturdy pioneers who came into
the State of New York and settled in Bur-

n6

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

lington, Otsego County, while yet it was the
home of the red men, and its broad rolling
fields were unturned by the plow. Later he
moved to South New Berlin and engaged in
farming, following that occupation the rest of
his days. He was also a blacksmith by trade,
in which he was very successful, and for a
number of years prior to his death he lived
the life of a retired citizen. He was the father
of three children, of whom Chester, the father
of our subject, was the oldest.
Chester Babcock was born in Burlington,
March 31, 1790, and like his father he fol
lowed the trade of a blacksmith nearly all his
life. In religious views he was a devoted
member of the Baptist Church. In politics
he was an ardent Democrat and took an active
part in the advancement of the interests of
that organization. He was prominent among
his fellow-citizens, and was elected supervisor
of the town for a number of years. He mar
ried Sarah G. Fox, and a family of nine chil
dren was reared — three sons and six daugh
ters. Mr. Babcock passed from this life De
cember 9, 1862, at the ripe old age of seventy-
two years. Mrs. Babcock died May 5, 1874.
Chancellor H. Babcock was educated in
the schools of South New Berlin, and then
took up the trade of a blacksmith. The meth
ods of the father in turn became those of the
son ; as the burden grew too heavy for the
elder, they found a ready and trained bearer
in the younger. Success was certainly won
by the father, and has been retained and main
tained by his worthy successor. Mr. Bab
cock was formerly a Democrat, but upon the
organization of the Republican party he
joined its ranks, and has remained identified I

with that political organization to the pres
ent. He was superintendent of the poor of
this county for two terms; a town supervisor
for six years ; justice of the peace for twenty
years, and notary of the public for a consider
able term. In 1861 he bought out the mer
chandise store of Everett Jackson, and con
ducted the business for twenty years, selling
out in 1 88 1. He is a member in good stand
ing of the Methodist Church, and has been
steward and trustee for a number of years.
June 29, 1852, our subject was united in
wedlock with Miss Adelaide A. Ainsworth,
of New Berlin, and two children were born
to them. The elder, Hobart C, was born
April 24, 1856, and died in Georgia Decem
ber 1, 1895. He was a very prominent man
and was engaged in the lumber trade; he was
also a member of the Cherokee Manufactur
ing Co., of which he was president. Sarah
A., the younger, born July 31, i860, is the
wife of Scott B. Lewis, whose life history ap
pears elsewhere in this work. Mr. Babcock
is a careful, conscientious and thoroughly
enterprising business man. He is a pleasant
and genial companion, hospitable in his home
and highly esteemed throughout the com
munity. Both he and his wife vie with each
other in dispensing a generous hospitality to
all who come under their roof.

C. HARTIGAN, division superin
tendent of the N. Y. O. & W. R. R.,
with headquarters at Norwich, is a son of
James and Mary (Curren) Hartigan, and was
born in Oswego, N. Y., April 4, 1854.

CHENANGO COUNTY

117

James Hartigan, Sr., the grandfather of
our subject, was born in the city of Cork,
Ireland, from which place he emigrated to
this country and located in Oswego County,
N. Y. He was a blacksmith all his life. In
politics he was an old time Whig, and most
loyal in his allegiance to party. He was an
active member of the Roman Catholic
Church. His family was large, but he was
able, to give them the benefits ,of a fair edu
cation, that rendered them better able to
cope with the problems of life. His death
occurred in i860.
James Hartigan, son of the preceding, and
father of W. C. Hartigan, was ushered into
the world in the city of Cork, Ireland, and
came to this country with his father when he
was seventeen years of age. His early life
in the United States was spent in firing on a
steamboat, that plied on the waters of Lake
Ontario ; disliking that kind of work, he
finally discontinued it and learned the trade
of a miller, and followed that occupation in
Oswego, N. Y., until 1887, when he retired
from active life. In politics he is a strong
Democrat, and supports the party of his
choice with vote and influence. He is a
member of the Catholic Church, and lives
the life of a true Christian. He was united
in marriage in early life with Mary Curren,
and five children were born to them, namely :
James ; W. C, the subject of this personal
history ; Jeremiah ; Charles ; and Annie.
Mrs. Hartigan was removed from the side of
her husband in May, 1895.
W. C. Hartigan received a liberal educa
tion in the common schools, and at the age
of fourteen years he began to face the stern

realities of life. He engaged in the service
of the Atlantic & Pacific Telegraph Co. as
messenger boy, then learned to be an effi
cient operator, and accepted a position in
that capacity with the above mentioned
company. Soon after this the manager of
the company, William H. Weed, resigned to
accept the position of superintendent of
telegraph with the N. Y. & O. Midland R. R.,
and our subject was persuaded to join him
in the service of that company. Mr. Harti-
gan's first office was in the Oswego shops,
where he remained one year, and was then
appointed extra agent and operator on the
division between Oswego and Sidney. Later
he was appointed ticket agent and operator
at Oswego, and held that position until 1873,
when he was promoted to be night train dis
patcher; he thereupon moved to Norwich to
take up the duties of his new position. His
steady, conscientious work entitled him to
the favorable notice of his superiors, and his
rise to his present position of superintendent
has been gradual but sure. In January, 1880,
he was appointed chief train dispatcher at
Middletown under Supt. Hawkins; in 1887
the departments of the road were reorgan
ized, with the result that there was a general
change. C. W. Lampher became general
superintendent of transportation, the dis
patcher's force was concentrated at Nor
wich, and Mr. Hartigan was appointed train
master, with special, charge of the traffic of
the entire road. He held the position until
June, 1890, when, owing to the increase of
the road's business, it became necessary to
remove the dispatcher's office back to Mid
dletown, and Mr. Hartigan was promoted to

n8

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

the post oi assistant superintendent, in
charge of the Northern and Utica Division.
Our subject assumed the duties of his pres
ent position, that of division superintendent,
in 1893. He has well merited his present
post of responsibility and trust, for he has
been in all grades of the service from the
lowest up, and possesses such an intimate
knowledge of details as is only gained
through experience. His energetic and pro
gressive nature is seen to full advantage in
his gradual climb to success. He is pleasant
and agreeable in his manners, and most con
siderate of those who are subject to his
orders, and in turn he is well liked by them.
Mr. Hartigan was joined in marriage,
September 22, 1880, with Miss Minnie Con
way, daughter of Michael Conway. Their
home has been blessed by the following chil
dren : Charles and William, who are attend
ing Norwich Academy; James; Minnie;
and Jennie. Politically, our subject is a firm
Gold Democrat, and is fearless in his opin
ions on the issues of the clay. He is now
serving his third term as a member of the
board of education of Norwich.

rLRY V. R. GRISWOLD, deceased,
/as a prominent farmer of the town
of Coventry, Chenango County,
N. Y. He was a musician of ability, and
made a state-wide reputation as leader of the
celebrated Griswold Band. He was born
August 13, 18 13, in Coventry, Chenango
County, N. Y., and was a son of Samuel and
Esther (Trumbull) Griswold.

Samuel Griswold was a native of Coventry,
and followed the occupation of a farmer
throughout his life. His wife was born July
8, 1 77 1, in Coventry. As a result of their
union eight children were born, namely :
Elnora; Electa; Samuel; Juvenal; Apollos;
Egford ; Orsemas ; and Harry V. R., the
subject of this personal history. Mr. and
Mrs. Griswold were active workers in the
Baptist Church. She passed to her eternal
reward, January 26, 1826, at the age of fifty-
five years; he died in 1842. He was a pros
perous man and one of Coventry's most re
spected citizens.
Harry V. R. Griswold received his educa
tion in the district schools, after which he
devoted his attention to music. He was a
talented man, and it was not long before he
occupied an enviable position in the musical
world. He became leader of the Griswold
Band, so named in honor of him, and it
gained renown throughout the state. He
purchased a farm in Coventry, upon which
he lived until 1883. He then retired from
active life and moved to Greene, where he re
mained the rest of his life. In 1843 he was
united in marriage with Anadine Gilmore, a
daughter of Peres Gilmore, one of the pio
neer settlers of Coventry. Unto them was
born one son, Noyes V. E., who inherited
the farm upon his father's death. He fol
lowed farming as a means of earning a
competence, and was quite successful. He
was joined in Hymen's bonds with Miss
Lelia Spicer of Coventry, N. Y.
In politics, Mr. Griswold was an active Re
publican. Religiously, he was liberal, and
generously supported all denominations. He

JOSHUA PRATT.

CHENANGO COUNTY

was a well-informed and public- spirited man,
and took a deep interest in- everything per
taining to the welfare of the public. He was
a popular man and had a large circle of friends
who mourned as a public loss his death, which
occurred April 10, i

-OSHUA PRATT, the venerable and
esteemed president of the Sherburne
National Bank, is a native of Sherburne
township, where for two-thirds of a century
he has been prominently identified with every
interest that has had for its ultimate object
the development of the township's natural
resources, and the enrichment of all the sec
tion that is contributory to Sherburne. He
is well known in this county and over the
state as a banker, having been engaged as a
financier and capitalist for over thirty years,
thus contributing largely to the stability and
prosperity of every enterprise that has had
Sherburne in its field of operations. Saga
cious and energetic in business, in him are
united just the requisite elements of conserv
atism and enterprise that go to make up a
well balanced business man. Integrity of
conduct has characterized all his business
dealings, and has given him the reputation
for straightforward dealing that he so richly
deserves. He is a man of diversified talents,
and no matter what the venture, he has gen
erally been able to figure out a reasonable
profit. Success has attended him in his
efforts to accumulate property, and to rise to
a prominent position in the world of finance.
Mr. Pratt was born October 18, 18 10, in

Sherburne township, and is a son of Joshua
Pratt, Sr., who was born in Spencertown,
Columbia County, N. Y., and settled in the
town of Sherburne about 1800. Joshua
Pratt, Sr., started out in life in agricultural
pursuits, and was interested in a farm known
as the Ladd place, which he cleared from the
original growth of timber, and cultivated for
a number of years, until about 1804, when
he removed to the village of Sherburne,
where he built a store on the present site of
the Pratt Block. There he launched out into
mercantile business, keeping a general coun
try store, and was the leading merchant until
1833, when he was succeeded by his sons,
Joshua, Jr., and Walstein. His articles of
merchandise were hauled from Albany on
wagons, for that was before canals and rail
roads had simplified the matter of transpor
tation, and had brought remote portions of
the country into intimate relations, thus facil
itating business to an extraordinary degree.
He also owned and conducted an ashery.
The farm, now owned by Talcott Pratt, was
among his possessions, and received no small
share of his attentions. After he disposed of
his store to his sons, he engaged in the for
warding business ; he owned three canal
boats, and shipped out farm produce from
this section, and brought in manufactured
goods of all descriptions, and also the agri
cultural products of other sections. Active,
energetic, and astute in business, it was an
easy matter for him to accumulate property
and lay by a competence. His last years
were spent in retirement. When he came to
Chenango County he was accompanied by
his father, also named Joshua, who lived with

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

his sons William and Frederick until he was
called Home. His wife, our subject's mother,
was Jemima Talcott, and their children were
as follows : Caroline, who married Dr. De-
villo White, now deceased; Adaline, who
died young ; Julia Ann, who became the wife
of Seth Kershaw ; Adaline (2), who married
Mr. Sutliff; Mary Eliza, who died in girl
hood; Joshua, Jr., our subject; Talcott;
Walstein ; Elisha ; and Charles.
The subject of this writing attained a fair
degree of culture in the district schools and
in Cazenovia Academy, in the meantime
building up a splendid physique by hearty
work on his father's farm, thus laying the
foundation of the excellent health that he has
enjoyed. At sixteen years of age he became
a clerk in his father's store, and so continued
until 1833, when, with his brother Walstein,
he bought the store and stock, and was en
gaged in merchandising until 1859 or i860,
when he sold out and went into the forward
ing business. In 1862, with a capital of
$50,000.00, under the firm name of Joshua
Pratt & Co., he opened a state bank in his
father's old store, and met with great success.
This institution was succeeded, May 4, 1865,
by the Sherburne National Bank, with a cap
ital stock of $ i<oo,ooo.oo, which latter bank
came into the patronage built up by the
parent institution, and furthermore increased
its sphere of influence and activity as the
years went by, so that to-day there is no
more solid or highly regarded bank in the
county. In times of depression or panic, it
has bravely held its own, and has never lost
its stockholders or depositors one cent, a re
sult, in large measure, due to its president,

Mr. Pratt, who has managed its finances ever
since the first, his policy, therefore, being at
all times the policy of the bank. In 1869,
Mr. Pratt had the old store moved to another
location in the village and remodeled into a
house, while the original site was utilized for
the handsome three-story brick block that
was erected in the same year, which is a
credit to the village, and is without doubt
the finest building in the corporate limits.
On the ground floor is located the Sherburne
National Bank, the Postoffice, and a barber
shop, while the second floor is divided into
three suites of offices, and the third is given
up to the Masonic Hall. The building is
heated throughout by steam, and has the
best of appointments ; the counting rooms of
the bank are especially luxurious and hand
some, and but reflect the solid character of
the institution. In 1835, Mr. Pratt built a
handsome residence on Court Street ; besides
other village property, Mr. Pratt has owned
considerable real estate throughout the coun
ty, and has bought and sold a large number
of farming properties. He has ever taken a
very active and intelligent interest in all im
provements and in the general material pro
gress of Sherburne ; in this way he has been
connected prominently with a number of
large manufacturing concerns. In 1863 he
became a stockholder of the Ross cotton
mills, putting in $10,000.00 at that time,
which he afterward withdrew to use in other
projects. He'was also a stockholder and one
of the promoters of the knitting mills.
In 1837, our subject married Miss Rebecca
Pratt of Prattsburg, Steuben County, N. Y.;
she died in 1840, leaving one child, Cornelia,

CHENANGO COUNTY

123

since deceased, who was the wife of Mr.
Avery. Our subject's second wife was An
nie Pratt of Ontario County, who is still liv
ing, and accompanying her husband in the
journey of life. Four children blessed this
union, of whom two are living, as follows :
Grace, who married Homer G. Newton, M.
D., of Sherburne, N. Y., mention of whom
is made elsewhere in this Book of Biogra
phies, in the personal history of William
Newton, his father ; and Carrie E., who lives
at home with her parents. Mr. Pratt is a
member of the Congregational Church, of
which he has been a liberal as well as a de
voted supporter. Those with beneficent ob
jects appeal not in vain to him for financial
aid, for he thoroughly believes in employing
his wealth in the best channels, and dislikes
to see want unattended to. He is a Repub
lican in his politics, and although too busy
to serve the party of his choice to any great
extent, he has yet filled the office of town
ship assessor for one year.
Mr. Pratt can successfully lay claim to be
ing the oldest man in active business life in
Chenango County, but to one who did not
know that he was fast approaching the age
of ninety, he appears to be but little past the
prime of manhood. He has conserved his
health by being methodical in both business
and private life. At his advanced age, he
makes a practice of being at the bank early
in the morning, even before banking hours,
and of remaining there till late in the day.
Among his townsmen he is most highly es
teemed, and there is not a man, woman or
child but who is proud of the mention of the
life and record of Joshua Pratt. As one of

the representative and well known citizens of
Chenango County, whose connection with
the commercial and financial interests of this
section has been most intimate for over a
third of a century, we take pleasure in pre
senting his portrait on another page in prox
imity to this.

BEL COMSTOCK, president of the
illage of Smyrna, and senior mem
ber of the firm of A. Comstock &
Son, druggists, is a man possessed of many
commendable traits of character. He was
born in the village of Norwich, N. Y., Novem
ber 3, 1834, and is a son of Abel and Esther
L. (Moore) Comstock.
Abel Comstock, our subject's father, was
born in Delaware County, and learned the
trade of a miller, which he followed for some
time in the town of Delhi, N. Y. Later he
moved to Norwich, and ran the Guernsey
Mills, and finally he began to manufacture
lead pipes. These pipes were made by the
old process, the lead being drawn out through
dies and sections soldered together ; although
the progress was very slow, it did not pre
vent the building up of a very large and ex
tensive trade. He carried on this business
until lead pipes came to be manufactured by
patent process, which advance made the old
method too slow to be profitable. He dealt
with the new lead pipes until his death oc
curred, which was at the age of fifty-three
years. Mrs. Comstock was born in East
Lyme, Conn., and came to Norwich, N. Y.,

124

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

where she was engaged in teaching school.
To Mr. and Mrs. Comstock were born the
following children : Abel, the subject of this
sketch ; Mary ; Bessie ; William ; Rachel ;
Emma ; Charles ; and one who died in in
fancy. These children all lived to grow up,
and are energetic, thrifty citizens. Mr. Com
stock was a subscriber, and one of the first
trustees of the old Norwich Academy.
Abel Comstock received his education in
Norwich Academy, and for eight years he
clerked in the drug store of J. Mitchell. In
1864 he moved to Smyrna and bought out
J. E. McClellan's store, which was the old
Shepard store, which he remodeled and re
built. Later he purchased the old Friend
Church, which he reconstructed and trans
formed into a beautiful home. It is hand-.
somely situated, elegantly furnished, and is
surrounded by beautiful lawns. He also
owns a large, commodious tenement house, of
his own erection, and conducts the only drug
store in the village of -Smyrna, which is com
plete in every detail.
Mr. Comstock married Miss Cynthia M.
Thompson of Norwich. She died in 1873,
aged thirty-six years, six months and twenty-
eight days. She leit the following children :
Mary F., born in 1863 and died at the age of
three months ; Sarah L., born in 1864, married
G. N. Wilcox and reared four children, the
youngest being Sarah L., who was adopted
by her grandfather ; James T., born August
11, 1866, a graduate of Norwich Academy,
and later a graduate of the New York Col
lege of Pharmacy, now holds a state pharma
cist's license, and is a member of the firm of
A. Comstock & Son, — he married Miss Ellen

Church, and one child has blessed their home,
Charles ; and William J., born August 26,
1 869, who married Lizzie Dixon, and has one
child, William. Our subject married, Sep
tember 22, 1875, Mrs. Sarah J. Bennett of
Smyrna, but no children have resulted from
this union.
Abel Comstock is an avowed Republican.
He has held various positions, such as presi
dent of the village corporation, the duties of
which office are being ably and honestly dis
charged. Religiously, he is a most active
member of the Methodist Church, and is one
of the trustees, for the duties of which post
he has proved himself well fitted. Mr. Com
stock has been a resident of Smyrna for some
years, and has a well deserved reputation for
honesty and uprightness of character.

m

LARK L. WEBB, the well known pro
prietor of the Central Restaurant of
«  -" Oxford, N. Y., was born in Smith
ville, Chenango County, N. Y., June 21, 1858.
He is a son of John S. and Mary A. (Davis)
Webb, and a grandson of Merritt Webb.
Merritt Webb was born in Smithville, and
there farmed during his active life. He
earned an ample competency and spent the
latter years of his life in retirement at Oxford.
He was united in marriage with Eliza Bald
win, a native of Smithville, by whom he had
twelve children. They all grew to maturity
and were a credit to the various communities
in which they lived ; their records are as fol
lows : Harriet married Harvey Knicker
bocker of Smithville ; John S. was united in

ry

READE E. HARRINGTON.

CHENANGO COUNTY

127

marriage with Mary A. Davis of Smithville ;
George was married to Mary Hunt of
Wausau, Wis.; Roxanna became the wife of
Andrus Crumb of Preston, Chenango County,
N. Y.; Andrew, deceased ; Jane is the widow
of Hiram Lewis of Oxford ; Sarah is the wife
of Thomas B. Harris of Oxford ; Ellen is de
ceased ; Mary ; Frank, who married Irene
Bartoo of Greene ; Charles was united in
marriage with Clara Thompson of Mc
Donough; and Angeline became the wife of
S. Moore of Oxford. Religiously, the family
favored the Universalist Church.
John S. Webb, who is now enjoying a com
fortable competency, obtained by his own in
dustry and superior business qualifications,
is one of the old and reliable citizens of the
county. He was born and reared on a farm
at Smithville, receiving his education in the
common schools. It was but natural that he
took up the occupation of his father and fol
lowed it for so many years. He owns a farm
six and a half miles from the village of Ox
ford, and there he was engaged in general
farming and stock raising until 1890, when
he retired to the home of his son in
Oxford, but still owns the farm. He formed
a matrimonial alliance with Miss Mary A.
Davis, daughter of Solomon Davis of Smith
ville, and one child was born to make their
home happy, namely : Clark L., the subject
of this biography. Mr. Webb is a member
of the Universalist Church, and is a regular
attendant. Politically, he is an active mem
ber of the Republican party, but has never
accepted office, preferring rather the life of a
private citizen.
Clark L. Webb was mentally equipped for

life's battles in the public schools of Smith
ville. Upon leaving school he became a clerk
in the restaurant of Arvine Lewis and re
mained with him two years. He took a lik
ing to this line of business, and being a man
of careful habits, he saved enough money to
buy out his former employer. That he thor
oughly understands his business, is demon
strated by the fact that he was successful
from the start. He also deals in ice, being
the only dealer in that commodity in the vil
lage. He has the patronage of the people
and has been decidedly prosperous. He bot
tles and sells carbonated drinks in connection
with his restaurant. He is still a young man,
and the manner in which he has conducted
his affairs in the past points to a brilliant
future. He was united in marriage with Miss
Minnie V. Loomis of Smithville, and one
daughter, Berth A., has blessed their union.
Mrs. Webb and daughter are members of the
Episcopal Church, while Mr. Webb is liberal
in his views on religion. Socially, he is a
member of the Kenotah Lodge, No. 105,
I. O. R. M., of Oxford.

HARRINGTON, whose
appears on the opposite
page, is a prominent citizen and
honored pioneer of Chenango County. He
was born in the above county, and has assist
ed materially in its development and progress.
He is now farming in the neighborhood of
Greene village, this county, and has acted his

128

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

part well, and is receiving the honor due to
those who have labored and struggled and
accomplished a large part of what their am
bition stimulated them to attempt. He is a
son of Benjamin and Sarah A. (Barrows)
Harrington, and was born on the old home
stead Nov. 8, 1858.
John Harrington, the great-grandfather of
our subject, was a native of Ireland ; upon
emigrating to the United States he settled in
the State of Connecticut, where he remained
for a short time, when he came to the village
of Oxford in 1796. He engaged in farming
when the land was wild and in an unimproved
state; this, however, did not in any way dis
courage Mr. Harrington, but he energetically
set about accomplishing its improvement and
cultivation, and secured such results that the
tract under his supervision became the most
valuable property within that corporation.
He was among the sturdy pioneers who took
part in the Revolutionary War, by reason of
which he afterward received a pension. He
died in the village of Oxford at the advanced
age of eighty-four years. He was twice mar
ried ; to his first wife were born the following
children; Joshua; John; Hillman ; Ebes ;
Daniel ; Mrs. Polly Harrington ; and Mrs.
Rebecca Smith.
The most of the old settlers who came here
during the early part of the nineteenth cen
tury have passed to the home beyond the
grave. The majority of those who came here
at an early day were poor in pocket, but, pos
sessed of an unlimited amount of energy and
perseverance, and, having faith in the country,
" stuck it out " and were successful. Among
the number who came here was Joshua Har

rington, the grandfather of our subject. He
came to the village of Oxford with his father
when he was but twelve years of age, and
when he grew to manhood he began the till
ing of the soil, which pursuit he continued to
follow all his life. He married Thankful
Harrington, daughter of Thomas Harrington,
a native of Connecticut, who came to Oxford
and engaged in farming. To this union nine
children were reared : Lucinda, deceased,
was the wife of Dennis Cooper, late farmer
of Greene, this county ; Melinda, deceased ;
David, deceased, was a prominent farmer of
Greene, this county ; Joshua, deceased, was
a farmer of Greene ; Benjamin, father of our
subject ; Mariette ; Margaret, deceased, mar
ried James Tuttle, late a blacksmith of Greene,
this county ; Thomas W., a successful farmer
of Greene ; and Charles P., who died in early
manhood. Mr. Harrington was a strong Dem
ocrat, and was a well informed man of his
day. Benjamin Harrington, father of our sub
ject, was born in Oxford, this county, May i,
1816, and died in Greene, January 26, 1897.
He pursued the vocation of an agriculturist
and was very successful ; at the time of his
death he was the owner of 500 acres of good
farming land. He attended the schools, such
as were offered in this country in those early
days, and by perseverance and energy he ac
quired a fair business education. In politics
Mr. Harrington was an ardent Democrat, and
one that did not swerve from strict allegiance
to the views and principles promulgated by
that political organization. He stood high in
the estimation of his fellow-countrymen, and
was one of the most prosperous and high-

CHENANGO COUNTY

129

ly respected citizens of Chenango County.
He married Miss Sarah A. Burrows, daugh
ter of Simeon Burrows, a farmer former
ly of Coventry, but later of Greene, this
county. Three sons and three daughters
were born to Mr. and Mrs. Harrington,
namely: Mary A., wife of Floyd Wylie of
Broome County, N. Y.; Benjamin F.; Eugene,
a farmer in the village of Greene ; Reade E.,
the subject of this biography ; Victoria, wife
of George W. Bly, a barber of Carbondale,
Pa. ; and Evelyn, who married Joseph Span-
ley, a barber of Greene.
Reade E. Harrington received his educa
tion in the district schools of his native vil
lage, and then turned his attention toward
agricultural pursuits. He is at present the
owner of 230 acres of well improved land,
which constitute one of the best farms in the
county. He dairies extensively, and has his
farm well stocked with a fine herd of cattle,
always keeping no less than thirty -five head.
He chose for his life companion Miss Ella
O. Hunter, daughter of William C. Hunter,
and they were happily married December 21,
[880. Their home was blessed by three chil
dren, who were as follows : Bernice L.; Haziel
May ; and Greyson H. In politics he is a
conscientious follower of the Democratic
party, with whose principles he sincerely
sympathizes, believing they are the correct
ones to follow, and aids to promote them by
every means in his power. Socially, he is a
member of the Eastern Light Lodge of Greene,
No. 126, F. and A. M.; he is also a member of
the O. E. S. of Greene, of which lodge his,
wife is electa. Mr. and Mrs. Harrington are
highly respected in their community, and are

regarded with much esteem and respect for
the honorable part they have performed in
developing and improving their section of the
county.

(£>rLLEN ]
k-\ class oi
/^>V_^ bene

LLEN ROCKWELL belongs to a
of men that are ever conferring
efits to the localities in which
they live. Carrying on an industry at Rock
well Mills, Guilford township, that is a matter
of pride to the entire county of Chenango, and
furnishing work for a large number of people,
he is well worthy to be placed with the
representative and most prominent men of
the county. The Rockwells for generations
past were manufacturers of wool, and Mr.
Rockwell has grown up with the business
and understands its every detail, and is
enabled to give to the business a most intel
ligent supervision. He was born April 9,
i860, at Rockwell Mills, and is a son of C.
W. and Amanda E. (Scrambling) Rockwell.
Chester Rockwell, the grandfather, be
longed to a family of wool manufacturers of
New Haven, Conn., and when yet a young
man came to South Hartwick, N. Y., where
he opened his woolen mills, and devoted his
life to carrying on this business, which has
descended from father to son.
C. W. Rockwell, the father of our subject,
was born in South Hartwick, and there grew
to an honorable manhood. His brother,
Erastus, had bought and was operating a
woolen mill, and in i860 he bought this mill
from the brother, and until his death, in 1891,
he was actively engaged in operating it. It

13°

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

was practically, the first woolen mill in Che
nango County, and at the time of his pur
chase the village consisted of but a few
houses. It took its name from the industry
that caused its growth and prosperity, and
has since been known by the name of Rock
well Mills. Mr. Rockwell was always to be
found at the front of any public spirited
enterprise, and was a man who was univer
sally beloved. He was a Republican, and for
a long time served as supervisor of the town.
He was a strong churchman, and for a num
ber of years was deacon in the Baptist
Church, of which he was a prominent mem
ber. He was twice united in marriage. His
union with Lurana Wescott resulted in the
birth of three sons and one daughter : Irene
was married to O. S. Cuffman, both now
deceased ; Reuben Wescott was a tailor of
Rockwell Mills ; Howard C, is postmaster
of Rockwell Mills, is a traveling salesman and
also interested with his son, in the mercan
tile business at different points ; Charles S.
is an employee of the mills. By his second
marriage with Amanda Scrambling, the fol
lowing children were born : George D.,
deceased, was a member of the firm of C. W.
Rockwell & Co.; Allen ; and Belle, the wife
of George W. McPherson.
Allen Rockwell received his education in
the district schools and the Oneonta Union
School, leaving the school room at the age of
eighteen to begin work in his father's mills.
He served there for three years, when his
father took him in as a partner in the firm.
After the death of his father, which occurred
in his sixty-seventh year, his mother took the
father's interest, and the firm now consists of

the mother and son, the business being con
ducted under the old name of C. W. Rock
well & Co. This mill is a three sett mill,
and gives employment to about 40 hands.
They manufacture all kinds of woolen goods,
making a speciality of heavy goods, and
special orders from large customers. They
have a large trade extending all over the
northern part of the Union, and their name is
known to all dealers in first class woolen
goods. Their trade is increasing every year,
the sales for the past year being larger than
that of the year previous, and the owners
feel very cheerful over the outlook for the
future. September 21, 1892, Mr. Rockwell
contracted marriage with Miss Lina Bowen,
daughter of Henry Bowen, a farmer of Guil
ford, and they have gathered around them a
large number of friends and enjoy a most
enviable reputation for kindliness of heart
and true bearing. Mr. Rockwell is a man of
whom every one speaks well, and is admir
ably sustaining the reputation for straight
forward, honest dealing, that was borne by a
long line of ancestors.

^N ENJAMIN E. WIGHTMAN, junior
J\ member of the firm of Parker &
Wightman, proprietors of a general
merchandise store in South New Berlin, Che
nango County, was born at that place August
28, 1873. He is the only son and child of
Frank B. and Rozetta (Lewis) Wightman,
and a grandson of Edward F. Wightman.
Edward F. Wightman is a native of South
New Berlin and was born in 1833. He is a

GEORGE DOUGLAS, M. D.

CHENANGO COUNTY

i33

son of Benjamin Wightman, a native of Con
necticut, who came to this county and took up
a tract of Government land on Great Brook,
two miles north-west of South New Berlin
village. Benjamin Wightman died there in
1868, at the age of fifty -four years. Edward
Wightman has spent most of his life on the
old homestead, where he followed the occu
pation of a farmer. In 1885 he retired from
active life and moved to the village of South
New Berlin, where he has since resided.
He was united' in marriage with Margaret
Beardsley, by whom he had two children,
whose names are as follows : Elizabeth is
the wife of Norman Brown, and they make
their home in New Berlin ; and Frank B.,
the father of our subject. He is a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is a
regular attendant. He is an old and re
spected citizen, and has many friends who
join in wishing him many more years of
happiness. Frank B. Wightman was born on the old
homestead in 1852, and has lived there all his
life. He has a farm of 160 acres of good
farming land, and has always tilled the soil.
In politics, he sides with the Republicans.
He formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss
Rozetta Lewis, and one son was born to make
their home happy. He is one of New Ber
lin's energetic and progressive farmers and
has a large number of friends.
Benjamin E. Wightman went with credit
through the district and grade schools of his
native town. He then took a course in the
business college, and graduated in 1 891 . After
clerking one year in a store, he in partnership
with Mr. Parker entered the mercantile busi-
7*

ness. They have a good, large store building,
with a frontage of forty feet and a depth of
sixty. They carry the best goods in the vil
lage, and have a full line of dry goods, gents'
furnishings, and boots and shoes. Every
thing about the place has an appearance of
neatness and order, that speaks well for the
management. They have been very success
ful and have acquired the best trade in the
town. Mr. Wightman was united in marriage
with Bertha Sargent, a daughter of H. F.
Sargent of South New Berlin, on July 8,
1893. They are the proud parents of one
son, Guy J. In social circles he is a member
of Norwich Lodge, No. 46, Knight Templars,
and of Tribe No. 362, Improved Order of
Red Men. Mr. Wightman is an intelligent
and enterprising young man, and has a bright
future before him.

EORGE DOUGLAS, M. D., a
_m_J_ retired and respected cititizen of
Oxford, N. Y., whose portrait is shown on
the opposite page, was born in Franklin,
Delaware County, N. Y., May 7, 1823. He
is a son of Hon. Amos and Miriam (Wright)
Douglas. The Douglas family dates its
origin as far back as the Eleventh Century ;
the first Douglas that settled in America was
one William Douglas, who landed in Boston,
Mass., but later moved to New London,
Conn., where he built the first frame house,
which stood until 1865.
William Douglas, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in Plainfield, Conn.,

T34

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

August 22, 1743. After his marriage in 1766
to Hannah Cole, of Canaan, Conn., he moved
to Stephentown, N. Y., where he became a
large land owner. He reared a family of
seven children, namely: Benjamin ; William ;
Eli ; Hannah ; Deidamia; Amos, the father of
our subject; and Abiah. Religiously, he was
a supporter of the Presbyterian Church. He
was captain of one of the companies in the
Revolutionary War, and took part in the
battle of Bennington, Vermont, August 16,
1777. He died December 29, 181 1. His
wife preceded him to the home beyond the
skies December 24, 1795.
Hon. Amos Douglas was born in Stephen-
town, N. Y., June 21, 1779, and graduated
from Williams College in 1798. He then
took up the study of law in Albany, N. Y.,
and was admitted to the bar in 1801. In the
following year he went to Franklin, N. Y.,
and followed his chosen profession, and soon
gained a wide reputation as one of the most
able attorneys in the county. In his political
attachments, Judge Douglas was a Democrat,
but prior to becoming a member of that
party he was a most ardent Federalist. He
came prominently before the public eye
through the bold stand he took in advocating
the principles of his party, arid for eleven
years he held the office of county judge.
He was married August 24, 181 2, to Miriam
Wright, daughter of Aaron and Martha
Wright of Northampton, Mass. To Judge
and Mrs. Douglas were born seven children :
Amos; Harriet; Juliet; Eliza M.; Edward;
George ; and James. Judge Douglas passed
from this life March 19, 1857. His wife died
May 19, 1846.

Dr. George Douglas received his educa
tion in the Delaware Literary Institute of
Franklin, N. Y., and graduated from that
school in 1840. He read medicine for some
time and then entered the University of New
York, graduating in 1845. In 1846 he began
to practice his profession in the village of
Oxford, which proved a very successful field.
Following that line of business until 1877, he
moved to Brooklyn, N. Y., where he
remained two years, and then returned to
his former home, where he has since been
engaged very little in the practice of medi
cine. He has been twice married. On February
14, 1858, he was married to Ada E. Frink of
Fabius, N. Y., and they reared one child,
Ada E., who married John A. McDonald of
Boston, Mass. Mrs. Douglas died March 8,
1864, and the Doctor then married Jane A.
Mygatt, daughter of William Mygatt of
Oxford, N. Y. He mourned the loss of his
second consort November 24, 1894. Relig
iously the Doctor is a member of the Pres
byterian Church. In politics, he casts his
vote with the Republican party. Profes
sionally, the Doctor is a member of the New
York State Medical Association ; the Ameri
can Medical Association ; and the Chenango
County Medical Association. In 1871 the
Doctor was elected an honorary member of
the California State Medical Society. He
was a member of the Centennial Inter
national Medical Congress held in Phila
delphia in 1876. He is ex-President of the
Rocky Mountain Medical Association. He
was a member of the World's Medical Con
gress held in Washington in 1887. In 1890

CHENANGO COUNTY

'35

h'e was a delegate from the American Med
ical Association to the World's Medical
Congress, which assembled in Berlin, Ger
many. Dr. Douglas was a member of the
first Pan-American Medical Congress held in
Washington, D. C, in 1893.

LfRANCIS G. CLARKE, vice-president
|_ l of the First National Bank of the village
of Oxford and owner of one of the largest
quarries in his section of the county, was
born in the above village November 22, 1830,
and is a son of Ethan and Rachel (Case)
Clarke, the former a native of the State of
Rhode Island, while the latter was born in
Germantown, Pa.
Henry Clarke, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was a Seventh Day Baptist clergyman,
and was born in the State of Rhode Island.
He moved to Brookfield, Madison County,
N. Y., where he took charge of a church,
and remained there several years. He was
joined in the bonds of matrimony with Miss
Katherine Pendleton, who was born in Wes
terly, Rhode Island. As a result of this
union ten children were reared. They were
as follows : Henry ; Phebe ; Sarah ; Olive
P.; John V.; Elizabeth M.; Ethan, the father
of our subject; Catherine; Joshua; and
Samuel R. Mr. Clarke was called to his
well-earned rest March 22, 1831. Mrs.
Clarke passed to the unknown beyond, Sep
tember 4, 1824.
Ethan Clarke, the father of our subject,
was educated in his native village, and upon
completing his schooling, which was in 1820,
he engaged in the hotel business at Oxford.

He also was engaged in running stage
wagons, a business he found very profitable.
Later he embarked in the mercantile busi
ness, and did a thriving business for some
thirty years afterwards. The last twelve
years of his life were spent in retirement.
Politically, he was an old time Whig and took
an active part in the political affairs in his com
munity. September, 5 18 14, he was joined
in Hymen's bonds with Miss Rachel Case,
and they were the parents of eight children,
who were as follows : James W.; Elizabeth
A., the wife of Rev. Dr. Van Ingan ; Dwight
H.; Ethan, who married Elizabeth Mickel ;
Hannah H., who was joined in matrimony
with George McNeal; Peter W.; John R.;
and Francis G., the subject of this biography.
In religious views he and his family held
membership in the Episcopal Church. He
died in 1857 at the age of sixty-eight years.
Mrs. Clarke entered the world of rest August
25, 1854, aged sixty-two years.
Our subject received his elementary edu
cation in the common schools of his native
town and then took a course in the academy
at Oxford. Completing his schooling at the
age of fifteen years, he began to clerk in the
store owned by his father. At the age of
twenty-four years he purchased a half interest
in his father's store, and was successfully
engaged in mercantile business until 1892,
when he retired from that business, and is
now a special partner in the firm of Corbin &
Smith. Since 1882 he has operated a quarry
of blue stone, which is said to have no equal
for building purposes. The quarry is now
carried on by Mr. Clarke and his son, and
since 1893 they have had an annual output of

136

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

stone that amounts in value to $125,000.00 per
year. . They dress the stone and otherwise
prepare it for the market ; owing to its good
quality it needs little or no advertising, and is
used in thirteen states. He employs 125 men
on an average the year around.
Our subject has been twice married ; to his
first wife, Clara Maria Bockee of Norwich,
N. Y., with whom he was joined in matri
mony in i860, four children were born,
namely : Herbert W., who married Mar
garet Staunton of Oxford; James W. is a
clergyman at Utica, N. Y.; Francis B., who
died September, 1863 ; and Henry B., who
died in 1889. In 1884 Mr. Clarke married
Laura B. Chapin of Canandaigua, N. Y. Mr.
and Mrs. Clarke are both active and popular
members of the Episcopal Church and sup
port the church of that denomination in Ox
ford. Politically, Mr. Clarke is identified
with the Republican party, whose principles
he believes to be the best of any existing po
litical organization.

fjgJfARVEY IRELAND, an enterprising
business man of Bainbridge, Che
nango County, is a son of Nelson
and Mary E. (Johnson) Ireland, and was born
four miles west of the village of Bainbridge,
November 10, 1843.
The ancestor of our subject, who was of
English birth, emigrated to this country
before the Revolutionary War and settled
on Long Island. As far as is known, he
sympathized with the Tories, and because
of his lack of patriotism for his new country

it was made so hot for him that he returned
to his native country, leaving his family
behind. His family, in order to escape the
many evils of a city, moved, up the river
and located at Poughkeepsie. Later they
went still farther up the river, and at one
time were living between Albany and Sara
toga, on what is known as Ireland's Four
Corners. Grandfather James Ireland, with
his two brothers, Jacob and Thomas, came
to the western part of Bainbridge and each
settled on a farm. In his vounger days he
was a mason by trade and carried on an
extensive business. In his religious views he
was a strong Methodist. His home was
headquarters for pioneer Methodism, and all
traveling ministers found a hearty welcome
at his fireside. He was a leader among his
early pioneer settlers, and was known as a
generous and kind-hearted man. He mar
ried Miss Lydia Ingersoll, and a large family
of children was reared : Job ; Isaac ; Stephen ;
Harvey ; Nelson, the father of our subject ;
William ; Polly ; and Margaret.
Nelson Ireland was born in Bainbridge in
1 81 8, and was reared on his father's farm,
where he acquired the vocation of a farmer.
He was the first man to introduce Oxford
shire blooded sheep into the county, and was
one of the up-to-date, scientific, successful
farmers, whose business netted him a hand
some competency. He was also an extensive
dealer in stock, and was the owner of 275
acres of highly improved land. He married
Miss Mary E. Johnson, who was born about
1823, a daughter of Seth Johnson. The
home of Mr. and Mrs. Ireland was blessed
by five children : Harvey ; Ursula (Strong),

'*m.

GEORGE H. SAGE.

MRS. HARRIET E. SAGE.

CHENANGO COUNTY

141

who lives in the village of Bainbridge ;
Aurelius, who died at the age of twenty-one ;
Luella, the wife of Charles Root of Guilford,
this county ; and Justin, who died aged
seven years. Religiously, Nelson Ireland
was a member of the. Methodist Church. In
politics he was an ardent Republican and
did much for the success of his party. He
was a public -spirited man and had the
faculty of being a good speaker, having
made many political speeches in the exciting
political campaigns of those days. He passed
from this life on his forty-seventh birthday,
April 3, 1865. His memory is held in high
esteem by his friends, who knew him as an
honest, upright, Christian man.
Harvey Ireland, the subject of this personal
sketch, received his education in the common
schools and at Oxford Academy. His youth
was mostly spent in aiding his father in run
ning the farm, and at the age of twenty-one
he took charge of the farm, and for five years
he carried on general farming, after the
estate was settled. In 1870 E. H. Orwin
founded the Bainbridge Republican, which
was sold February 1, 1871, to Harvey Ire
land, who remained with it and built up a
large circulation, until January 1, 1894, when
he sold it to the present owners and man
agers, Henry A. Clark & Son. At that time it
was the only paper in this section of the
county, and in connection with the paper Mr.
Ireland did a large business in job printing. In
1871 he was engaged in the harness business
in Bainbridge, which he continued to run
until October 6, 1897, when he sold his
establishment. Politically, he has always
been a Republican, although he is somewhat

inclined to be independent in his actions.
He has never sought office, although he has
held the position of trustee of the village for
a number of years. Mr. Ireland has led an
active and energetic life, and his enterprising
spirit has been felt in all the movements to
advance the business and social interests of
his native village.

f^7o

EORGE H. SAGE, a prosperous
VJ_J- agriculturist and dairyman of the
town of New Berlin, was born in the above
town, May 2, 1837, and is a son of Daniel
Sage, grandson of Daniel Sage, Sr., and great-
grandson of Benjamin Sage.
The Sage family is of remote Scandinavian
descent ; the name was spelled " Saga," but
when the Norsemen conquered Normandy,
and overran France, the final "a" was changed
to "e," thus making the present name — Sage.
The name as it appears first in English his
tory is found upon Battle Abbey Roll, year
1066, A. D. — the roll made by William the
Conqueror after the battle of Hastings, when
he divided the English lands among his own
followers, — the spelling there being " Sage-
ville." As a mark of distinguished favor, a
coat of arms was granted by the king. The
coat of arms is surmounted by grain, fruit
and flowers, indicating that the Sage family
was then, as it is now, an agricultural people.
The motto is " Non Sibli,"— " Not for our
selves." David Sage, a native of Wales, born in
1639, emigrated to the American Colonies in
1652, settling in Middletown, Conn., where

T42

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

he died in 1703. He was the founder of the
American branch of what is now a very
numerous family of Sages, among whom may
be found men distinguished in every avoca
tion of life — judges, lawyers, clergymen, col
lege professors, physicians, army and naval
officers, statesmen, merchants, manufacturers,
and mechanics ; but a vast majority of the
family have followed the tranquil and peace
ful pursuits of agriculture and husbandry.
Daniel Sage, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was born in Connecticut in 1756, and in
1803 came to the town of New Berlin, set
tling on a tract on Great Brook, where, after
passing through the usual experiences inci
dent to a pioneer life, he passed away in 1852.
He was prosperous and successful for those
times, owning a farm of 200 acres on Great
Brook. He served in the War of the Revolu
tion, and three of his sons fought for the Stars
and Stripes in the War of 18 12. He married
Sybil Jewett of Rensselaer County, and had
the following family: Sylvia, born in 1779;
Erastus, 1784; Faith, 1786; Betsey, 1788;
Simeon, 1789; Abigail, 1791 ; Jewett, 1793;
Daniel, 1795; and Nathan, 1800.
Daniel Sage, the father of our subject, was
born in 1795, as noted above; from Renssel
aer County he came with the family to New
Berlin township, and settled on Great Brook,
where his decease occurred. He made no
mistake when he adopted the pursuit of farm
ing as his life occupation, for the natural apti
tude he had for that vocation, combined with
the earnest efforts he put forth to achieve
success, conspired to make him a very pros
perous man and an extensive land-owner, for
at the time of his death he could point to 800

acres of land that he had acquired. He was
a man of great force of character, and proved
himself a model citizen of his township. He
was a Democrat, when it came to allegiance
to party. He married Eliza Burton, by whom
he had nine children, five sons and four
daughters, who grew to maturity, as follows:
Sylvia, born in 1831; Richard, 1832; Olive
A., 1834; Lois, 1836; George H., 1837;
William H., 1840; Augustus, 1843; Emetine,
1848 ; and Daniel B., 1854.
George H. Sage, the subject of this biog
raphy, is a descendant in the sixth generation
from David Sage, mentioned previously, who
came from Wales in 1652, and settled in Mid-
dletown, Conn., where he figured prominently
among the earliest settlers of that town. Our
subject was reared in his native town, and
has always resided within a mile and a half
of his present home, which is just on the out
skirts of the village of Holmesville. He has
never allowed his attention to be distracted
from farming and the correlative industry of
dairying, and has continued soberly and
staidly to live the free, independent life of an
agriculturist. He has achieved success at
his calling, and ranks with the most progres
sive citizens. He owns a farm of 167 acres,
well-improved, and farmed according to the
most generally accepted methods ; the home
stead has a comfortable farmhouse and other
commodious buildings, suited to the size of
the farm, and the character of the farm-
products. Mr. Sage has also been interested
in the manufacture of cheese. He has ever
acted with the Democratic party, but has not
held any political office.
On January 7, 1864, Mr. Sage married

CHENANGO COUNTY

M3

Harriet E. Trass, daughter of Gilbert and
Sallie (Scott) Trass of Preble township, Cort
land County. Six children have resulted
from this union, as follows : Burton S., born
March 25, 1865, a farmer of the town of But
ternuts, Otsego County, married Nettie
Greene; Edward, born June 10, 1869, is a
butcher of the village of New Berlin — his
wife is Hattie Fisher; Grace, born June 12,
1872, is the wife of Charles A. White, a
farmer of the town of Norwich, Chenango
County ; Lena, Oct. 9, 1875 ; Daniel, Feb. 22,
1877; and Harvey, Nov. 11, 1884. The last
three live at home with their parents. Mr.
and Mrs. Sage are devoted to home and
home interests, but they have a large circle
of friends, who delight to enjoy their ready
hospitality. Portraits of both our subject
and wife appear on preceding pages in prox
imity to this.

-AMES L. BERRY. This energetic
and enterprising citizen of New Ber
lin is carrying on the business of fancy
groceries and crockery, and is meeting with
great success. He is a son of Rev. James M.
and Amelia (Casler) Berry, and was born in
Clarksville, Otsego County, N. Y., October
29, 1864.
Rev. James M. Berry was educated in the
common schools of his native town, and after
completing his elementary education he pur
sued a further course in theology in Madison
University at Hamilton, N. Y., graduating
from that institution in 1862. The first two
years were spent in the study of law, but

later he decided upon the ministry, and there
completed his theological education. Upon
leaving school, he spent the first five years
preaching in the Baptist Church in Otsego
County. In 1867, he went to Green Valley,
Tazewell County, 111., where he remained
two years, when he went to Matamora, 111.,
where he became principal of the schools in
that place; he then spent four years at De
Kalb, 111., and in 1877 he returned to the
Empire State, and was stationed at North
Brookfield, Madison County. In 1881 he
took up a pastorate in Chenango County,
and two years later moved to Richmonds-
ville, Schoharie County, N. Y., where he
remained seven years. He organized the
church at Cobleskill, N. Y., and solicited the
funds for the erection of the church sanctuary.
He was united in marriage with Miss Amelia
Casler, and two children blessed their union :
James L., the subject of this biography ; and
Matilda C, wife of R. H. Berringer of Rich-
mondsville. Since Mr. Berry took charge of
his present pastorate at Otsego, N. Y., he
has been very successful, and has had his
zealous efforts for the good and betterment
of the community crowned with the best of
results. His work is well planned, and he is
able to accomplish much because of the large
amount of experience that he had had in
religious circles. Broad in his views, sincere
and outspoken in his attitudes on living
questions that concern the life and welfare of
the people, and zealous and earnest in all to
which he sets his hand and his heart, he is a
man whose influence is felt on all sides, and
is one who will leave a lasting impression on
his community.

144

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

James L. Berry, whose biography is herein
set forth, received his earlv mental training
in the schools of South New Berlin. Leaving
school at the age of seventeen, he entered the
store of F. Van Valkenberg, a leading mer
chant of South New Berlin, and remained in
that gentleman's employ for six months, when
he went to Richmondsville, and worked in the
feed store of J. C. Smith. In 1885 he worked
for D. Y. Drue, and remained in the service
of that merchant two years, when he
found employment in the dry goods store of
his father-in-law, Hobart Babcock. After the
death of Mr. Babcock, he and C. B. Babcock
were appointed as appraisers to settle the
estate. In 1893 he engaged in the grocery
business with E. R. Curtis, under the firm
name of Curtis & Berry. In 1895 he pur
chased the interest of Mr. Curtis and con
tinued business under the name of J. L.
Berry & Co., the present style of the firm.
He deals in fancy and staple groceries, teas,
coffees, and fruits and vegetables in their
season. In December, 1894, he was appoint
ed postmaster, an office he has filled to the
satisfaction of the people. His political
views are pronounced in character and make
him a strong Democrat. In church prefer
ences he adheres to the Baptist Church.
Socially, he is a member of the Winnebago
Tribe, No. 362, Improved Order of Red Men.
He was joined in marriage with Miss Abia
H. Babcock, June 24, 1885. Their only
child, Anna M., was born May 6, 1889. In
the life of Mr. Berry we find an example for
young men, who are just embarking in the
voyage of life, of what may be accomplished
by a man beginning poor, but withal honest,

prudent and industrious. In early days he en
joyed but few advantages, his school days were
limited ; neither had he wealth nor position
to aid him in starting in life. He relied
solely upon his own efforts and his own con
duct to win for him success. He has ever
strictly observed that most important factor
in the successful public or business life of
any one, — honesty. He is a careful, con
scientious and methodical business man, and
in the commercial field he is known to be a
man of undoubted integrity and substantial
ability.

It*

ANSOM M. IVES. As a representa
tive of the agricultural class, and
one who has met with more than
ordinary success in the prosecution of his
independent calling, we take pleasure in
mentioning Ransom M. Ives. He is pleas
antly located on his farm in the town of
Guilford, where he may be found almost any
day, engaged in the general routine of a
farmer's life. He is an adopted son of
Morris A. and Octaria (Salisbury) Ives, and
was born in the town of Guilford, August
18, 1865.
Ransom Hovey, the father of our subject,
was born and reared in the town of Guilford.
He is engaged in agricultural pursuits, and
owns a small farm near Guilford Center.
He was united in marriage with Miss Mary
Tripp, and two sons were born to them,
namely : Wilbur T., a farmer of the town of
Guilford ; and Ransom M., the subject of
this personal history. Two weeks after the

HENRY A. GATES.

CHENANGO COUNTY

i47

birth of her second son, Mrs. Hovey passed
to her Eternal Reward. Morris A. Ives and
his loving wife, having previously lost their
only son, agreed to adopt the motherless
infant and bring it up as they would one of
their own. Mr. Hovey's second marriage
was with Imogene Birch, by whom he had
five children, who are as follows : Edmund,
who is in the railroad business in Guilford ;
Camelia, who is the wife of Fred Bartle, a
merchant of Oxford ; Jennie, who was
married to Herman Richards, a farmer of
Guilford ; and twins who died in infancy.
Abraham Ives, the grandfather of Morris
A., was born in the State of Connecticut, and
while there followed the trade of a stone
mason. After his marriage, he came to the
State of New York, locating in the town of
Guilford, Chenango County, in 1800. He
settled on the farm now owned by our sub
ject, and engaged in farming. He was the
progenitor of four sons and five daughters,
one of whom was Abraham, the father of
Morris, who was born on the farm at Guil
ford. Morris A. Ives was born on the old Ives
homestead, April 30, 1821, and there followed
farming until 1878. He then retired to a
small farm near Guilford Center, where he
lived the rest of his life in peace and com
fort, enjoying the competency earned in
early life. He died December 1, 1881, at the
age of sixty years. He was an upright and
honest man, and performed all the duties of
a good citizen. He was bound in Hymen's
bonds with Miss Octaria Salisbury, and
six children blessed their union, namely :
Maria, the relict of John Burlison ; Minnie,

who is the wife of James Marsh ; Elizabeth,
who married Andrew Burton ; Harriet,
Rozilla and an infant son are deceased. Mr.
Ives was a faithful member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church.
Ransom M. Ives was two months old
when taken into the home of Mr. Ives, where
he received the love and attention that Mrs.
Ives bestowed on her own children. He was
reared on the farm and attended the district
schools. He then took up the occupation of
a farmer, and in 1890 took charge of the old
Ives homestead at Guilford, where he has
since remained. He has charge of ninety-
four acres of good farm land, well stocked
and supplied with convenient out-buildings.
He farms according to the best methods and
uses improved machinery.
He was united in marriage with Fannie
Dorman, a daughter of David Dorman,
October 30, 1888. David Dorman is a
retired farmer, and is now engaged as agent
for the Bronze Monumental Co. of Bridge
port, Conn., and also as agent for a number
of firms in handling farm implements. He is
an attendant of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. He is a member of the Patrons of
Husbandry. Mr. Ives is a young man but
thirty-three years of age, and his prospects
for a long and useful career are bright;

"ENRY A. GATES, whose portrait is
=r| shown on the opposite page, was
¦ V_^ one of the first men in this section
to become identified with any movement
tending to benefit the agriculturist; was

148

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

president of the Chenango County Agri
cultural Society for three years, and is still a
director of that body. He was president of
the Farmers' League, an organization that
had for its object the mutual benefit of the
members. He has always taken a prominent
part in all the agricultural affairs of the
county, and is an intelligent, wide-awake
farmer, having the interest of the community
at heart. He is one of the largest land
owners and most influential men in Chenango
County, and lives on his spacious farm of
280 acres in the town of Norwich. On this
farm he first made his acquaintance with the
world, April 14, 1838, his parents being Aaron
B. and Rowena (Hall) Gates.
Simeon Gates, the paternal grandfather,
coming from Rhode Island, settled in the
town of Norwich with his wife and little ones
and purchased a large tract of land. Many
years were spent by him in clearing this
farm of its heavy growth of timber and
getting it in a state suitable for cultivation.
During the latter portion of his life he kept
a tavern in the building now occupied by
our subject, and then known as the " A. B.
Gates Inn." His family consisted of the
following children : Simeon ; Newman ;
Simon ; Rathbun ; Aaron B. ; and Ruth
(McNitt). Aaron B. Gates was but four years old when
his parents came to this county. When he
grew to mature years he kept the inn
formerly run by his father, and in connection
with it carried on farming. He bought and
sold considerable land during his lifetime,
and at his death owned his father's farm of
265 acres. He was a Whig and Republican

and served as supervisor. He was a member
of the Baptist Church and a zealous worker
for the cause. He was a trustee, and it was a
rare thing for him to be absent from divine
service. At one time he was a member of
the old state militia. He was united in mar
riage with Rowena Hall, who bore him six
children : Aaron Dwight ; Jane Rowena ;
Phcebe Augusta; John H. ; Ruth Eliza; and
Henry A., our subject, who was the youngest.
Aaron B. Gates died at the age of seventy-
nine years and two months. His wife passed
away in 1882.
Henry A. Gates made his first start in the
world as a school teacher, beginning when
but sixteen years of age, teaching during the
winter and helping his father in the summer.
His early education had been received in the
common schools and Norwich Academy, and
he taught for six years, his last school being
in 1860-61. At that time the cloud, which
had so long threatened our country with
disaster, broke, and he took up arms for a
united government and the relief of the un
fortunates in the South. In October, 1861, he
enlisted in the 61st Reg., N. Y. Vol. Inf., Co.
G., of Gen. Sumner's Corps, and served
under McClellan in the Army of the
Potomac. The members of the regiment
were mustered into the Federal service at
New York City, and went into winter
quarters near Alexandria, Va. In the
spring of 1862 they marched toward Man-
assass Junction, where Mr. Gates was taken
sick and for two weeks was confined in the
hospital, near Alexandria. After his recovery
he again rejoined his regiment, and went
with them to Ship Point. There he, with the

CHENANGO COUNTY

149

rest, was obliged to wade from the vessel to
the shore when they landed, and he con
tracted a heavy cold, which again resulted in
a severe spell of sickness, probably superin
duced by his previous illness and his weak
ened condition. He was examined and
pronounced to have pulmonary consump
tion, and received his discharge for disability.
He was second lieutenant and commissary,
and had served but six months when he was
released from service and returned home,
where careful nursing and attention over
came his malady, from which he entirely re
covered. He returned home in the fall of
1862, and then took up his residence in
Bridgeport, Conn., where he remained four
years, engaged in the livery, sale and board
ing stable business, after which he returned
to Norwich, and for two years lived on the
farm with his father, when he once more
entered the livery stable business, this time
in New Haven, Conn., continuing there for
four years. He succeeded his father on the
homestead, and has since made it his home,
owning 280 acres of land. He has dealt
extensively in live stock, buying and selling
large numbers of horses and cattle and find
ing it a fruitful source of profit ; but his
time is now devoted to his farming and dairy
interests, and they well repay him for the
labor and care bestowed. His dairy con
sists of fifty-five cows, from which he derives
much satisfaction as well as profit. He is
also the owner of a fine farm of 300 acres in
the town of Pharsalia, which he leases for
dairy purposes, large quantities of butter
being made on it annually.
Mr. Gates chose as his companion through

life Miss Julia A. Wood, daughter of Nelson
O. Wood, to whom he was married July 6,
1863, and to them were born four children :
Hattie, who died at the age of four years ;
Grace, living at home ; Jessie B., deceased ;
and Aaron B., who is at home finishing his
education. Mr. and Mrs. Gates are attend
ants of the Baptist Church, to which they
belong. Our subject has been a Republican,
but in 1896 cast his influence and vote for the
silver party, voting for William Jennings
Bryan. He was formerly a member of the
Knights of Pythias, but withdrew from the
order, and at present finds his greatest
pleasure in the home circle.

w*

ILLIAM H. PACKER, a represen
tative agriculturist of the town
of Preston, is a son of James Biglow and
Achsa Lee (Turner) Packer and was born in
the town of Preston, at Preston Corners.
The family name is of English origin.
William Packer, the grandfather, was born
in Stonington, Connecticut, and when a boy
came with his father, William Packer, and
located near Preston Corners. He after
wards lived in the village for a short time,
and was a resident of the town until his
death. He was a stock dealer and farmer by
occupation. He was a very strong Whig
and later an enthusiastic Republican, holding
very decided views and taking an active part
in political discussions. His wife's maiden
name was Abigail Mason, and they reared
four children : Abigail ; Emily Bowen ;
William K. ; and James Biglow. They were

'5°

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

attendants of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. He died at the good old age of
eighty-seven years.
James Biglow Packer first saw the light of
day at Preston Corners, as did the rest of
the family. He was a man who possessed a
good business education, and was employed as
a teacher for a portion of his early life. Find
ing that teaching school did not give sufficient
scope to his energies, he turned his attention
to farming, and for twelve years devoted his
time to that and stock dealing. He owned
the farm in Preston, now in the possession of
William H. Packer, our subject, and operated
it part of the time when he was living in the
village. In 1876 he removed to the village
of Pitcher, where he died, February 26, 1893.
He sided with the Republicans in political
belief, and in religion, he was a Congrega-
tionalist, belonging to the church of that de
nomination at Preston Center. He was
married three times, the first wife being
Minerva Hartshorn, by whom he had two
children : Emily A. ; and Minerva E. He
next married Achsa Lee Turner, who bore
him three children: William H., our subject,
and two that died in infancy. Mrs. Packer
did not long survive her two children, dying
at the age of thirty-seven years. Mr. Packer
was a third time united in matrimony, the
bride this time being Artelissa Blackman,
who was the mother of one child : Lynn B.
William H. Packer, our subject, was edu
cated in the public schools of Brockport,
N. Y. After leaving school he began farming
on the old homestead, where he had always
lived, and where he now owns 165 acres of
fine farm land. He carries on general farm

ing, believing that a farmer is more apt to
make a success with a diversity of products
than he would if he devoted all his ground
to one or two crops. He was married Feb
ruary 26, 1878, to Mrs. Frances Ellinette
Baldwin, a widow, who by a former union
was the mother of one child: Grace M.
Baldwin; and this union was blessed by the
advent of two children : Achsa Emily ; and
Minerva Ellinette S. Mrs. and Mr. Packer
are attendants of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and do much for the advancement of
the cause. He has always been quite an in
fluential Democrat and active in the work
ings of that organization. His friends have
recognized his great executive ability, and
have prevailed upon him to accept several
offices, such as road commissioner, assessor,
poormaster, and at the present time he is the
efficient justice of the peace of the town of
Preston. The strictly conscientious manner
in which he has discharged the duties of
these various posts has proved beyond a
doubt that his fellow citizens' confidence in
him has not been misplaced.

ir\R. R. H. PHELPS, one of the lead-
I ¦— -J ing physicians of the town of Nor-
r~^—^ wich, was born in the above town,
August 7, 1869. He is a son of Hamilton
and Anna (Keyes) Phelps, and grandson of
Elisha Phelps. The name is of English origin ;
the ancestors of the family, upon coming to
this country, settled in the State of Massa
chusetts. The first authentic history we
have of the family is of one William Phelps,

KINYON TERRY.

CHENANGO COUNTY

i53

a native of Massachusetts, who with two
brothers, Pliny and Joseph, at an early date,
about 1794, came to New Berlin, this county.
They are supposed to have been the first of
that name to settle in this section. Elisha
Phelps, the son of William, was a farmer by
occupation, and was also engaged extensively
in lumbering and rafting. He was the father
of seven children, three sons and four
daughters. Hamilton Phelps was born in New Berlin,
October 12, 1823. He received a good edu
cation in the public schools of his native
town and in Norwich Academy, and then
taught for some years, when he made his
choice of a profession for his life work. He
took up the study of law, and was admitted
to the bar, September 5, 1848. He opened
an office and practiced law in his native town
for forty -five years. He was a special county
judge of Chenango County in 1863, and
served as deputy collector of internal rev
enues for some years; he also served as
justice of the peace for several years. He
was married to Miss Anna M. Keyes, and
they reared two children, Minna B., and
R. H., who heads the above lines. Mr.
Phelps is now a retired citizen of Norwich.
Dr. R. H. Phelps graduated from Norwich
High School with the class of 1887, was as
sistant bookkeeper in the David Maydole
Hammer factory two years, and then entered
the Medical Department of Syracuse Uni
versity ; graduating from that department in
1894, he spent one year in securing the re
quisite experience in St. Joseph's Hospital
of Syracuse. Returning to his native town
he engaged in his chosen profession, and soon

built up a large practice. Politically, he is
an avowed Democrat. He is a member of
the Chenango County Medical Society and
secretary of that organization.

INYON TERRY, a leading agricul-
Ig)^, turist of the town of Norwich, is a
son of Thomas K. and Nancy D. (Shaw) Terry.
He resides on the old Terry homestead, a
farm which has belonged to the Terry fam
ily for generations, and which was the place
of his nativity, October 11, 1834. The family
is of Scotch origin, the great-grandfather
having come from Scotland and settled in
Rhode Island, where he spent his last years.
Elnathan Terry, the grandfather of our
subject, was a native of Rhode Island, leav
ing that state for New York, and settling in
the township of Norwich, Chenango County,
in the year 1804. He was a man who, for
that day and age, attained a superior ed
ucation ; a man of bright intellect, he was
a keen observer of passing events, and an in
cident once impressed on his memory was
never forgotten ; he was well informed on all
general subjects, and, could converse intelli
gently upon them. He was one of the pio
neer settlers of Chenango County, coming
here when the country was an almost unbro
ken tract of wild woodland, over which
beasts of the forest roamed, in great part
unmolested ; the neighbors were miles apart,
and the only surety of not getting lost in the
wilderness was in following "blazed" trees.
He bought 150 acres of heavily timbered
land, only twD acres being cleared, and im-

154

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

mediately set about the improvement of his
property. He worked steadily at this, with
the assistance of his sons, and at his death
had cleared 115 acres. Some of the trees
had attained an immense growth, measuring
twenty-one feet in circumference. He was a
soldier of the Revolution, and bore several
saber marks, which were plainly visible up to
the time of his death. One of the most
highly prized heirlooms, now in the posses
sion of Mr. Terry, is the old musket willed
to him by his grandfather, who carried it,
when he gave his assistance to America to
throw off the British yoke. Elnathan
Terry was a deeply religious man ; he was a
deacon and one of the founders of the Bap
tist Church, at Norwich, known as the Free
Will Baptist Church. He was a very zeal
ous worker, and gave both time and money
for the cause so dear to his heart. He was
married to Mary Kinyon, and reared the fol
lowing children ; Joannah ; Esther; Ursula;
Salinda; Elnathan; Thomas K.; and Alanson.
Elnathan Terry died at the age of eighty-
four years, after a long and useful life.
Thomas K. Terry, the father of our sub
ject, was but four years old when his father
moved from Rhode Island to New York ;
when he reached more mature years, he
helped in clearing the farm, and was in fact
his father's main help. After his marriage
he took up his abode on the land which he
had helped to clear, and which had been his
father's home for so many years. He carried
on general farming, and added several acres
to the original 150. He was twice married,
his first wife being Nancy Shaw, the mother
of the following children ; Harriet (Wals-

worth); Phebe M. (Harris); Sarah A. (Mar
ion) ; Cordelia N. (Bradley) ; Ursula, who
died at the age of seventeen ; Maria M.
(De Lavan); Kinyon ; and Byron Shaw, who
was a student for the ministry when the war
broke out, having prepared to enter college,
which he would have done had he not
entered the service of his country. He
joined the Christian Mission Commission,
and in that work his health suffered severely,
as he was unable to withstand the rigor of
the Southern climate, with the sad result that
he contracted malarial fever, from which he
died soon after leaving the service. Thomas
K. Terry was an old line Whig. He was a
devout Christian, a member of the Baptist
Church, and one of the most active and en
ergetic workers in that organization. His
family early had instilled in their minds the
true religion, as laid down by the teachings
of Christ, and it was their aim to make it the
rule of their daily life. They were regular
attendants of the Church and Sunday School,
and he had the satisfaction, enjoyed by
few, of raising a large family, and knowing
they were all members of the flock of the
Good Shepherd. He died in 1874, at the
age of seventy-four years ; his wife, the
mother of our subject, died at the age of
forty-seven, in 1847. She was a true help
mate to her husband, much of his success in
life being due, in a great measure, to her
help and encouragement.
Kinyon Terry is a man of undoubted in
telligence and energy — traits no doubt large
ly inherited, as his ancestors, both paternal
and maternal, were people widely known for
their superior mental attainments. His ma-

CHENANGO COUNTY

i55

ternal grandfather, John Shaw, was a native
of Rhode Island, in which state he received
his education, taking a college course, after
which he entered the Baptist ministry,
preaching first in Pennsylvania, afterwards
in Lebanon, Madison County, this state ; he
was the first minister of the Chenango Val
ley, and at the time of his death was pastor
of the Baptist Church, at Willet, Cortland
County. He was engaged in the Christian
ministry fifty years, being seventy-four years
of age at his death, which occurred in 1858.
He was married, when a young man, to
Phebe Manchester, and this union was
blessed by a large family of children : Nancy,
mother of our subject; Harriet; Phebe;
Hannah; Orpha ; Orlinda; Betsey; John;
and Thomas. Grandmother Shaw was a
woman of remarkable vitality, living to the
age of ninety-six years. Her daughter Nan
cy was a great church worker, being active
in all the departments, but especially so in
the musical circles of the church, and the
choir. The great-grandmother of our sub
ject, Phebe Manchester, mother of the Phebe
Manchester named above, was an author of
considerable reputation upon subjects of na
ture and travel, as well as upon religious
topics. Some of her works were published
in pamphlet form, and were widely circula
ted. It is a pleasure to be permitted to
chronicle the romantic meeting of grand
father Terry and the maiden who was to be
come his life partner, Mary Kinyon. She
was a member of the village choir, and her
bright face and attractive manners attracted
the notice of the young man, who sought
and obtained an introduction. The acquaint

ance thus formed proved in no wise disap
pointing, as it led to friendship, love and
finally matrimony. They were not wanting
in pluck, and when they moved from Rhode
Island, they came overland with their three
little children, driving a pair of three year
old colts — a journey which would make us
hesitate a long time before undertaking, at
this day. Grandfather Terry carried in his
pocket $1,000.00, with which he bought a
farm, paying cash, as he was never known to
go in debt.
Kinyon Terry is a graduate of Norwich
Academy, having taken the full academic
course. In addition to this, he devoted seven
years to teaching, part of the time in the dis
trict schools of neighboring towns, and also
in Palmyra, Jefferson County, Wis. He then
purchased the old homestead, a farm highly
prized on account of having been in the pos
session of the family for so long a time, and
carried on general farming, adding to his es
tate, until at present he is the owner of 205
acres of as fine farm land as can be found in
the community. Mr. Terry has some very
fine blooded stock on his farm, stock of which
any man might be proud. He keeps a dairy
of thirty-five cows, his herd being composed
of fancy stock Guernseys and Durhams. He
has given much thought and attention to the
dairy business, and for five years bred the
Ayrshire cattle, then the Jersey and Durham
for fifteen years, but finds the Guernsey the
best breed by far for the dairy. His stables
contain some very fancy, high-priced horses,
and he has made a great financial success of
the business ; he has always taken great
pride in his horses, and has raised some

'56

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Morgans and Hambletonians of which any
man might be proud, as they are in demand,
and command very fancy prices. He sold
one colt for $300.00, which afterward sold in
New York for $2,000.00. Everything on his
farm is of the best; even the sheep are thor
oughbreds, being Southdowns and Shrop-
shires. Everywhere about the premises are
to be found the same evidences of care, and
the desire to excel in whatever is undertaken,
and so it is not to be wondered at that Mr.
Terry is looked up to by his neighbors as a
model business man and farmer. For many
years he has been connected with some man
ufacturing company ; at present he is repre
senting the Appleton Machinery Co. of Ba-
tavia, 111., handling all kinds of farm machin
ery. He has sold goods for that company
for seven years, occasionally going on the
road, but the bulk of his trade consists of
home patronage, selling for the season of
1896 two car loads of their machinery.
Mr. Terry has been united in marriage
three times ; his first wife being Elvira Glea
son, whose death occurred in 1866, after five
short years of happy married life. In Aug
ust, 1867, he married Naoma Van Patten, a
daughter of Nicholas V. Van Patten, a farmer
of Sterling, Cayuga County. This marriage
resulted in three children, only one of whom
is living, — Elvira Naoma, who is a highly
accomplished young lady, a member of the
class of 1892 of Mt. Holyoke Seminary, Mass.,
but on account of poor health was not per
mitted to graduate; Edna May died at the
age of four years ; and Kinyon died at the
age of eight months. In 1872 Mr. Terry was
united with Miss R. A. Lyon, a daughter of

Benjamin T. Lyon, one of the oldest settlers
of this county, and a resident of Sherburne.
She was the mother of one child, which
blessed their home for a short space of time,
but when this bloom had scarcely reached its
fifth year, it was taken to blossom in the gar
den of the Lord. In politics Kinyon Terry
is a Republican, and has held many minor
offices. He is a member of the Chenango
County Farmers' Club. Mr. and Mrs. Terry
are both communicants of the Calvary Bap
tist Church of Norwich, of which he is pres
ident of the board of trustees. He has held
every office in -the organization, and has
always taken an active and prominent part in
its councils. Mrs. Terry is at present clerk
of the church, and they are both untiring in
their work for the Master. As an excellent
representative of the best class of agricultur
ists and stock raisers in Chenango County, it
is but fitting that a portrait of Mr. Terry
should accompany this sketch, and it may be
found on a preceding page.

OHN M. ALBEE, a carpenter and
farmer of Bainbridge township, is a
son of John and Mary Ann (Ball)
Albee, and was born in Colchester, Dela
ware County, N. Y., March 28, 1828.
His grandfather, Emery Albee, was reared
in the State of Massachusetts. John Albee,
the father of our subject, was born in Massa
chusetts, December 27, 1800; after attaining
his majority, he moved to Monticello, Sulli
van County, N. Y., thence to Delaware
County, and thence to the State of Pennsyl-

CHENANGO COUNTY

'57

vania, settling in Susquehanna County. In
connection with farming, he followed the
trade of a stone mason, in which he was very
successful. He was joined in wedlock with
Miss Mary Ann Ball, and a large family of
children was born to them. They are as fol
lows : John M., the subject of this sketch ;
William, an old bachelor, who resides in Sul
livan County, and follows the carpenter
trade ; Horace, a resident of Susquehanna
County ; James, a carpenter and joiner of the
town of Walton, Delaware County ; Lorenzo
D., a prominent farmer in Colchester ;
George, a paper hanger, and a resident of
Susquehanna County ; Thomas, also a resi
dent of Susquehanna County, and paper
hanger ; William, Lorenzo and George, all of
whom served in the late Civil War ; Clarinda,
the wife of Paige Lyman, a resident of
Great Bend, Susquehanna County, Pa.; and
Abigail, wife of Charles Huff, of Susque
hanna County, Pa.
John M. Albee was married to Miss
Clarissa Thomas, daughter of Aaron and
Margaret (Miles) Thomas. She was born in
Broome County, October 18, 1822. Her
father was born November 18, 1791, and her
mother was born September 12, 1794. Their
children were: Polly, born September 10,
18 12, the wife of John Reckhow ; Phebe,
born June 19, 181 5 ; Lucy Ann, wife of Nel
son Baker, a resident of Great Bend, Susque
hanna County, Pa., who died October 2, 1897;
Truman, born February 12, 1821 ; and Clar
issa. Mrs. Albee was first married to Leman
Guernsey, and to them one child was born,
Leman T., February 23, 1845, who married
Miss Georgianna Hilton of Omaha, Neb.;
8*

after her death he married Miss Frankie
Vail of Susquehanna, Pa., and his third wife
was Cecilia Mills. They now reside in Los
Angeles, Cal., where Leman T. Guernsey is
a large land owner and real estate dealer ; he
is also president of the Redondo Beach R. R.,
which runs between Redondo Beach and
Los Angeles. He began his fortune-making
as a fruit dealer in Binghamton, N. Y., and
in 1888 he moved to California, where he fol
lowed the same occupation. He is a very
successful, thrifty business man, and has won
many friends by his honest ways of dealing.
Politically, he is an avowed Democrat.
To Mr. and Mrs. Albee were born the fol
lowing children . William Morrison, who
was born January 13, 1854, learned the call
ing of a bookkeeper and married Miss
Jeanie Stephenson of St. Louis, Mo.; they
now reside in Los Angeles, Cal., where he is
secretary of the Water Company, also
treasurer of an insurance company, and of
two churches; Ida A., born April 2, 1856,
died at the age of eighteen years ; Edgar A.,
born March 16, 1858, is a resident of Los
Angeles, a painter by vocation ; Helen J.,
born October 22, i860, is the wife of William
E. Tupper, a prominent hardware and plum
ber merchant of Binghamton, N. Y., and
Carrie E., born November 4, 1862, who is the
wife of William D. Evans, a well-to-do farmer
of Bainbridge. John M. Albee, the subject
of this personal sketch, received his educa
tion in the district schools of Delaware
County. He learned the trade of a carpen
ter and joiner, and has followed it ever since :
he has also carried on general farming in
connection with his chosen profession. Polit-

158

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

ically, he is an ardent Republican, and has
never sought public distinction. During the
late Civil War he was messenger boy on
the railroad, and was stationed at Alexan
dria, Va. He takes an interest in the
Sturucia Lodge, No. 423, I. O. O. F., of
which he is one of the members. Relig
iously, he is a member of the Methodist
Church. The mother of our subject was born in
Philadelphia, and was a daughter of Stephen
Ball, who was a wealthy man. Her grand
father, Stephen Ball, was a native of Eng
land, and was a first cousin to General
George Washington. Mrs. Albee had two
uncles who fought in the Revolutionary
War, one of whom, Aaron, was killed in
battle. Her grandmother on the maternal
side, Elizabeth Barry, was captured by the
Indians while living in the Mohawk Valley,
and was carried to Canada, where she was
held a captive for two years. At the time
of her capture, or immediately before, she
hid her silverware, and upon her return
she found it safe where she had placed it.
Two of her children were also captured,
leaving behind her husband and two sons.

•j'ENRY G. CARR, an honored resi
dent of Chenango County, and pro
prietor of a drug store in Afton, is
a gentleman of great enterprise and energy,
and one who has met with well-merited suc
cess. He is a native of Bainbridge, this
county, and was born November 6, 1844.
He is a son of John and Cordelia (Hoag)

Carr, and grandson of Peleg Carr. Peleg
Carr occupied a prominent place in the solid
agricultural interests of Laurens, Otsego
County, N. Y. In 1856 he passed to the
unknown beyond, being seventy-five years of
age. He was the progenitor of a family of
ten children, four sons and six daughters.
John Carr was born at Laurens, Otsego
County, N. Y., December 25, 181 1. After
obtaining a liberal education in the district
schools, in 1843 be came to what was then
called South Bainbridge. There he pur
chased a tract of land and soon became one
of the foremost farmers in that section of the
county ; he also dairied extensively and met
with great success. Mr. Carr departed this
life April 22, 1872, mourned as a kind father,
a loving husband, a generous, warm-hearted
neighbor, as well as one of the foremost
citizens of Chenango County. In politics he
was a stanch supporter of the Republican
party, and he had decided opinions upon all
the leading questions of the day, whether of
local or general interest. He was justice of
the peace and assessor at one time. He was
married to Cordelia Hoag, daughter of
Justus Hoag of Laurens, Otsego County.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Carr was blessed
by two sons and two daughters, who were
as follows: Henry G.; Justus H., who died
October 19, 1887, from the injuries received
in a railroad accident ; Ida E., deceased ; and
John R., a conductor on an electric street
railroad of Aurora, 111.
Henry G. Carr received his education in
the public schools of Afton, where he has
since lived the greater part of his life. He
spent his early life on the old homestead,

%

«

HON. JOSEPH BUSH.

CHENANGO COUNTY

161

assisting his father until he was twenty-six
years old. In 1878 he engaged in the drug
business, handling a full line of drugs, medi
cines, and also stationery ; prior to that time
he clerked in different stores in the village of
Afton. His store is well situated in the vil
lage, is neatly arranged, and he does a
thriving and prosperous business ; he is care
ful and accurate in compounding. medicines
and filling prescriptions, and therefore pos
sesses the entire confidence of a large
patronage. Mr. Carr married November 4, 1868, Mary
Grover, daughter of William Grover, and
they are the happy parents of three children,
namely : William H., a tinsmith, who mar
ried Clara Greig ; Frank L., station agent at
Cadyville for the Chateaugay R. R.; and
George H., who is a music teacher. Politi
cally, Henry G. Carr is identified with the
Republican party, and has served as town
clerk and treasurer of the village corporation.
He is a member of the Afton Lodge, No. 360,
F. & A. M.; Vallonia Chapter, No. 80, R. A.
M. He is also a member of the Susquehanna
Lodge No. 185, A. O. U. W. Mr. Carr is
leading a quiet and unostentatious life as a
good- citizen, a kind neighbor and generous
friend, and filling his place in life as the pro
moter, to the best of his ability, of every
good work and purpose socially, morally,
and politically.

"ON. JOSEPH BUSH, deceased, was
one of the prominent and influential
- y „ citizens of Chenango County, and
a leading member of the agricultural class.

He was a descendant of the sturdy old
Dutch race, his paternal grandfather, Elna
than, being a native of Holland. Elnathan
Bush, upon coming to this country, settled in
the State of Massachusetts, where he re
mained until 1790, when he moved to Bain
bridge, Chenango County, with a family of
four children, of whom the father of our sub
ject was the youngest. They came through
the unbroken forest as far as Cooperstown,
and there built canoes which carried them
down the Susquehanna to a point one mile
from Bainbridge, where the Bush homestead
is located. The tract upon which they settled
consisted of 250 acres of timber land, and by
many years of unceasing toil it was brought
up to its present state of cultivation, making
it a very valuable piece of land.
Joseph Bush was born on the old home
stead, February 23, 1823, and was the young
est of seven children born to his parents.
He was intellectually equipped for life's bat
tles in the common and select schools of his
native town, and was also greatly assisted by
his brother, who was a graduate of Hamilton
College. Until he reached manhood, he was
surrounded by all the best influences of home
life, and thus the foundation of a long and
successful career was formed. His inherited
energy and adaptability to business did not
suffer him to remain quiet, but forced him to
push out among his fellow men. In 1852, he
engaged in lumbering in Upper Canada, and
followed that industry for five years. In
1859 ne was nominated as Member of the As
sembly, and his popularity was shown by
the fact that of the votes cast he received all
but sixteen. In the Assembly he was on the

162

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Ways and Means committee and took an ac
tive part in obtaining assistance from the
state for the construction of the Albany &
Susquehanna R. R., materially aiding the pro
ject with his wealth and influence. After his
term in the Legislature had expired, he went
to New York City and dealt in real estate
with splendid results. He was a man of fine
presence, a good judge of character, and pe
culiarly fitted for all the affairs of life. In
1870, he returned to the farm, which he per
sonally conducted until his death. The life
of Mr. Bush forms a striking example of what
industry and determination may accomplish.
He made profitable investments, became in
terested in remunerative enterprises, won
honorable success in business, and secured
considerable wealth as a product of personal
industry and good judgment put forth in
fields wisely selected.
In political life he was a zealous adherent
of the Republican party, having been a mem
ber of that organization since its inception.
Prior to that time he was an ardent Whig.
He was one of the founders of the First Na
tional Bank of Bainbridge, and his influence
was at all times exerted in behalf of public en
terprises, which have resulted in much good
to the community. In connection with the
business transactions of a remarkably indus
trious career, he gave clue attention to the
cultivation of his mind and the gratification
of naturally fine tastes. After nearly two
years of suffering, death overtook Mr. Bush,
on Monday, January 25, 1897. At different
periods in his illness he rallied, and his strong
constitution would assert itself, only to sink
back again. During the declining years of

his life, every care and attention was be
stowed upon him by his relations and friends,
who had known him for so many years, and
loved him as a kind neighbor and a true
friend. A portrait of Mr. Bush appears on
a preceding page in proximity to this.

W~

ILLIAM J. WILDMAN, a young
and progressive business man and
a member of the firm of Wildman & Jaquith,
proprietors of the leading mercantile store of
South Otselic, was born October 3, 1870, in
the village of South Otselic. He is a son of
Albert and Alice (Nhare) Wildman, and a
grandson of John Wildman.
John Wildman was a resident of Pitcher
Springs, where he was engaged in agricul
tural pursuits. His wife's maiden name was
Baldwin, and they reared a family of twelve
children, eight sons and four daughters. Re
ligiously, he was an active member of the
Baptist Church, and liberally supported that
organization. Albert Wildman was the fourth son born
to his parents, and first saw the light of day
at Pitcher Springs, Chenango County, N. Y.
He spent his boyhood days on the farm, and
received his mental training in Cincinnatus
Academy. At the outbreak of the Civil
War, he left the farm and enlisted in the 76th
Reg., N. Y. Vol. Inf., and served with the
Army of the Potomac. He was in many
fiercely contested battles, some of which
were the most important in the war. In the
battle of Chancellorsville he received two
severe wounds, and was unable to perform

CHENANGO COUNTY

163

his duties for some time. At the close of the
war he returned home, and engaged in the
mercantile business at Pitcher for a short
time. Then he and his brother, John,
bought the store in South Otselic, which is
now owned by A. D. Wilbur. After a few
years' time they found it necessary to build
a larger building, as their trade had grown so
fast they could not carry an extensive
enough stock. They built a larger building
on the site, where our subject's store
now stands, and had it heavily stocked with
a fine line of goods. They had conducted
their new store about six months, when it
caught fire and burned to the ground.
Although greatly discouraged, they rebuilt
and restocked it and carried on a good pay
ing business until 1878. Albert Wildman then
purchased his brother's interest in the store,
and conducted it alone until his death in
1883. He was courteous and agreeable in
private life, and in business circles was highly
esteemed as a man of strict integrity, who
fully deserved the success with which he
met. His first marriage was with Miss
Alice Nhare, a daughter oi Jacob Nhare,
who was a painter and lived in South Otselic.
One son, William J. our subject, blessed their
union. His second union was with Miss
Juliette Dorrance, who still survives him.
Religiously, he was a faithful member of the
Baptist Church. In political belief, he was
a stanch Republican.
William J. Wildman attended the public
schools of his native town, after which he
took a course in the Syracuse Business Col
lege. At the time of his father's death he
was not yet of age, so his stepmother was

appointed his guardian and administrator of
the estate. She conducted the mercantile
store until our subject became of age ; after
which important point in his life he had
charge of it for four years, and then took in
W. E. Jaquith as a partner in the business.
They have a large, well-stocked store and
carry a full line of dry goods, carpets, cloth
ing, ladies', gents' and house furnishings.
They fully understand the wants of their
many customers, and the standard of goods
carried by them is of the highest. The store
is neat, everything is carefully systematized,
and everything possible is done for the
accommodation of the patrons.
Mr. Wildman formed a matrimonial
alliance with Miss Lilian Taylor, October 5,
1897. She is a daughter of Frank Taylor,
who is a prosperous farmer and a respected
citizen of the town of Pitcher. Mr. Wildman
is a firm supporter of the principles of the
Republican party, and believes that they are
the principles upon which the prosperity of
our country depends. He is a progressive
and public-spirited man and is interested in
all public improvements. It was mainly
through his efforts that the Business Men's
Association was organized. He is one of
the most prominent members and was chosen
president. This association was organized
for the purpose of advancing the business in
terests of South Otselic, and it has for its
motto : " Co-operation in working for the
business interest of the village. The solicit
ing of new industries. The taking up and
pushing forward of any object believed to be
for the general benefit of our village and
community." This association, though in

164

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

the first years of infancy, has been instru
mental in organizing the Cemetery Associa
tion, and the Union Free School. It cer
tainly has a bright future before it. Mr. Wild-
man was one of the organizers of the Mer
chant's Gas Co., of which he is the treasurer.
He is also financial officer of the Union Free
School, and of the Baptist Church.

JB

WIGHT MORGAN LEE, M. D.,
deceased, became a resident of Ox
ford, Chenango County, N. Y., in
the spring of 1867, and by his natural talent,
genial manner, and evident adaptation to the
profession which he had chosen, was not
long in securing an excellent practice. He
was considered one of the leading physicians
of the village, and possessed all the good
qualities which constitute a progressive citi
zen, and consequently a valued one. He
was a son of Rev. Hiram Wise and Miranda
(Bacon) Lee, and grandson of Abner Bacon
Lee. The latter was a captain in the Revo
lutionary Army, and took an active part in
the battle of Bunker Hill, and for his valor he
was promoted to a position on Washington's
staff. Hiram W. Lee was a native of New York
State ; after leaving the public schools he
studied for the ministry, and after a few
minor charges he began preaching in the
Congregational Church at Cincinnatus, N. Y.
Eight years later he moved to Triangle,
thence to Bainbridge, and at last to Laurens,
Otsego County, where he remained eight
years. He married Miranda Bacon, a native

of the State of New York, and they reared
the following children : Martha ; Charlotte ;
and Dwight M., subject of the biography.
Mrs. Lee died in 1888.
Dwight M. Lee was born January 25, 1843,
in Georgetown, N. Y., and was educated in
Cincinnatus Academy; in 1863 he graduated
from Hamilton College, at Clinton, N. Y.,
from which institution he received a degree
of A. B. Prior to this he studied medicine
under Dr. D. J. Ressegieu, and at the same
time attended two courses of lectures at the
University of the City of New York, gradu
ating December 27, 1864. He became assist
ant surgeon of the 22nd Reg. N. Y. Vol.
Cav., in the spring of 1865, and was mustered
out of service in August, 1865. In Septem
ber, 1865, he returned to his native county
and settled in Smithville Flats, and followed
his chosen profession for two years. In
March, 1867, he moved to Oxford, where he
practiced until his death.
He chose for his life companion Miss Eliz
abeth E. Gleason, daughter of John R. and
Susan S. (Hough) Gleason, and their family
consists of the following children : Charles
D.; Hiram A., deceased ; Zaida B.; and Wal
ter C. Charles D. Lee married Johanna
Bayer of Breslau, Germany. He is a con
cert singer and a teacher of ¦ music, having
studied music with Herr Stockhousen, at
Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany. Zaida B.
Lee is a teacher of music at the Clinton Lib
eral Musical Institution of Fort Plain, N. Y.
Walter C. Lee is now a student at Yale Uni
versity. Dr. Lee was a member of the Con
gregational Church. Politically, he was a
stanch Republican. He served as health

, '• '

ENEAS L. ENSIGN, M. D.

CHENANGO COUNTY

167

officer from 1870 to 1891 ; was a member of
the pension examining board two terms ; and
president of the board, from 1889 to 1893;
and in 1892 he was president of the corpor
ation of Oxford. Dr. Lee was a member of
the Chenango County Medical Society ;
Medical Association of Central New York;
Medical Society of the State of New York ;
and was past master and past high priest
of the Masonic Lodge and Chapter, and a
member of the Commandery. Dr. Lee was
cut down in the prime of life, and was deep
ly lamented by the community, which could
not well afford to lose so valuable a member.
He left to his sons the heritage of an irre
proachable life and an honorable name.

jNEAS L. ENSIGN, M. D., a prominent
physician of Oxford, Chenango
County, N. Y., was born in the village of
Pitcher, September 8, 1830. He is a son of
Solomon and Irene (Terrill) Ensign, and a
grandson of Solomon Ensign.
Solomon Ensign, Sr., was born in Hartford,
Conn., and at an early day came to Chenango
County, locating at Pitcher. He brought
his possessions by means of ox teams, and en
dured many hardships en route. He was one
of Pitcher's earliest pioneer settlers and lived
to see it become quite an important place.
He was a cooper by trade, but he was mainly
engaged as an agriculturist.
He was united in marriage with Elizabeth
Chandler, and they became the parents of four
children, whose names are as follows : Sam
uel ; Solomon, the father of our subject ; Bet
sey ; and Anna. In political belief, he was an

unswerving Democrat. Mrs. Ensign died in
1848, at the age of seventy-seven years, and
her husband survived her seventeen years,
dying in 1865, at the age of ninety-five.
Solomon Ensign, the father of Dr. Ensign,
was born in 1794, and obtained his intellectual
training in the common schools of his native
town. Like his father, he took up the trade
of a cooper, but devoted most of his time to
agricultural pursuits. He was a prominent
man in political circles and held many offices
of trust. For thirty-two years he was justice
of the peace, was a member of the board of
supervisors for fourteen years, and served as
county judge for six years. For one term he
was a member of the State Assembly in 1846,
and was school commissioner of the town of
Pitcher a great many years. In his politi
cal views; he was a Democrat, and believed
that the principles of that party were the
principles upon which the prosperity of the
country depended. He enlisted as a private
in the War of 1812, and was later promoted to
the position of corporal. He fought in a num
ber of important battles, and has a record as
a warrior of which his descendants may feel
proud. 1
In 1816 Mr. Ensign was bound in the holy
bonds of wedlock with Irene Terrill, daughter
of Elias Terrill, a native of Naugatuck, New
Haven County, Conn., but at that time a resi
dent of Pitcher, N. Y., and they were the
parents of the following children : Albert, de
ceased ; Samuel ; Cornelia ; William ; George ;
Betsey, who died at the age of twelve years ;
Eneas L., the subject ol this biography ; and
Elias. Religiously, they were members of
the Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Ensign

i68

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

passed away in 1865, aged sixty-six years,
and her husband died twelve years later.
Dr. Eneas L. Ensign attended the common
schools of Pitcher, after which he studied
medicine with Dr. D. H. Hulbert for a time.
He then studied two years with his brother,
Dr. Samuel Ensign of Cortland. He entered
the Albany Medical College of Albany, tak
ing a thorough course and graduating in
1856. His first field of practice was in Mc
Donough in 1857, remaining there until 1883.
His health failed him and he was obliged to
give up his large practice there and seek re
covery in foreign lands. After spending 1883
and 1884 abroad he returned to his native
land and located in the village of Oxford.
He has remained' here since and enjoys a
large and lucrative practice. Dr. Ensign is a
highly educated man and thoroughly under
stands all the intricacies of his profession.
He is a friend as well as a physician to his
patients and enjoys the friendship and confi
dence of the many people in the community.
He was united in marriage with Mrs. Al-
cinda (Randall) Fields of Norwich, and three
children have blessed their union, namely :
Charles L., a dentist of Syracuse, N. Y.;
Clarinda L., deceased, married Frank N.
Barney of Syracuse ; and Carrie L., de
ceased. In politics, the Doctor is a Prohibi
tionist. In religious belief, he is an earnest
member of the Congregational Church.
Professionally, he belongs to the Chenango
County and the New York State Medical
Associations. We take pleasure in pre
senting on a preceding page a portrait of
Dr. Ensign, executed from a very recent
photograph.

/j^

RANT H. MYERS. Among those
VJ^J_ who have contributed largely in
energy and in means toward the develop
ment of their native country's resources,
Grant H. Myers takes a prominent place.
He was born in the town of Columbus, Che
nango County, N. Y., Oct. 29, i860. He is a
son of John O. and Eunice A. (Kingsbury)
Myers, grandson of Oliver O. and Charity
(Lowe) Myers, and great-grandson of Oliver
and Sally (Ladd) Myers.
Our subject's great-grandfather, who was
one of Connecticut's pioneer residents, when
hardly more than a boy in years, moved to
and settled in the town of Columbus, this
county. This section of the country being
uninhabited, there was offered to the earliest
settlers an opportunity to purchase large
tracts of land, hence he became the owner of
300 acres, where Warren Myers now resides.
Mr. Myers was twice married, and to his first
wife, who died young, were born four chil
dren: Oliver O.; Oramel; Gardner; and Sher
man. His second wife's maiden name was
Hall, and they became the parents of three
children, — Olive, Sally and John. Mr. My
ers was an old-time Whig, and took an active
part in the advancement of his party's affairs.
He was elected supervisor, and later was
elected justice of the peace, which office he
filled to the entire satisfaction of the com
munity. Religiously, he was a Universalist.
Mr. Myers died at the advanced age of
eighty years. In all his relations with the
public, his actions were prompted by pure
motives and a desire for the general good.
Oliver O. Myers, subject's grandfather,
was born in the town of Columbus, this

CHENANGO COUNTY

169

county. He made his first purchase of a
farm in the town of Sherburne, which tract
of land he soon after sold and bought a farm
in the town of Columbus, where Charles
Thompson now resides. He also sold this
farm in turn and bought the Price farm, con
sisting of 250 acres, upon which our subject
now lives. After the purchase of this farm,
he immediately set to work toward its im
provement. In 1853 he built a part of the
present barn, it being the first basement barn
ever built in the town. He also set out one
of the finest and largest orchards in his sec
tion of the county. This orchard was set out
from seeds saved and planted by his wife.
He built the house which still remains upon
the farm. Taking it all in all, Mr. Myers
owned one of the best improved farms in the
county. He was also a successful dealer in
horses and cattle, bringing into the town
large droves and selling them to the farmers
and merchants. After carrying on this occu
pation for some years, he retired to Colum
bus Centre, where he bought a small home.
His life was characterized by devotion to
principle, earnestness of purpose and exem
plary action. He died at the age of seventy-
eight years. His wife was called Home
when seventy-nine years of age. She was
a daughter of John and Ruth (Seamons)
Lowe. John Lowe was born in the town of
Albany, and was a son of J. Thomas Lowe.
Mr.. Lowe settled in the central part of the
town and built >a commodious hotel. He also
was a dealer in flour, salt and feed, and did
an extensive business. To Mr. and Mrs.
Myers were born two children, John O., the
father of our subject, and Ruth A.

John O. Myers was born on what is now
our subject's farm, which he inherited at the
death of his father. Mr. Myers carried on
general farming and dairying until his death,
which was in 1894. His wife, who is at pres
ent living at New Berlin, was a daughter of
Sandford Kingsbury. To Mr. and Mrs.
Myers were born the following children :
Grant H., our subject, and Hattie E., who
married S. B. Pope of New Berlin, N. Y.,
and bore him one child, Theral.
Grant H. Myers early in life began to deal
in stock. He was associated with Mr. Sim
mons and Mr. Gehan of Sherburne. For six
years they were engaged in shipping live
stock, a business venture in which they were
very successful. At the death of his father
he inherited the old homestead, and is at
present devoting all his time to farming.
Mr. Myers' farm is stocked with forty head
of grade and thoroughbred Hollister cattle.
He has made many improvements upon the
farm, having remodeled and enlarged its
buildings. Our subject married Miss Helen Williams,
daughter of Marvin and Mary (Simmons)
Williams. Marvin Williams was born in
the town of Columbus, and was a son of
Foster and Roxanna Williams. Foster Wil
liams was among the first to locate in the
town of Columbus, having moved from Con
necticut with oxen and team. He cleared
the farm where Wallace Simmons now lives.
To Mr. and Mrs. Foster Williams were born
three, — Seth ; Catherine, and Marvin. Mr.
Williams died at the age of fifty-five years,
and Mrs. Williams died at the age of eighty-
seven years. Marvin Williams had the farm

170

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

of his father, now owned by Foster H. Wil
liams, and carried on general farming until
his death, which occurred at the age of forty-
two years. He was one of Columbus' oldest
settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Williams were blessed
with a household of three children, — Foster
H.; Grant ; and Helen, our subject's wife.
Politically, Mr. Myers is an earnest, out
spoken Republican. He has served his fellow-
citizens as committeeman, is serving his third
year as assessor, and was elected supervisor
in 1898. Mr. Myers has been and is yet a
very industrious and energetic man, and
much of his success in life is due to those
characteristics. He has been a resident of
Chenango County all his life, and has a well-
earned reputation for honesty and upright
ness of character. In short, few men in the
county are more respected than Grant H.
Myers. Socially, he is a Mason, belonging
to Sherburne Lodge, No. 444, F. & A. M.

SCAR G. BELL. The Norwich Phar-
macal Company, of which Mr. Bell
is president, is one of the most im
portant manufacturing industries in the
County of Chenango. The laboratory and
main office is located in the village of Nor
wich, with salesrooms in New York City, at
No. 51 John Street, and traveling salesmen
in twenty-five states in the Union, besides
agents in South America and Canada. The
business was established under a partnership
in 1885, and was incorporated under the laws
of the State of New York in 1890. It has
had a rapid and continuous growth, due

both to the superior quality of goods manu
factured and the enterprise and energy of
Mr. Bell and the other officers of the
company. The subject of this sketch was born in
Boonton, New Jersey, December 23, 1857,
and is a son of Horace and Hulda Bell, who
were of Scotch ancestry. He was educated
in the common schools of New Jersey, and
in 1874 commenced his business career as a
drug clerk in Boonton, his native place.
After two years' service there, he removed
to Smyrna, Chenango County, New York,
where he was clerk in a drug store two
years, returning to Boonton in 1878 to accept
a position as bookkeeper in a silk mill. In
1880 he came to the village of Norwich and
entered the drug store of T. D. Miller, where
he remained as prescription clerk until 1885.
In that year the Norwich Pharmacal Com
pany was organized, with Mr. Bell as one of
the firm. In 1890 the business had grown
to such proportions that the company was
incorporated, and took a leading place
among the pharmaceutical industries of the
Eastern States. The officers of the company
are: O. G. Bell, president; T. D. Miller,
vice president ; and C. S. Norris, secretary
and treasurer. Their manufactures, which
include a large line of proprietary articles,
ointments and pharmaceutical preparations,
have acquired a national reputation. Un-
guentine, a surgical dressing, made by this
company from a formula discovered by Sir
Astley Cooper, has a large sale in nearly all
the civilized countries of the globe.
The plant consists of several large build
ings, fitted with machinery of a special type

HORACE P. BREED.

CHENANGO COUNTY

i73

and design, made expressly for the company.
The main building is a structure of three
stories, with ground dimensions of 100 by 30
feet. The building devoted exclusively to
the manufacture of pills is 24 by 64 feet, two
stories in height. The boiler house is 38 by
24, and the engine room 20 feet square. The
new office building, containing also the
advertising department, and the experi
mental laboratory, is 22 by 34, three stories.
Mr. Bell is a Republican in politics, and a
member of Norwich Lodge, No. 302, F. &
A. M. He is known and respected as a
man of splendid business qualifications, un
questioned integrity and progressiveness
rarely excelled.

"ORACE P. BREED of Norwich, Che
nango County, who is represented
with a photograph on the oppo
site page, is a man of varied business inter
ests, and is the proprietor of one of the best
kept farms in the county. He is a son of
William R. and M. Caroline .( Packer ) Breed,
and was born January 29, 1845, in the town
of Norwich, this county.
Elias Breed, the grandfather, was born in
the State of Connecticut. He came to this
county in 18 10 and located on a farm in the
town of Norwich, where he speculated in live
stock and attended to the cultivation of his
land. He was a Democrat and a member of
the old militia. His wife's maiden name was
Polly Randall, and six children were born to
them, four sons and two daughters. He died
in 1855.

William R. Breed was born in this state
and was educated in the common schools.
He was a Democrat in politics. He was a
member of the Baptist Church and was a
faithful worker in its service. He married
M. Caroline Packer, and to them were born
five children : Edward E.: Horace P., our
subject; George D.; ¦ M, Caroline (Mrs.
Howard Bennett ) ; and William R. Mrs.
Breed entered the eternal city, March 6,
1886, and was followed by her husband,
March 26, 1895.
Horace P. Breed attended the common
schools when a lad, and later received an
academical education.. Upon leaving school
he entered the employ of the St. Paul &
Pacific R. R., and continued with them for
eighteen years, making his home in St. Paul,
Minn. He then came East and constructed
the line of railroad, running from Rondout to
Stamford, N. Y., known as the New York,
Kingston & Syracuse R. R. He then re
turned to St. Paul and served as general sup
erintendent of the St. Paul and Duluth R. R.
for four years. He then thought to give his
attention to some other branch of industry,
and engaged for two years in the lumber
business in Minneapolis. The next four
years he did railroad contracting in the same
place. He then returned to Norwich and
bought the farm, which he still cultivates,
proving himself to be a farmer of skill by the
results obtained. His property is a fine
piece of land and he gives it the best of care,
its neat, tidy appearance attracting the at
tention of even the casual passerby. He also
handles railroad and street car stocks, making
it a side issue with his farming.

174

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Mr. Breed married Ella Wescott, a daugh
ter of G. R. Wescott. She died, leaving two
children, I. W. and William R. He then led
to the altar Elizabeth Harvie, who was a
daughter of Peter Harvie. This wedding
took place in 1895, and their home is the
center of attraction to their many friends who
know the fires of friendship are ever burning
on its hearthstone. Mr. Breed is a Democrat,
and while he is always interested in politics,
yet in local matters he gives his vote to the
best man regardless of party. While living
in St. Paul he became a member of the
Masonic fraternity.

-.URR C. CAMPBELL, one of the
^A prominent citizens of Bainbridge,
engaged in pursuits of an agricul
tural nature, was born November 1, 1832, in
the town of Bainbridge, on a farm situated
on the river above the village.
His grandfather, John Campbell, was
pressed into the naval service by Great Brit
ain, but sympathizing with the Americans,
he deserted the ship before landing and
swam ashore. In Schoharie County he mar
ried Miss Anna Mastern, and after living
there for some time, they, with their chil
dren, came down the Susquehanna River,
and settled near Bainbridge in 1789; there
he purchased a farm of 150 acres in the same
year, and lived until his death. Part of the
farm is located on one side of the river, and
the other part on the opposite side of the
river. He reared a large family of children,
who are as follows: John, born October 16,

1781 ; Elizabeth, born October 3, 1784; Mar
garet, born March 15, 1787; Mary, born Oc
tober 9, 1789: Archibald, born February 7,
1793; Anna, born June 1, 1796; Daniel W.,
father of our subject, born January 25, 1800;
and Peter.
Daniel W. Campbell was born on the old
homestead farm on the Susquehanna River,
and after he became the owner of this estate,
he built a house and located on the east side
of the river. For many years he used to
conduct lumber rafts down the Susquehanna
River into Pennsylvania, and later he took
up general farming on the old homestead.
He was formerly an old-time Whig, but upon
the formation of the Republican party, he
joined its ranks and took an active part in the
affairs of that party, until he was overtaken
by death in 1885. He was united in matri
mony with Miss Rachel Fisk, and they were
the parents of five children : Emily Agusta,
born August 21, 1826, married Lorenzo
Moody, who lives at Winters, Cal., where he
served as the first postmaster ; Brinton P.,
deceased ; Burr C, the subject of this his
tory ; Arthur D., deceased ; and Charles H.,
deceased. Burr C. Campbell was reared upon the old
homestead, and lived upon it until the spring
of 1892, when he rented his farm and re
moved to the village of Bainbridge, where
he built him a fine residence, in which he
now lives. He married Mary E. Pettis, De
cember 9, 1857, and to this marriage have
been born two children : Mary Eugenia, born
July 21, 1863, is the wife of J. D. Bristol, a
well-to-do farmer of Bainbridge, and the
mother of one child, Mary, eleven years of

CHENANGO COUNTY

i75

age; and Janette H., born January 15, 1865,
who married E. H. Copley of Unadilla, a
farmer by vocation. Mr. and Mrs. Copley
are the parents of four children — Edna; Burr
C. ; Mabel; and Gladys. On April 3, 1872,
our subject was again united in marriage, the
bride being Miss Helen McLean, a daughter
of Harvey McLean of Guilford, this county.
She was born April 6, 1843.
During his early manhood, Mr. Campbell
was engaged as a teacher, at which calling he
was very successful, having kept up his stud
ies until he was one of the best posted and
best read men of the town. Politically, he
is a stanch Republican, and has taken an
active part in local affairs. From the time he
was twenty-one to within a few years ago he
had served on the election board, as supervi
sor, and was elected the last superintendent of
the public schools of the town of Bainbridge.
He is a man of wonderful resources, great
executive ability and untiring energy.

tUGUSTUS S. EDDY was born in the
town of Greene, Chenango County,
^_^ N. Y., September 17, 1845. His
boyhood days were passed in attending the
district schools and in helping his parents at
home. Augustus Eddy, grandfather of our sub
ject, was a native of Rhode Island, and was
one of the pioneer settlers of the town of
Triangle, Broome County, N. Y. He
died at the advanced age of seventy years.
C. C. Eddy, father of Augustus S., when a

young man taught school for several terms ;
later he learned and followed the trade of
carpenter and joiner.
He married Amy Stephens, and for several
years resided at East Greene. In 1850, with
his family, he moved to the farm in the
northern part of Smithville, and followed
general farming the rest of his days. He
died in 1870 at the age of forty-nine years.
To Mr. and Mrs. Eddy were born seven
children, four sons and three daughters, as
follows : Ellen, wife of George Orr of Man-
istique, Mich. ; Augustus S. of McDonough,
N. Y. ; John S., an attorney and insurance
agent of Chicago, 111. ; Alice E., who married
William A. Smith of Greene, this county ;
Charles A., superintendent of the wagon
company of Geneva, N. Y. ; Ida, wife
of Edgar Brown of Manistique, Mich. ;
and Clifford T., who resides in Toledo,
Ohio. In 1863 Augustus S. Eddy enlisted for
service in the Civil War. He was a member
of Co. C, 8th Reg., N. Y. Vol. Cav. He
served under the gallant Custer, and took
part in the following engagements: Cedar
Creek ; Spottsylvania C. H. ; Yellow Tavern ;
Hanover C. H.; White Oak Swamp ; Malvern
Hill ; Stony Creek ; Ream's Station ; Win
chester ; and the second battle of Cedar
Creek. He performed the duties of a soldier
bravely and faithfully, and received an hon
orable discharge in July, 1865. Returning
home he worked on a farm, and then for a
short time on the Erie R. R.
On November 4, 1868, our subject was
married to Miss Frankie A. Slater. One
son, Hartwell C, was born to them, who

176

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

assists his father in the care of the farm and
dairy. In 1877 Mr. Eddy purchased the old
homestead, running in debt about $6,000.00.
About 1880 he purchased and operated the
first steam thresher in Chenango County. So
many farmers were afraid of his machine,
that to get the amount of work he wanted
he threshed in nine different towns the first
season. After successfully operating the
machine for six seasons, he sold it and has
given his attention to farming and dairying.
By faithful and well directed effort, Mr. and
Mrs. Eddy paid their indebtedness in thir
teen years, and then purchased land in Mc
Donough, adjoining the old homestead, and
to get better water for dairying purposes
moved the house and one barn from Smith
ville into McDonough, and later took down
the old barn and replaced it with one of
modern design, the new structure costing
about $2,500.
With the exception of two years in Mc
Donough, and one year in Oxford, for the
purpose of giving their son better advan
tages for an education, Mr. and Mrs. Eddy
have resided on the farm which they now
own since 1877. For the last ten years they
have made a specialty of dairying, and have
won the reputation of making a very fine
article of butter, receiving a medal for a
sample exhibited at the World's Fair at
Chicago, and of having a choice herd of
Jersey cows, making an annual average of
over 350 pounds of butter per cow. He is
post commander of the G. A. R. of Mc
Donough. In politics he adheres to the
Republican party, and votes to uphold the
principles of that organization. Mr. Eddy is

an honest and obliging neighbor, and pos
sessed of good judgment. With a deter
mination to succeed, he illustrates that old
but truthful proverb, " Where there's a will
there's a way."

T^HARLES A. FULLER, an attorney
I Sj^ of Chenango County, and a citizen
^- ^ of Sherburne village, was born in the
town of Edmeston, Otsego County, N. Y., Au
gust 17, 1 841, and is a son of Thomas A. and
Harriet (De Forest) Fuller, and grandson of
Elijah and Ruth (Robinson) Fuller, and of
Gideon and Hannah De Forest, on his
mother's side.
Elijah Fuller was reared in the State of
Connecticut, and came to New York State
about 1805, settling in Columbus, this county,
on the farm now owned by Mr. Rutherford.
He built the house now standing, and set
out the orchard, which is still yielding fruit.
Mr. Fuller spent his last days with his son
Fitch, who resided at Columbus Centre, this
county, and died in 1864 at the advanced
age of eighty-seven years. Mrs. Fuller died
aged sixty-eight years. Their children were
as follows : Laura, the wife of Rev. Sidney
Mills; Thomas A., father of our subject;
Marcia, who married Dr. E. King, late of
Unadilla Forks ; and Fitch, now deceased.
Thomas A. Fuller was reared to follow the
pursuits of an agriculturist, and during his
early days he managed his father's farm ; in
1842 he moved to the village of Sherburne,
where he bought the stock of L. D. Newton,
and embarked in the mercantile business,

CHENANGO COUNTY

177

carrying, after a time, a line of groceries,
drugs and books combined. He died on
April 25, 1875, at the age of sixty-three years,
at his home in the village of Sherburne.
Mrs. Fuller, who was born July 28, 181 3, is
the youngest and the only survivor of a
family of eight children. Her father, Gideon
De Forest, was a native of the colony of
Connecticut, and was born in Stratford, a son
of Joseph De Forest, who was a grandson of
David, the first ancestor here. The family
was Huguenot by descent, and left France
early in the Seventeenth Century to escape
persecution. At the outbreak of the Revo
lution, Gideon De Forest was but ten years of
age, but that struggle continued long enough
for him to grow into military ability, and for
more than two years he served in Captain
Beardsley's Company of Connecticut troops.
Three older brothers were with him in that
army. Mrs. Fuller's mother was Hannah
Beardsley. Her father and a brother were
sea captains, and sailed their vessels to and
from the West Indies, where both died of
yellow fever.
Gideon De Forest left Connecticut in 1790,
or a little later, for the then far West and
settled in the town of Edmeston, Otsego
County. There he felled the forest, cleared
the land, and made a home for his family.
He was a tailor by trade. Sorne years after
coming to Edmeston, he and his wife, and a
number of their children, became members
of the Congregational Church in Columbus.
He was in 1838 pensioned for his war
services. It was told of him, that, on one ac-
casion when a brush with the enemy was
anticipated, he felt quite despondent, and got

off by himself, and prayed. After the fight,
in which his side had the best of it, and he
was feeling jubilant, some one said to him :
" Gid, what have you been doing?" to
which he replied, "Licking 'em like the
Devil." He died in 1840, and his wife in
1844. They were of good stock, and were a
stalwart couple. Mrs. Fuller is living with
her son, Charles A., and is enjoying the best
of health for a lady of her years. She is one
of the kindest and most faithful of mothers,
and by the loveliness of her life and her
strict devotion to duty, she has won the
esteem and confidence of all who know her.
Mr. Fuller was a firm believer in the Whig
party, but when it went into retirement he
joined the ranks of the Republican party. In
religious views he was an active and con
sistent member of the Congregational
Church. They were the parents of two
children, Charles A., the subject of this
biography, and Antoinette, who died in 1862,
aged thirteen years.
Charles A. Fuller received his primary
education in the common schools of Sher
burne village, and then spent two terms at
Madison University, at Hamilton, N. Y. In
the spring of 1861 he entered the law office
of Boardman and Ingersoll, of Cleveland,
Ohio, and, when Lincoln issued a call for
troops to put down the rebellion, our subject
returned home and enlisted September 1,
1861, in Co. C, 61st Reg., N. Y. Vol. Inf.,
which was assigned to the Army of the
Potomac. He entered as a private, and was
later promoted to be a sergeant, and in 1863
he was commissioned a second lieutenant.
He took an active part in all the battles of

i78

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

the Army of the Potomac, up to and includ
ing the battle of Gettysburg. Among the
other battles in which he participated were
the battles of Fair Oaks ; Peach Orchard ;
Savage's Station ; White Oak Swamp ; Glenn-
dale; Malvern Hill; Antietam; Fredericksburg;
and Chancellorsville. July 2, 1863, he was
severely wounded at Gettysburg, having been
shot in the left shoulder, which made it neces
sary to have three inches of the bone taken out,
and was shot in the left leg, which was ampu
tated eight inches from the body while he was
still on the field. He was a man of strong
constitution, and showed great pluck and
determination in the struggle for recovery.
He was discharged in December, 1863, for
disability, and after he returned home he had
an artificial leg, which enabled him to walk.
After his discharge he entered the law offices
of Alfred Nichols and E. H. Risley, at Sher
burne, and began to complete his education
in that line. In 1864 he entered the law
school at Albany, and was admitted to the
bar in 1865. He formed a partnership with
E. H. Risley, and the firm located in Hamil
ton, N. Y., where for a year they did business.
In the spring of 1866 he returned to Sher
burne village, and opened a law office, which
he still occupies, and where he has
alone carried on his business, except for a
term of four years from 1871 to 1875, when
he was in company with Stephen Holden.
Our subject was on June 23, 1869, united
in marriage with Miss Mary E. Mathewson,
daughter of Albert Mathewson of this county,
and three children have blessed their home,
namely : Louisa, the wife of Charles L. Car
rier of Sherburne ; Antoinette, who died

aged twenty-two months; and Marion D., a
student. Politically, our subject is a firm
believer in the principles of the Republican
party, and is one of the leaders in his com
munity. In 1888 he served in the Assembly
from Chenango County ; and in 1894 he was
a delegate in the Constitutional Convention
from the Twenty-fifth District. He is now a
member of the board of education of Sher
burne Union School. He has served as
justice of the peace ; as trustee, and clerk of
the village ; and is now a notary public.
Socially, he is a member of Plumb Post, G.
A. R., of which he is past commander. He
has also served as postmaster of the village
of Sherburne, from March 14, 1867, to March
14, 1887. He is a member of the Congrega
tional Church of Sherburne.

OSEPH TILLOTSON, deceased.
Among the heroic men and women
who came to this country at an early
date, and who witnessed its development,
enduring toil and hardships without murmur
or complaint, and, succeeding, were able to
pass the sunset of life in peace and quiet,
was the gentleman whose name appears at
the head of this notice. He was born in
Rutland, Mass., in 1776, and after attaining
his majority came to Oxford, N. Y., where
he remained for a short time ; after his
marriage there he moved to Greene, N. Y.,
and purchased a tract of land consisting of
1200 acres. There is no doubt that he took
the initiatory steps in the settlement of
Greene, and was one of the first to develop

WARREN L. SCOTT.

CHENANGO COUNTY

its resources, and to open the way for the
later civilization. Through his efforts the
land was made to blossom and bring forth
the fruits of civilization and prosperity ; and
while history may bear the names of the pio
neers of Central New York down to posterity,
the early struggles with untamed nature and
its final subjugation through their labors and
the results thereof erect a lasting monument
to their memories. He enlisted in the 1812
War, and rendered gallant service until the
close. He passed from this life in 1852. He
was a man of inflexible integrity ; of strong,
though uncultivated mind, and an uncom
promising Democrat.
He married and was the progenitor of a fam
ily of three children, namely: Jeremiah; Sa-
brina; and Silas. Jeremiah Tillotson married
Lovica Loomis of Greene, N. Y., and they
reared a family of six children : Martha; Jo
seph; Joseph (2); Mary E.; and two that died
in infancy. Sabrina Tillotson was united in
marriage with William Rice of Oxford, N. Y.,
and five children were born to them, namely:
Joseph; Derrick; William; Christina; and Mar
tha. Silas Tillotson married Eunice Smith of
Rutland, Mass., and they were the parents of
four children : Sabrina Lovica, who married
Daniel Gardner, who was born in England
and emigrated to America in 1841 and set
tled in Greene, N. Y., where he followed the
trade of a carpenter and joiner all his active
life ; Martha A. married Abel H. Smith of
Cortland, Cortland County, N. Y., and they
are the parents of one child, Elmer E., who
married Ines Dunham of West Eaton, N. Y.,
and is the father of four sons: Lewis R.;
Abel H.; Elmer E., and an infant; Josephine
9*

A. was the wife of George A. Chamberlain
of Chenango Forks, N. Y., and bore him one
son, Silas T., and a daughter, Lillie Augusta,
who died aged nine years and ten months ;
and Joseph A., who died at the age of eleven
months.

ARREN L. SCOTT is one of the
prominent and representative citi
zens of Norwich village, Chenango County,
where he is engaged in carrying on a very
extensive lumbering business, that is not con
fined to Norwich, for he has lumber yards in
Scranton, Pa., and other business interests at
various points in New York State. He is a
son of Alfred and Anna (Harrison) Scott, and
was born May 16, 1835, in Allegany County,
N. Y.
His paternal grandfather, Rufus Scott, a
native of New Hampshire, came to Allegany
County, N. Y., at an early date and engaged
in mercantile pursuits. He was a Democrat
in his politics, and an active church member
of the Universalist denomination. His wife,
Mercy Hackett, bore him the following
children: Rufus; Hollis; Alfred; Martin;
Roxie, who became the wife of Austin Farr ;
Almira, who married William Bradley ;
Diana, the wife of Thomas Clark ; Diantha,
who joined her fortunes with those of A. J.
Buskirk ; and Elvira, who married William
H. King.
Alfred Scott, our subject's father, was born
in the New Hampshire home before the
family moved to New York State. He was
given a common school training, and then

i8z

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

engaged in farming and in dealing in cattle
and other live stock in Wirt, Allegany
County. He did a large business, and con
tinued to prosper in that town. He was a
Democrat in his politics, and a very public-
spirited and active citizen of his section, serv
ing some twenty years as a member of the
board of supervisors. Like his father, he was
a Universalist and a very pillar of the local
church, liberal and free-handed in his benevo
lences. Nine children were born to him and
his good wife, namely : Melvina ; Warren L.;
Irene ; Rufus, deceased ; Russel ; William,
deceased ; Walter ; Charles, deceased ; and
Anna, who died, aged nine years.
A common school education and an attend
ance of two years in the academy constituted
our subject's preparation for the battles of
life, exclusive of what he secured through the
practical school of experience. When he
had finished his course in the academy, he
put the knowledge there obtained to good
use by teaching school for eight terms.
Then after clerking in the store of his uncle
at Friendship, N. Y., for a period, he engaged
in the grocery business on his own behalf in
that town, remaining in business for a year
and a half. After a year spent in Kent,
Ohio, he became a resident of Chenango
County, in 1866, locating in Norwich, where
for fifteen years he enjoyed a first-class trade
in the grocery business. At the same time he
also had a clothing store in the same place,
and was running a lumber business, having
made a beginning in lumbering in 1877.
He is now wholly engaged in the lumber
business, and has been so uniformly success
ful that he has branched out into other locali

ties, and conducts a good business in that line
at Scranton, Pa., and at Forest Port, N. Y.
The Democratic party claims his allegiance
in political matters, and of the local township
offices he has filled his quota. He is a mem
ber of the F. & A. M.
Mr. Scott has twice been a contracting
party in a matrimonial alliance. His first
wife was Mary Danforth. After her death,
he married Delia A. Prindle, a daughter of
Seth Prindle, October 3, 1865. His children
number three, as follows : Mary L., who be
came the wife of Rev. E. B. Olmstead ;
Frances, who married Mark F. Brown ; and
John P., who is a student at Oberlin, Ohio.
Mr. Scott's portrait appears on another page
in close proximity to this.

U>| DWARD LYON, a prosperous agricul-
\  . turist of North Norwich town
ship, is a son of Theron and Mary (Barber)
Lyon, and was born December 25, i860, in
the town of North Norwich, Chenango
County, where he still resides, one ol the
town's most enterprising farmers.
Samuel Lyon, the paternal grandfather,
lived in the same town and was a shoemaker
by trade and a Democrat in politics. Theron
Lyon was born there and followed farming,
first in his native town and afterwards in the
town of Preston. He was living at the time
of his death on the farm now occupied by
our subject, where he owned 136 acres of
land. He was forty-eight years old at the
time of his death, and left one child, who is
the subject of this biography.

CHENANGO COUNTY

183

Edward Lyon was educated in the district
schools of his native town, and devoted his
life to the pursuits of agriculture. He suc
ceeded his father on the farm he now culti
vates, where he carries on general farming
and keeps a dairy of twenty-three cows. In
politics he is a Democrat, as his father was
before him. Mr. Lyon was united in matri
mony May 26, i88i,with Miss Carrie Brown;
a daughter of Cyrus Brown, deceased. They
have but one child, Lily M., who is a bright
girl of fifteen years.

fSAAC S. SHERWOOD passed to the
world beyond, January 13, 1898. He
spent the sunset of life in quiet retire
ment from active labor in the pleasant little
town of Oxford, and was one of the most
respected citizens in the above town. In his
early days, being an excellent penman, he
accepted a position to copy deeds and legal
papers and to settle estates; he also became
a prominent figure in the courts, being clerk
for different lawyers. His later days were
spent upon the farm near the village of
Oxford, where he lived after his forced
retirement, because of advanced age. He
was born in Oxford, Chenango County, Sep
tember 18, 1 816, and was a son of Samuel S.
and Catherine (Bessac) Sherwood ; the former
was born in the State of Connecticut, while
the latter was a native of France.
Isaac Sherwood, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in Connecticut in 1768.
He was a man of great force of character,
possessed a mind peculiarly adapted to the

requirements of his profession, and was a
close student and keen observer. He moved
to Oxford, where he began the practice of
law, and soon rose rapidly in his profession,
was elected judge of the county, and served
as justice of the peace for a long term of
years. He was also supervisor of the town
a number of years. Later he embarked in
the mercantile tailoring business in Oxford,
and met with great success. He was also a
large land owner. In politics he was a Jack-
sonian Democrat. He married a Miss Smith,
a native of Connecticut, and they reared two
children, Samuel S., father of our subject,
and Rebecca, who was married three times.
Her first marriage was to Charles Dennison
of Oxford ; she then married John Judson of
Oxford ; her third husband was a Mr.
Hoxcie. In religious leanings Mr. Sher
wood was inclined to be liberal.
Samuel S. Sherwood, the father of our sub
ject, clerked in his father's store for some time.
His father then presented him with a fine
farm, and he immediately moved to his new
home, where he followed agricultural pur
suits the rest of his life ; his keen observation,
together with the practical information he
obtained in the cultivation of the cereals, en
abled him, through his energy and good judg
ment, to make a success in his chosen occupa
tion. He was a strong Democrat, and en
dorsed the principles of his chosen party.
He married Catherine Bessac, daughter of
John Bessac, and five children were born
unto them, namely : John ; Mary ; Harriet ;
Catherine, who married James Bennett of
Oxford, N. Y.; and Isaac S., who heads these
lines. In religious views, Mr. and Mrs.

1 84

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Sherwood were members of the Episcopal
Church. He died in 1846. She passed from
this life in 1834.
Isaac S. Sherwood received his primary
education in the public schools, which train
ing was supplemented by a course in the
academy at Oxford. He was a brilliant
scholar, and wrote a beautiful hand. He
was very prominent among his fellow men,
and was elected supervisor of the town for a
term of two years. He was trustee of
Oxford Academy several years. Socially, he
was a member of the Masonic fraternity,
belonging to the Oxford Lodge, No. 175, F.
& A. M. September 12, 1837, he was united
in marriage with Abigail Tiffany, daughter
of Humphrey Tiffany of Sherburne, N. Y.
Mr. Sherwood lived in his native state all his
life, and during that time his neighbors had
every opportunity to become well acquainted
with him, and the testimony they bear in
support of his sterling character is flattering
in the extreme. He was fully entitled to be
classed as an honest man and a good citizen
in every sense these terms imply. The most
ambitious could desire nothing nobler or bet
ter, and in passing down the hill of life Mr.
Sherwood was able to experience the deepest
satisfaction while contemplating the record
he had made.

LTrai

RANK J. QUINN, a resident and far
j|_ Is mer of the town of Preston, is a son of
Frank and Marjory (Welsh) Quinn, and was
born in the town of Preston, this county,
October 11, 1858. His grandfather, Frank

Quinn, was a native of Ireland, coming to
America at an early age to seek his fortune,
and locating first in the city of New York,
but later removing to Montrose Pa., where
he continued living up to the time of his death,
which occurred at the age of sixty years.
He was engaged in mercantile business. His
wife was Miss Green, a lady of French
origin ; they were the parents of seven chil
dren: Thomas; John; Peter; Franklin;
Henry ; William; and Andrew.
Frank Quinn, the father of our subject, was
born in Brooklyn, and received his education
in the common schools of that place. When
he reached his majority, he engaged in mer
cantile business at Montrose, Pa. Soon after
this he was united in wedlock with Miss
Marjory Welch, and moved to Preston town
ship, where he farmed all of his active period.
His home is at present on a farm, with his
son John, at Sherburne, this county, his wife
having been laid to rest February 17, 1887,
when but forty-eight years old. They were
the parents of six children : Martin Thomas ;
John ; Edward ; Frank J.; Robert; and Cath
erine, who died at the early age of eleven
months. He is a Republican in his political
affiliations. Frank J. Quinn attended the common
schools of Norwich and Preston townships ;
after leaving school, he worked for different
farmers until 1884, since which time he has
been farming for himself near Preston Cor
ners. He is the owner of 100 acres of fine
land, but at present is residing on another
farm of 100 acres, which he has leased. He
is engaged in general farming, as he is not a
man of one idea, who thinks it necessary to

CHENANGO COUNTY

185

devote his whole time to one thing in order
to make it a success ; on the contrary, he has
clearly demonstrated the fact that a man can
successfully operate two or more lines of
business, if he is possessed of sound judg
ment, and uses it to the best advantage. His
farm is well stocked, and carried on under
the most approved modern methods. He
has about thirty cows, among which are to
be seen some of the finest Holsteins that are
brought to this country. He takes a great
deal of pride in his cattle, and no pains are
spared to provide for their comfort, and at
the same time produce the best results in the
yield of milk and cream ; to this end Mr.
Quinn has erected a large silo, which holds
over eighty tons, and which is filled in the
fall with a fine lot of ensilage, ready for the
winter, when other green feed for cattle is
necessarily scarce. He also handles fertili
zers, selling to the farmers round about.
During the season of 1897 he sold over
$1800.00 worth of such machinery for which
he has the agency, such as mowers, binders
and corn-harvesters. He has always been
active in politics, as in his business, being a
stanch Republican and serving his party in a
number of different offices; for six years he
was postmaster, four years under Harrison
and two years under Cleveland's administra
tion; in 1882 he served as collector of Pres
ton township, was trustee of the school for a
number of terms, and is at present performing
the duties of assessor. He is a member of
the Grange, which he thinks does much to
advance the interest of the farmer, when
properly conducted. He was united in mar
riage, February 26, 1883, with Florence E.

Coville, daughter of George Coville, and
their pleasant home is ever open to a large
and appreciative circle of friends. He and
his estimable wife are advocates of the
doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
which they attend.

Y^)UCIUS B. POWERS, a prominent
I Jj and successful farmer of New Berlin
"~^« -" township, is entitled to be classed
among the early pioneers. He has lived in
his native state all his life, and has witnessed
the growth of a country which gave early
promise of great things to be. He has
assisted in its development and progress, and
has a just pride in contemplating the position
which the Empire State occupies in the
galaxy of sister states. Mr. Powers was one
of that class who began life amid difficulties
and with limited advantages. His oppor
tunities for education were only such as were
afforded by the pioneer schools, but his
industry and perseverance supplied what
at this later day the youth of America
seemingly acquire without a struggle.
Great credit is due Mr. Powers for the posi
tion which he occupies among the honored
citizens of the Empire State, and in his later
days he may be wholly pardoned for viewing
with pride the result of what he has accom
plished by sheer force of will and the ele
ments of character with which nature en
dowed him.
Mr. Powers is a son of Abel and Emily
(Lutton) Powers, and was born in the town of
Columbia, Herkimer County, N. Y., Decern-

i86

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

ber 26, 1 82 1. His father was born in the
town of Leverett, Mass., April 2, 1795. He
grew to manhood in his native place and
then moved to Herkimer County, thence to
Otsego County, where he remained but a
short time, when he returned to Herkimer
County. Upon his taking up his permanent
residence there he settled down in the wilder
ness, converted a tract of timber land into
cultivated fields, lived to enjoy a rich reward
for his toil and privations, and terminated
his labors upon the spot which had witnessed
his early struggles and final triumphs. He
married Emily Lutton, and they reared and
educated a large family of children, who
were as follows: Lucius B., subject of this
biography; Sallie, who died July 2, 1825;
Lyman R., born October 31, 1825, and died
November 28, 1892; Mary, born August 11,
1827 ; Zenas C, born Aug. 1 1, 1829, and died
in January, 1895 ; Almon D., born November
10, 1832, and died March 6, 1876; Damon,
born May 26, 1835, is a resident of Guilford,
this county; and Alvin, born June 14, 1838,
and died April 3, 1885. Mr. Powers died
October 16, 1841. Mrs. Powers passed from
this life November 21, 1893, at the ripe old
age of nearly ninety-three years.
Lucius B. Powers received his elementary
training in the district schools of Columbia,
and at the age of seven went to live with
one Spencer Field, of Richfield, Otsego
County, where he made his home until 1849.
There he followed the occupation of a far
mer, and also operated a saw-mill. In 1850,
he moved to Worchester, where he farmed
one year; thence he went to Sidney, Dela
ware County, where he remained five years.

In 1856 he moved to Butternuts, Otsego
County, and engaged in farming until 1871,
when he moved to Holmesville, where he
continued farming, but on a much smaller
scale. In politics Mr. Powers is a strong Repub
lican, and served as assessor for nine years
in the town of Butternuts ; excise commis
sioner for three years; member of the board
of auditors of New Berlin ; overseer of the
poor of New Berlin for two terms ; pathmas-
ter for a number of years ; and is now treas
urer of his school district. He was joined in
matrimony October 24, 1849, vvith Miss
Agnes Mellor, daughter of John and Ann
Mellor of Middlefield, Otsego County. Mr.
Powers is well known and highly respected
throughout the county, and has performed
his share in the building up of Chenango
County.

LPrai

RANKLIN EDWARDS, a substantial
|_ Is farmer and business man of Chenango
County and Preston township, is a son of
Thomas H. and Martha (Wilcox) Edwards,
and was born January 24, 1823, in the town of
German, this county. The first of the name
to locate in this country were from Ireland.
Paul Edwards, our subject's grandfather,
was a native of Connecticut, from which state
he came to the town of Pitcher, this county,
where he located and engaged in farming.
He was a soldier of the Revolution, taking
part in several battles, among which was the
battle of Ticonderoga. He was wounded,
and carried a ball in his left breast, but suf-

GEORGE L. SPRAGUE.

CHENANGO COUNTY

[89

fered no serious consequences from it. His
wife, Martha Allen, bore him ten children, as
follows : Rhoda ; Hannah ; Sallie ; Alinda ;
Patty; Thomas H.; Ethan; Russell; Paul,
Jr.; and Sexton. He lived to the advanced
age of about eighty years.
Thomas H. Edwards came from Stoning
ton, Conn., in which state he was born, and
located near the village of Norwich, and
afterwards lived in the town of Pitcher; a
few years later, he removed to Allegany
County, this state, remaining there the re
mainder of his life a resident of Almond.
Politically, he was a supporter of the Demo
cratic party, as was his father before him.
He was united in marriage with Martha
Wilcox, and to this union were born fiv^e
sons and five daughters : Almira Eaton ;
Rebecca Irons; x Martha Dye; Franklin;
Roswell; Theodore; Jane; Sexton; Ellen
Church ; and Tracy. The father entered
into his eternal rest when eighty-six years
of age.
Franklin Edwards, the subject of this biog
raphy, attended the public schools of Pitcher
township, this county, and afterwards fol
lowed agricultural work, coming to Preston
in 1843, and working as a farm hand for ten
years. At the expiration of that term he en
gaged in farming on his own account, on the
farm known as the Waite farm, continuing
there for fifteen years, at the same time being
an extensive speculator, and dealer in cattle,
having as a partner in the cattle business, De-
lancey Waite. He was married to Lucretia
M. Ashcraft, a daughter of Leonard Ash-
craft, a native of the town of Preston. He
took his bride to the farm he had just pur

chased in Preston township, and there they
still reside, in one of the most attractive resi
dences in the township. The farm consists
of \07yi acres under the highest cultivation.
Mr. Edwards makes a specialty of dairying,
keeps sixteen cows, and everything around
his stables is in the best condition, neat and
clean, as he thinks a great deal of his cows,
and believes in keeping them in the best
order, and in the most comfortable quarters.
Everything about his farm bears evidence of
thrift and care. He has but one child, a
daughter, Eva, who is the wife of D. B.
Heady, a farmer residing in the town of
¦Plymouth, this county. Mr. Edwards is an
ardent Democrat, and has been prevailed
upon by his friends to accept some local
offices, having served as road commissioner
and postmaster at Preston. He has on his
place an apple tree of which he is justly
proud* it being the oldest in Chenango
County and the first to. bear fruit.

{®To

EORGE L. SPRAGUE, manufac-
\mJ_ turer of lumber and cheese boxes,
and a prominent citizen of McDonough, and
county superintendent of poor at Preston, is
a son of Marcus L. and Safrona (Gale)
Sprague. The family is of English ancestry ;
three brothers emigrated to the United States
and settled in the State of Massachusetts.
Caleb S., one of these brothers, is known to
be the great-great-grandfather of our subject.
Joseph Sprague, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in the town of Athol, Wor
cester County, Mass. In 1820 he moved

190

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

from the state of his birth to New York and
settled in McDonough, Chenango County,
where he operated a farm of 200 acres. He
was an old-time Whig. He married Melinda
Chamberlain, and they reared seven children,
namely : Marcus L. ; Lois ; Lucy ; Otis ;
Francis L. ; Sarah ; and Eliza. He died at
the advanced age of eighty-four years.
Marcus L. Sprague was born in Peter
sham, Mass., in 18 19. He was a man that
could operate two or more trades success
fully. He was a farmer, mechanic, carpen
ter, and lumberman. At the time of Mr.
Sprague's death, he owned a farm of 300
acres. In politics, he gave a life-long adher
ence to the Republican party. He was twice
married ; by his first wife, Safrona Gale, he
was made the father of five children : George
L. ; Harriet ; Francis ; Mary ; and Otis J.
His second wife's maiden name was Betsey
A. Evans, and they were the parents of five
children: Charles E. ; Edwin M.; Freddie S.;
Willard B.; and Morris. Mr. Sprague died
in 1 88 1 at sixty-two years of age.
George L. Sprague received his education
in the public schools of McDonough, and
then turned his attention toward cabinet-
making, which he followed for three years.
In 1863, he entered the army, and served gal
lantly until the close of the war. He was a
member of Co. B, 32d Reg. Mass. Vol. Inf.,
the regiment being under the command of
the venerable Col. Prescott. He took part
in all the engagements of the First Division
of the Fifth Corps of the Army of the Poto
mac, among which the most important bat
tles were : Mill Run, Wilderness, Cold Har
bor, Bethesda Church, Petersburg, South

Side Railroad, Five Forks, and Appomattox
Court House. He is now a member of the
G. A. R., William A. Miles Post, No. 442, of
McDonough, in which organization he served
as adjutant for several terms. In politics, he
is an avowed Republican, and takes an active
part in the advancement of his chosen party.
He is eminently worthy of public office, and
his marked executive ability has been recog
nized on more than one occasion. He was
elected road commissioner for two terms, has
served as supervisor of the town of McDon
ough for two years, and in 1893 was elected
superintendent of the poor of Chenango
County, a position he now occupies. He
owns a farm in the town of McDonough, and
a mill and cheese factory, which is operated
by his son, G. Merton. Mr. Sprague is a
member of the Masonic Order of the Thirty-
second Degree, is a Knight Templar, and is
also a member of the Mystic Shrine, and the
local Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry.
In his religious attachments, he is a Baptist.
Our subject was joined in wedlock, in 1867,
with Miss Alice M. Harrington, daughter of
S. Harrington. They are the proud and
happy parents of four children : G. Merton ;
Agnes E. ; Winona ; and Alson J.
In 1870, when Mr. Sprague was in business
with his father, they had the misfortune to
have their lumber yard and mill destroyed
by fire, a loss of several thousand dollars
being entailed by the catastrophe ; our sub
ject again laid out his lumber yard, but in
1 88 1 he was again overtaken by misfortune,
by having the property burn for the second
time. He then purchased a farm, known as
the Merritt Daniels place, upon which he

CHENANGO COUNTY.

191

began to manufacture lumber and cheese
boxes, a business which his son, G. Merton
Sprague, continues to the present time. On
a preceding page will be found a portrait of
the subject of these lines, who is recognized
as one of the most prominent men of the
county, and entitled to the fullest notice.

^tHARLES J. HUMPHREY. Among
I S| the prominent citizens of Bennetts-
^- -^ ville, Bainbridge township, and one
of the best millers of Chenango County, is
the gentleman whose name heads the lines.
He was born February 13, 1829, in the town
of Bainbridge, this county, and is a son oi
James V. and Harriet (Olin) Humphrey.
The grandfather, Thomas Humphrey, was
a lumberman and also a farmer. The methods
employed in getting the products of the
pioneer farms and forests to the markets in
those days were necessarily slow and labori
ous ; the lumber was floated down the Dela
ware River to the market at Philadelphia.
Mr. Humphrey was a strong Democrat, and
held very decided views. He was born in
Connecticut, but was a resident of the town
of Bainbridge, this county, at the time of his
death, which occurred June 10, 1839.
James V. Humphrey was engaged in the
same business as his father, farming and lum
bering, and like his father was a Democrat in
his political belief. He was born June 7,
1 799, and died at the advanced age of eighty-
four in February, 1883, in the town of
Osceola, Pa. He was united in marriage
with Harriet Olin, whose father, William

Olin, was born in Bainbridge, but later re
moved to the town of Greene, where he died.
To this couple were born six children, of
whom four are still living : William T., born
December 22, 1824, and died July 31, 1897;
James M., born October 7, 1826, and at. this
time a resident of Anoka, Minn.; Charles J.;
Henry D., born April 3, 1831, and died Janu
ary, 1863 ; Harriet A., born June 2, 1833, the
widow of Mr. Heath, and now living at
Wellsboro, Tioga County, Pa.; George F.,
born August 18, 1835, now a resident of Gale-
ton, Potter County, Pa.
Charles J. Humphrey cast his first vote for
Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire in 1852,
but after that gave his political support to
the new party, organized in 1853 or 1854, that
has since been known as the Republican
party. He has taken an intelligent interest
in local politics, and made a splendid run for
sheriff while in Tioga County, Pa., and was
elected justice of the peace of the same
place, where he gave universal satisfaction in
his interpretation of the law. Mr. Humphrey
was a farmer lad and received his intellectual
training in the common and the select schools,
remaining on the farm until he had attained
his eighteenth year. He then taught school
in Bainbridge, and after five years' teaching
entered upon the career of a miller. He en
gaged to work for Mr. Samuel Corbin four
years in order to thoroughly learn the mill
ing business. Mr. Corbin was an expert mil
ler, understanding the work in all its details ;
he was also a very fine musician and enliven
ed many a company with his melodies.
When he left the employ of his old friend,
Mr. Humphrey was considered an excep-

192

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

tionally good miller, and readily obtained
employment. He first went to Osceola, Pa.,
and took charge of a new mill that had but
recently been built there ; this he conducted
for five years, when failing health obliged
him to return home for a year, when he once
more took charge of the mill at Osceola.
He then rented a mill at Tioga, Pa., which he
operated for seven years ; he then purchased
a mill in the same county which he operated
for eleven years, gaining an excellent repu
tation for the superior quality of his flour
and mill stuffs. In 1874 he sold this prop
erty, or rather traded it for a farm upon
which he lived for one year, but his thoughts
still dwelt on mills and milling, and in 1876
he came to Bennettsville and again took up
his old work. Since becoming the propri
etor of his present mills he has greatly im
proved and remodeled them, until they rank
among the best in this section. He carries
on a general milling business, and has all the
custom work that he can attend to. He
keeps flour and feed on sale, and so highly is
his flour prized, that some of his customers
come for miles to obtain it rather than use
any other brand. He also owns a saw mill, a
shingle mill and a cider mill, but his whole
attention is taken up with the making of
flour, the other plants being rented.
Mr. Humphrey chose as his bride Mrs. Eu
nice A. Kirby, whom he led to the altar Oc
tober n, 1853. Her maiden name was Eunice
A. Corbin, daughter of Ezra W. and Pamelia
(Church) Corbin, both natives of Bainbridge.
She was educated in the common and select
schools, and is a lady of very great intelli
gence, a prime favorite among her neighbors.

They have two children: Charles B., born
January 31, 1856, a jeweler at Bainbridge;
and Minnie Amelia, born April 13, i860.
Charles J. Humphrey is one of the shrewdest
and most intelligent, as well as the most affa
ble of gentlemen, and has aided in no small
degree in the prosperity of Bennettsville.
While Mr. Humphrey lived in Pennsylvania,
he was much thought of as a musician, and
devoted all of his spare time for many years
in organizing string, brass and reed bands.

T^JLISH

LISHA PHELPS, deceased, a prominent
J  . and influential farmer of New Ber
lin, was one who left the world better for his
having been in it. He was a true Christian,
an honest man and good citizen, and a valu
able member of society. He came from one
of the oldest and best known families in the
county, his father being one of the earliest
pioneer settlers. He was born in New Ber
lin, November 2, 1795, and was a son of
William and Polly (Warner) Phelps.
William Phelps, better known as Deacon
Phelps, was born in Springfield, Mass., but
at an early day came to the State of New
York, being one of the first to settle in his
section of Chenango County. He was accom
panied by his two brothers, Pliny and Jo
seph, and they each took up a tract of land in
the town of New Berlin. At that time it was
an unbroken forest, inhabited by deer, bears,
wolves and other wild beasts, which have
since become almost extinct in this district.
Here these hard-working farmers spent their
entire lives, clearing and putting their prop-

CHENANGO COUNTY

'93

erty into a state fit for cultivation. One by
one these old pioneers have passed away,
and the time will come when they will live
only in the memory of their descendants ; but
the work of their hands will continue as a
monument to their deeds, and as a reminder
of the trials and struggles through which
they passed in developing Chenango County
from a wild and uncultivated tract of land to
the rich and productive agricultural position
which she occupies to-day in comparison
with her sister counties of the state. The
tract upon which William Phelps settled is
situated about two and one half miles south
of the village of New Berlin, and consists of
140 acres of fine farm land. His son Elisha
succeeded to the ownership, and it has re
mained in possession of the family since. He
was united in marriage with Polly Warner,
and six children, all now deceased, were born
to them ; their names are as follows : Elisha,
the subject of this biography; James; Eli;
Dolly ; Sally ; and Mary. He was a Free Will
Baptist and an exhorter in that church. For
many years he was a deacon in the church
and an active worker, also contributing
largely from his own means to its support.
Elisha Phelps was reared on the old home
stead, and obtained his mental training in the
common schools. He followed closely in the
footsteps of his sire, and chose farming as his
occupation. He was a man of great energy
and industry, and worked not only as a
means of support, but for the love of it. He
was a shrewd business man, and during his
life-time accumulated considerable wealth,
and upon his death left his family in good
circumstances. He was looked upon as one

of the good, substantial men of the county,
and his death, which occurred July 8, 1870,
was a cause for universal sorrow. He was a
public-spirited man, and did all that was pos
sible to promote the interests of the com
munity. Though Mr. Phelps has passed into
the land of Death, he will linger long in the
grateful memory of the people, for whom he
labored so faithfully.
February 10, 1818, he was joined in Hymen's
bonds with Hannah Vale, and seven children
blessed their union ; they are as follows :
Melvina, deceased, was the wife of William
Hall; Hamilton, an attorney-at-law of Nor
wich : Vernon, deceased ; Catherine, who
now resides in Michigan ; Henrietta, who
lives in Otsego County ; Adelia, a resident
of New Berlin ; and Andrew J. of Norwich.

^VTNARSHALL G HILL is president
¥= I =/ of the private banking house of
H -L V^Church & Hill, having been made
the head of this solid financial institution at the
time of its organization in 1894. Banking in
terests have in recent years claimed the most
of his attention, although he has other impor
tant interests both in the village of Afton, and
throughout Chenango County. Sound finan
cial judgment and integrity of conduct are
keynotes of Mr. Hill's success. ITis connec
tion with a business enterprise is a guarantee
for safe conservative methods. The bank of
which he is at the head holds an enviable
reputation among kindred institutions of the
county, and this reputation he has ever made
his business to sustain. He has thus been of

194

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

vast assistance in maintaining the credit and
integrity of the business interests of Afton.
Mr. Hill is a son of Charles and Nancv H.
H. (Graham) Hill, and was born in the town
of Meredith, Delaware County, N. Y., March
17, 1854. The Hill family is of sturdy New
England stock, having settled in the State of
Connecticut during the colonial times. Jus
tus Hill, the grandfather of our subject, a
native of Connecticut, came to New York
State in 1820, and settled at Meredith. He
was a sea-faring man, and during the War of
18 1 2 cruised on a United States privateer.
He led this style of life until 1820, when he
located on a farm at Meredith and followed
agricultural pursuits until his death, which
occurred in 1850. His wife's maiden name
was Eliza Brooks, and they were the parents
of three children : Charles, the father of our
subject; Almira, deceased ; and George, who
is of an inventive turn of mind and resides at
Meredith. Silas Brooks, father of Eliza
Brooks, and great-grandfather of our subject,
was a Revolutionary soldier, being seven
years in the service.
Charles Hill was the proprietor of the
leading grocery store in Afton, and was one
of the village's substantial and progressive
citizens. He was born in the town of Mere
dith, April 23, 1820, and was educated in the
common schools of that place. His first oc
cupation as a means of earning a livelihood
was that of a farmer, which he followed for
about twenty years. He came to Afton in
1868 and opened a grocery store. Later, his
son, our subject, was taken into the firm and
they conducted it under the firm name of
Charles Hill & Son. They did a large and

paying business and enjoyed the patronage
of the leading citizens of Afton. Mr. Hill
died January 21, 1894, after living a long and
useful life of seventy-four years. In politics,
he was formerly a Republican, and in 1872
became a Liberal Republican, supporting
Horace Greeley for the Presidency, but dur
ing his latter years he was a Democrat. For
a number of years he acted as captain of a
company of Meredith artillery, and was serv
ing in that capacity during the Anti-Rent
War excitement. He was united in marriage
March 4, 1845, "with Nancy H. H. Graham,
who was born in 1823, and died in 1891, aged
sixty-eight years. Her father was James
Graham, a native of Scotland, who upon
coming to this country settled in Franklin
township, Delaware County, where he en
gaged in tilling the soil. As a result of their
union, Mr. and Mrs. Hill became the parents
of two sons, namely: Charles M., a traveling
salesman, residing in Binghamton, N. Y.;
and Marshall G., the subject of this brief
biography. Marshall G. Hill received his intellectual
training in the Union School and Academy
of Afton. After completing his schooling
he became a partner in the grocery business
with his father, with whom he continued
until the time of his death. He has since
conducted the business alone, but the firm
name remains unchanged. He has greatly
enlarged the store, added many improve
ments, and has made it one of the most de
sirable trading places in the county. Every
thing is neat and orderly, systematically
arranged, and indicates the successful man
ner in which it is managed. After the death

WILLIAM NEWTON.

CHENANGO COUNTY

197

of D. C. Church, our subject purchased Mr.
Johnston's interest in the private banking
establishment of E. M. Johnston &¦ Co., Mr.
Church having been the other partner, and
business was conducted under the firm name
of Church & Hill. He was made president
of the bank, Fred Church, vice-president, and
George L. Church, cashier. In 1897, Mr.
Hill with several others organized the Afton
Gas Light. Co., and was elected treasurer of
the concern.
Our subject was joined in the bonds of
matrimony with Miss Rubie E. Avery of
Ararat, Pa., October 6, 1878, and they are
the parents of five children, whose names are
as follows : Leona ; Nan ; Belle ; Bernice ;
and Erma. In regard to his politics, it may
be said that he is a Democrat of pronounced
views, and takes an intelligent and hearty
interest in all local affairs that concern the
public welfare in the least.

W"

ILLIAM NEWTON, son of Asahel
and Versalle (Booth) Newton, was
born at Colchester, Conn., October 15, 1786,
the eldest of seven sons. His father was a
soldier of the Revolution.
In boyhood William evinced the qualities
of energy, resourcefulness and pluck that
distinguished his after career. With the
slightest opportunity for an education, he
yet valued it highly; improved his little
chance to the utmost; and in after years
gave his children the fullest advantages,
three of his sons being graduates of Yale
College. 10

Before Mr. Newton was twenty years old
he came on foot into the wilds of Central
New York, and, purchasing a lot of land in
East Hamilton, built a log house, and the
next year returned to Connecticut and
brought on his father's family, of which at
that time he was largely the mainstay. On
the farm then settled, now known as the
Hubbard place, his parents lived and died.
Two brothers, Anson and Daniel, lived there
for many years after attaining their man
hood. After the family was well settled, Mr.
Newton came to Sherburne, in 1806, and
learned the trade of carding, weaving and
cloth dressing of a Mr. Mills, whose factory
was a mile below Sherburne village, near the
Paddleford bridge. Not satisfied with a
dependent position, he soon commenced
business for himself, building a factory on
the Handsome Brook, near the Sherburne
Quarter. This factory was burned, as was also
another, soon after its erection. The manu
facture of cloths, especially of a very fine
grade of satinet, occupied his attention, and
such goods being little, if at all, manufac
tured west of Albany, his trade extended
quite largely into the western part of the
state, so that at the close of the War of 181 2
he lost large sums by reason of the failure of
many dealers through the influx of English
goods. He, however, continued his cloth
manufacture, and with such a prospect of
success that about 1820 he bought a large
farm and built the family homestead resi
dence now owned and occupied by his son,
Lucius, expecting to pay for it out of the
profits of his business. But the burning,

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

about 1 82 1, of his last factory, filled with
new and expensive machinery, left him
almost hopelessly in debt.
Never were his manly qualities more
sorely tried, and never did he exhibit more
resourcefulness and grit. It was the era of
canal building. Mr. Newton sought and
obtained contracts in the construction of the
Erie Canal, and worked on the Utica section,
when Utica was a hamlet. He had subse
quently a contract on the famous Carbondale
R. R., in Pennsylvania, and also large con
tracts for bridge and lock building and canal
excavation upon the Chenango and Black
River canals. His success in contract work
kept him engaged in it more or less for from
thirty to forty years, and though long
burdened with debt, he finally threw off the
load, and at his death, August 9, 1879, at tne
age of ninety-three years, left a large estate,
had provided a large family generously with
educational advantages, and had supplied the
pecuniary help they needed for a start in life.
His wife, Lois, whom he married in 1 810, was
a worthy helpmeet. She was a daughter of
Dea. Richard Butler, of the best stock in
New England, and was born at Wethers-
field, Conn. ; pure, simple and energetic, she
was an example to her daughters and a true
mother to her sons. A humble and consistent
follower of the Master, she trained her chil
dren in the path of virtue, and blessed them
with her presence until called away at the
age of ninety-four.
The family consisted of seven sons and
four daughters, namely : William Butler,
now living on his farm at Parma, N. Y., at
the age of eighty-seven years ; Louisa

(Lathrop), now living in Sherburne, aged
eighty-five years ; Lucinda (Buell), Warren,
Maria, Amelia M. (Little), and Isaac S., all
deceased ; Lucius, now living on the old
farm, setting an example to the country
around of a practical and progressive
farmer, girt about with modern farm build
ings and appliances, and proud of his sleek
herds of Jersey and other stock ; Hubert A.,
lately deceased ; Albro J. ; and Homer G.
The daughter, Amelia M., was married to the
Rev. Charles Little, a graduate of Yale Col
lege, went with him as a missionary, and
fifty years ago was buried in India.
Warren Newton, as a young man, spent
several years in contract work on the state
canals. Afterwards he studied law in the
office of Benjamin Rexford, at Norwich,
N. Y., and was a law partner of Mr. Rexford
until about 1852, when he formed a partner
ship with his brother, Isaac S., which con
tinued until 1856. He then left the law,
and with the late James H. Smith or
ganized a bank, which in 1865 became the
National Bank of Norwich, of which he was
cashier and chief manager until his death, in
December, 1891. He was untiring and ab
sorbed in his business as a banker, with a
capacity for work that was wonderful. The
present substantial condition of the National
Bank of Norwich is proof of his wise judg
ment. Isaac S. Newton was graduated at Yale
College in 1848, and proceeded at once to the
study of law. After a few months of practice
at Sherburne, he formed a partnership with
his brother Warren at Norwich, where the
rest of his life was spent. He was soon

CHENANGO COUNTY

199

made district attorney of the county, and
held the office for six years. It is unneces
sary to say to any one residing in Chenango
County between the years 1850 and 1890,
that Isaac Newton was an able lawyer, for
few men were better known in this region
than he, and his counsel was sought far and
near, not alone upon questions of law, for
his breadth of knowledge — another evidence
that the law is the " learned profession " —
made him a ready counselor in other mat
ters. It is doubtful if the life of any man in
the county was ever more filled than his
with activity, to the very hour of his sudden
death in 1889. Skilled in the law, retentive
of memory, trenchant in argument, and
earnest of purpose, his antagonist needed
alertness to meet him. He had an innate
sense of justice, and the rights of men were
sacred to him. A true Christian and an
honest lawyer, he was trusted as such, and
served his generation faithfully, and many
mourned his death.
Hubert A. Newton was born March 19,
1830; was graduated from Yale College in
1850; was made tutor in 1853; and at the age
of twenty-five was appointed Professor of
Mathematics in the college, which position
he occupied until his death, August 12, 1896,
a period of more than forty years. Under
his instruction passed thousands of young
men, who can testify to the accuracy, indi
viduality and enthusiasm of his methods and
the exhaustive value of his work.
But his reputation rests largely upon his
mathematical and astronomical researches.
The published records of these are found
mostly in the American Journal of Science,

of which journal he was an associate editor
from 1864 to 1896. These records begin in
1853, and few years of his life passed with
out the publication of some new research.
The great star shower of November, 1833,
filled the miuds of a few thoughtful astron
omers, notably Professor Olmstead and Mr.
Edward C. Herrick of Yale College, with
questioning as to its cause. Professor New
ton, with his thorough geometrical training,
set himself to the task of studying the mete
oric displays. He sought carefully all past
records of star showers. He instituted a
careful system of observation, many of the
observers being trained by himself for the
work; and out of the data thus obtained de
monstrated by acute mathematical reasoning
that these apparent vagrants of the heavens
were under law, and he sought to find to
whose kingdom they belonged. He became
convinced that the great display of 1833 ap
peared at regular intervals of thirty-three
and one-quarter years ; and that, therefore,
it might be expected to return in 1866. His
anticipation was abundantly verified that
year in all parts of the world, and congratu
lations poured in upon him from astronomers
of many nations.
More than forty of his published papers
relate to shooting stars, meteors, meteorites
and comets. Upon receiving a gold medal,
awarded him by the National Academy in
1888 for investigations upon the orbits of
meteors, he said : " To discover some new
truth in nature, even though it concerns the
small things in the world, gives one of the
purest pleasures in human experience. It
gives joy to tell others of the treasure

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

found." This remark is the key to his life
long enthusiasm. He sought truth and not
reputation. But he was held in high repute ;
for as early as 1862 he became a member of
the American Academy of Arts and Sciences ;
in 1863 he was named by Congress one of
the original charter members of the National
Academy of Sciences; was elected to the
American Philosophical Society in 1867; in
1868 the degree of Doctor of Laws was
conferred upon him by the University of
Michigan ; he was elected Associate of the
Royal Astronomical Society of London in
1872; and Foreign Honorary Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1886; and in
1892 was elected Foreign Member of the
Royal Society of London.
" But the studies which have won for their
author an honorable reputation among men
of science of all countries," says his biogra
pher, Professor Gibbs, " form only one side
of the life of the man. Another side, prob
ably the most important, is that in which he
was identified with the organic life of the
college and university with which he had
been connected from a very early age. In
fact, we might almost call the studies, which
we have been considering, the recreations of
a busy life of one whose serious occupation
has been that of an instructor." * * * * *
" In all these relations of life the subject of
this sketch exhibited the same traits of
character which are seen in his published
papers, the same modesty, the same consci
entiousness, the same devotion to high ideals.
Flis life was the quiet life of the scholar, en
nobled by the unselfish aims of the Christian
gentleman."

Albro J. Newton, the sixth son of William
Newton, was born August 16, 1832, at Sher
burne, where his boyhood was spent on
the family homestead. Ill health interfering
with his plans of study, he turned his atten
tion to business, in which he has met with a
large degree of success. Early he became
associated with that excellent man of busi
ness, Mr. Whitman Kenyon, Sr., well known
to Sherburne residents of forty years ago,
and early in the fifties they joined partner
ship in the manufacture of doors, sashes and
blinds in the City of Binghamton. This busi
ness was transferred, in 1861 to the City
of Brooklyn, where, in connection with a
general lumber trade, it is now carried on
under the style of " The Albro J. Newton
Company," but with very different methods
and machinery, and with products of a vastly
higher finish than those of the early days.
The business has kept a large number of men
employed for many years. Mr. Newton is
conservative, and yet has not failed to take
advantage of opportunity, and is a man
whose judgment is relied upon by business
men. In the thirty-seven years he has spent
in Brooklyn, he has been a prominent figure
in the city's life and development, and
although not holding public office, has been
sought after as director in several of the
city's strongest financial institutions, and has
been identified with many of the prominent
philanthropic organizations of the place.
In the religious life of the city he has always
been active, being first a member of the Re
formed Church and later a member of the
Church of the Pilgrims. He is also a director
of the Brooklyn Young Men's Christian As-

CHENANGO COUNTY

sociation and of the American Board of
Commissioners for Foreign Missions.
Dr. Homer G. Newton, the youngest son,
born in Sherburne, in 1835, has for the past
twenty years been a resident of his native
town. His professional life consisted of a
service of nearly two years as a regimental
medical officer during the Civil War, and a
subsequent practice in the City of Brooklyn,
where, associated with Dr. Cornelius R.
Agnew of New York, and Dr. Arthur
Mathewson, he actively helped in the or
ganization and establishment of the Brook
lyn Eye and Ear Hospital, of which he was
a medical officer and director until leaving
the city.
In 1874, he and his wife, as seekers for
health, went to Southern California, where
they had some years of pleasant experience
and strenuous work among the earliest set
tlers of the infant colony of Pasadena. For the
past fifteen years Dr. Newton has been con
nected with the Sherburne National Bank,
either as cashier or vice-president. He was
married in 1869 to Miss Grace Pratt, daughter
of Mr. Joshua Pratt of Sherburne.
A portrait of the subject of this sketch,
William Newton, appears in connection with
the foregoing life history on a preceding
page. It was executed from an oil painting
that hangs in the home of his son, Dr. Ho
mer G. Newton.

^¦g^S A. IVES. Among the self-made men
I JT of Chenango County, farmers by voca-
"^— ¦ ¦ ^ tion, who have succeeded through
their own energy and perseverance, and to

day are the proprietors of fine and produc
tive farms, is the above named resident of
Guilford township. The gentleman, whose
name stands at the head of this narrative,
proudly traces back for several generations
his ancestors, of whom he has a good record ;
they were a long-lived race, full of honest
purposes and good deeds. The history of
the early citizens of Chenango County can
not fail to be deeply interesting to the rising
and succeeding generations. The perusal of
such history is the only means by which we
of the present day can form any adequate
idea of the difficulties which beset those
who, leaving old homes and old associations,
set their faces westward to open up, improve
and cultivate a new country. Not only were
there difficulties in the soil with which to
contend, but there was also the melancholy
of solitude and the deprivations of human
companionship, often when this companion
ship was most needed of anything on the face
of the earth. As to their reflections and the
internal battles which they waged, often with
home-sickness and apprehension, these brave
old souls are mostly silent. As a record of
how they overcame this and other difficul
ties, for the most part they point silently to
the smiling fields and beautiful villages,
which stand as symbols of victory.
Pre-eminent on this roll of honor stand the
names of Abraham and Samuel Ives — the
one the great-grandfather and the other the
grandfather of our subject. Abraham Ives
was a native of the State of Connecticut,
and followed farming most of his life ; he also
did considerable work in the line of a stone
mason. In 1796 his eldest son, Samuel, came

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

west and located in the wilds of New York
State, and was followed by his father a few
years later, and for the past century the com
munity has been known as the Ives Settle
ment. Abraham Ives was the father of four
sons and five daughters, who were as follows:
Samuel, the first to locate in the Ives Settle
ment ; Lyman ; Elias and Abraham, both of
whom were farmers of the afore-mentioned
district ; Clarissa, the oldest daughter, mar
ried Ozias Bush, who was also a farmer of
this community ; Fannie, who was twice
married — her first husband was Simon Trask,
and she then married Ozias Bush, who was
the widower of her eldest sister; Eunice
married Abijah Cornwall ; Mariab married
Stephen Yale, and has one daughter, Elam
Yale. Samuel Ives, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was one of the first to move into the
wilderness of New York, which was at that
time inhabited only by the red men and by
wild beasts. After selecting a small spot of
timber land, he returned home and was
united in marriage with Miss Lucy Ann
At water, and in the winter of 1797, they
placed their household goods upon a sled
which was drawn by a yoke of oxen, and
started for their new home, arriving there
sometime in the spring of 1798. The only
way they found their way through the dense
forest was by following the trees which had
been blazed by Mr. Ives on his previous trip.
He felled trees and built a log house in which
he and his new bride lived for many years.
Mr. Ives was a peacemaker in his neighbor
hood, and all disputes that arose were left
to him to settle. He died at the age of forty-

five years, leaving a wife and six children to
mourn his death. The children were as fol
lows : Alfred, the father of our subject ; Orin
died early in life ; Isaac A., a farmer of Ives
Settlement ; Samuel G., a farmer ; Edwin,
who was a farmer at Sidney, N. Y.; Lucy,
deceased, was twice married — her first hus
band was Eldad Bush of Guilford, and after
his death she married James Edgerton of
Smithville. Mr. Ives was a strong Democrat
and was a leader in politics in his community.
Alfred Ives, father of our subject, was born
in the town of Guilford, N. Y., January 22,
1798. He was one of those gentlemen to
whom the growing population of Chenango
County can point with pride as being a self-
made man ; he did a world of good through
his own indomitable enery and perseverance.
His school privileges were quite limited, and
what education he acquired in the district
schools was later supplemented by practical
information. His life was that of a farmer,
and his younger days were passed on the
old homestead of his parents, assisting his
father in the labor about the farm. He pur
chased the old homestead and later increased
the farm by buying another 100 acres adjoin
ing the original estate. He followed farming
and ran a dairy, owning the largest herd of
cattle in his neighborhood. He was the
owner of the only horse in the community,
and many a time he carried grain on the
horse's back to the mill at Oxford or Una
dilla, a distance of ten miles. Returning
home late at night with his grist, his only
company was the howling wolves, which
were very plentiful in those days. In relig
ious views he was an active and consistent

CHENANGO COUNTY

203

member of the Congregationalist Church of
Guilford Centre. He was a stanch Democrat,
proud of his life-long connection with that
party, and had much to say and to do in the
guidance of that party in his section. He
held many local offices in his day. He died
February 22, 1866, on the old homestead.
His wife, Roxalena, was a daughter of Jehial
Parsons, a native of Connecticut, who came
to the town of Guilford and engaged in farm
ing. To Mr. and Mrs. Ives were given three
children : Emeline P., widow of the late
Edwin M. Whiting, who was a mail agent on
the C. & N. W. R. R.; L. A., who heads the
above lines ; and Rufus S., who is farming on
the old homestead.
L. A. Ives received his education in the
common schools and at Guilford Academy,
and when he arrived at years of manhood
purchased a tract of land, consisting of 100
acres, near that owned by his father. The
farm was known as the Joel Hendrick farm,
having been settled by that pioneer in 1795.
He also owns 64 acres of timber land. His
farm is stocked with a large herd of cattle,
which are well kept. He operates a dairy,
which is considered to be the largest in the
village, if not in the county. Upon the or
ganization of the Republican party, he joined
its ranks, and has voted to uphold the princi
ples of that party ever since. He is a mem
ber of the Congregational Church, to the
support of which he contributes cheerfully
and liberally.
Mr. Ives was married January 12, 1853, to
Mary Ann Van Cott, daughter of John Van
Cott, a farmer and speculator of Guilford,
N. Y. Seven children were born to them,

namely : Samuel A., a farmer of Guilford,
N. Y.; John A., also a well-to-do farmer of
Guilford, N. Y.; George A., a coal and feed
merchant of Bainbridge; R. Lena; Ella A.;
Mary E., wife of M. B. Shelton, a farmer of
Guilford ; and Otto L., who assists in oper
ating the farm. Mr. Ives is now on the
sunny, western slope of lite, surrounded by
friends of the present and the dear memories
of the past. He is filling out a life that has
been of use and advantage both to himself
and to everyone who has come into the circle
of his good influence.

rm0

EORGE N. HARRINGTON was
VJ^X- born June 8, 1827, in the town of
Greene, on the farm where he now resides,
and has for many years occupied a place
among his native town's leading farmers.
He is a son of Benjamin and Mary (Smith)
Harrington, and grandson of Thomas Har
rington. Thomas Harrington was a native
of Vermont, but after his marriage he moved
to this county, locating at Bainbridge, where
he resided for some time. He then cast in his
lot with the pioneers about Greene, where
he bought a tract of forest-covered land,
about three miles south of the village of
Greene, which he cleared and developed into
a fine farm. This piece of land has remained
in the family every since, his son, Benjamin,
succeeding him in its ownership, and his
grandson, George, now owning it. His fam
ily consisted of four sons and one daughter,
namely : Thankful, who became the wife of
Joshua Harrington ; Ezekiel ; Daniel ; and

204

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Benjamin. Benjamin Harrington was born
at Bainbridge, N. Y., in 1788, and was but
fourteen years old wh'en his father came to
the town of Greene, which was his home for
so many years. He was always engaged in
farming, and he succeeded his father in the
ownership of the old farm ; he cultivated the
farm until 1858, when he retired from active
work to enjoy the accumulations of years of
hard labor. He then moved to Lisle, Broome
County, where he resided until his death,
which occurred July 4, 1866. His wife's
maiden name was Mary Smith ; she was
born at Troy, Pa., in 1791, and lived there
until her marriage. Her earthly career came
to an end at Lisle, N. Y., January 12, 1869.
As a result of this union, eight children were
born to them, four boys and four girls ; their
names are as follows: Cynthia, deceased, the
wife of the late Dr. S. H. French of Lisle;
Sally, deceased, wife of the late Ira French ;
Lydia, deceased, who married John Inger-
son ; William S., a retired farmer of Greene ;
George N., the subject of this sketch ; and
Dr. Salphronius H., now retired, who lives
at Chenango Forks.
George N. Harrington grew to an active
and self-reliant manhood in his native town,
and received his education in the public
schools. He has always resided on the old
homestead, and now owns it; it is an excel
lent farm of 120 acres, and is amply provided
with good buildings and all of the improve
ments necessary to carry on agriculture
profitably. He also owns two other fine
farms in the county. Mr. Harrington has a
well balanced mind, sound judgment and a
good understanding of business matters,

which traits have undoubtedly contributed
to his prosperity, while his work as an agri
culturist has been of material benefit to his
native county.
November 5, 1857, he was united in mar
riage with Miss Adaline M. Aldrich, a daugh
ter of William Aldrich, whose home is in
New Berlin, this county ; she was born in But
ternuts, Otsego County, N. Y., Oct. 9, 1833.
They are the parents of three children:
Elizabeth, who is now the wife of Ira Carley
of Lisle ; Lynn died in boyhood ; and Ralph,
who is living at home with his parents.
They are consistent Christians, and are faith
ful members, she of the Baptist and he of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Harring
ton was at one time a member of the Good
Templars Lodge. Politically, he is a stanch
Republican.

sWTo

EORGE A. TIFFANY, a leading
\P^J_ and well-to-do farmer of North
Norwich township, is a son of Lewis and
Maranda (Matthewson) Tiffany, and was
born May 24, 1854. in the town of North
Norwich, where he now resides. (For the
ancestral history the reader is referred to the
biography of William R. Tiffany.)
Lewis Tiffany, his father, was born in the
same town July 17, 1817, and was educated
in the district schools. He had been raised
on a farm, and to agricultural occupations he
turned his attention with such good results
that he accumulated a large property, at one
time owning 400 acres of fine farm land,
upon part of which our subject now lives.

JUDGE ALBERT F. GLADDING.

CHENANGO COUNTY

207

He was a zealous Christian and a devout
Methodist, contributing with a liberal hand
toward the support of the church. He was
married February 6, 1849, to Maranda Mat-
thewson, and had a family of three sons and
one daughter : Lewis ; George A.; William ;
and Delia. Of these children only one, the
subject of this sketch, is now living. The
father died in 1895, at the advanced age of
seventy-eight years, with the consciousness
of a well spent life. The mother was born
November 2, 1823, and is still living at the
age of seventy-four years, a bright, cheerful
old lady.
The first school days of George A. Tiffany
were spent in the district school, whence he
advanced to the Norwich Academy, and
from there to the Brockport State Normal
School. This latter institution he attended
for three years, and while there became a
member of the Gamma Sigma Society. The
following three years were spent in teaching
in his home town, but he came of a race that
were all, in their occupation, wedded to the
soil, and were then, as they are now, among
the substantial farmers of the county ; so it
was not strange to see him turn from the
work of teaching to the more alluring em
ployment of agriculture, and to-day he is a
prosperous and enterprising farmer living on
the old homestead, where he owns 276 acres
of ground and runs a splendid dairy of 35
cows. Mr. Tiffany took to himself a wife on De
cember 31, 1879, tne *ady of his choice being
Miss Nettie Garatt, a daughter of Francis
Garatt, a farmer of the town of Plymouth,
this county. They have three children, —

Frederick, Edward, and Sarah. Mr. Tiffany
is a Republican and takes an active part in
political work, doing much toward the suc
cess of his party in local elections. He is
now serving his eleventh year as justice of
the peace, his sixth year as supervisor, and
has also served one term as collector.
The maternal great-grandfather of Mr.
Tiffany was Daniel Matthewson, a native of
Rhode Island. He came to Walworth,
Wayne County, this state, where he made
his home, carried on farming and raised his
family of two sons and three daughters. One
of these sons was the grandfather of our sub
ject, Artemas Matthewson, also a native of
Rhode Island. He came to this state, where
he married Cynthia Tiffany and settled down
to the life of a farmer. He held the office of
supervisor for seven years, was poormaster
and held other minor offices. He was some
thing of a public character and very popu
lar in his county. They were the parents of
six children, namely : William H.; Alfred ;
Laura; Maranda M.; George B.; and Hiram
D. Mr. Tiffany takes an active interest in
all matters pertaining to agriculture, and has
contributed no little to the advancement of
farming interests. He is an energetic, zeal
ous, public spirited citizen.

UDGE ALBERT F. GLADDING,
the able county judge and surrogate
of Chenango County, whose residence
is at the county seat in Norwich, is a de
scendant of John Gladding, who came from
England in 1640, and settled in Bristol, Rhode

208

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Island. His oldest child he named John, and
for seven generations thereafter, the oldest
child was a son and in every instance re
ceived the name of John.
The first of the Gladding family repre
sented in Chenango County was John Glad
ding, who came from Bristol, R. I., and set
tled in Pharsalia, in 1816. This pioneer was
the head of the seventh generation from the
first John Gladding, and he was the father of
James C. Gladding, and grandfather of
Judge Albert F. Gladding.
James C. Gladding was born in Bristol, R.
I., November 12, 1813, but was reared to
manhood on his father's farm in Pharsalia.
He followed agricultural pursuits on the old
homestead until 1884, when he moved to
Norwich, and there lived the last four years
of his life, dying in 1892. In the community
in which he lived and labored, he was a lead
ing spirit in all public enterprises. He was
constant and persevering in his efforts, and
whatever he undertook to accomplish, that
he pushed through to success, unmindful of
obstacles or hindering circumstances. His
business ability was of such an order as
would have shone in more extended fields,
and even as it was, though his chief pursuit
was farming, he was also engaged in other
enterprises, some of which were of consider
able importance. His was a hospitable na
ture, nothing delighting him more than to
entertain friends at his bountiful board, or to
offer good cheer to the stranger that chanced
his way. He performed his duties faithfully
as a good, upright, intelligent citizen, and
deserved the encomiums of praise that were
bestowed upon his memory when his funeral

obsequies took place. He married Mary A.
Fargo, who still survives him and lives in Nor
wich ; she was born July 3, 1 813. The follow
ing children were born to them : Eliza Ann
(Brown); Squire James; Mary Jane (Hill);
Judge Albert F., our subject ; Cynthia A.
(Eddy); Nancy C. (Beebe); Rosa A. (Kel-
logg); Benjamin F.; and John E.
Judge Gladding was born in the township
of Pharsalia, N. Y., December 9, 1842. He
early developed a love for knowledge, and
an aptitude for continued and applied efforts
in pressing forward toward the goal ; with
no other educational facilities than the dis
trict school and the home circle, he fitted
himself to be a teacher. Working hard and
long, and paying his own way, he became a
student in Norwich Academy, where he
made his mark as one of the brightest and
most promising young men of the institution.
In 1866, he entered the law office of Hon.
David L. Follett as a student of the legal pro
fession ; by hard and systematic study, in
scope most comprehensive and thorough, he
gained early admission to the bar in May,
1869. He at once entered upon the practice
of his profession in Norwich village, and was
soon after elected to the office of justice of
the peace. However, a large and increasing
practice prevented his giving much time to
the duties of the office, but enough was seen
by his fellow citizens to warrant their com
ing to the conclusion that he possessed a
logical, critical, and well balanced mind, that
type of intellect that makes the best lawyer
and the ideal judge. After eight years of
practice he was admitted to the bar of the
United States Supreme Court. He has had

CHENANGO COUNTY

209

in charge many cases of great importance,
and failure has not fallen to his lot, when suc
cess was possible by any exertions on his
part. He has proven himself a safe counsel
lor, as an attorney, whose best services are
always at the command of his clients.
In 1883, Judge Gladding was first nomin
ated to the office of county judge and surro
gate by the Republican party, of which he
has ever been a loyal member ; he failed of
an election, for he and other good candidates
were sacrificed for the discipline of the party.
But in 1889 his race for the same office
proved successful, and he was given a tenure
of office of six years by his Republican sup
porters. In 1895 he was re-elected, being in
dorsed this time by all the parties, and en
countering no opposition. It was a splendid
endorsement for the manner in which he
filled the office, and an expression of confi
dence in his ability that was indeed pleasing
to the Judge.
Our subject was joined in marriage, in
1 88 1, with Grace V. E. (Randall) Owen,
daughter of I. H. Owen of Auburn, N. Y., and
to them were given four children, namely :
Robert F. ; Grace ; Gladys ; and Gertrude.
The family are attendants of the Norwich
Episcopal Church, of which Judge Gladding
is an honored vestryman. He has been inti
mately connected with a number of semi-
public enterprises, that have been the means
of bringing much prosperity and good times
to Norwich. He is a director of the Che
nango National Bank, of which he was one
of the organizers in 1883. He also organized
and incorporated, with a number of his busi
ness associates, the Norwich Water Works

Company, and has been a trustee in the cor
poration since. In 1889, he was an organizer
and promoter of the Norwich Furniture
Company. He is respected and honored by
men of every walk in life, and is regarded as
a man of moral habits, integrity, and high
purposes in life. We present on a preceding
page an excellent portrait of Judge Gladding,
executed from a recent photograph.

(£>^MAZIAH DELOSS PARKER, who
f^-L is numbered among the solid business
J ° y^. men of Otselic Center, where he
conducts a general merchandise store, and
acts as postmaster of the village, was born
July 9, 1826, in what is now called the town of
Cuyler, but then a part of Truxton, Cortland
County, N. Y. He is a son of Amaziah
and Eliza (Wilcox) Parker, and grandson of
Amasa Parker. Amasa Parker was a native
of Tolland County, Conn., but moved to the
town of Homer, Cortland County, N. Y.,
where he was one of the earliest settlers ; he
followed the occupation of a farmer. He
was twice married and reared a family of six
children, of whom one was Amaziah, the
father of our subject.
Amaziah Parker was born in 1806, and was
reared on a farm. He engaged in the hotel
business for fifty years and made a reputation
for himself; his hotel was always neat and
home-like, and he always made it as pleasant
as possible for his guests. At various times
he conducted hotels in Otsego, Onondaga,
and Cortland counties, and the last one at
Otselic, Chenango County. He died at Ot-

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

selic, where he had for some time lived a re
tired life. He was married three times, his
first wife being Miss Eliza Wilcox, who was
a daughter of Edward and Anna (Benjamin)
Wilcox, the former of whom was engaged in
farming in what is now the town of Cuyler.
Mrs. Wilcox was a daughter of Darius Ben
jamin, a soldier of the Revolutionary War,
and a niece of Captain Benjamin of the 1812
War with England. Darius Benjamin was a
native of Connecticut and one of the early
settlers of Truxton, Cortland County, N. Y.
Mr. and Mrs. Parker became the parents of
six children, four sons and two daughters,
namely : Amaziah Deloss ; Edward D., a
farmer and jeweler of Georgetown, Madison
County, N. Y.; Henry, deceased, was a hotel
keeper of South Otselic ; Stephen W., a far
mer of the town of Otselic ; Anna Eliza, de
ceased, was the wife of David Benjamin ; and
Mary, who is the wife of Clark Cook, a resi
dent of Mount Blanchard, Ohio. His sec
ond wife's maiden name was Diana Franklin.
Miss Lovina Compton was his last wife, and
to their union one child was born, Mardula,
who married Floyd Marble of Syracuse,
N. Y.
Amaziah Deloss Parker remained at home
with his parents and attended the district
schools during his boyhood, after which he
became clerk in his father's hotel. At the
age of eighteen he engaged in tilling the soil
as a means of earning a competence, and he
continued at this occupation until 1873 ; he
then engaged in the mercantile business at
Otselic Center, where he still remains. He
carries a full line of general merchandise of
excellent quality ; he quickly acquired a good

trade, and now enjoys a lucrative business.
He is a public-spirited man and takes a deep
interest in politics ; he is a Gold Democrat,
and in the election of 1896 cast his vote for
McKinley. He has held the office of collec
tor, clerk, and has been either deputy or
postmaster of Otselic Center since 1873. Mr.
Parker is pleasantly situated in regard to his
home life, as he is blessed with a good wife,
to whom he was wedded July 7, 1844. Mrs.
Parker's maiden name was Mabel Bucking
ham, and she was born March 30, 1826; she
is a daughter of Reuben Buckingham, who
was one of the early settlers of the town of
Otselic. The following is the record of the
ten children who have hallowed her marriage
with Mr. Parker : Catharine, who died in
girlhood; Joseph D., who died April 4, 1897 ;
Francelia L., who lives at home; Lucinda,
wife of Elwin S. Newitt, a grocer and hard
ware dealer of De Ruyter, N. Y.; Mary, who
is the wife of Daniel Dye, a wagon maker
of Otselic; James, who died when but two
years of age ; Franklin, who also died at the
age of two years ; Henry, who died in child
hood ; Adelbert, who died at the age of
eleven years; and Katie, who died at the age
of twenty-two years.

TRANSOM BUTTS, proprietor of a
I ^^ general merchandise store in Ply-
-*- V_^ mouth, is a shrewd business
man and a representative citizen of Che
nango County, and has the respect of the
entire community. He was born September
5, 1852, in the town of Otselic, this county.

CHENANGO COUNTY

His immediate ancestors were Samuel C. and
Eliza M. (McMinn) Butts, also natives of
Otselic. Samuel C. Butts was a son of Alexander
Butts, who was a blacksmith, and who fol
lowed that trade in connection with farming.
Alexander Butts at one time owned a farm
of 150 acres. He was a Whig, but when
that party was merged into the Republican
party, he united with the Republicans, and
so continued through his life. He was of a
religious temperament, and his life was
governed by the Golden Rule, his aim
being to follow the precepts of the Master,
as demonstrated by the teachings of the
Baptist Church. His wife was Laura Calkins,
and eight children were given into their
keeping. They were : Mary Ann ; Betsey;
Samuel C. ; Alexander J., and Lysander,
both of whom died young ; Philander ; and
two that died in infancy. Alexander Butts
died at the age of ninety-one years, at the
home of his son, Samuel C, where he was
living. After leaving the public school,
where he received his education, Samuel C.
Butts learned the- trade of a blacksmith,
which he followed for years. He also en
gaged in the mercantile business at Beaver
Meadows, at which place he was postmaster.
In early life he was a Republican, but not lik
ing the party's attitude in regard to the liquor
question, he became a Prohibitionist, and
cast his vote with that body. He served
three years as fifer in the Civil War, in Co.
K, 1 14th Reg., N. Y. Vol. Inf. He was mar
ried to Eliza M. McMinn, two sons being
the fruit of this union : Ransom ; and W. R.
Samuel C. Butts is now in a better world,

but his wife is still left to add to the happi
ness of her children the blessing of her
presence. Ransom Butts attended the district
schools, and there received his educational
training. He then entered his father's shop
and learned the trade, becoming an expert
smith, and working some time with his father
at Beaver Meadows, and then at Plymouth,
until 1 891, when he opened a store there. In
this establishment can be found everything
usually kept in -any large general store, and
it fills a long felt want in the village. He is
a most energetic, wide-awake, and thoroughly
reliable man of business, and his constant
endeavor is to sustain the reputation so gen
erally accorded him, of being an honest, con
scientious merchant. His customers cover a
large territory and constitute a highly desir
able class.
Mr. Butts is a stalwart Republican and
has taken an active interest in the affairs of
the party, contributing largely to the success
of that organization in local elections. Fie
was postmaster from 1891 to 1895, under
Harrison, and for four years served as justice
of the peace of the town of Plymouth. He
was at one time elected to that office in the
town of Otselic, but refused to accept the
proferred position. He was married June
20, 1876, to Flora E. Daly, only daughter of
John Daly, who at that time was a farmer of
Otselic. They have one child, Walter, a bright
young man, who is his father's assistant in
the store. For the past three years Mr. Butts
has held his present position as treasurer of
the Plymouth Cheese Factory. He is a mem
ber of the Masonic Lodge of Norwich, No.

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

305 ; is a Knight Templar, and is also a mem
ber of the Royal Arch Chapter of Norwich,
N. Y. He has been an active worker since
his membership with the lodge, in December,
1896, and is a pleasant, agreeable companion.

^rVTVARCUS D. BOTSFORD, the well-
1= I =/ known cashier of the Sherburne

National Bank, was born at
Morris, Otsego County, N. Y., and is a son
of Daniel and Phcebe (Rockwell) Botsford.
Daniel Botsford was a native of Connecticut,
and at an early age came to this state, locat
ing in Otsego County. There he was en
gaged in the tilling of the soil until 1855,
when he went to Scranton, Pa., and followed
mercantile business for some time. He was
also a carpenter by trade, and followed that
occupation several years in Scranton. He
formed a matrimonial alliance with Phoebe
Rockwell, who died in 1891, aged eighty-
seven years. Their union was blessed by the
births of the following children : Henry, de
ceased ; Ezra V., deceased ; Eliza, deceased ;
Carrie E. ; and Marcus D., in whom the in
terest of this sketch centers.
Marcus D. Botsford was reared in the
town of Morris, and received his intellectual
training in the common schools. He became
teller at an early age in the banking house of
A. N. Meylert & Co. of Scranton, Pa., and
later accepted a like position with the Sec
ond National Bank of Scranton, which he
held for four years. His next business ven
ture was in mercantile business in partner
ship with a Mr. Rockwell, under the firm

name of Rockwell & Botsford. He contin
ued to be thus occupied for four years, and
in 1876 came to Sherburne, which has ever
since been his home. He at once assumed
an important position in the life of the com
munity as the Co. of White, Smith & Co.,
manufacturers of cheese. Later the firm
became White & Botsford, and after a time
Mr. Botsford became sole proprietor. At
one time the firm owned and operated as
many as twenty-seven factories, three of them
being in St. Lawrence County. Mr. Bots
ford was a shrewd and successful business
man, and realized handsome profits from
these factories. A few years later he dis
posed of his factories, and purchased the
Barber farm ; after tilling the soil for a few
years, he sold the farm to his brother, Ezra
V., who still owns it. In 1894, our subject
was called to accept his present position as
cashier of the Sherburne National Bank,
which he has since faithfully held. He has
had a long and varied business career, there
by gaining greatly in experience, which,
combined with his superior natural abilities,
makes his services valuable.
Our subject was united in the holy bonds
of wedlock with Miss Annie R. White,
daughter of Dr. Devillo and Caroline (Pratt)
White. Dr. Devillo White was born Febru
ary 11, 1 80 1, at Bainbridge, and was a son of
Asa White. Having no chance to study for
his profession in a medical college, he set
about with great strength of will and deter
mination to master the fundamental princi
ples of his profession alone. By dint of hard
study and close application to his work, he
mastered the required studies, and was

OLIVER H. WILLARD.

CHENANGO COUNTY

215

licensed to practice at the age of twenty-
three years. Poor in pocket but rich in de
termination and ambition, he entered upon
his practice in Sherburne. By arduous ef
forts and strict attention to business, mingled
with economy, he made a success of his life,
and as years rolled by many of his young
associates in business are forgotten, but Dr.
White's name as a physician, friend, neigh
bor, and townsman grew into prominence,
and is with great pride carried down to the
rising generation. In 1857, he erected an
octagonal brick house, which was then con
sidered the finest in the county. Shrubbery
and shade trees were set out, and the green
lawn was indeed beautiful to look upon. He
built and owned the town hall, and was also
the proprietor of several farms in the county.
In the fierce political contests of his younger
years he was a Whig adherent, but latterly
supported the Republican party. In 1824 he
was united in marriage with Caroline Pratt,
a daughter of Joshua Pratt, and as no chil
dren were born to bless their union, they
adopted two daughters, namely : Ellen, who
married Dr. Van Keuren, is now deceased ;
and Annie R., the wife of our subject. Mrs.
White was born in the village of Sherburne,
and is now living at the advanced age of
ninety-four years, and resides with our sub
ject. Her health is remarkably good, and
she is a regular attendant at religious ser
vices. Neither her hearing nor her sight is
impaired in the slightest, and she is a pleas
ant conversationalist. She has been a life
long resident of Sherburne, and her friends
are numbered by her acquaintances.
In political belief, Mr. Botsford is a firm

believer in the principles advocated by the
Republican party, upon which principles he
believes the prosperity of our country de
pends. Socially, he is a member of the Ma
sonic lodge, F. and A. M.

-rf^V CHARLES WILLARD, a resident
|S^. of Chenango Forks and one of the
J- y_^ finest house painters and decor
ators in the county, was born at " Willards,"
Chenango County, April 15, 1848. His parents
are Oliver H. and Deborah Ann (Richards)
Willard, and his grandparents Dea. Oliver
and Lydia (Hall) Willard. These ancestors
were among the very first to settle in Che
nango County, and, amid the privations and
want which the early settlers alone have felt
and can understand, helped to build up the
country, and lay the foundation for the suc
cess that makes the county what it is to-day.
The Willard family originated from Caen,
in Normandy, -when the name was spelled
Villiard, and was seated in the County of
Sussex, England, during the reign of Edward
III., at which time the name was changed to
Willard. From one Richard Willard, in the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, the family is de
scended in a direct line of father and son to
the gentleman whose name heads this biog
raphy, as follows: Richard Willard, father of
Major Simon, father of Dea. William, father
of Simon, father of Solomon, father of Dea.
Oliver, father of Oliver H., father of R.
Charles. Richard Willard settled within a
few miles of the border of Sussex County, at
Horsemonden, Kent, England, where he held

zi6

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

an estate in the Hundredth of Branchley and
Horsemonden, and died there in 1617. He
was the father of Major Simon, the colonist,
who in 1634 came with his wife, Mary Sharp,
and settled at Cambridge, Mass., and was
known to have been possessed of abundant
means. He was later one of the founders of
Concord, and for thirty-five years was a
member of the General Court of the colony.
He was proud of his descent, and made use
of the family crest and coat of arms. He was
commander-in chief of the military force in
King Phillip's War, and died at Charlestown,
Mass., April 24, 1676. It was his son, the
Rev. Samuel, who was the author of the
" Body of Divinity," and another son, Simon,
was installed pastor of Old South Church,
Boston, Mass., in 1678, and was vice-presi
dent of Harvard College from 1701 to 1707.
Simon Willard, the great-great-grandfather
of our subject, was married to Abigail Belden,
of Lenox, Mass., and was the father of four
sons: Horace, Oliver, Joseph, and Simon.
He was the architect of the Bunker Hill
Monument, his services beginning in Novem
ber, 1826, the contract lasting one year, and
being renewed from year to year until the
work was completed, July 23, 1842, when the
capstone, weighing 2^ tons, was put in place.
In 1826 he started a subscription for the
monument, at the Quincy House, in Quincy,
Mass., and headed the list with $1,000.00.
Dea. Oliver Willard, the grandfather, was
born in Lenox, Mass., April 27, 1783. His
lather was a native of Petersham, N. H.
Dea. Oliver received a good liberal education,
and then learned the trade of a cloth dresser,
dyer and carder. In the spring of 1805, he

brought his mother, then a widow, and two
apprentice boys, named Stevens, to this
state. The journey was made with teams
and lumber wagons through the then un
broken and uncultivated wilds, and the place •
chosen for their home was near Chenango
Forks, where he bought a piece of land and
erected a small house, the property now
known as the Henry Haoadley estate. He
then purchased a water privilege of Simeon
Rogers and John Barker, and assisted in the
construction of a more durable dam, on the
site of the present one. There he put up a
building for carding, dressing and dyeing
cloth, and operated it some five years, when
he sold it to his two apprentices, the Stevens.
He then purchased a tract of land, consisting
of 115 acres, which extended from the river,
where the bridge now is, to Absalom Ter-
williger's place, taking in half of the noted
spring. He paid $5.00 per acre for this land,
which was then covered by heavy timber.
It was known as the Craig tract and the only
building on it was a log house, which stood
on the ground now occupied by Mrs. Hun
ter's residence.
He cleared off nearly all the timber, sold
building lots, and in 182 1 built a tavern which
he opened to the public ; it had a rum pole
seventy feet high with three large balls on
the top. Later he rented this hotel and built
a farm house, where he resided the remain
der of his life. This farm is now owned
and occupied by Mrs. William Terwilliger.
He helped to build the first church which
was erected by the Congregational society,
and did a great deal to help improve and
build up the village. He was a stanch Dem-

CHENANGO COUNTY

217

ocrat and held many town offices. Fie ac
cumulated a nice fortune, and died June 5,
1867, at the advanced age of eighty-four
years. After disposing of his carding and
cloth dressing factory, he returned to Lenox,
Mass., and there contracted marriage with
Orilla Matomb, who died at the end of two
years, as did her infant. In 1813 he was
again married, the lady being Lydia Hall,
also of Lenox. She died, leaving six chil
dren : Emma ; Orilla ; Oliver H. ; Emily ;
Fanny ; and John M. He then married
Harriet Hollister, who died leaving four
children : Sarah, Simon, Harriet, and Electa.
His fourth wife was Ann C. Gates.
Oliver H. Willard, the father of our sub
ject, was born November 27, 1817, and at the
age of twenty-six bought the hotel of his
father and carried on the business until 1870.
During this time he had enlarged the hotel
and added a livery stable, while he dealt in
horses and at the same time ran a grocery
store. He then bought a farm, which he im
proved, until it was second to none in his
part of the county. He sold his hotel prop
erty to the D., L. & W. R. R. and moved on
his farm, remaining there until 1897, when he
retired to the village of Chenango Forks.
He is a Democrat and has held several offices.
He is a member of the Eastern Light Lodge,
F. & A. M., No. 126. He was joined in mar
riage with Miss Deborah Ann, daughter of
Morgan and Armenia (Thral) Richards, by
whom he had five children, as follows : Lucy
Jane ; Revila Charles ; Wilbur G ; Rosalie
A.; and Frank L. Mrs. Willard entered into
her eternal rest, July 24, 1897, at the age of
seventy years. 11

R. Charles Willard received his primary
education in the district schools, which train
ing was supplemented by a course at the
Ames Commercial College of Syracuse, from
which he graduated. ITis first work was
performed as a clerk for D. Lowell, and his
next engagement was with J. H. Hunter,
when he took the management of Mr. Hun
ter's patent hay fork, representing him
through the west. After severing his con
nection with Mr. Hunter, he built himself a
handsome residence in Chenango Forks,
where he has since lived and plied his trade
of house decorator and painter, with the ex
ception of eight years. Four of these eight
years were spent at Ralston, Pa., as manager
of the mills, and in building a line of railroad
for the Mclntyre Coal Co. He also furnished
props for these mines, a business connection
that proved quite profitable to him. The
next four years were spent in Elmira as sup
erintendent of construction of the Telephone
Company's lines. Since then he has been
manager of the painting for the D., L. & W
R. R. from Binghamton to Utica.
Mr. Willard was united in marriage with
Miss Alice E. Salisbury, to whom has been
born but one child, a son, Oliver L., who
resides at home. Mrs. Willard is a daueh-
ter of Loren and Eveline (Hoard) Salisbury,
a granddaughter of Cyrus and Sarepta (Lull)
Salisbury, and a great-granddaughter of
Thomas and Hannah Salisbury of Situate,
R. I. Cyrus Salisbury was born there in
1794, and came to Solon, N. Y., where he
followed farming until his death, which oc
curred at the age of sixty-six years. His
wife died at the age of seventy years. Their

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

children were Loren ; Noyes ; and Hannah.
Loren Salisbury, the father of Mrs. Willard,
was born at Solon, N. Y., and studied medi
cine, graduating from the Vermont Medical
College, at Burlington. He began the prac
tice of his profession at Castle Creek, this
state ; from there he went to Cincinnati,
Ohio, and later to Killawog, N. Y., in both
of which places he ran a drug store in con
nection with his practice. He was for a time
located in Oak Park, 111., but later returned
to Marathon, N. Y., where he spent the re
maining years of his life. He was a skillful
and painstaking physician, and was well
liked by all. He died at the age of sixty-
four years, his wife at the age of seventy-one.
Their children were, Cyrus, Frank, Alice E.,
Judson, and Ellen G. Mr. Willard has nearly
all his life been a resident of this county, and
is well known, everybody being his friend.
He is a Democrat politically, and for five
years served as justice of the peace, and is at
present notary public. He is a member of
the Eastern Light Lodge, No. 126, F. & A. M.,
and also of the Tioughnioga Lodge, I. O. R. M.
On another page of this work in proximity
to this, and in connection with the foregoing
biographical record, is shown a portrait of
Oliver H. Willard, the esteemed father of
our subject.

tfllTo

EORGE B. COE, dealer in real estate
\M_J_ and a prominent citizen of Oxford,
was born in the city of Oswego, N. Y., Janu
ary 6, 1849. He is a son of Dr. Alfred and
Sarah A. (Mygatt) Coe.

Ira Coe, the grandfather of our subject,
was a native of New York State, where he
lived and grew up to follow the pursuits of
an agriculturist, and was identified with the
development of the soil all his life. Mr. Coe
was very prominent in his day, both in na
tional and local politics. He was a Democrat,
and earnestly advocated and supported the
principles of his party. He was a good man
and a valuable citizen, and held several offi
ces. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Nor
ton of Guilford, Conn., and six children were
reared by them, namely : Alfred B., father
of our subject ; Elizabeth ; James N.; Cath
erine ; Charles, deceased ; and Mary J. Ira
Coe was a member of the Episcopal Church.
Dr. Alfred Coe received his primary edu
cation in the common schools and then
attended Fairfield Seminary of Herkimer
County, N. Y. He then read medicine for
some time and entered the Medical Depart
ment of the University of Philadelphia, Pa.
After receiving a diploma, and after becom
ing qualified to practice, he located in Os
wego, N. Y., and took up his chosen profes
sion. He was a man whose trained abilities
and skilled resources brought him into public
notice and won for him the regard, esteem
and respect that were justly due a man of his
usefulness in the life of the community. His
work as a physician, from its innate nature;
was of the kind that brought him into the
closest relationship with the people. Mr.
Coe was an unyielding Democrat, and was
appointed health officer for a number of
years. In religious views he was a member
of the Episcopal Church. He was married
to Sarah A. Mygatt, and they reared three

ARTHUR GREENE.

m

MRS. HARRIET E. GREENE.

CHENANGO COUNTY

223

children, namely : George B.; William M.
married Lucia Windsor of Guilford, N. Y.,
and there were born to them two children,
James W. and Alfred W.; and Caroline E.,
deceased. Mr. Coe died August 13, 1854, at
the age of thirty-six years. Mrs. Coe passed
to the unknown March 1, 1893, at the age of
seventy-one years.
George B. Coe was educated in the com
mon schools of Oxford and then attended the
Polytechnic Institute of Troy, N. Y. Leav
ing school at an early age he joined a sur
veyor's party and went to the State of Min
nesota, where he remained a short time ; re
turning home he soon left in company with
his cousin, Benjamin S. Miller, for the south
ern part of Kansas and Indian Territory,
where they engaged in ranching. In 1881
he returned home and has since looked after
the estate. He also deals extensively in real
estate, in which he is very successful. He
has always been a Republican, and supports
the party of that name both by vote and
voice. He chose for his life companion
Florence Brewster of Schoharie County,
N. Y., and they were married June 28, 1882,
and their home has been blessed by one child,
Ralph B., who is now attending school at Ox
ford, this county. Socially, he is a member of
the I. O. O. F. Mr. Coe and family are in
their religious views members of the Con
gregational Church, and support the church
of that denomination in Oxford. Firm in his
convictions, and decided in his opinions, he
never hesitates to take a bold stand against
what he considers to be injustice, and to fight
to the best of his ability against the threat
ening evil. He is one of the best of good

citizens, in the number of which Oxford is
especially fortunate, and has ever done what
he could toward the betterment of the differ
ent phases of society found there.

RTHUR GREENE, formerly a pros
perous farmer of the town of Butter
nuts, Otsego County, is now living
in retirement in the village of South New
Berlin, having carried on the pursuits of
agriculture successfully and accumulated a
competency. He was born on the old home
stead in the town of Norwich, August 17,
1826, and is a son of Arthur and Cynthia
(Thornton) Greene.
His grandfather was Captain Edward
Greene, who was born and reared in Rhode
Island. In 1790, accompanied by his family,
he came to the State of New York and lo
cated in the town of Norwich. The journey
was long and tedious as they came overland
by means of ox teams and encountered many
hardships. They often went to bed hungry,
subsisting mainly on wild game and fish, in
which the forests and streams abounded.
They settled on the Unadilla River a short
distance below White Store, in the town of
Norwich, where they took up a large tract of
land. The country was wild and unbroken ;
and the hand of civilization had as yet made
but few changes. They were obliged to go
to New Berlin for their flour and meal, and
as there was no pathway they were obliged
to follow " blazed " trees. When returning
by night they were often followed by a howl-
in°- pack of wolves, and found it necessary to

224

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

carry fire-brands with which to keep them
off. It was the persistent determination of
those pioneers who first opened up the way,
that has brought about the splendid results
which are now so familiar to us that we sel
dom pause to reflect upon what they cost.
Two prominent contemporaries of his in pio
neer life were Major Richmond and Jacob
Reynolds. Besides farming he conducted a
hotel which was a popular meeting place of
the settlers, who would gather in the even
ings and spin yarns and smoke their pipes.
He was a captain of the old state militia. In
religious belief, he was an earnest supporter
of the doctrines of the Universalist Church.
Capt. Greene's long and useful life came to
an end about 1824, and his wife passed away
in 1 8 14, dying at the age of fifty-six.
Arthur Greene, the father of our subject,
was born in the State of Rhode Island, Au
gust 2, 1785, and came with his family to the
town of Norwich, where he spent his entire
life on the old homestead. He owned and
cultivated 160 acres of the tract settled upon
by his father. He was a Democrat in his po
litical affiliations, and took a great interest in
the local politics of his county. He was a
man of decided opinions and fearless in giv
ing them expression. Fie is amply entitled to
the reward of the upright man and good citi
zen in the memory of his co-laborers. In re
ligious belief, he was a Universalist in early
life, but later became a member of the
Methodist Church. He was united in mar
riage with Miss Cynthia Thornton, who was
born in Rhode Island, June 6, 1791, and six
children brightened their home, namely :
Alanson, deceased, who was a farmer of the I

town of Guilford ; Philander, deceased, late
a farmer of the town of Moriah ; Almena S.,
who became the wife of Ziba Windsor ; Nel
son, a farmer and hop grower of the town of
Guilford ; Edward R., a retired farmer of the
town of Butternuts, Otsego County, N. Y.;
and Arthur, the subject of this personal his
tory. Mr. Greene died June 11, 1848, and
his beloved wife survived him fifteen years.
Arthur Greene was reared on the old
homestead and received his primary educa
tion in the public schools. After his mar
riage in 1852, he moved to the town of But
ternuts, where he was actively engaged in
agricultural pursuits until 1885. He was an
industrious worker and a successful manager,
and he accumulated considerable wealth dur
ing his active life. In 1885 he retired to the
village of South New Berlin, where he still
lives. He rents his farm of 170 acres, which
is located on the Unadilla River near White
Store. In political belief he is a Democrat, and
votes uniformly and conscientiously with that
party. February 4, 1852, he was united in
marriage with Miss Harriet E. Thompson,
and they were the proud parents of one
son, George T., a progressive and energetic
young man, who resided on his father's farm.
George T. Greene formed a matrimonial alli
ance with Fannie M. Colburn, October 24,
1883, but she was bereaved of his companion
ship by death, April 24, 1886, and she herself
died May 20, 1893. Mrs. Arthur Greene is a
loving mother and wife, an amiable and ac
complished lady, and makes her home a
pleasant and attractive spot. Mr. Greene is
truly a self-made man, having started out in

CHENANGO COUNTY

225

life with little means but with perseverance,
a desire to do well what was to be done, and
an evident determination to win his way in
the great battle of life. He has succeeded
beyond his fondest expectation. He is not
only one of the prominent men of South
New Berlin, but is honored and respected
wherever known. Portraits of both Mr. and
Mrs. Greene are shown on other pages of
this work.

gjTENRY HOLMES, a retired farmer
\^\ and produce dealer of Columbus,
N. Y., was born in the town of
Bridgewater, Oneida County, N. Y., July 13,
1816. He is a son of Isaac and Sarah
(Ketchum) Holmes, grandson of Jacob and
Anna (Titus) Holmes, and great-grandson
of Jonathan Holmes. Jonathan Holmes is
supposed to have emigrated to this country
from the Old World. He moved to Oneida
County, and after remaining there some years
he died. His son Jacob was born in Dutch
ess County. About the time he attained his
majority, he moved to Bridgewater, Oneida
County, N. Y. There he remained several
years, but died in Columbus, this county, in
1864, aged eighty-six years. He was known
to his neighbors as an honest, upright man,
and an honor to his chosen occupation. Fie
had three children, — Titus, Sarah, and Isaac.
Isaac Holmes was born in Dutchess County,
and with his father he moved to Oneida
County. In 1827 he came to the town of
Columbus, Chenango County, and settled
where Eugene Hopson now resides. There
11*

he carried on general farming until he re
tired, a well-to do and successful man, to Co
lumbus village to live. He died at the age
of sixty years. Mrs. Holmes died aged sixty-
one years. They reared a very large family
of children, of whom only three are living ;
the record is as follows: Elias; Eliza; Gil
bert ; Jonathan ; Phoebe ; and Melle, all de
ceased ; and Charles ; Henry ; and Piatt, who
still survive.
Henry Holmes' first settlement was on a
tract of purchased farming land that is now
known as the David Bryant farm, one of the
best in the town of Columbus. There he
carried on farming and made many improve
ments. Besides carrying on general farming
he dealt in butter, cheese and wool. After
living there for fifteen years, he sold his prop
erty and bought a home in Columbus Center.
Later he purchased the present homestead,
where he took up his former trade, and was
the most active business man in butter,
cheese, wool, and produce that the town ever
had. He succeeded by his persistent energy
and industry, with the exercise of good com
mon sense, in accumulating a comfortable
fortune, and has gradually retired to private
life. Excepting the supervision he gives to
his property, he is now practically retired,
but is still a very active and energetic man.
Physically, he is tall and as straight as an
arrow, of powerful build, with features be
traying energy, and maintaining an imposing
appearance. He married Lucinda Howard,
daughter of Stephen Howard, one of the
first settlers that came to the town of Colum
bus. She died in 1895, at the age of eighty-
six years. Their only child, Mary Ann, was

226

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

born July 12, 1848, and is caring for her
father. She married O. D. Larchar, who for
many years carried on carriage making and
engaged in mercantile life at Columbus
Center. In 1891 he departed this life, aged
fifty-one years, leaving a wife and four chil
dren: Henry H. married Maud E. Hopson,
and has one child, Roy H.; G. Myron, a pros
perous farmer of Columbus, married Nellie
M. Lottridge, and has one child, Guy H.;
Dela M. remains at home; and Uri C, who
also lives at home. In political views our sub
ject is a stanch Republican, and has served
his fellow-citizens as supervisor for two terms.
Mr. Holmes is a man of pleasing address ;
social and hospitable ; generous and liberal in
his sentiments ; retaining the activity, vivac
ity and cheerfulness of youth, his life reveals
the success that may be attained by self-re
liance, integrity and persevering industry.

*

ILLIAM H. HOPSON, proprietor
of the American Hotel at Sher
burne, is " mine host " of one of the most
popular public houses in this section of the
State of New York. He was born in the
above village, December 2, 1859, and is a son
of Lewis D. and Lucy (Finks) Hopson, and
grandson of Linas R. and Hannah (Gates)
Hopson. Linas R. Hopson was a son of
Herman Hopson, and was a native of Con
necticut. Linas R. Hopson learned the trade of a
shoemaker, which he followed some years.
In 1840 he came to the village of Sher
burne, and built the old house where the

Central Hotel is now located. He followed
his trade as a shoemaker until the Chenango
Canal was built, and then he took contracts
to build a portion of it near Oxford. Return
ing home, he enlarged his residence and open
ed a public house, which was known as the
Union House. In connection with the hotel
business he engaged in the distillery of malt
liquors, but some forty years later he sold
both establishments to James Harris, and
bought and sold different properties, among
which were the Agen, Olcott, White, and
Knapp farms. He was residing upon the
latter estate when his death occurred, in
1885, when he was aged eighty-two years.
His wife, Hannah Gates, died at the age of
eighty-one years. Their children were :
Henry ; George ; Lewis D. ; Smith P. ; New
man G. ; and Charles.
Lewis D., father of our subject, was born
in the old Central Hotel, and after attaining
his majority, he operated a saloon where the
Whalens Hotel is now standing. The build
ing and its contents were burned to the
ground one night, and later Mr. Hopson
sold the lot and purchased a tenement house,
which he enlarged and opened the American
Hotel, conducting it under the name of L. D.
Hopson & Son. The building was a large
three-story structure and contained forty
rooms. Mr. Hopson passed from this life
aged fifty-eight years. He was married to
Miss Lucy Finks, daughter of William Finks.
She is at present living with our subject, her
only child, and is enjoying her usual good
health. Our subject received a liberal schooling,
and then assisted his father in his business

¦;'*

^»»

COLONEL WILLIAM B. GUERNSEY.

CHENANGO COUNTY

until he grew to manhood, when he entered
into the hotel business with his father, and
after his father's death carried on the hotel
business alone. He has enlarged the build
ing, fitted up the dining room and the sleep
ing apartments, and sets one of the finest
tables of any hotel in this section. He is
popular with the transients, and does all in
his power to make it as homelike as possible.
ITe married Miss Catherine ITogan, who
has proved herself a kind and loving wife,
and much of the success of her husband is
due to the part she has taken in the man
agement of the hotel. Thev are the parents
of one child, Maude, an accomplished musi
cian and vocalist, who has rendered much
service to the choir of the Christ Episcopal
Church, and to musical conventions. Mr.
Hopson is an active and consistent Republi
can, but has never aspired to office. He is
an upright citizen, highly esteemed in his
community, and exerts his influence in the
promotion ot its best interests.

T^iOLONEL WILLIAM B. GUERN-
I \r SEY, a retired and honored citizen
^^ — of Norwich, is an imj>ortant factor
of a well-to-do and intelligent community,
and is contributing more than his share
toward the maintenance of morality, good
order, and all those things which constitute
the welfare and prosperity of a prosperous
city or village. He is a son of Peter B. and
Mary (Bellamy) Guernsey, and a grandson
of Peter B. and Mary (Spiers) Guernsey.
The family is of old colonial stock, Joseph

Guernsey, the great-great-grandfather of our
subject, being a colonist of New Haven,
Conn. His son, John Guernsey, was born in
Litchfield, Conn., and at an early age came
to Amenia, Dutchess County, N. Y , where
he purchased a large tract of land. He fol
lowed agricultural pursuits and was one of
the good substantial men of his time. He
also practiced his profession. The farm has
remained in the family since he settled on it,
and is now a very valuable piece of property.
He married Azubel Buel, by whom he had
fifteen children, namely: Isaac; Azuba;
Sarah ; Lorus ; Ebenezer ; Rachel ; Rhoda ;
John ; Peter B., the grandfather of our sub
ject ; Joseph ; Lydia ; Ezekiel ; Samuel ; Ann ;
Davice. The family name was formerly
spelled " Garnsey."
Peter B. Guernsey was born in Amenia in
1770, and was reared on his father's farm.
He began the study of law with Chester
Walworth of Saratoga, N. Y„ and was ad
mitted to the bar in 1795. He then went to
Salina, Onondaga County, N. Y., remaining
there two years, coming thence to Norwich
in 1797. At that time there was no village, a
very few settlers composing the community.
In after clays his family often heard him
speak of the times when he was obliged to
go to the mill at Chenango Point, now Bing
hamton, for provisions, or to attend court at
Painted Post. He became a very prominent
man, and did much to build up the village of
Norwich, giving land freely for sites for the
county buildings, and for the establishment of
a park. He was an active and energetic man,
and carried on several different lines of busi
ness ; he manufactured linseed oil, operated

230

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

a woolen mill, and owned an ashery and saw
and grist mills. His position in political
circles was no unimportant one, for he was
held in the highest esteem, and was the first
Whig Assemblyman sent to Albany from the
Chenango district. His companion in life
was Mary Spiers of New Lebanon, and they
were the parents of the following children :
Peter B.; Polly ; William ; and Lavinia.
Peter B. Guernsey, Jr., our subject's
father, assisted in the duties that presented
themselves upon his father's estates, but at
an early age his health failed him. He
traveled in England and on the Continent in
the vain hope of securing freedom from the
disease that was oppressing him, but it was
all of no avail, and he was called to lay down
his burden at the early age of thirty years.
His marriage had been with Mary Bellamy,
daughter of Joel Bellamy of Catskill, N. Y.,
a union that was productive of two children,
namely: William B., the subject of this per
sonal history ; and Augustus, who died in
infancy. Mrs. Guernsey's second union was
with Dr. Henry Mitchell oi Norwich. She
passed to her reward in 1878, at an advanced
age. William B. Guernsey, our subject, is a
man of superior education, having graduated
from Troy University. He also studied law,
and was admitted to the bar in 1852. He
inherited considerable property, which re
quired his undivided attention, leaving
him no time, therefore, for the practice of
his profession. During the late War of the
Rebellion, he served successively as captain
and as colonel; he enlisted in the summer of
1 861, and received his final discharge in the

fall of 1865. Upon resuming peaceful occu
pations, Colonel Guernsey remodeled the old
homestead, made other improvements, and
has lived there since. It is one of the most
beautiful residences in the county, and the
interior is fully in keeping with the prepos
sessing architectural exterior. It is furnished
with rare good taste, and adorning the walls
are to be seen beautiful paintings, some by
the masterly hand of Mrs. Guernsey. She is
without doubt the best artist in her section
of the county, and her works are highly com
plimented by all who have the pleasure of
viewing them. This talented lady takes
great pride in her collection of paintings,
and has purchased some very fine ones, hav
ing the most valuable in this part of the
state. Besides the old homestead, Colonel
Guernsey owns other valuable estates in and
about Norwich.
Mrs. Guernsey, who before her marriage
with our subject, was known to a large circle
of acquaintances as Jane Madelia Maydole,
doubtless inherits her acknowledged artistic
and executive abilities from her father, David
Maydole, who by means of his hammers
acquired fame and prosperity for himself and
the village of Norwich, where he passed his
life. An interesting account of his life
appears on another page. Our subject and
wife are liberal in their religious beliefs, and
contribute generously to whatever affects
the welfare of their town. Colonel Guern
sey is living a quiet and unostentatious life as
a good citizen, a kind neighbor and generous
friend, and filling his position in the world as
a promoter of every good work and purpose,
socially, morally, and religiously.

CHENANGO COUNTY

231

After the war, Colonel Guernsey spent
much of his time as an inventor, and obtained
patents on all phases of electric bank and
police protection, inventions that are now
extensively used in the principal cities of the
United States. We present on a preceding
page a portrait of this prominent, well-es
teemed citizen of Norwich.

Y^NOBERT E. MILLER, M. D., is an
I S^ able and successful practitioner ot
-*-? y_ v Oxford, Chenango County, N. Y.,
where he located thirty-seven years ago and
began the practice of his profession. He
was born in New Canaan, Conn., August 27,
1837, and is a son of John B. and Abigail A.
(Finch) Miller. The father was a native of
Westchester County, N. Y., and the mother
of New Canaan, Conn.
Increase Miller, the grandfather, spent the
greater part of his life in Westchester, where
he was engaged in agriculture. His last
days were passed at the home of his son,
John B., where he quietly breathed his last.
In matters of religion he was inclined to be
liberal, subscribing to none of the orthodox
creeds and dogmas, but being perfectly will
ing to trust everything to an all wise Provi
dence, resting contentedly in the belief that
a loving Father would temper justice with
mercy, in dealing with his children. His
family included the following children :
Mary ; Charlotte ; Anar ; Caroline ; Betsey ;
Elsie A.; Ralsey ; and John B., the father of
our subject.
John B. Miller received a common school

education and then engaged in the time
honored occupation of husbandry. He left
Connecticut about the year 1839, and came
to Otsego County, this state, purchasing a
farm near Unadilla, where the remainder of
his life was spent. He was "considered a
very prosperous man, for the times, and
amassed quite a considerable property. He
was a Whig of the Henry Clay type, and
was among the first to join the ranks of the
Republican party, upon its formation. Caleb
Finch lived neighbors to the Millers in Con
necticut, and the friendship existing between
the two families was cemented by the union
of John B. Miller with Abigail Finch. Four
of the children born to this couple lived to
become citizens of honor and usefulness, the
others dying in early life. The surviving
children are as follows: Robert E.; Addie E.,
the wife of D. M. Ferry, whose name is
familiar in almost every household in the
United States, as the reliable Detroit, Mich.,
seedsman, — they have four children, Edith,
deceased, Blanche, Dexter M., Jr., and Addie ;
Dr. Christopher C, a resident of Detroit,
Mich., married Ellen Stratton of Oxford, N.
Y., and has two children, J. Sherman and
Raymond ; Sherman R. is the superintendent
of D. M. Ferry's Canadian Seed Store, and
is also a manufacturer of silverware both in
Detroit and Canada. Sherman R. Miller
married Estella Flandreau of Brooklyn, by
whom he has six children : Sherman R., Jr.;
Addie ; Mattie ; Grace ; Leroy ; and Chris
tine C. Mr. and Mrs. Miller were Presby
terians, and led upright Christian lives. He
was called to his reward in 1868, at the age
of sixty-two years, while his wife survived

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

him almost thirty years, entering the dream
less sleep in 1895, at the great age of eighty-
four years.
Dr. Robert E. Miller received his primary
education in the common schools and Gil-
bertsville Academy, in Otsego County, which
was still further supplemented by attendance
at the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Dela
ware, Ohio. He left college in 1857, a
sophomore, to read medicine with J. Ralsey
White of Gilbertsville, later of New York
City. He took a course of lectures in the
Albany Medical College, and entered the
Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia,
from which he graduated in May, 1861. He
located in Oxford the following May and
began the practice of his profession, winning
the confidence of the people by the care and
skill displayed in his methods of treatment,
and the great number of cures he effected.
He was untiring in his efforts to become
what he now is, — a skillful and efficient physi
cian. He is very popular throughout the
community, and his practice is all that could
be desired, large and lucrative. He is a
member of the Chenango County Homeo
pathic Medical Society ; the New York State
Homeopathic Medical Society ; and the
Medical Institute of Homeopathy. He
keeps well abreast the times in regard to
the happenings in the medical world of
science, and has done a great deal to advance
the cause of the homeopathic school in this
part of the state.
Dr. Miller was united in the bonds of wed
lock, in 1865, with Miss Roxcie M. Westover,
a daughter of Orlin and Betsey Westover of
Oxford. She is a most estimable woman and

an exemplary wife. They have no children
of their own, and have taken into their hearts
and home an adopted daughter, Emma L.,
who is a pleasant, well informed young lady,
and an accomplished musician, now devoting
her time to the study of classical music. Dr.
Miller is a stalwart Republican and particu
larly well posted on political questions, but
has never been an aspirant to office, feeling
that the position of a petty office holder
offers but little inducement to a man, who
wishes to become of real service to humanity.

AMES K. SPAULDING. A name
that will call up a smile of pleasant
recollection to the traveling public
that has made a stopping place at Norwich
and Syracuse, is that of the popular ex-pro
prietor of the Eagle Hotel, James K. Spauld
ing. He was born in Gilbertsville, Otsego
County, N. Y., November 18, 1846, and is a
son of Ira and Esther (Hickock) Spaulding.
Ira Spaulding had a most excellent reputa
tion as the proprietor of a hostelry that was
first-class in all its appointments. He made
it the study of his life how to best please his
guests, and the reputation of his establish
ment reached far and wide. In the early
part of his life he lived in Franklin, Delaware
County, whence he moved to Gilbertsville,
and later to Norwich, where he became the
proprietor of the Palmer House, and after
wards kept the Spaulding House. He was a
Democrat in politics. Mr. Spaulding was a
strictly temperate man, and never drank a
drop of liquor nor used tobacco in any form.

CHENANGO COUNTY

233

His union with Esther Hickock resulted in
the birth of two children, James K., our sub
ject, and Henry D., a traveling salesman, at
present residing in Mexico, Oswego County,
and at one time proprietor of the Spaulding
House at Norwich. Ira Spaulding died at
the Spaulding House at the age of sixty-two.
James K. Spaulding attended the Norwich
public schools and Norwich Academy, and
later graduated from the Lowell Business
College of Binghamton. For ten years or
more after leaving school he was occupied
with different employments before entering
on his successful career as a hotel man. For
the first twenty months he was employed in
the capacity of clerk by Miller & Carr,
wholesale produce merchants of Pearl Street,
New York City ; at the end of that time he
was compelled to return home to take care
of his father, whose continued ill health re
quired his son's presence. He then engaged
as clerk in the dry goods store of John O.
Hill & Co. of Norwich, and remained with
them two years, leaving them to accept a po
sition with W. H. Chapman & Co. of the
same village, continuing with the latter mer
cantile house four and one-half years. He
then engaged in business on his own account
for the first time, opening a boot and shoe
store, which he conducted for two years,
having a partner in the person of Billings
Wheeler. He then entered the employ of
H. B. Vancott & Co., for whom he worked
two years, when he was appointed postmas
ter of Norwich, by President Hayes, and re
appointed by President Arthur. During this
time Mr. Spaulding became identified with
the hotel business, first with Martin McLean,

under the firm name of McLean & Spaulding,
proprietors of the Eagle Hotel of Norwich ;
later he became the sole proprietor, and was
actively engaged in that business from then
until 1895. In 1891 he became interested in
the Globe Hotel of Syracuse, N. Y., with
Mr. Berry, and afterwards with Mr. Neeley.
His success as a hotel man was phenomenal,
and was no doubt due, in no small measure,
to an inherited, no less than an acquired taste
for that particular line of work. He gave
the business his closest supervision, and no
expense or trouble was spared to make the
hotel service perfect, even to the smallest
detail. That these efforts were not lost on
those accepting of his hospitality was evi
denced by the fact that once guests they were
always guests when business afterwards
called them to that locality. His last house
of entertainment was the Maple Bay House
on the lake, which he conducted with the
best success and satisfaction, both to the
guests and to himself. In 1895 he returned
to Norwich and took up his residence on the
Spaulding homestead, where he owns 117
acres. Since his short stay here, he has
shown himself proficient as an agriculturist,
and may well be classed as a progressive,
model farmer. His farm is in a splendid
state of cultivation and betokens constant at
tention. His herd of Jersey cows is a source
of much pleasure and pride to him, and
would be a credit to any farm. They consist
of thirty head of the finest specimens of Jer
seys to be obtained, and a lover of that class
of animals would go into raptures over the
beauty and good points to be observed in
this herd of cattle. He sells the milk in the

234

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

village of Norwich, and as the villagers have
not been slow in finding out the superior ar
ticle he offered, he has consequently a most
desirable class of customers. He also car
ries on general farming and derives a neat
income from his well kept acres. He is an
auctioneer of considerable repute, doing al
most the entire auctioneering in the county.
He is a man of sound judgment and not easily
influenced ; having made up his mind as to
the right or wrong on any subject, he adheres
firmly to that opinion unless he has the most
conclusive proof to the contrary. He is a
man of sterling worth and strict integrity,
and his conduct in all business affairs is actu
ated by a desire to serve in such a manner as
to promote the public welfare. He is most
highly thought of in his county, and his ser
vices are in frequent demand as the appraiser
of all kinds of property throughout the
entire county. His early life has made him
peculiarly fitted for this kind of work, as he
has a wide and varied knowledge of the val
ues and qualities of almost all articles of
commerce, while his well known reputation
for honesty and fair dealing make him a most
desirable person where fairness and straight
decisions are wanted as the results.
Mr. Spaulding was married when twenty-
five years old to Miss Irene W. Bliven, a
daughter of John Bliven. These nuptials
were celebrated January 16, 1871, and four
children have blessed their home, three of
whom are still living. These children are:
John I.; Minnie E., deceased ; Marcia, and '
Caroline. Mr. Spaulding is a life-long Re
publican, and at different times served as as
sessor and trustee of the village. He entered

the fire department when quite a small boy,
and was chief engineer and foreman for
eight years. The Chenango County Agri
cultural Society chose him as its treasurer,
and he is a member of the F. & A. M. and the
Elks Lodge. He is a pleasant, genial, social
gentleman, one whom many of our young
men might pattern after in their efforts to
make life a success.

OHN H. CURTIS. The Rockdale
Company of Guilford township, of
which John FI. Curtis is a member,
manufactures butter, cheese, and casein, and
operates creameries at Rockdale, Chatta-
witchie, Glen Llewellyn, and Loomis. The
company conducts business on the co-oper
ative plan and Mr. Curtis acts as general
manager. That he is well qualified to fill this
position is demonstrated by the prosperous
condition of the company. He was born in
the town of Unadilla, Otsego County, N. Y.,
November 28, 1866, and is a son of Joseph D.
and Melissa E. (Morgan) Curtis.
Zechariah Curtis, grandfather of our sub
ject, was born in the State of Connecticut,
and in 1800 came to Madison County, N. Y.,
where he remained a short time. He then
moved to Unadilla, where he purchased a fine
farm and tilled the soil until 1850. Leaving
his farm in charge of his son, Joseph, he
came to Rockdale where he was interested in
a creamery and a mill. He remained here
the rest of his days, dying in 1892, at the ad
vanced age of ninety-two years. He was
twice bound in the holy bonds of wedlock,

LEWIS E. CARPENTER.

CHENANGO COUNTY

237

his first wife's maiden name being Dickerson.
Three children blessed that union : Joseph
D., the father of our subject; Henry W., a
merchant of Bainbridge ; and Fred W., who
died in infancy. His second union was with
Miss Hannah Westover, by whom he had
one son : Ira M., a retired banker of Rock
dale. He was a faithful member of the
Universalist Church. Politically, he was a
Democrat and was elected to the county
board of supervisors a number of times.
Joseph Delos Curtis was born in the town
of Unadilla, November 28, 1831. He has
spent his entire life working on the farm,
formerly owned by his father. He has a well
improved farm of 300 acres, supplied with a
good house, barn and other convenient out
buildings. He is an industrious and energetic
worker and is classed among the prosperous
men in the community.
He was united in marriage with Melissa
Morgan, a daughter of Guerdon Morgan,
and they became the parents of the following
children : John H., the subject of these lines ;
Howard M.; Evelyn A.; and Scott L. In
politics, he is a Democrat and served as sup
ervisor for nine years. He held this office
during the late Civil War and assisted in
filling the quota of volunteers. Mr. Curtis is
an active member of the Universalist Church.
John H. Curtis was reared on his father's
farm and attended the Bainbridge Union
School. At the age of twenty he left the
parental roof, and, to provide means of sup
port, taught school for. the following six
years. He then began work in the creamery
at Rockdale and after becoming thoroughly
familiar with the business, he was taken in

as a partner and was made general manager
of the four plants. The Rockdale creamery
is the largest in this section of the state, and
was formerly owned by Mr. Curtis' grand
father. Six men are employed, who handle
the milk from 1,500 cows, and get out the
daily product of 1,500 pounds of butter and
2,400 pounds of cheese. Print butter and
casein are specialties. The creamery is well
equipped with all modern machinery and
other conveniences. Mr. Curtis has untir
ingly devoted his whole time to his work,
and has had the pleasure of seeing the plant
grow to be one of the largest in the state.
December 9, 1886, our subject was united
in marriage with Miss Carrie E. Brown,
daughter of Dubois Brown, and one son,
Harry B., was born to make their home
happy. Socially, he is a Mason, belonging to
Sidney Lodge No. 80 r, F. & A. M.; Unadilla
Chapter, R. A. M., No.. 178 ; Norwich Com-
mandery No. 46, Knight Templars ; and
Zirayra Temple of the Mystic Shrine, at
Utica, N. Y.

Y?3)EWIS E. CARPENTER, a portrait of
IJj whom the publishers of this volume
-^"i» ^ present on the opposite page, is
one of the oldest and most highly respected
citizens of the town of North Norwich, and
has devoted many years of his life to public
service. His work as a public servant began
while he was yet a young man, and has con
tinued to the present time, when he is as ac
tive and efficient as formerly. In 1849 he
was elected justice of the peace ot North

238

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Norwich, and has held the position continu
ously ever since. About the same time he
was appointed postmaster, under the admin
istration of Zachary Taylor, and has held the
office through every Republican administra
tion since. During the '60s he served for
three terms as Justice of the Sessions, occu
pying the bench with Judge Balcom and
Judge Clark of Oxford. Then he has filled
innumerable minor offices, was for five years
supervisor of the town, president of the board
of health, etc. He possessed a mind of rare
analytical power, his judgment was discrim
inating and sound, in the court room his
learning and impartiality commanded re
spect, while his own dignified deportment
inspired decorum in others. His ancestors
were among the pioneers of Chenango
County, and here he was born, in the town
of Preston, March 31, 1820. His parents
were Noah and Judith (Wait) Carpenter.
Noah Carpenter was a son of Noah Car
penter, Sr., and lived in the town of Preston,
where he owned a farm and owned and
operated a cloth mill in the village. He was
also a clothier, and made home-spun and
other carded material. He was an industri
ous, hard working citizen, and a credit -to the
community in which he lived. He had been
a Democrat, but at last became dissatisfied
with their policy and joined forces with the
Republicans. He was a member of the
Masonic fraternity. A short time before
his death, which took place when he had
reached the ripe old age of eighty-four, he
had taken up his residence in the village of
North Norwich. He was united in marriage
with Judith Wait and raised a family of nine

children, two daughters and seven sons,
whose names were: Nelson; Submit; An
drew; Electa; Ralph; Lewis E.; Franklin;
Chester W.; and William.
Lewis E. Carpenter was thrown on his
own resources at an early age in life and de
veloped an independence of character and
a fearlessness of criticism, which, combined
with his love of truth and honorable deal
ings, soon won for him the admiration and
esteem of the entire community. His edu
cation was received in the public schools
until he was seventeen years old, when he
had to leave the school room to earn his liv
ing. His first work was obtained on a farm,
where he staid until he was twenty-one, when
he went to work with a carpenter and joiner.
Being naturally quick, he soon became pro
ficient at this trade and followed it for
twenty years. When he was twenty-four
he went to Michigan and plied his craft for
one and one-half years, and then came back
to North Norwich, where he has since lived
and worked, and where many evidences of
his skill are discernible. Twelve years were
spent in catering to the public taste, when he
was the popular and entertaining landlord of
the Carpenter House of North Norwich. At
the same time he was carrying on his farm,
and was extensively engaged in lumbering,
owning and operating a grist and saw-mill.
His farm consists of 60 acres, lying near the
village of North Norwich, and is still owned
and cultivated by him.
Mr. Carpenter was married October 31,
1 841, when he was but little past twenty-one
years of age, to Laura Baker, and no doubt
much of the prosperity and popularity which

CHENANGO COUNTY.

239

has been meted out to them is due, in no
small degree, to her faithful and loving coun
sel and encouragement. A family of five
children were added to their home, viz :
Earl,, deceased, married Frances Brown, also
deceased ; Jane, deceased ; Jane (2), who mar
ried Alonzo S. Kinney, and left two children,
Lewis A. and Fred A.; Lewis, who died at
the age of fourteen months ; and Annie Laura,
the wife of Sam A. Hayes, a carpenter and
joiner, who resides in North Norwich with
our subject. Mrs. Hayes is the mother of
one child, Jennie Earleen. Mr. Carpenter is
a man of intelligence and a close observer of
human nature, and his long attendance in the
court room has so familiarized him with the
different phases of -character that he can read
the countenance like an open book. He had
a hard struggle with poverty in his boyhood,
and his sympathies have always been with
those who work with their hands rather than
their brains, and to a worthy representative
of this class he finds pleasure in giving assist
ance in the shape of employment, the most
desirable form of charity.

^REWSTER BROTHERS, pro-
I ^T\ prietors of the well-known and
extensively patronized hotel of
the village of Oxford, Chenango County, the
New St. James, are men of prominence in
the village, and throughout the county are
esteemed as the best of citizens, and as the
most enterprising of business men. The firm
is composed of Zeno C. and Ezra S. Brew
ster. They were born in the town of Gilboa,

Schoharie County, N. Y., and were sons
of Daniel D. and Lucinda B. (Stephens)
Brewster. John Brewster, generally known as Judge
Brewster, the great-grandfather of our sub
ject, took up his residence in Blenheim town
ship, Schoharie County, as one of the first
settlers, coming from the New England home
with his wife and family of children. He
was a descendant of Elder William Brewster,
the liberty-loving Pilgrim, who came to the
bleak Massachusetts shores in the good ship
Mayflower, and settled at Plymouth. Judge
Brewster was one of the first men elevated
to the bench in Schoharie County, and
proved himself to be a man of enterprise, by
importing choice grades of sheep into the
new country, a business that was afterwards
extensively conducted by his son, Otis
Brewster, the grandfather of our subjects.
Otis Brewster was born in New England,
and came with his parents to Schoharie
County, when a young man in years, settling
on a large tract of land, which it was his
intention to divide into smaller farms for his
sons, when they became old enough to shift
for themselves. He was engaged in agri
cultural pursuits all his life, but the greater
part of his time was spent in superintending
the work on his large estate. He was the
most extensive sheep raiser and breeder in
his part of the state, and supplied the early
settlers for many miles around with blooded
sheep, from which they in turn built up
valuable flocks. He attained prominence in
whatever enterprise he engaged, for it was
an axiom with him that if there was anyone
going to excel, he might as well be that one.

240

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

He was first a Whig in his politics, but
later espoused the principles of the Republi
can party. He never aspired to nor coveted
political fame, being content to secure his
successes along agricultural lines. He mar
ried a Miss Gardner, a native of Western New
York, and a sister of Dr. Gardner. To them
were given the following eight children,
namely : John ; Sylvester ; Daniel D. ;
Lyman ; Phcebe ; Sarah ; Rhoda ; and
Martha. In religious belief, the family were
Quakers. Otis Brewster died in 1867, aged
about seventy years. He was preceded to
the other shore by his wife, who died some
years previous, about 1858.
Daniel D. Brewster, the third son born to
his parents, and fifth child in order of birth,
was educated in the common schools of his
native town, in Schoharie County. Upon
completing his education, and having at
tained the years of manhood, he purchased
the old Brewster homestead, and turned his
undivided attention to pursuits of an agri
cultural nature. He remained there about
ten years, engaged in farming, and then
moved to Otsego County, N. Y., where he
bought a farm, and a grist, saw and plaster
mill, and entered upon a very prosperous
career, which continued for eleven years.
During this time, with the assistance of his
two oldest sons, Roscoe A. and Zeno C, he
invented the first machine that ever success
fully removed the shucks from buckwheat,
before reducing the grain to flour, namely, a
Buckwheat Refiner, for which they received
letters patent for the United States. Mr.
Brewster then disposed of his farming prop
erty to his brother, Sylvester Brewster, and

with his sons removed to Oneonta, N. Y.,
where they engaged in the manufacturing
business, for they were the original inven
tors and held the patents for the United
States for the new process for making buck
wheat flour. The firm of D. D. Brewster
& Sons continued to manufacture their buck
wheat refiner in Oneonta for five years, and
then moved to Unadilla, N. Y., in 1876, there
securing a valuable water power, which
became of inestimable service to them in
the manufacturing of flouring mill machin
ery. A little later on, their business increas
ing wonderfully, and wholly beyond what
might have been expected, they became the
largest manufacturers of flouring mill ma
chinery in the United States, of that kind,
and gained a national reputation, and accu
mulated a comfortable fortune. About this
time they secured more United States
patents, including the renowned process
patent, for the manufacture of new process
flour for the United States and Canada. This
patent proved the most valuable of any. In
1879, the business still increasing, a new
partnership was formed, by which R. A.
Brewster moved to Rochester, N. Y., and
started a branch manufactory for himself,
while D. D. & Z. C. Brewster continued the
original business under the firm name, as
above, with great success, until the partner
ship was dissolved by the death of D. D.
Brewster, in 1880, when he was fifty-five
years of age.
In political belief Daniel D. Brewster was
a Republican, but confined his activity in
politics to voting on election day, and to
quiet little discussions of men and measures

CHENANGO COUNTY

241

with his intimate friends. His wife, Lucinda
B., daughter of Ezra Stephens of Gilboa, N.
Y., bore him seven children, who were as
follows : Roscoe A., who married Ida Ames
of Binghamton, N. Y., and had two sons,
Otis and Stacy ; Zeno C, the elder of
Brewster Brothers, subjects of this personal
history ; Lucy A., who became the wife of
Frank Weidman of Unadilla, N. Y., and pre
sented him with six children, — Ivan, D. D.,
Harry, Hazel, Milo, and Roscoe ; Ezra S.,
the younger of Brewster Brothers ; Otho M.,
who married Bertha Casey of Wells' Bridge,
N. Y.; Guy O., M. D„ of New York City,
who took for his life companion Margaret
Powell ot the State of New Hampshire ;
Daisy V.; and two that died in infancy, Ward
O., and Vernon E. Daniel D. Brewster in
his religious views was a Quaker, while his
wife was an old school Baptist. She still
lives, and makes her home with her two sons,
Zeno C. and Ezra S., in Oxford, N. Y.
Zeno C. Brewster was educated in the
schools of the various towns where his father
had lived with the family. He spent one
season in New York City, attending Thomp
son College for one year in 1875. He then
returned to Oneonta and was associated with
his father in the manufacturing business until
that gentleman's death, after which Zeno C.
continued the business very successfully for
one year under the firm name of D. D. & Z.
C. Brewster, during this time many valuable
inventions being secured. He then organized
the firm of Brewster Brothers & Co., associ
ating with him his former partner, R. A.
Brewster, their mother representing the Co.
It was ever Mr. Brewster's aim to manufac-
12

ture nothing but the best and latest improved
machinery of the firm's own invention, so
that there was never any considerable period
that did not witness the granting of letters
patent for one important improvement or an
other. This partnership of Brewster Broth
ers & Co. lasted four years, when Roscoe A.
Brewster sold out his interest to Ezra S.
Brewster, younger of our subjects. The
business was continued under the same firm
name as above, our subjects also conducting
a large cigar factory for several years. After
disposing of the last business, they took up a
side line to the mill machinery business in
importing bicycles and selling same to the
jobbing trade through the United States,
which venture also proved very successful
for about five years, and required a great
amount of travel, when added to that re
quired in the milling business, their agents
covering the best territory in the United
States and Canada. During these years
many had attempted to invent machinery to
compete, and many had infringed on the
original patents and the many later patented
improvements, all which attempts to interfere
with the firm's business were promptly
stopped by our subjects' knowledge of ma
chinery and the laws of patents. Many
manufacturing concerns were desirous of en
gaging in the well-established business, then
nineteen years old, of which Zeno C. Brew
ster had been a continuous member, alone
and with his different partners, from the be
ginning. He was also a partner with his
brother, Ezra S. Brewster, in the hardware
business for two years in Hopewell, N. J.;
this was before the latter gentleman became

242

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

a partner in the milling machinery business
in 1883. As Mr. Brewster was returning
from a trip in Kansas, he called on a firm
then engaged in the manufacture of milling
machinery, who had long been desirous of
manufacturing under patents held by Brew
ster Bros. & Co.; a deal was closed whereby
the latter firm sold out their entire milling
machinery business, including all patents,
patterns, and everything complete, together
with the good-will of the business. The busi
ness was transferred to Silver Creek, N. Y.,
where it was continued under the new man
agement and ownership. Mr. Brewster,
with his brother, Ezra S., then came to Ox
ford, this county, and bought the well known
St. James Hotel, which they conducted for
nearly three years together, making many
improvements and some additions, when
Zeno C. bought out his brother and was sole
proprietor for three years, when he sold back
a half interest to Ezra S., the firm again be
coming Brewster Brothers. In 1897 they
commenced the enlarging and reconstruction
of the New St. James, which now stands as a
model of perfection and credit to their enter
prise, being the finest hotel in the Chenango
Valley ; it is fitted with all the latest im
provements, and is strictly up-to-date. Mr.
Brewster married Cora Swartfiguer of One
onta, N. Y. He is a Mason of advanced de
grees, being a member of the blue lodge,
chapter, commandery, and other higher
orders. Ezra S. Brewster obtained his common
school education in the same towns as did his
brother. When a young man he learned the
tinning and plumbing trade, and was en

gaged in work along that line for two years.
In 1880 he, with Zeno C. Brewster, engaged
in the hardware and plumbing business in
Hopewell, N. J., under the firm name of
Brewster Brothers, Mr. Brewster conducting
the business very successfully for the firm,
and afterwards buying out his brother and
becoming sole proprietor, continuing thus
for three years. He then closed up the busi
ness with profit and bought out the interest
of R. A. Brewster in the manufacturing of
flouring mill machinery, then known as
Brewster Bros. & Co. of Unadilla, N. Y.,
where he, with the rest of the firm, was en
gaged in all the pursuits in which the firm
was engaged from that time (1883) up to
1890, traveling quite extensively the while.
He then, with his brother, Zeno C. Brews
ter, came to Oxford, N. Y., and bought the
St. James Hotel, which they conducted to
gether for about three years, when Ezra S.
sold his half interest to his brother, and re
moved to Plainfield, N. J., in which place he
bought a cafe and restaurant, and did a very
extensive and profitable business. The same
year he bought in Jersey City a valuable for
mula for killing all kinds ot insects, which
formula he caused to be copyrighted, and
then busied himself in placing the prepara
tion on the market. As this business re
quired so much attention, he sold his cafe
and restaurant, and moved to Hopewell,
N. J., where he built a factory for the manu
facture of Kill Roach, which was the name
the powder preparation went by. The work
of placing an unknown and untried article on
the market was most successfully accom
plished by Mr. Brewster, and the entire

WHITFORD M. REYNOLDS.

CHENANGO COUNTY

245

country between New York City and the
Gulf of Mexico was covered by his agents.
After a little more than two years in this
business, the demand for Kill Roach became
so great that others wished to buy an inter
est. Consequently, Mr. Brewster organized
a limited partnership company at Hopewell,
N. J., and disposed of all his interests but
two shares. This company is doing a fine
business under the firm name of E. S. Brews
ter Co. Experience, the best of teachers,
taught Mr. Brewster how to compound a
formula superior to the one sold. There
fore, after selling out his business in New
Jersey, he returned to Oxford, and bought a
half interest in the St. James Hotel, now the
New St. James. As a venture wholly dis
tinct from the hotel business, Brewster
Brothers are engaged in manufacturing a
wonderful powder, guaranteed to kill- all in
sect life, which preparation is known as St.
James Insect Powder. Mr. Brewster's first
wife was Fannie M. Bundy of Otsego County,
N. Y., by whom he had one child, Fannie B.,
now deceased. After his first wife's death,
he contracted a matrimonial alliance with
Mary D. Titus of Hopewell, N. J. Mr.
Brewster is a Mason, like his brother.

w

HITFORD M. REYNOLDS is one
of the progressive and influential
citizens of South Otselic, Chenango County,
N. Y., and was born in the town of Otselic,
March 4, 1848, and is a son of Willet and
Lucy Ann (Sherman) Reynolds, and grand
son of David Reynolds.

David Reynolds was born in Rensselaer
County, N. Y., and came to the village prior
to 1820, and was one of the pioneer settlers
to locate in Chenango County. He was one
of the veterans of the 181 2 War. In politics,
he was an old time Whig, and was one of
the leading men in politics of his day. He
was justice of the peace for a number of
years. He passed from this life at the home
of his son, in South Otselic. He was united
in marriage with Susan Bently, and they
were the parents of six sons and five
daughters. Willet Reynolds, father of our subject, was
born in the village of South Otselic, in 1820,
and learned the trade of a carpenter from
his father and followed that trade all his life.
He contracted to build many buildings in
the village, among which the largest were
the old Baptist Church, and the Gothic
House. He formed a partnership with his
father-in-law, and they carried on business
together for a number of years. Politically,
he was an ardent Republican, and was elected
overseer of the poor and highway commis
sioner for a number of years. In religious
views he attached himself to the Methodist
Church. He was a sergeant in the old state
militia organization at one time. He mar
ried Lucy Ann Sherman, daughter of Zepha-
niah Sherman, a contractor and builder of
the village of South Otselic, and later a con
tractor of Springfield, Mass., where he died.
Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Reynolds : Whitford M., subject of this
narrative ; Walter, a prominent farmer, liv
ing with his mother in the village of South
Otselic; and Lucretia, who married Albert

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Truman, a farmer of Otselic, and died
November 2, 1889, leaving one son: Arthur J.
Whitford M. Reynolds received his early
training in the public schools, and then at
tended the high school of Chicopee Falls,
Mass., and the New Berlin Academy of this
county. He then learned the carpenter
trade from his father and grandfather Sher
man, and soon became quite proficient in
that line. He followed contracting and
building for twenty-seven years, and has built
some of the largest and most handsome
structures in South Otselic, among which is
the Cox Block, the largest department store
in this part of the state, and the Wildman
Block. He moved to New York City, where
he learned the tailoring trade, and in 1873 he
and his family moved to Redfield, Dallas
County, Iowa, where he followed the car
pentering and tailoring business for two
years. Returning to South Otselic, he took
up his trade as a carpenter and followed it
until 1892, when he started a job printing
office in the Perkins Block. In May, 1892,
he edited the South Otselic Gazette, which
is a weekly paper, consisting of eight pages
of six columns, and has a circulation of seven
hundred. It is a well conducted paper, its
columns filled with the local news of the
community, and contains the important news
from the outside world. It is devoted to the
interests of the village of South Otselic and
to its patrons. He also handles doors, blinds,
sashes and mouldings.
He was united in wedlock February 7,
1872, with Miss Elvira Truman, daughter of
John Truman, late farmer of Georgetown,
Madison County, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs.

Reynolds are the parents of three children,
who are as follows : Earl L., an employee of
the Fishing Tackle Manufactory of South
Otselic ; Laton M., a printer in his father's
office ; and Ethel May. In politics he is a
firm supporter of the Republican party, and
has been justice of the peace for twelve
years, and has held other minor offices.
Socially, he is a member of the Cascadilla
Lodge, No. 478, I. O. O. F., of South Otselic,
which was chartered in 1878; and is also a
member of the N. P. L. We present Mr.
Reynolds' portrait on another page in this
Book of Biographies.

-rCTNANSOM D. BROOKS, the efficient
I S^ manager of the Maydole Hammer
J- y_ ? Co. of Norwich, was born in the
town of Pitcher, Chenango County, July
21, 1859. He is a son of Addison B. and
Maria (Hall) Brooks, and grandson of Luther
Brooks. The family comes of old New England
stock, and Calvin Brooks, the great-grand
father of our subject, was a native of the
State of Massachusetts. Luther Brooks was
born in Massachusetts, where he resided un
til 18 12, and then came to Chenango County,
N. Y., locating in the town of Norwich.
After remaining there some time, he moved
to Pharsalia, this county, and there busied
himself in farming the rest of his life. In
political belief, he was formerly a Whig, but
upon the organization of the Republican
party, he became one of its firmest support
ers. He was the progenitor of seven chil-

CHENANGO COUNTY

247

dren, four sons and three daughters. Mr.
Brooks passed away in 1891, having attained
an advanced age.
Addison B. Brooks was born in Pharsalia,
where he received his mental training in the
common schools. After farming there for a
time, he moved to Pitcher, but remained only
a few years. He then went to Norwich,
where he worked at the shoemaker's trade.
Since coming to Norwich, he has lived a re
tired life and is enjoying the fruits of a labori
ous past. He was twice bound in the holy
bonds of wedlock, his first wife's maiden name
being Evans; two children were born to
them : Addison C; and a daughter who died
in infancy. His second matrimonial alliance
was with Maria Hall, and four children have
blessed their union, who are as follows :
Ransom D., the subject of this personal his
tory ; Elmer B.; Casson M.; and Minetta M.
He is a Republican in politics, and endorses
unreservedly Republican principles. Mr. and
Mrs. Brooks are living in peace and happi
ness in their home in Norwich.
Ransom D. Brooks attended the common
schools of Norwich, after which he took a
course in Norwich Academy. As a youth
he was ambitious and energetic, and upon
leaving school at the age of sixteen, he
began teaching. He also worked at farm
ing, thereby earning and saving enough
money to pay his way through the Pough-
keepsie Business College, graduating in 1881.
For five years he followed the trade of his
father, that of a shoemaker. In 1881 he was
employed as correspondent for Lord & Tay
lor, dry goods merchants of New York City,
remaining with them for two years. He
12*

then accepted a position with the Maydole
Hammer Co. of Norwich, and has been in
their employ ever since. He is an accurate
accountant, a good penman, and a faithful
worker, performing his duties in a manner
that has won the favor of the firm. For
eleven years he served as bookkeeper, and
in 1894 was made manager of the works.
He was united in marriage with Kate R.
Barnard, a daughter of T. W. Barnard of
Chicago, and five children have been born to
make their home happy ; they are as follows :
Edith K.; Philip O. E.; Marian V.; Caroline
R.; and Laurence A. In political belief, Mr.
Brooks is independent, always voting for the
man he thinks best qualified for the office.

ESSE H. SHEPARD. As a citizen of
Sherburne village, it affords us pleas
ure to present a few facts connected
with the history of Mr. Shepard's past, be
fore the reading public. Mr. Shepard is a
member of the firm of Shepard & Sholes,
dealers in drugs and groceries, also a mem
ber of the firm, Blanding & Shepard, dealers
in hay and produce. The business is carried
on methodically, systematically, and in a
strictly honorable manner. The early pa
trons of the establishment still continue as
his customers, and new ones are constantly
being added to the list. The operation of
the store for the past few years has firmly
grounded the proprietors in the confidence
and good-will of the community. Our sub
ject was born at Fly Creek, Otsego County,
N. Y., February 15, 1849, ar,d is a son of

248

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Edwin P. and Ann Eliza ( Walker ) Shepard,
and grandson of Pliny and Elizabeth ( Bow
ers) Shepard.
Pliny Shepard was born in the town of
Otsego, Otsego County, and became one of
the leading men of his district. He followed
agricultural pursuits, and at the time of his
death owned a large estate, the property now
owned by his youngest son, Williard N. Mr.
and Mrs. Shepard were active and consistent
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Edwin P. Shepard was born at Pierstown,
N. Y., February 24, 1824, and received his
education in the district schools of his native
town. He then taught school for a number
of years, and finally learned the trade of a
carpenter and pattern-maker, which occupa
tion he followed in the village of Camden,
N. Y., where he lived until he retired to the
village of Sherburne ; he purchased a home
there and spent the remaining years of his
life in ease. He married Ann Eliza Walker,
a daughter of Nicodemus Walker, and the
following children were born to them : Fran
ces J., the widow of Seth Phelps, who resides
at West Bay, Mich.; Jesse H., the subject of
this biography ; Carrie, the wife of Henry
Byam of Collingswood, N. J.; and Lucia, de
ceased. In politics, Mr. Shepard was an
ardent Republican, and in religious belief
was a Methodist. He passed from this life,
May 2, 1895.
The Camden Union School and the Hills
dale High School (Michigan) furnished our
subject with the essential principles of an ed
ucation. He started out in life with nothing
but strong hands and an abundance of energy
and perseverance, as well as with a fixed pur

pose in life. Leaving home he engaged as
clerk in the drug store of E. N. Skinner,
where he remained until 1872, in which year
he came to the village of Sherburne, and be
came identified with the leading commercial
and business interests of the village. For
fifteen years he was the senior member of the
firm of Shepard, Walker & Co., having
started under the name of Walker & Shepard,
and selling out to York & Failing in 1885.
After this he bought up bankrupt stocks and
held them until opportunities presented them
selves, when he disposed of them at a profit.
In 1 890 he purchased the drug store of Heberd
& Amsden, and on September 1, 1894, took in
Mr. Sholes as a partner, and they still con
tinue under the firm name of Shepard &
Sholes. They carry a complete line of drugs,
stationery and groceries, having the largest
store of the kind in Chenango County. In
1892, he formed a partnership with Mr.
Blanding, and together they are engaged in
buying and selling baled hay, straw, potatoes,
apples and eggs. They ship some 200 cars
of produce to the New England States every
year. Mr. Shepard is the owner of several
houses in the village, and deals extensively in
real estate. He was one of the chief pro
moters and builders of the Sherburne Water
Works, and is president of the present board
of water commissioners. He is part owner
and manager of the Opera House, which is
one of the finest blocks in the village, and
also owns one-sixth interest in the Sherburne
Gas Works.
Fie chose for his life companion Miss H.
Amelia Harris, daughter of John and Ardella
(Andrews) Harris. Mr. and Mrs. Flarris

MELVIN E. HERRICK.

CHENANGO COUNTY

251

came from the State of Massachusetts, and
settled in the town of Norwich, where the
former occupied a position of prominence
among the early agriculturists as a man of
industry and enterprise. They later moved
to Sherburne, and made that village their
home ever after. Mr. Harris died at the age
of fifty-five years, while his wife filled out
seventy-five years. The following children
composed their family : Cornelia ; George
A.; Irving; and H. Amelia, the wife of our
subject. To Mr. and Mrs. Shepard were
born two children, namely : Frederick I.,
who was born December 24, 1873; and
Levant G., who was born February 15, 1877.
The elder son is a graduate of the Sherburne
Union School and the Bordentown Military
Academy, and is now clerking in his father's
drug store. The younger son, a graduate of
the Albany Business College, is the senior
member of the firm, Shepard, McKee & Co.,
gentlemen's outfitters and furnishers of Sher
burne, in which establishment the subject of
this sketch is also financially interested.
Socially, Mr. Shepard is a member of the
Sherburne Lodge, No. 444, F. & A. M., and
is affiliated with other societies, some purely
fraternal and social, and others benevolent in
their character. He is a Republican in his
political affiliations, but is not active in his
support of the party; in the election of 1896,
he voted for William Jennings Bryan, believ
ing that the principles advocated by that
candidate were for the best interests of the
country. His business relations are of the
pleasantest. He has had to labor for all the
good he now enjoys, and his present leading
position in the lines of business in which he

is intimately interested comes as a direct
result of the system and care with which he
watches every detail. The hold which he
has upon the best class of customers is the
best commentary upon his business ability
and extreme fidelity. Mr. Shepard and
family are members of the Congregational
Church of Sherburne.

^VTVELVIN E. HERRICK, a prosper-
fc= I =/ ous and progressive agriculturist,
H -L y_ - residing on the old Herrick
homestead in the western part of the town of
Bainbridge, is a man of great business pro
pensities and has made a success at his voca
tion, not alone by the qualities mentioned,
but above all by his honest and fair dealing.
He has never been known to turn a point in his
favor when he knew it to be to a detriment
to the success of another, and for this reason
he is honored and respected by all who know
him. He is a son of Joseph and Alockey
(Scott) Herrick, and was born November 5,
1849, on the old homestead at West Bain
bridge, where he has always lived.
The Herrick family have long been identi
fied with the growth and development of
Dutchess and Chenango Counties, and from
a vast wilderness, they have assisted in con
verting this section into rich and fertile farm
lands, which are here and there dotted by
thriving little villages and cities. Wonderful
changes have taken place since our subject's
great-grandfather took up his home in the
wilds of Dutchess County, which was then
inhabited only by the native Indian and the

-5-

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

wild beasts of the forest. Henry Flerrick,
the grandfather of our subject, was born in
Dutchess County, and after reaching matur
ity emigrated to Chenango County, locating
on the farm now owned by our subject.
T/he family came overland by means of ox
carts, and the greatest vigilance was neces
sary day and night, as they were in constant
fear of an attack by Indians or the prowling
wolves. After arriving at their destination,
Henry Herrick built himself a house, and
devoted the remainder of his life to clearing
his farm. After many years of labor and
toil, this sturdy pioneer passed into the world
of rest, aged ninety-three years. His com
panion in life was Elizabeth Pearsall, who
was born in 1774, and folded her hands in
final rest October 23, 1856. Their union,
which occurred January 29, 1795, was blessed
by the birth of nine children, whose records
are as follows: Nancy, born October 28,
1795; Samuel, February 20, 1798; Hughey,
June 20, 1800; Polly, March 23, 1803; Phoebe,
October 13, 1805 ; Joseph, the father of our
subject; Elizabeth, October 10, 18 10; Matilda,
December 19, 1812; and Henry, October 11.
1814. Joseph Herrick was born February 5,
1808, on the old homestead, upon which he
lived all of his life. He was engaged in
agricultural pursuits and was one of the
good substantial farmers of the community.
He also was engaged largely in lumbering,
which he was obliged to haul a distance ot
30 miles to the Delaware River, lt was a
tedious and dangerous journey and required
an unlimited amount of courage, as the
return trip was generally made alone and

after sunset. Mr. Herrick had no oppor
tunity to attend school, and being a man of
high ambition and determination, and desir
ing an education above all things, he sat up
at nights and studied after returning from
those long trips, by the light of the old fash
ioned fire-place, which is still in the possession
of our subject. In that manner he secured a
good education, the history of his struggles
showing what may be accomplished by
energy and perseverance. He was united in
marriage with Alockey Scott, and they
became the parents of the following children:
Evaline, the widow of G. F. Greene, was
born December 30, 1835 ; James P. was born
March 18, 1838, and died in infancy; Orin
Day was born June 14, 1839, and died Decem
ber 20, 1868 ; Amelia was born January 26,
1843, and died February 26, 1877; Elzada
was born February 20, 1846, and is the wife
of John A. Ireland, a farmer of Bainbridge ;
and Melvin E., in whom the interest of this
sketch centers. Mrs. Herrick died July 26,
1882, at the advanced age of seventy-two
years, and her husband survived her fourteen
years, dying February 14, 1896.
Melvin E. Herrick was reared upon his
father's farm and was intellectually equipped
for the duties of life in the district schools.
He then worked for his father on the farm
until he came into possession of the estate.
It is an excellent farm of 125 acres, well sup
plied with a good house and many other out
buildings, and is well stocked. Fie also owns
a farm of 146 acres nearby and considerable
real estate out West. Our subject is shrewd
and calculating, and in all his business ven
tures has used rare good judgment.

CHENANGO COUNTY

253

He formed a matrimonial alliance with
Adelia S. Davis, September 27, 1881, and two
children were born to make their home
happy, namely : Joseph E., who was born
December 30, 1884; and Eva M., who was
born February 5, 1895. In politics, Mr. Her
rick is a Republican, and has served as justice
of the peace for six years. Socially, he is a
member of the Susquehanna Lodge, No. 167,
F. & A. M., of Bainbridge. In religious
belief Mr. and Mrs. Herrick are members of
the M. E. Church of Union Valley. As a
representative farmer, and type of the best
kind of citizen, we present Mr. Herrick's
portrait on a preceding page.

M

ANIEL BARBER is a substantial
and reputable farmer of Norwich.
He is a son of Benjamin and Elsie
(Sweet) Barber, and was born August 20,
1834, in the town of Norwich, Chenango
County. Benjamin Barber was a man who reached
affluence entirely by his exertions. Starting
out in life as a poor man at the time of his
marriage with Elsie Sweet, he worked for
some time by the month on farms, until he
had sufficient means to buy a small piece of
ground. Thither he moved with his family,
living in a small log house, and by exercising
the closest economy, and living in the most
frugal manner, he was enabled to lay by
something each year, until at the time of his
death he had accumulated about 400 acres of
land. As his boys grew up they were of
great assistance to him in clearing his farm

and raising his crops. He was a native of
Rhode Island, but at the age of four years
was brought to the town of Norwich, where
he lived to the great age of eighty years.
He was a very strong Republican, and a
member of the Baptist Church, as was his
entire family. He was the father of twenty-
one children, eighteen of whom grew to
maturity, as follows : Charles; Catherine ;
Harriet ; Daniel ; Luthana ; Rosina ; Mary ;
Maria; Emma J.; Sarepta ; Sarah; Whit
man; Edward; George; Florinda ; Betsey;
John ; and Salinda. The mother of this
large family was also permited to live to the
age of eighty years, and saw the members of
her family grow up and gather about them
families of their own.
Daniel Barber has a natural talent for
farming, and has followed that occupation all
his life. He owns a farm consisting of 100
acres of fine land, and his dairy of eighteen
cows shows the care and attention they
receive. He is a Republican. August 30,
1862, he was married to Sarah Mastin, a
daughter of Silas Mastin, and their long
residence in the town has but served to
augment the esteem in which they are held.
They have but one child, Mott H., who was
united in marriage with Grace Shelton, and
has one child, Marion. Mott H. lives at home
and manages his father's farm.

HOFFMAN FISH, D. D. S., is a
valued citizen of the village of
New Berlin, where he is active
ly engaged in dental practice. He is one of

254

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

the oldest practitioners of dentistry in the
county, and easily ranks among the first in
skill and general ability. His labors in his
chosen field have been rewarded by very re
munerative returns.
Dr. Fish was born in Litchfield, Herkimer
County, N. Y., December i, 1848, and is a
son of Almanzor Denslow and Julia Ann
(Howell) Fish, and grandson of Samuel and
Mary (West) Fish.
Samuel Fish, with his brothers, Walter and
Joseph, emigrated from hisk native place in
Connecticut to Herkimer County, N. Y., in
1806, and located where the village of Frank
fort now stands. Three years later, our sub
ject's grandfather removed to Litchfield,
same county, where he purchased a farm sit
uated some two miles from the Mohawk
River. Two years later he changed his resi
dence to a farm near by, where our subject's
father was born. He lived the life of a hardy
pioneer, and grew up with the new country,
where for many years after his arrival he
had few neighbors that had not copper-col
ored visages. He attained the age of about
sixty years, while his wife lived to be eighty-
four years old. Their children were : Elias
L. ; Alonzo L. ; Almanzor D. ; Mary; and
Nancy. Almanzor Denslow Fish was born in Litch
field, December 10, 18 13, and there grew to
manhood. He spent some time in the private
school of J. C. Underwood of Otsego County,
and then went to Connecticut in the follow
ing spring with the intention of going on a
fishing voyage, but was deterred from carry
ing out his plan because of the cholera, that
was then raging there. He next went to

Clinton to complete his education under the
direction of George R. Perkins, since profes
sor of mathematics in the State Normal
School, but he fell sick with an intermittent
fever, and returned home to recuperate his
strength. During the following winter and
summer he was an attendant of the Clinton
Liberal Institute, and in the next year went
to Sauquoit. When he was nineteen years
of age he began the study of law in the office
of Griffin & Allen of Clinton, with whom he
remained one summer. He then went to
Utica, N. Y., to study in the office of Cooper
& Hunt, and was for a time a student in the
office of Aaron Huckley of Herkimer. His
next removal was to Watertown, N. Y., where
he entered the office of Sterling & Brownson,
but he soon returned to Herkimer County,
and continued his studies until his admission
to the bar, under the direction of J. C. Un
derwood, who was then in practice with
Judge Michael Hoffman. He practiced in
Herkimer County until his health failed him,
when he bought a farm in the town oi Litch
field, Herkimer County, removed his family
thither, and followed agricultural pursuits
the rest of his life ; he retired from active
labor at last, and died at Sherburne, when
making his home with his son, M. Hoffman
Fish, the subject of this sketch, when sixty-
two years of age, February 27, 1875. He
was a man of fine educational attainments,
and was a trenchant as well as a brilliant
writer on various subjects ; he was a happy
versifier, and composed a number of short
poems that reflect credit on his ability. He
married Julia A. Howell, a daughter of Capt.
William Howell, who served at Sackett's

CHENANGO COUNTY

255

Harbor in the War of 18 12. They were mar
ried in Herkimer in 1837, and had a family of
two sons and one daughter, as follows : Win
field S., who for twenty years and more was
engaged in practicing dentistry in the village
of Sherburne, who is now with his wife en
gaged in conducting the Hotel Daniels, the
finest hostelry in Sherburne, and the equal of
any in the county ; Hattie A., born in Litch
field, December 8, 1841, who married William
H. Round, and died at Richfield, N. Y., No
vember 24, 1868; and M. Hoffman, the sub
ject of this writing. Mrs. Fish lived to be
seventy-four years old. Our subject's father
was a Democrat after the formation of the
Republican party, and from then until his
death steadfastly supported the men and
principles of the party of his choice.
Dr. Fish, the subject otthis writing, obtain
ed a first-class education in the West Win
field (N. Y.) Academy, taking the full course,
and standing high in his classes. Leaving
school at eighteen years of age, he studied
the theoretical part of surveying and civil
engineering under his father, and ran prop
erty lines for the land-owners of his locality
for some time. His first railroad surveying
was as assistant to T. W. Spencer in locating
the route of the Cassville & Richfield Spring
branch of the D., L. & W. R. R. He also
assisted in surveying the New York, Utica
& Ogdensburg R. R., Col. M. O. Davidson
of Yonkers being his chief in this work. Dr.
Fish also surveyed school districts in nine
towns of Herkimer County, N. Y. In 1868,
our subject took up the study of dentistry
under F. E. Easton, D. D. S., of Cedarville,
and one of the present editors of the Ilion

Citizen. He finished his professional educa
tion in 1872, and located in Sherburne, buy
ing a half interest in the practice and equip
ments of Dr. T. M. Mann, and continuing in
partnership with that gentleman for a year
and a half, when he secured the exclusive
control of the business. From then' until
April 1, 1880, our subject practiced his pro
fession alone, with uniformly successful and
flattering results. His popularity grew, and
in a few years after he located in Sherburne
he commanded a practice, that is not ordi
narily built up in a decade. From April 1,
1880, for five years thereafter, our subject
and his elder brother, Dr. Winfield S. Fish,
were associated in the practice of dentistry,
under the name of Fish Brothers, running
three different offices: our subject spent the
first three clays of the week in New Berlin,
and the last three in Sherburne, while his
brother had his headquarters in Earlville.
In 1885, Dr. Fish located permanently in the
village of New Berlin, where he was already
well known and reckoned as one of the lead
ing business men. He has built up a large
and profitable practice, and is highly es
teemed and respected as a man of solid, sub
stantial worth, whose word is as good as
gold, and whose ability as a dentist is alone
equaled by his professional zeal and honor.
His neat and well ordered office bears every
evidence of prosperity and highly successful
practice. He is a member of the Sixth Dis
trict Dental Society, which organization he
joined on May 1, 1878; he has served two
years as the president.
Dr. Fish's first wife, whom he married in
February, 1872, was Myra A. Cole of Cedar-

256

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

ville, N. Y.; she bore him one son, Leroy,
born March 24, 1875, who lives at home, and
who is employed in the milk condensery.
Mrs. Fish died in May, 1879. In October,
1884, our subject was again joined in nuptial
bonds, the bride being Cora A. Medbury of
New Berlin. Dr. Fish is a Democrat in his
politics, but of late years he has not been
active in supporting his party, and has never
aspired to office. He is a man of marked
social instincts, and is a Mason of consider
able prominence. He is a member of
Phoebus Lodge, No. 82, F. & A. M.; and
Chenango Chapter, No. 253, R. A. M.

B. MONROE of Plymouth is one
. of the oldest residents of Chenango
County, and is also a pioneer merchant,
having been engaged in the produce busi
ness since i860. Mr. Monroe remembers well
the first building standing in the town ; it
was built by the French as a public building,
and was known as the " Town Barn," and
many a time has he and his brother played
under its roof. Although his early educa
tion was limited, by comprehensive reading
he has stored his mind, naturally strong and
receptive, with a varied knowledge, which
makes him a well posted, intelligent man. In
business he is most careful and conservative,
and, withal, a man of rare, good judgment.
He is a son of Dyar and Lydia (Cutting)
Monroe, and was born November 17, 1 821, in
the village of Plymouth.
The Monroes were among the first settlers
in the county, and were the first in the town

of Plymouth. In 1816 Daniel Monroe
brought his family here from New Lebanon,
Conn., coming overland with a yoke of oxen,
a slow, tedious means of travel, fifteen miles
being considered a good day's journey for
such a team. The country was new, the only
building in the town at that time being the
old " Town Barn," before mentioned. Daniel
Monroe's log house, built on a quarter sec
tion of ground purchased by him, was one of
the first residences. There, amid the priva
tions and want, which only pioneers have felt
and can understand, he helped to lay the
foundations of those sterling principles
which have made Chenango County what it
is to-day. After a short time he built a card
ing machine, the first in the town, and fol
lowed carding. As new inhabitants moved in
and work increased, he built a second ma
chine at Sherburne Four Corners, which he
also operated for a number of years. He
went to Ohio and staid a short time, but
returned finally to Plymouth, where he died
at the home of his son, Dyar, aged eighty-
four years. He was a strong advocate of
the Christian Church, of which he was a
member. He was twice married, his first
wife being the grandmother of our subject ;
his second wife was Wealthy Plumb. Seven
children, all now deceased, were born to the
first marriage, viz : Aristareus ; Isaac, a brick
manufacturer, whose yards were on the
present site of Syracuse ; Fletcher ; James ;
Dyar ; Eleanor ; and Almeda.
Dyar Monroe was born in New Lebanon,
Conn., and came with his parents, in 1816, to
the town of Plymouth, settling on the pres
ent site of the village of Plymouth. He was

HENRY J. HALSTEAD.

CHENANGO COUNTY

*59

a blacksmith, and followed that trade in Ply
mouth the remainder of his life. He was an
Anti-Mason, and opposed to all secret
societies. He was one of the founders of
the Chenango Telegraph, a paper still pub
lished at Norwich, and was always ready to
promote any enterprise that promised to add
to the well being of the community. He was
married to Miss Lydia Cutting, and her
example as a faithful wife and loving mother
will long be remembered by those who knew
her. Theirs were Christian lives, and
while they were unostentatious in their re
ligion, yet they found quiet satisfaction in
endeavoring to follow the lead of the Good
Shepherd, and were long members of the
Congregational Church. Their children
were : W. B. ; Joseph ; Martha ; Mary ; and
Francis. W. B. and Francis are the only
ones now living. The father was called
home at the good old age of eighty-four,
and the mother when seventy-three years
old. W. B. Monroe attended the district schools
when a lad, leaving school at an early age to
learn the trade in his father's smithy. He
became a first-class blacksmith, working at
the trade for fifteen years with his father.
He then thought to try his fortunes in specu
lating in eggs, with such good results that
he afterwards added butter and cheese to his
stock in trade, and has met with the most
flattering success. His first investment was
made in i860, and he still conducts a large
and increasing business, the result of almost
forty years' close application to business. He
has a cold storage house in Plymouth, and in
1897 he had stored 2,500 dozen eggs. This

business was carried on under the name of
Monroe Bros., his brother Joseph being as
sociated with him in the enterprise. They
were the owners of three large farms, in the
towns of Plymouth and Smyrna, containing
in all about 450 acres. In 1895 Joseph Monroe
died, and since then Mr. Monroe has con
tinued the business alone. He is the owner
of a mine in South Dakota which has a good
output of tin.
Mr. Monroe was married in 1S42 to Hulda
Fox, daughter of Reuben Fox of Pitcher,
this county. One child, Polly, was added to
their home, but only for a short time was she
permitted to cheer it ; when two and a half
years old she was taken from earth to that
brighter kingdom on high. Mrs. Monroe
died January 31, 1898, aged seventy-five years.
Our subject is a Republican, and has held
a number of local offices, but is not in any
manner a politician. He is a most pleasant
social addition to any company, and his fund
of pithy stories, concerning the adventures
of the early settlers, makes him an interest
ing and instructive talker.

ENRY J. HALSTEAD, a representa
tive and prominent citizen of New
Berlin, Chenango County, N. Y.,
who is engaged in carrying on a very lucra
tive hardware business in the above village
was born in Clarksville (now Middlefield),
Otsego County, June 9, 1844, and is a son of
Rev. Henry and Eliza A. (Parks) Halstead.
Rev. Henry Halstead was a minister of
the Methodist Church, and spent all the ac-

260

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

tive years of his manhood in ministerial
labors in. Central New York. After wearing
himself out, he finally retired to the village
of New Berlin, where his death took place
soon after at the advanced age of ninety-
seven years. He wras, as an evangelist, a
man of more than ordinary ability, deep
Christian fervor and convictions, possessed
of a warm, sympathetic heart which beat for
all. In times of trouble and distress he was
sure to be the first to offer consolation and to
bind up the wounds. On joyful occasions
none added more to the pleasant hour. His
piety was undoubted. He was withal a
broad-minded man, and alive to human feel
ings and interests. As a leader, a teacher,
and an expounder of true Christian principles,
he succeeded beyond a shadow of a doubt.
He was married to Miss Eliza A. Parks, and
they reared two sons and one daughter.
Henry J. Halstead received his elementary
educational training in the common schools,
and then took a course in the Unadilla Val
ley Academy. Leaving school at the age of
sixteen years he began to work at the print
er's trade at Unadilla, but when there came
a call for men to volunteer in the service of
the United States to put down the Rebellion,
Mr. Halstead laid down his work and enlisted
August 12, 1861, in Co. D, 3d Reg. N. Y.
Vol. Cav., for a term of three years. When
the three years came to an end, he re-enlisted
in the same company, and continued to wear
the "blue" until the close of the war, re
ceiving his honorable discharge November
29, 1865, at City Point, Va. He enlisted as
a private and left the service a sergeant. The
following list of engagements with the Reb

els, in which our subject took part, gives
some slight idea of what hard and continuous
service was seen by his company : Goos
Creek, October 22, 1861 ; Winchester, March
7-10, 1862; Houghton's Mill, April 27, 1862;
Burnt Church, May 7, 1862; Trenton, July
25, 1862; Pungo Creek, October 29, 1862;
Kinston, December 11, 1862; Goldsboro, De
cember 17, 1862; Sandy Ridge, February 13,
1863 ; Newberne, February 27, 1863 ; Blount's
Creek, April 9, 1863 ; Peletier's Mills, April
16, 1863; Case Creek, April 30, 1863; Stony
Creek, May 7, 1863 ; Gum Swamp, May 22,
1863; Bachelor's Creek, May 29, 1863; New
berne, October 7, 1863; Wall's Bridge, May
5, 1864; Stony Creek, May 7, 1864; Jarratt's
Station, May 8-9, 1864; White Ridge, May
8-9, 1864; Chula Depot, May 14, 1864; Belch
er's Mills, May 16, 1864; Hatch's Run, June
2, 1864; Petersburg, June 15-19, 1864; South
Side Road, June 22-30, 1864; Ream's Station,
June 29-30, 1864; Deep Bottom, July 26-29,
1864; Meherrin Hill, August 1, 1864; Wel-
don Railroad, August 18-21, 1864; Ream's
Station, August 21-25, 1864; Lee's Mills, Au
gust 31, 1864; Prince George C. H., Septem
ber 25, 1864; Jerusalem Plank Road, Sep
tember 15, 1864; Prince George C. H., Sep
tember 22, 1864; Chaffin's Farm, September
29-October 1, 1864; New Market Roads,
October 7, 1864; Derbytown Road, October
13, 1864; Charles City Pike, October 20,
1864; Fair Oaks, October 27-29, 1864; and
Derbytown Road, November 15, 1864.
At the close of the war Mr. Halstead re
turned to Unadilla, where he remained two
years and then went to Oxford, N. Y., where
he entered the employ of the hoe factory,

CHENANGO COUNTY

261

and worked one year. He then learned the
trade of a tinner with a view toward engag
ing in the hardware business ; coming to the
village of New Berlin, N. Y., with a capital
of $300.00 he formed a partnership with B.
J. Haight, under the firm name of B. J.
Haight & Co., and began to deal in hard
ware. After four years of satisfactory re
sults he bought the interests of Mr. Haight,
and continued in business alone. His store
is located on Genesee Street, has a 36
foot front, 1 50 foot depth, and is three stories
in height. Mr. Halstead handles a full line
of general hardware, tinware, stoves, etc.
He is a stockholder in the New Berlin Elec
tric Light and Power Co. The school board
had our subject as one of its members and
its president for a number of years. He is
a member of the Lewis E. Tew Post, No.
388, G. A. R., and was commander for eight
years. Religiously, he is a consistent and
devoted member of the Methodist Church,
and is at present steward and trustee of that
church. For his first wife he chose Anna C.
Van Schoick of Colesville, Broome County,
N. Y., and they reared two children, as fol
lows : Jennie C, who has charge of the Dea
coness House at San Diego, Cal.; and Cath
erine, who resides with her father. Upon
the death of his first wife, Mr. Halstead mar
ried Hattie A. Chase of New Berlin, N. Y.
The business of Mr. Halstead from the very
start has ever exhibited a steady growth,
and has now assumed large proportions, a
result that is wholly due to the proprietor's
excellent business sense, and to his efforts to
deal fairly and alike with all. His persever
ance and untiring energy are much admir

ed in the community in which his success
has been as steady as it has been deserved.
The publishers of this Book of Biographies
of Chenango County esteem it a privilege to
be able to present on a preceding page a
portrait of Mr. Halstead, who well repre
sents the commercial interests of the county,
and that great body of men who left home
and dear ones to fight for a united country.

vs)|"ENRY G. PARSONS. The leading
¦^j tailoring establishment in Norwich
is that which is conducted at 182
South Broad Street, by the gentleman whose
name heads these lines. Mr. Parsons is a
native of London, England. He is a son of
Henry and Elizabeth E. Parsons, and a grand
son of Charles Parsons who was born in Snet-
tisham, a village near Kings Lynn, Norfolk,
England. Charles Parsons was a country merchant.
He was a devout member of the Methodist
Church and conspicuous for his integrity and
piety. He was father of a family of twelve
children, seven boys and five girls, of whom
the eldest son, Henry, was the father of our
subject. After a long and useful life Charles
Parsons died in the year 1875.
Henry Parsons was also born in the County
of Norfolk, England, and received his edu
cation at the village academy. On attaining
his 21st year he went to London, and was
engaged in business for a number of years as
a merchant tailor, until age compelled him
to retire. He is living at present in London.
He was united in marriage with Miss Eliz-

262

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

abeth Ellard, who was born in the city of
Exeter, Devonshire, England. Three chil
dren were born to them, namely : Elizabeth,
deceased ; Mary, deceased ; and Henry G.,
the subject of this personal history. Henry
Parsons is a member of the Methodist
Church. Mrs. Parsons was a loving wife
and a devoted mother ; she died in March,
1895, deeply lamented.
Henry G. Parsons acquired his education
at Prof. Bond's Classical and Commercial
Academy, Notting Hill, London. He was
apprenticed to the tailoring trade upon leav
ing school. After following his trade for
three years, he left London in 1866, and cross
ing the Atlantic, settled in America. He
located in Washington, D. C, following his
trade for one year, and next went to New
York City, where he remained for two years,
and then followed his trade in different cities
for some years, finally locating in Norwich,
N. Y., as a cutter for Peacock & Brown, with
whom he remained until they closed out
their business. He then entered the employ
of Albert Pendleton, and after a period of
three years purchased the business, and has
since conducted it with good results. He
has had nearly thirty years' experience as a
cutter and fitter, and is now an expert. He
gives his whole attention to this branch of
the work, and employs in his workshop
skilled men, who under his supervision do
the remainder of the work. The stock
carried by Mr. Parsons is a most perfect one,
and embraces a complete line of domestic
and foreign woolens for suitings, cassimeres,
broadcloths and cheviots of the most reliable
manufacture, as well as a handsome line of

pantings ; he also carries every grade and
style of fabrics for overcoats and ulsters, and
the trimmings used are of the best quality in
every particular. He makes a specialty of
fine work, and numbers among his customers
the best people of Chenango County and
many from other sections, who find it to their
advantage to overlook the matter of distance
in order to secure a really first-class article.
The success and increase of patronage,
coupled with the straightforward and liberal
manner of transacting business for which this
establishment is noted, bespeaks for it in the
future a prosperous and permanent business.
In 1872, Mr. Parsons was united in mar
riage with Julia Gamper, a daughter of
Abraham Gamper, who is a resident of
Elmira, N. Y. Four children have blessed
their union, namely : Elizabeth M.; Mabel
M.; Charles, deceased ; and Harvey, also
deceased. In political belief, our subject is a
Republican. Religiously, he is a member of
the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a
good citizen, with broad views of the duties
of citizenship, well-formed convictions on im
portant subjects, and takes a deep interest in
whatever pertains to the financial, education
al, social, moral or spiritual advancement of
the township and county at large.

AMES A. JIPSON, one of Sherburne's
energetic business men, and proprie
tor of one of the best equipped and
best kept liveries in Central New York, was
born at Union Valley, Cortland County,

CHARLES H. LATHAM.

CHENANGO COUNTY

265

August 15, 1846. He is a son of Michael and
Deborah (Newton) Jipson.
Michael Jipson was born in the State of
Connecticut, and early in life came to Cort
land County, and followed the occupation of
a farmer. He was united in marriage to Miss
Deborah Newton, and a large family of chil
dren was born to them, namely: Aurilla ;
Daniel ; Eliza ; Luther, who died when aged
about 28 years ; Martha ; Deborah ; Rosina ;
John ; and James, the subject of our sketch.
Mrs. Jipson died at the age of sixty-five
years. Mr. Jipson passed from this life at
the advanced age of eighty years.
James A. Jipson, the subject of this sketch,
received a good, liberal education, and when
he attained his majority, he was engaged in
the pursuits of an agriculturist. Finding this
business unsuited to his tastes and talents, in
1870 he left the farm and moved to the vil
lage of Sherburne, where he purchased the
livery, then owned by James Spencer. In
1880 the Medbury Hotel barns were burned,
in which our subject sustained a severe loss.
Later the Hotel Daniels with its barns was
built on the same spot where the Hotel
barns was located. Mr. Jipson at once rent
ed and re-opened a fine livery stable, which
contains a fine variety of turnouts. He has
served four years as deputy sheriff under
Sheriff June, and has served fourteen years
as police constable.
Mr. Jipson was wedded to Miss Elizabeth
Parslow, a daughter of John S. Parslow of
Lincklaen, this county. Our subject is one
of the pushing business men of Sherburne, and
anything conducive to the public good finds
in him a friend and supporter.

<L"

FI. LATHAM is the proprietor of

the leading hardware establishment
of the village of Norwich, and
conducts a large business in hardware, stoves,
ranges and the like at his store at No. 215
North Broad Street. So far back as forty
years ago, the business was first established
by our subject's father, Joseph IT. Latham, it
being itself a continuation of a business that
had prospered for many years previous to
the time he took hold of it in 1858. C. H.
Latham was born November 13, ^64, in Nor
wich, Chenango County, where his entire life
has been spent. The Lathams of this dis
trict originally came from Chesterfield, Mass.
James H. Latham was born in Guilford,
Chenango County, and taught school several
terms after completing his own common
school education. In the spring of 1854, he
came to Norwich, and in the following year
became identified with the hardware firm of
Haynes & Knight as clerk and bookkeeper,
remaining in their employ until the death of
Mr. Haynes in 1857, when he was still con
tinued in the store by the administrator of
the estate until the fall of 1858, when he
formed a partnership with D. M. Holmes,
thus originating the firm ot Latham &
Holmes, which bought out the entire busi
ness of Haynes & Knight, even including the
real estate. In the spring of 1864, our sub
ject's father purchased his partner's interest
and continued the business alone until early
in 1888, when he disposed of it to his son,
Charles H. Latham, and H. H. Higley, and
retired from active life. Mr. Latham is a
Republican, and is always ready to work for
the good of the party. He married Frances

266

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Randall, and reared a family that was com
posed of two children : Francis ; and Charles
H., our subject.
Charles H. Latham early went into his
father's store and clerked, continuing to act
in that capacity until he and his partner, Mr.
Higley, assumed control of the establishment
and proceeded to build up a large and lucra
tive trade. In March of 1895, the firm of
Latham & Higley was dissolved, Mr. Latham
buying out his partner, and since conducting
the business. He has greatly enlarged his
stock, which consists of every describable
class of heavy and shelf hardware, stoves,
ranges, carpenters' tools, farming implements,
and such house furnishings as are included
under the general term of hardware. He
also has a plumbing, steam and gas-fitting
business, conducted in connection with the
hardware business, and in charge of the best
and most reliable workmen, who do their
work on the most approved sanitary system.
As Mr. Latham employs ample capital in his
business, he is enabled to buy his goods
cheap on a cash basis, and can therefore
offer articles at very low prices to his cus
tomers. His ten years' business dealings in
Chenango County have but served to deepen
the regard that is entertained for him, for he
has those sterling business principles and
genial manners, that go so far towards mak
ing a good impression, and holding the good
will of those who desire to do business with
him. His signal success is but the well-
merited reward of energy, enterprise and
perseverance. In 1885, Mr. Latham formed a matrimonial
alliance with Nellie Miller, daughter of T. D.

Miller of Norwich, and they have two chil
dren, namely: Ruth and Gertrude. Our
subject is a Republican and has served as a
trustee of the village of Norwich. He is a
prominent Odd Fellow, affiliating with Lodge
No. 205, of Norwich. Mr. Latham is also
a director of the Agricultural Association of
Chenango County. He has taken an especi
ally deep interest in the fire department of
his native village, and was once the assistant
chief engineer; he is a member of the
George Rider Hook & Ladder Co., and was
foreman of that organization for a matter of
three years. Mr. Latham was elected chief
engineer of the Norwich Fire Department,
January 1, 1898, and through his efforts the
city has since adopted the Gamewell Fire
Alarm System, and purchased an adequate
supply of new hose. His portrait as chief
appears on a preceding page.

^VTNARSHALL D. SPENCER. M. D.
f= I =1 The Spencer family, which is one
H -L y_^ of the oldest and best known in
Chenango County, is of French origin, and
formerly spelled the name La Spincier. The
Spencers in the United States are supposed
to be descended from three brothers, who
came to this country in colonial times, but
the first authentic history we have of the
branch to which our subject belongs is of
Jonathan Spencer. It is thought he was a
native of Montgomery County, N. Y., and
was born March 17, 1744. In the fall of 1778
or 1779, he, with his oldest son, Orange, the

CHENANGO COUNTY

267

grandfather of our subject, removed to Ot
sego County and took up his home in Unadilla,
where the two were the first settlers, and
erected the first cabin on what is now Spen
cer Street. They returned to Montgomery
County at the end of the summer, where
they remained until after the cold winter
months had passed, when they, accompanied
by the rest ot the family, set out for their
new home. They placed their possessions
on sledges, which were drawn by oxen from
the Mohawk River to Cooperstown, where
they stopped long enough to build a bateau,
upon which they put their belongings, and
floated down the Susquehanna River, until
they reached the mouth of the Unadilla
River; they pushed the bateau up that river
for about three miles, when they disembarked
and took possession of their cabin. There
they lived in true primitive style, having no
neighbors but the Indians, who were still un
friendly to white men. The family, of course,
encountered many hardships, as they were
obliged to divide their scanty stock of pro
visions with the Indians, in order to keep
peace ; as a result they brought a famine
upon themselves, and for weeks at a time
they had no bread on their table, and the
children often went to bed hungry. How
ever, after some years spent in hard work
and patient toil, better times began to appear ;
other settlers came into the vicinity, and
their home, so long one of privation and
want, became one of plenty and comfort.
Jonathan Spencer was a soldier of the Revo
lutionary War. His first wife was formerly
Ruth Mudge, who was born in December,
1747, by whom he had four children, namely :

Rev. Orange, born July 3, 1765 ; Amos, No
vember 11, 1767; Jonathan, December 4,
1772; and Micah, February 12, 1780. He
was again married July 23, 1781, to Miss
Martha Keach, and reared eight children,
whose births were as follows : Nathaniel,
February 12, 1782; Elisha, May 24, 1784;
William, July 1, 1787; Francis, November 6,
1789; Mercy, April 9, 1796; Barzilla, May 9,
1798; Asher, January 2, 1800; and Solomon,
July ii, 1803. Mrs. Spencer was one of the
best of wives and mothers, and just the kind
of woman needed to struggle through the
hardships of the times in which she lived.
She was a woman of remarkable bravery, as
is shown by the following: When the In
dians, Jed by the noted Chief Brant, made a
raid in the vicinity of the settlement, and the
men were away fighting, the frightened
women sought refuge in old Fort Plains, and
she stood guard. She came from a family
well known for their bravery and fighting
ability. James Keach, one of her brothers,
in a raid on Johnstown, during the Revolu
tion, captured the suit of clothes in which
Sir William Johnson was knighted. When
a band of Tories made a raid on the home of
her sister, Margaret Burch, in search of Mr.
Burch, the redoubtable pioneer woman met
them half way and repulsed them with a red
hot poker. Another sister, having been
driven from her home in the Wyoming Val
ley, fled across the country on foot, carrying
an infant son in her arms.
Rev. Orange Spencer, better known as El
der Spencer, was born in Montgomery
County, N. Y., but when he was about four
teen years of age, he moved to Unadilla with

268

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

his father; he remained there until 1840,
when he went to Jamestown, where he re
sided the remainder of his life. His life was
devoted to the cause of Christianity ; he was
a minister, and promulgated the doctrines of
the Baptist Church. He founded the Bap
tist Church at Masonville, where he was pas
tor for a number of years. He was a man of
many virtues, and did much toward the ad
vancement of the morals of the communities
in which he lived. He reared a family of
four sons and two daughters, whose records
are as follows : Philomelia, who became the
wife of John Fry of Unadilla ; Gilbert, who
lived in North-East township, Erie County,
Pa., and followed farming until his death ;
Orange B., late a farmer of Oneida County,
N. Y. ; Cena, who married Peter Loop, a
farmer of North-East township, Erie County,
Pa. ; and Gaius L., the father of our subject.
Mr. Spencer died at the advanced age of
seventy-eight years, January 15, 1843.
Dr. Gaius L. Spencer was born in Una
dilla, Otsego County, N. Y., where he re
ceived his primary education. He then
began the study of medicine with Dr. Kolby
Knapp of Guilford, and was licensed to prac
tice by the Delaware County Medical Asso
ciation in 1817. He immediately began to
practice at Triangle, where he remained the
rest of his life ; he was the first physician in
the town, and soon acquired a large and lu
crative practice ; he was one of the leading
physicians of the county, being a member of
the Broome County Medical Association.
He was bound in wedlock with Miss Luc}?
Cady, a native of Norfolk, Conn.; she was a
daughter of Ami Cady, and was born Janu

ary 27, 1796. This union resulted in the birth
of six children, who are as follows: Caro
line M., who was the wife of John W.
Blakeslee, deceased, and later the wife of
William Baldwin, also deceased ; Erasmus
S. D., a farmer of the town of Greene, who
died August 13, 1896 ; Dr. Herschel D., late
a physician of Afton, Chenango County, was
born August 4, 1823, graduated from the
Pittsfield Medical College of Pittsfield, Mass.,
in 1848, and died July 27, 1857, at South Bain
bridge, where he was practicing for a number
of years ; Dr. Cyrenius D., born December 4,
1825, was also a graduate of the Pittsfield
Medical College, in 1849, and began the prac
tice of medicine in West Cornwall, Litchfield
County, Conn., where he remained four
years, after which he was located in Gilberts
ville, Otsego County, until 1870, when he
moved to Binghamton, where he now re
sides ; Lawrence H., born September 20,
1827, died December 5, 1890, was a traveling
salesman of Binghamton ; and Marshall D.,
our subject. Dr. and Mrs. Gaius L. Spencer
were faithful members of the Congregational
Church. The Doctor was a man whose long
residence endeared him to a large circle of
friends, and his reputation as a physician,
gained by his 35 years' active work in Tri
angle, reached far and near. His aid was
ever ready at the first call of distress, and
his death, which occurred June 18, 1852, was
a cause of universal mourning, and was
brought about by an accident, while he was
at the zenith of his prosperity. He was
performing an autopsy, when in some man
ner he received a wound from the needle,
which resulted in blood-poisoning, which ter-

CHENANGO COUNTY.

269

minated fatally. The talent for ministering
to the sufferings of their fellow-men appears
to have been an inherited one, as three out
of five sons studied medicine, and gained
enviable reputations. >
Dr. Marshall D. Spencer, our subject, re
ceived his primary education in the public
schools of his native place ; then entered the
office of his brother, Dr. C. D. Spencer,
studying medicine with him, and with his
father, until the death of the latter, when he
went to Litchfield, Conn., and studied with
Drs. Beckwith and Seymour of that place.
Later, in 1854 and 1855 he attended lectures
at the University of New York. At this
time he was compelled to discontinue his
studies, as his health was giving way under
the strain. In 1859, the Broome County
Medical Society granted him a license, and
in the same year he began practicing in the
village where he now resides.
On the 12th of August, 1855, Dr. Spencer
was united in matrimony with Miss Mary E.
Dodge, daughter of Avery Dodge, a manu
facturer of medicine, formerly of Coventry,
this county, later of Triangle, Broome
County. This union was blessed by the
birth of two children : Elwyn L., born Octo
ber 28, 1857, studied medicine with his father,
and graduated at the Buffalo Medical Col
lege, in February, 1882, and is now a success
ful practitioner of Windsor, Broome County,
N. Y.; May E., born September 27, 1864,
died May 8, 1874.
Dr. Spencer is a very successful physician,
his income being about $2,500.00 a year. He
is especially successful in his treatment of
diseases of the lungs, and of pneumonia, in
13*

consequence of which his services are in
great demand, particularly in those cases.
He still keeps up the reputation his father
had before him, of being a physician of su
perior merit, and of one who thinks that
every case upon which he is called to attend
is well worth his best efforts, and no pains are
spared to alleviate the sufferer, be he rich
or poor. This characteristic of ever being
ready to aid a fellow sufferer has been noted
in the Spencer family irom the first, for Jona
than Spencer, when he settled in the wilds of
Otsego County, divided his frugal fare with
unfortunate neighbors. This trait in his
great-grandchildren has been the means of
binding them closely in the affections ot their
fellow men, and it is no surprise to find Dr.
Spencer's name most prominent in all social
circles. He is a member and ex-president of
the Chenango County Medical Society, also
a member of the State Medical Society. He
is a member and ex-secretary of Oxford
Lodge, No. 175, F. & A. M.; member and ex-
scribe of Oxford Chapter, No. 254; member
and medical examiner of the A. O. U. W. of
Guilford. He has always been a Republican,
having cast his first vote for John C. Fremont,
and for each presidential candidate on the
Republican ticket since. His time is so fully
occupied with his professional duties, that he
has had little time to devote to political life.
However, his friends prevailed on him to
allow his name to be placed on the ticket for
coroner, fifteen years ago, when he was
elected by an overwhelming majority, and
so well did the man suit the office that he
was continued in that office for four terms.
Both he and his most excellent wife are at-

270

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

tendants of the Congregational Church, of
which they are members. Their names have
long been identified with all the best interests
of the village.

T^iHARLES H. THORNTON, an in-
I Sr fluential citizen of New Berlin, and
^^_^-^ one of its progressive business men,
conducts a general merchandise store under
the firm name of C. H. Thornton & Co. He
was born in the town of Norwich, Chenango
County, N. Y., February 7, 1842, and was the
first child born to David and Abbie Ann
(Clark) Thornton, and a grandson of Wil
liam Thornton. His great-grandfather was
Jonathan Thornton, a native of Rhode Is
land. In that state, Jonathan Thornton lived
for many years, but in 18 12 brought his fam
ily to New York State, locating in Norwich,
Chenango County. He was a mason by
trade, and in connection with farming fol
lowed that trade all his life. After reaching
the advanced age of seventy-five years, he
passed from this life in 1862.
His son, William Thornton, was also born
in Rhode Island, where he grew to maturity.
After his marriage, he came to this state with
his father, and "earned a competence by till
ing the soil. He remained at Norwich the
rest of his life.
David Thornton was born in Rhode Island
in 1806, and was six years of age when his
father brought him to Norwich. Here he
was reared and spent most of his life. He en
gaged in agricultural pursuits and stock rais
ing. ITe owned a good farm of 200 acres,

which was supplied with 25 or 30 choice
cows, for the purpose of carrying on a dairy.
Later in life, he moved to the town of Guil
ford, where he spent the rest of his life, dying
in 1885. He was quite a prominent man, and
identified himself with his adopted town, and
rejoiced in the status she attained among her
sister towns. He was joined in wedlock with
Abbie Ann Clark, by whom he had the fol
lowing children: Charles H., the subject of
these lines; Sarah E., the wife of William H.
Sage, and a resident of Holmesville, this
county ; Anson, a farmer of Morris, Otsego
County; and Samuel, who is a retired farmer
of Mt. Upton.
Charles H. Thornton was reared in Nor
wich, and lived there until his seventeenth
year. He then came to New Berlin, and has
made it his home since, with the exception of
one year spent in Iowa. He spent his sum
mers as a youth in hard labor upon the farm,
but in the winters he attended school, and
thus fitted himself for his future business
career. At the age of twenty, he commenced
work in a tannery, and remained there one
year. He was adventurous, ambitious, and
desirous of going beyond the confines of his
own state. He went to Iowa, and there
burned lime in the employ of his uncle. Not
finding this occupation to his liking, after a
stay of one year he returned to New Berlin,
and worked on the farm the following two
years. ITe then engaged as a clerk for Wil
liam Lewis of Holmesville, but soon gave up
the position to accept a similar one with
C. B. & H. Babcock of New Berlin. He
rapidly gained in experience, and after re
maining with that firm for seven and a half

JOEL J. BIXBY.

CHENANGO COUNTY

273

years, he began business on his own account.
He opened a general merchandise store in
Holmesville, and conducts it under the firm
name, C. H. Thornton & Co. He was shrewd
and enterprising, and soon acquired a good,
paying business. They carry a fine line of
goods, and have the largest sale of any store
in the village.
December 30, 1868, Mr. Thornton was
united in marriage with Julia E. Gadsby, a
daughter ot Edward Gadsby of Butternuts,
Otsego County. She is a kind and loving
wife, and has contributed largely toward her
husband's success. Mr. Thornton takes an
active interest in politics, and supports the
principles promulgated by the Democratic
party.

-OEL J. BIXBY, a well-known attorney
and popular citizen of the village of
Norwich, Chenango County, N. Y.,
whose portrait is shown on the opposite
page, was born July 17, 1863, at Bainbridge,
N. Y., where his ancestors had resided since
Revolutionary days, the family being among
the first to settle there.
Mr. Bixby attended the common schools
and Bainbridge Academy ; and immediately
after the close of his school life began the
study of law with the late Hon. Isaac S.
Newton, continuing with Judge Albert F.
Gladding, and was admitted to the bar April
24, 1885; and since has been continuously
engaged in the active practice of law at
Norwich, where, through his perseverance
and integrity, he has become well and favor

ably known as a leading member of the
Chenango County bar ; and has won a host
of friends by his kind-hearted, sincere nature.
In 1887 Mr. Bixby was married to Miss
M. Louise Newton, daughter of the late
Hon. Warren Newton, a prominent business
man of Chenango County, and the founder
and president of the National Bank of Nor
wich. Mrs. Bixby received a liberal educa
tion in New York and Boston, continuing
the study of music and art abroad. Mr. and
Mrs. Bixby have one child, Warren New
ton Bixby, born December 31, 1890.
Mr. Bixby is a stanch Republican, and is
always actively interested in the welfare of
his party. Although not an office seeker, he
believes in performing his part when called
upon. In 1892 he was made chairman of the
Republican County Committee, and for two
terms performed the duties of that office to
the entire satisfaction of his party. He is a
vestryman of the Emmanuel Church, a
director of the National Bank of Norwich,
and is prominent in social circles ; belongs to
several leading fraternities, being a member
of Norwich Lodge, No. 302, F. & A. M.;
Harmony Chapter, R. A. M.; Norwich Com-
mandery, No. 46, K. T.; and Chenango Con
sistory, No. 31.

R. IRA C. OWEN, deceased, late
a resident and medical practitioner
of Sherburne, was born in Leb
anon, N. Y., April 8, 1822. He was a son of
Josiah and Sally (Campbell) Owen. Josiah

M

274

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Owen was a tanner and shoemaker by trade,
which occupation he followed the most of
his life. His wife bore him a family of eight
children :¦ Charles T.; Albert C; Ira C, sub
ject of this sketch; Mary L.; Henry A.;
Sarah A.; Alvah H.; and Phcebe E.; all of
whom are highly respected in the localities
in which they now reside. Mr. Owen en
tered into rest at the age of seventy-five
years. Mrs. Owen passed from this life at
the age of seventy-six years.
Dr. Ira C. Owen received his primary ed
ucation in the common schools and Hamil
ton Academy, which was supplemented by a
course in the Cleveland Medical University
of Homeopathy. In 1845 he came to Sher
burne as the first graduate from that school.
He was exceedingly diligent and careful, and,
being a man of magnificent presence and fine
manners, succeeded in acquiring a very large
practice. Dr. Owen was very successful, for
he amassed a fortune that was entirely the
result of his own unabatable industry and
energy. He followed his chosen profession
for fifty-one years, when he was obliged to
give it up owing to ill health ; even then his
counsel was sought. Dr. Owen was a man
of generous impulses, strict integrity, and
pure moral character, a kind and loving hus
band and lather. He died April 15, 1896,
and his death was deeply felt and deplored
by all who knew him, and indeed by all the
citizens of the county. His beautiful home
on Summit Street was mostly his creation.
The house is large and commodious, elegant
ly furnished, and around nearly two sides are
verandas, enclosed in glass, which add the
more to its beauty and to the comfort of its

inmates. The lawns and flower gardens sur
rounding the house constituted his paradise
in the summer ; he also had a large green
house for his private use, which contained a
variety of beautiful plants.
Dr. Owen married Miss Jennette P. Buell,
in whom he found a worthy companion and
wife. She is a daughter of Joseph and Per-
melia (Stowell) Buell of Lebanon. Joseph
Buell was a son of Thomas Buell, a prom
inent farmer, and was born in Lebanon, N.
Y., May 21, 1796, and died May 24, 1837.
He married Miss Permelia Stowell, and a
family of eight children was reared : Ange-
line ; Jennette ; John ; Warren ; Thomas ;
Leroy ; Fayette ; and William. Jennette
Buell was born May 17, 1823, in Lebanon, N.
Y. May 6, 1848, she was united in marriage
with Dr. Ira C. Owen, and as a result of this
happy union, three children blessed their
home: Burritt D., born March 31, 1851, died
in his infancy; Ida F., born July 24, 1856,
married John H. O'Brian, editor of the Sher
burne News, whose sketch may also be found
in this book; Angie N., born June 1, 1865,
married Fred R. Nash of Poolville, and is
the mother of two children, Alice G., and
Edith J. Politically, Dr. Owen was an ar
dent Republican. He was a member of the
Sherburne Lodge, F. & A. M., No. 444, and
took an active part in the workings, having
served as grand master. In his religious
views he was a Congregationalist. Mrs.
Owen is strong physically and mentally for
one of her years. She largely contributed
to the success of her husband, and is a kind
and generous neighbor and friend, a true and
faithful wife and devoted mother.

CHENANGO COUNTY

275

(^YLBERT J. PAYNE, editor and pro-
k-\ prietor of the South New Berlin
-^ » V_*- Bee is successfully conducting this
journal with credit to himself and satisfaction
to all concerned. He is a thoroughly edu
cated man, an excellent journalist, and is
meeting with success in his present pursuit.
Mr. Payne is a son of Charles A. and Eliza
J. (Cushman) Payne, and was born in Edmes
ton, Otsego County, N. Y., August 13, 1867.
William Payne, the grandfather of our
subject, lived in Edmeston for many years,
but previously resided in Morris, N. Y. His
occupation was that of a carpenter and
builder, but he also manufactured picture
frames to some extent. He was a strong
Prohibitionist, and never used stimulants in
any form. Religiously, he was a devoted
member of the Methodist Church, and was
superintendent of the Sabbath School for a
number of years. He married Mary Acker-
man, and they had a family of three children,
namely : Mrs. Ada A. McLaughlin of Edmes
ton, N. Y.; Charles A., the father of our
subject ; and Urban Delos who is a resident
of Edmeston, N. Y.
Charles A. Payne received his education in
the common schools of Edmeston, his birth
place, and lived there until he had attained his
majority. In 1877 he went to Garden Prairie,
111., and journeyed to Los Angeles, Cali
fornia. Prior to this he was a carpenter and
shoe maker, and when he went west he fol
lowed his former trade of carpentering, which
is his present business. In religious views he
has attached himself to the Methodist Church
and was a superintendent of the Sabbath
School. He was joined in marriage with

Eliza J. Cushman, and one child, our subject,
blessed their home.
Albert J. Payne attended the common
schools at Edmeston until he was sixteen
years of age, and then learned the printer's
trade, which he followed in the village of
Waterville for four months. He then went
to Richfield and worked one month, after
which he returned to Edmeston for a short
time before leaving for Utica, where he was
employed on the Living Issue, a weekly
paper. His next position was at Morris,
where he worked on the Morris Chronicle
for two years. Returning home he attended
school for one year and then went to Utica
and was employed in a clothing store, where
he remained for a short time, when he re
turned to Edmeston, his native place, and
purchased a half interest in the Edmeston
Local, and after conducting this paper for
two years, he went to Greene County and
established the Cairo Herald, conducting
that paper for seven years, selling out finally
to a stock company. In the fall of 1896 he
came to South New Berlin and started the
South New Berlin Bee, which he now pub
lishes. He is conducting it in an able man
ner ; his subscription list is steadily increasing,
and the paper is rapidly growing popular
with the people. He is a member of the
Presbyterian Church. He is a member of
the Yonderbocker Lodge, No. 289, K. of P.
of Cairo; and a member of the Winnebago
Tribe No. 362, I. O. R. M. He married June
11, 1890, Gertrude Brooks of Edmeston, and
they have one child, Melicent.
Mr. Payne gives most of his leisure time
to literary pursuits, for which he has a genu-

276

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

ine love, and in which he takes pride in aiming
to excel. He is highly respected in a com
munity of people possessing more than
ordinary intelligence.

TjuOT JOSLYN KIDDER, the subject
J  . of this sketch, was born in Grafton,
Vt., December 6, 181 r, and died in Bain
bridge, February 10, 1868. He was a son of
John and Dorothy (Joslyn) Kidder, and was
reared on a farm in the Green Mountain
State. When a young man he moved to
Bainbridge, and began his connection with
the business interests of this section as a
merchant. On December 15, 1845, he mar
ried Adeline Bigelow, daughter of Judge
Levi Bigelow, and a few years later he left
the mercantile business, and engaged in land
speculating and the handling of real estate,
and continued to be thus occupied through
out the last twenty years of his life. He was
a man of fine business qualities, enterprising,
and active in public affairs. Capable, en-
getic, and devoted to business pursuits, suc
cess in his ventures was ever assured. He
gave freely and liberally to deserving objects
of his bounty, regardless of creed, race, and
color. The Episcopal Church had in him a
faithful friend, and one who was ever ready
to co-operate with others in advancing the
cause of the church. In politics, he stanchly
supported the cause of the Abolition party,
which he lived to see triumphantly wave on
the banners of the returning victorious
soldiers. With the advent of the Republi
can party, he became a warm admirer of the

sainted Lincoln, and supported the party of
reform until his death.
Mrs. Eliot Joslyn Kidder (nee Adeline
Bigelow) was born Nov. 22, 1819, in Bain
bridge, and died at her home there February
6, 1894. Her father, Judge Levi Bigelow,
was born at Guilford, Vermont, February 25,
1785 ; on February 23, 18 14, he married
Hannah Goodrich of Westminster, Vermont,
and in 1815, moved to Bainbridge, where he
began the practice of law, taking up his
abode on what is now known as the Col.
Juliand place. He later exchanged this
property with the late Col. Richard Juliand,
and moved into and conducted for a few
years the Bainbridge Inn. However, wish-"
ing to devote himself unreservedly to the
practice of his profession, for which he was
eminently fitted, he bought the property
since occupied by the late Joel Bixby, and
lived there until forced by age and failing
health to give up active life; he then
removed to Tioga, Pa., where he died in
1868, at the advanced age of eighty -three
years. Judge Bigelow was largely identi
fied with the early growth and development
of Chenango County. He was a lawyer of
marked ability ; in early life his talents
received recognition by his being appointed
judge of Chenango County, Pleas and
County Court, which position he held for a
period of twenty-two years. He also served
one term in the State Assembly. In religi
ous belief he was an ardent Episcopalian, and
St. Peter's Church in Bainbridge owes its
existence in part to his untiring energy and
generosity. He was a courtly gentleman of
the old school, and traced his lineage back in

JAMES H. WESTCOTT, M. D,

CHENANGO COUNTY

279

a direct line to William the Conqueror. Of
the family of seven children born to him and
his wife, not one is now living.
Our subject was survived at his death by
his widow and two daughters, Stella Adeline,
and Annah Bigelow, both of whom make
their home in Washington, D. C, where
Mrs. Kidder passed the winter seasons dur
ing the last sixteen years of her life. Stella
Adeline, the widow of John C. Yale, holds a
position in the State Department, while her
sister, Annah Bigelow, is employed in the
Treasury Department. Mr. Kidder was of
New England stock, a descendant of James
Kidder, who came over from England in
1649, settling in New Ipswich, Mass. The
History of New Ipswich in the Congressional
Library at Washington traces the family line
back to the year 1270.

-AMES H. WESTCOTT, M. D., who
has been engaged in the practice of
his profession in Norwich for the past
twenty -five years, is a practitioner of the
Eclectic school, a deep student, and one who
has a thorough understanding of the in
tricacies of his calling. He was born June
27, 1850, in the village of Norwich, Che
nango County, N. Y., and is a son of Dr.
James J. and Martha M.(Hurlbut) Westcott.
Dr. James J. Westcott was the leading phy
sician and a very prominent man of the village
of Norwich. He was born in Eaton, Madison
County, N. Y., September 1, 1826, and spent
his early life as a farmer. After moving to
Norwich, he began the study of medicine
with Dr. Hiram Hurlbut, and in 1857 he

graduated from the Syracuse Medical Col
lege. For the two following years he '
practiced in Norwich with Dr. Hurlbut, and
then began to practice alone. He was a
man of considerable force of character, well
bred and well informed, an ornament to his
profession, an excellent business man, and
one whose opinions were respected by his
fellow citizens. He was a thoughtful and
conservative practitioner, and to his patients
he was not only the physician, but the warm
friend and adviser. He had a keen sense of
professional honor, and was generous and
manly with his competitors and associates.
He had an extensive practice and accumu
lated considerable property. He built the
fine home and office on West Main Street,
which his son, James H., now occupies. His
wife's maiden name was Martha M. Hurlbut,
and she was a daughter of Dr. Hiram
Hurlbut, and a great grand-daughter of one
of the patriots who participated in the ever
memorable Boston Tea Party. The Hurlbut
family comes of New England stock ; her
grandfather, John Hurlbut, was born in
Connecticut, and was a grenadier soldier of
the Revolution. After the war he came to
New York State and settled in Onondaga
County. Dr. Hiram Hurlbut was born in
Weatherfield, Conn., and was one of the
earliest settlers of Norwich, where he won
great distinction as a physician and surgeon.
His wife was the first licensed lady phy
sician in Chenango County. She died in
1 861, and her husband survived her sixteen
years. They reared four children : Martha
M.and John E., M. D., of Aurora, III, being
the only ones now living. Dr. and Mrs.

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Westcott were the parents of five children,
namely : James H., the subject of this per
sonal history ; George M., who died in
infancy ; Flora M., who died at the age of
two and a half years; Ella M. died at an
early age ; and Ella D., who married W.
Lee Wightman. Dr. Westcott passed into
the unknown beyond March 19, 1894, His
wife still survives him, and lives in the old
home with her son.
Dr. James H. Westcott, after completing a
course of study in Norwich Academy, took
up the study of medicine with his father. In
1872 he graduated from the Eclectic Medical
College of Pennsylvania, and then began
practice with his father. After remaining
with him one year, he practiced alone, and
acquired a large and lucrative practice, but
since his father's death, he has been called
to fill his place. He was eminently fitted to
assume these duties, as his subsequent career
has proven, for he is thoroughly reliable and
capable of handling even the most compli
cated of diseases.
He formed a matrimonial alliance with
Mary E. Close, a native of Norwich, and a
daughter of Col. James T. Close, who
formerly lived in Norwich, but later moved
to Alexandria, Va., where he owned several
large plantations. He raised the first regi
ment in the state to fight for the Union. He
was made colonel and served through the
entire war, but his health was impaired, and
he died shortly after leaving the service. As a
result of our subject's union, one son, James
H., Jr., was born, November 2, 1883.
Politically, Dr. Westcott is a Republican
and votes uniformly and conscientiously with

his party. He is a prominent man among
his professional brethren, and an influential
member of the Norwich Eclectic Medical
Association ; also a member of the Central
New York, New York State, and National
Medical Associations. Socially, he is a
member of the Norwich Lodge, F. & A. M.;
Harmony Chapter, R. A. M. ; Norwich Com-
mandery, K. T. ; Chenango Consistory ; and
Ziyara Temple, Mystic Shrine, Utica, N. Y.
He is also a member of the Iron Hall of
Baltimore. He is a man of liberal ideas,
temperate in his expression of opinions, and
possessing ail of those qualities which con
stitute an honest man and a good citizen.
We present Dr. Westcott's portrait on a
preceding page in connection with the above
outline of his life.

TEPHEN K. WILLCOX. Chenan
go County is indeed fortunate in
possessing a public officer of such
efficiency and general executive ability as
Mr. Willcox, who, as county treasurer, has
charge of all the various funds, and sees to
the collection of the taxes. As a prominent
and influential member of the Republican
party, he has held the office by suffrage of
the citizens of the county since 1893, and has
proved himself a thoroughly capable, as well
as zealous, public officer. Although his
public duties are somewhat onerous and ex
acting in their nature, he yet finds time, by
employing dispatch in his labors, to oversee
and care for his stock farm in Smyrna town
ship, where his home has always been, and

CHENANGO COUNTY

where he was born August 10, 1858. Mr.
Willcox is a son of Thomas L. and Catherine
(Stover) Willcox, grandson of Lillibridge and
Annie (Hoxsie) Willcox, and great-grandson
of Hopson Willcox.
The ancestors of Hopson Willcox date
back to the year 1638 to Edward Willcox of
Portsmouth and Kingston, Rhode Island
Colony, who had about that time a trading
house at Narragansett, which he conducted
with Roger Williams, the founder of the col
ony. The names of the men, who span the
years from 1638 to about 1739, when Hopson
Willcox was born in Exeter, R. I., are un
fortunately not known to the writer of this
biography, but they can be found in the town
records of Rhode Island. Hopson Willcox
came to Chenango County with his sons in
1795 to locate a home for the family, and
chose a river farm in the town of Smyrna ;
he purchased a tract of about 100 acres,
where Melvin Willcox now lives. The re
mainder of the family, with the exception of
two girls, who remained in the state of their
birth, came to Chenango County in 1798.
There were eight children in the family, and
the names of the six who came to Chenango
County were, as follows : Robert ; Russell ;
Lillibridge ; John ; Hazard ; and Betsey.
Hopson Willcox lived to be eighty-three
years old, dying in 1822.
Lillibridge Willcox was born in Richmond,
R. I., and brought his wife to the new home
in Chenango County in 1798, settling on the
homestead, where the subject of this personal
history now lives. He owned 200 acres of
fertile land ; the log house, which he built,
when he first moved upon the property and

began to clear the land, he replaced in after
years, when the country became populated
and saw-mills frequent, with a frame struc
ture, which is now, though slightly remodeled
and rebuilt, a part of our subject's home.
With a view to permanent occupancy of the
land, and to the needs of the new country, he
brought with him from Rhode Island apple
seeds, and raised seedling trees, which he set
out in orchards for himself and for his neigh
bors. The family clung to their Quaker
customs and beliefs long after coming to this
district, but gradually they drifted into other
denominations. Hopson Willcox had been
in his day quite a preacher in the Quaker
Church. Lillibridge Willcox cleared a good
farm, and gave every evidence of being a
man of progress and advanced ideas on all
subjects. Fie with all his brothers had ample
means when he came to Smyrna, and added
largely to his possessions. He lived to be
eighty years old, dying in 1853, while his wife
attained the age of seventy-seven, her death
taking place in 1858.
Our subject's father, Thomas L. Willcox,
was born September 21, 1803, in a log cabin
on the farm in Smyrna, where he always re
sided; he was the second of seven children,
and outlived the rest of the family. He in
herited the homestead, and through the
results of a life of thrift and enterprise he
added to his original possessions until he was
the owner of 320 acres of farming land. He
signalized his prosperity by building addi
tions to the frame structure constructed by
his father, and by erecting large barns to ac
commodate his large agricultural operations.
He was one of the prominent men of his

282

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

town, and his death, which occurred January
13, 1884, was mourned by all his fellow-citi
zens. When the old state militia flourished
Capt. Willcox was always at his post on
"General Training" day. He was a Demo
crat of the old school until the Free Soil
movement gained force, when he cast in his
fortunes with the Republican party, in whose
counsels he rendered valuable service. He
held a number of the township offices, being
well qualified for public service ; he would
have probably been elected to more offices had
it not been for the fact that during his younger
and more active days the town was wont to
give Whig candidates three votes to the
Democratic candidates one. The conditions
are similar to-day, the town never failing to
give an overwhelming majority for the Re
publican ticket. He was liberal in his relig
ious views. Following the example set by
his father, he never used tobacco in any
form ; the same may also be said of his son,
Stephen K., our subject. He was a good
man, with a stainless record for just dealing,
and was greatly missed in the community
where he had lived so long, when he was
called to his Heavenly Home. In 1846 he
was united in marriage with Catherine
Stover, daughter of William and Betsey
(El wood) Stover. William Stover was born
in Dutchess County, N. Y., in 1765, and de
parted his life in Smyrna township, this
county, in 1841. His first wife, Elizabeth
Hollenbeck, bore him these children : Mary ;
Adam ; Betsy ; Asenath ; Samuel ; Hannah ;
Jemima ; and William. Two years after his
first wife's death, he married, in 1808, Betsey
Elwood, and reared these children : Susan,

the wife of Russell Wilcox ; Lydia, who
married Alfred Seymour; Benjamin; Ruth,
who became the helpmeet of Jarvis Pike ;
John A.; Catherine, our subject's mother;
and Richard Elwood. William Stover pur
chased a tract of land, 400 acres in extent, in
the town of Smyrna, then Sherburne, and
there took up and followed agricultural pur
suits, with the most flattering results, for he
accumulated a good fortune, reared a large
family, and was able to attend to many pub
lic and semi-public duties. He belonged at
one time to the sect of Reformed Metho
dists, but withdrew from that denomination,
and on his own land at his own expense
erected a church, where he preached, but
where no contributions were taken for any
purpose. He was glad to be able to support
the church himself, and always welcomed
ministers of every denomination to visit him,
and to occupy his pulpit when it was not his
regular preaching day. Before he built this
church, quarterly meetings were frequently
held upon his premises in a grove of butter
nut trees ; at least one such meeting was
held in the church after its erection. A con
ference, which was largely attended, was
held there about 1828, and among those
present was Brigham Young, later to become
the head of the Mormon Church. He was a
very well educated man, could speak German
fluently, and was looked up to by his neigh
bor settlers as a man of very superior attain
ments. He was a charitable person, a devout
Christian, and an eloquent speaker, employ
ing the truly sublime gift of eloquence in
winning souls to the Master. He was ex
emplary in his habits, and never used tobacco,

CHENANGO COUNTY

283

an example that was closely imitated by all
his sons. The following children were born
to our subject's parents: Anna E., the es
teemed wife of Benjamin J. Cone of Colum
bus, N. Y. — she died in November, 1882;
Arthur L., who married Delephine R. Dim-
mick, and lives on a farm adjoining our
subject's ; Stephen K., the subject of this
sketch ; and William R., once principal of
the Webster Union Free School, Monroe
County, N. Y., and now an attorney-at-law,
No. 32 Nassau Street, New York City. Mrs.
Catherine (Stover) Willcox, our subject's
mother, resides with him.
Stephen K. Willcox received his education
in the district schools and in Eastman's Busi
ness College. At his father's death he
inherited the homestead, which he had been
managing for a few years, himself, and now
owns one of the best dairy farms in the town
of Smyrna. For some years he has had it
stocked with blooded Devonshire cattle, and
milks some twenty-five cows. He has a flock
of 100 fine bred sheep. He has also made a
specialty of raising single comb White Leg
horns, and has some of the finest poultry in
the state, well-housed in commodious and
well lighted and ventilated henneries. He
has been too active in farming and in politics
to get married.
Our subject is a stanch Republican, and
has been in office continuously since 1884,
when he was elected a justice of the peace.
He rapidly rose to prominence in the county,
and in 1893 was elected by a large majority
as county treasurer. Confidence was re
affirmed in him, and his administration of the
office was vindicated by a re-election to the

same office in 1896 for another term of three
years. He invariably represents his district
in the county conventions. He has been a
member of the county committee for the past
ten years, serving throughout the first year
as chairman, and since as secretary and treas
urer. With a full realization of the trust and
confidence reposed in him, and conscientious
to the last degree in discharging each duty
that falls to him, he merits the high esteem in
which he is held throughout the county.

¦RIAH LOOMIS. It is always a mat
ter of interest to review the lives of
early settlers, and to note from
the study of their careers the progress time
made in their surroundings while silvering
the hair and implanting furrows of care on
the forehead. The gentleman whose name
occurs above was born on the old Loomis
homestead, in Smithville Flats, May 2, 1844,
and is a son of Roman and Christina (Smith)
Loomis. The family is descended from both the
Scotch and English races, and the first
family of that name to emigrate to America
located in the New England States. The
grandfather of our subject, Ephraim Loomis,
was one ot the early settlers of Connecticut,
and followed the vocation of a farmer in
Torrington, Litchfield County, all his life.
Roman Loomis was a native of Torrinjr-
ton, Conn., and was born September 4, 1800.
He left the parental roof at the age of
eighteen years, to make his sister, Mrs. Visa
Leach, a visit. She had married a Mr. Leach,

284

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

and shortly after the marriage had moved
with her husband to Smithville Flats, Che
nango County, N. Y. While Mr. Loomis
was making his home with his sister, he met
Christina Smith, and before his return home
had made her his wife. They then took up
their residence in Torrington, Conn., where
they remained a few years, when they moved
to Smithville, N. Y., and there spent the rest
of their lives. He began the tilling of the
soil, and bought a small tract of land two
miles north of Smithville Flats, and at his
death, which occurred in 1880, he owned 189
acres of the best farming land in his section
of the county. In religious views, he at
tached himself to the Baptist Church, and
was one of the valued workers of that or
ganization.. The family of Mr. and Mrs.
Loomis consisted of seven children. Lauren,
deceased, the eldest, was one of the progres
sive farmers of Minnesota, and during an up
rising of the Indians he was obliged, with his
family, to flee for his very life. They rode
horseback to a small town called Henderson,
where Mr. Loomis died from the effects of a
cold he had received in the severe rainstorm
that occurred the night of the flight. The
remaining members of the family of Roman
Loomis were: Ephraim, a prominent farmer
in Smithville Flats, and a veteran of the late
war; George, also a farmer of Smithville
Flats, and a veteran of the late war ; Uriah,
subject of this biography ; Oliver, now de
ceased, late a progressive farmer of Austin,
Minn.; and Mary, widow of the late H.
Skillman, who was a prominent citizen of
Smithville. Uriah Loomis was reared on the old

homestead, and was educated in the common
schools of his native town and at Cincinnatus
Academy. He remained with his parents
until he grew to manhood, and then went to
German, this county, and purchased a farm
of 218 acres, where he carried on general
farming for some years. In 1886 he returned
to his native town and bought a farm con
sisting of 223 acres of well improved land.
He also owns a part of the old homestead.
During the late Rebellion, when the call for
troops was made, he left the farm, and Sep
tember 5, 1864, he enlisted in the army, and
rendered gallant service throughout the re
mainder of the war. He was assigned to Co.
G., 185th Reg., N. Y. Vol. Inf., which regi
ment was given a place in the Army of the
Potomac. Among the battles in which he
participated were Five Forks and Gravely
Run, where he was wounded by a minie
ball ; he was in the act of firing his gun
when the ball struck him in the left wrist,
and, passing diagonally through the wrist,
took off the second, third and fourth fingers
of the right hand. He was sent to the City
Point Hospital, where he remained a few
weeks, and was then transferred to the
Mount Pleasant Hospital at Washington,
D. C.,and there he remained four weeks. He
received an honorable discharge October 26,
1865. He Avas united in marriage October 22,
1884, with Emma Harrison, daughter of
William Harrison, and granddaughter of
Samuel Harrison. Samuel Harrison was a
native of Ireland ; upon coming to this coun
try, he located in Smithville Flats, where he
engaged in farming. Fie reared four sons

H. J. BORDEN.

CHENANGO COUNTY

287

and three daughters. William Flarrison, the
father of our subject's wife, was born in Ire
land and came to this country with his
father. He followed the vocation of a farmer
all his life. He married Jane Wilson,
daughter of Robert Wilson, and they reared
three sons and three daughters, who were as
follows : Samuel, deceased, late a farmer in
Smithville Flats; Eliza, deceased; Mary;
William; Emma, wife of our subject; and
George, a prominent farmer in Smithville
township. To Mr. and Mrs. Loomis were
born two children, namely : Mary J.; and
William H. Socially, Mr. Loomis is a
member of the Col. Banks Post, G. A. R., of
Greene ; he is also a member of the Eastern
Light Lodge, No. 126, F. & A. M., of Greene.
He is a strong, unyielding Republican, and
always active in whatever will materially
assist his chosen party. He is a gentleman
of intense patriotism, and loves well the land
of his birth. He appreciates to the full his
duties as a citizen and as a native-born Am
erican. He has attained his present pros
perity in the way open to all, by hard work
and persevering endeavors, and he is emin
ently deserving of greater good fortune.
We find such men in the front ranks of
every business and in every community,
whose successes have been independent of
assistance from others.

g)| J. BORDEN. Among all the coun-
¦^j tries shipping cheese to Great
'- V .. Britain, America ranks first, both
in quality and quantity. New York is
notably first in rank as a cheese-producing

state, and the goods made in Central New
York are known as the best, and are shipped
extensively. H. J. Borden, whose portrait
appears on the opposite page, has been
largely engaged as a manufacturer of this
article, and stands at the head of the trade.
He is a son of W. D. and Mellissa (Phette-
place) Borden, and was born February 7,
1862, in the town of Norwich, Chenango
County. W. D. Borden, the father of our subject,
was a native of Oxford, this county, where
he received a common school education. He
grew up a Republican. He was twice mar
ried ; by his first wife, there were born to him
five children, as follows: Frank P.; E. D.;
W. L.; Mary Mellissa; and H. J., our sub
ject. This family was deeply bereaved in the
loss of the loving mother who was beloved
by all for her many noble and endearing
qualities. Mr. Borden was afterward united
to Elizabeth Chappie. They had four chil
dren, — Owen; Pearl E.; Hattie A.; and Nor
man. Mr. Borden died while but little past
his prime, being only fifty -two years old.
H. J. Borden received his first education
in the district schools of the town of Nor
wich, and was then a student of the public
schools of Milford. Nebraska, where he spent
three years. Soon after leaving school in
1879, he served a three years' apprenticeship
at cheese-making, and has since worked at
the trade as journeyman in Madison, Orange
and Chenango Counties, until March 8, 1897,
when he bought the Plymouth Cheese
Factory at Plymouth. He also learned the
harness-making trade in his youth, and still
devotes occasional spare moments to that

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

vocation. He has two pursuits, either of
which he could turn to account to gain him
a livelihood, should circumstances so require.
At present he is devoting almost his entire
time to the working of his factory, which has
a capacity for using the milk product of 800
cows, and is now taking the milk from 600.
The present output is 1200 pounds of cheese
per day. Mr. Borden is now engaged in fit
ting his factory with extensive facilities for
the manufacture of butter in connection with
cheese, and his plant will soon be among the
largest butter and cheese factories in the
county. He employs three men in his fac
tory. As a cheese manufacturer, Mr. Borden
bears the enviable reputation, and that
among his patrons, of being the best cheese-
maker in the county, and ranks among the
foremost of the state. He possesses numer
ous highly commendatory letters from his
customers in New York and elsewhere as to
the superior merits of his products.
Although this is his first year in operating
his factory, he expects to do at least $30,000.00
worth of business during the year. This
would be a herculean task for an ordinary
man, but with the push and energy that has
ever characterized his actions, he is sure to
succeed, as he admits of no such word as
fail. Not a pound of his goods has ever
been rejected in the New York markets, and
he is in daily receipt of the strongest of testi
monials, proving conclusively that he is the
right man in the right place. In politics, he
has identified himself with the Republican
party, but has not been troubled with politi
cal ambitions, feeling that, his time was
already taken up, and has generously left the

offices to be filled by men possessing more
leisure than himself.
He was united in marriage with Miss
Josephine Schorn, on February, 6, 1882.
She is a daughter of Joseph Schorn, a
cabinet-maker of the village of Norwich.
Mr. and Mrs. Borden have one son, Elmer.
Mr. Borden is an expert marksman at
target practice, which pastime affords him
his chief diversion. His target guns, consist
ing of rifles and Smith and Wesson revolvers,
are of the finest make and most elaborate
finish. A handsome Schuetzen rifle of No.
52 pattern, with telescope sight, and his
Perry target, gun, are especially worthy of
mention in his collection. His best record
on a 200 yard shoot, is 10 shots in 6 inches,
string measure.

-AMES H. NICKERSON, who is a
member of the firm of Nickerson &
Church Bros., extensive shippers of
milk to New York City, is also connected
with many other business enterprises in the
village of Afton. Upon reaching manhood
he found himself poor in pocket, but rich in
determination. He has traveled the long
road of toil and struggle, and has overcome
seemingly insurmountable obstacles which
have crossed his pathway. From this he has
reaped a rich experience, by which the
young men of the present day would do well
to profit. He knows for himself that the
maxims which treat of the rich reward of
energy and determination are no idle words.
Our subject is a son of George B. and

CHENANGO COUNTY

Samaria (Dutton) Nickerson, and was born
May 5, 1837, in the town of Afton, which was
then Bainbridge. His grandfather was
George B. Nickerson, Sr., who came from
Hudson, N. Y., in the early part of this
century and settled in the village of Oxford.
He was engaged in merchandising there
until the time of his death in 1850.
George B. Nickerson, the father of our
subject, was the first child born to his
parents, his birth occurring December 3,
1 8 10, in the village of Hudson. At an early
age he came with his father to Oxford, where
he grew to manhood. In 1830, he moved to
Afton, and there lived the remainder of his
clays. His vocation was that of a farmer, and
he owned a fine farm of 150 acres. Besides
engaging in general farming, he operated a
large dairy and with good results. Religi
ously, he was an adherent to the faith of the
Baptist Church. He was united in marriage
with Samaria Dutton, who was born in the
village of Afton, April 21, 1812, and died
there September 7, 1878. As a result of their
union, which occurred January 1, 1834, four
children were born, namely : Cornelius, who
was born February 27, 1835, and died August
28, 1875, was a farmer, speculator and large
hop grower, and dealt extensively in hay,
butter, etc.; James H., in whom the interest
of this sketch centers ; Leroy A. was born
January 16, 1840, and passed into the world
of rest August 27, 1840; and Sarah O., who
married William Wilder of the village of
Afton, was born September 20, 1842. Mr.
Nickerson's useful life came to an end in
1870, when he was aged sixty-eight years.
James H. Nickerson was reared on a farm

near the village of Afton, and attended the
common schools until he was sixteen years
of age. He then left his parental roof and
worked out until he was twenty-five years
old. He then engaged in farming and hop
growing with his brother, Cornelius, on a
farm on Algerene Street, just two miles from
the village. The farm contained 200 acres
ot land, and in connection with hop growing
they raised all kinds of farm produce, and
were extensive shippers. In 1872, he pur
chased the old Joseph Chamberlain farm,
situated within the corporate limits of the
village of Afton. It consisted of 125 acres of
land, which he laid out in town lots on
what are now known as High, Orchard, and
South Main streets. 30 acres of this land
were sold as town lots, and most of them
have been built upon. He retained 65 acres
of the original tract, upon which he built
himself a handsome residence, in which he
now lives. He cultivates the land and con
ducts a large dairy. In 1 881, he in partner
ship with D. C. Church, deceased, built a
large creamery, the first in the vicinity, and
operated it until 1894, when it was consumed
by fire. They re-built the creamery and
also purchased the milk station of E. R.
Wescott of New York City. The milk
station is now conducted under the firm
name of Nickerson & Church Bros., and they
buy up all the milk in this section of the
country. They are doing a large and lucra
tive business, which is steadily increasing.
Mr. Nickerson has been twice bound in
the holy bonds of wedlock. His first wife
was Mary E. Van Woert, a sister of Delos
Van Woert, whose personal history 'also

290

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

appears in this Book of Biographies, and one
child blessed their union, namely : Leon J.,
born September 13, 1878, who is foreman of
a shipping station of Cortland, N. Y. Mrs.
Nickerson was called Home May 20, 1884.
June 28, 1887, our subject was united in mar
riage with Mrs. Mina Jones of Carbondale,
Pa., who was born in Clifford township, Sus
quehanna County, Pa., September 28, 185 1.
Mr. and Mrs. Nickerson are highly esteemed
in their community, and are entitled to be
classed among the very first citizens. They
are friends of good order and system, and
are contributing their share toward the
building up of the community, socially,
morally, and intellectually. They are mem
bers of good standing in the Baptist Church
of Afton. Our subject is a Republican in
politics, and votes and works conscientiously
with that party. Socially, he is a member of
the A. O. U. W. Mr. Nickerson possesses
great force of character, high moral princi
ples, is a kind husband, an affectionate father,
and a faithful friend.

B

R. FREDERICK O. SPOONER, a
much respected physician of Sher
burne, and a graduate of Vermont
Medical University of Burlington, Vt., was
born in the town of Madison, Madison
County, March 1, 1866. He is a son of Ben
jamin and Lavina (Powers) Spooner, and
grandson of Prince Spooner.
Prince Spooner was one of Madison
County's oldest settlers, and was an owner
of 300 acres of highly cultivated land. He

was joined in wedlock with Miss Patterson,
and as a result of this union a large family
was reared : James ; Andrew ; Benjamin,
the father of our subject ; Jennett ; Ruth ;
Lydia; and Alice. Mr. Spooner died at the
age of sixty, and bequeathed each of his chil
dren an equal share in the old homestead.
Mrs. Spooner passed from this life, aged
about sixty years.
Benjamin Spooner, our subject's father,
was born on the present farm, and at the
death of his father he bought from the other
heirs their shares in the estate, and imme
diately set to work and built an entire new
set of buildings and carried on general farm
ing until his death.
He married Lavina Powers, daughter of
Ebenezer Powers of Oneida, and she is at
present living on the old homestead. Four
children were reared by Mr. and Mrs.
Spooner : Frank, a graduate of Colgate
Academy, and now a Baptist minister of
Mt. Upton, N. Y.; Frederick O., M. D., our
subject; Morris, a farmer, miller, and pro
duce speculator of Madison ; and Prince,
who is a student. Benjamin Spooner was a
member of the state militia. Politically, he
was a stanch Republican, and served his fel
low-citizens as assessor. Religiously, he was
a member of the Baptist Church.
Frederick O. Spooner, our subject, received
his primary education at the Madison Union
school, and in 1887 he graduated from Col
gate Academy. He studied medicine under
Dr. Beebe of Hamilton, N. Y., and gradu
ated from the Vermont Medical University
of Burlington, Vt., in 1891. For the next
year and a half he practiced his chosen pro-

GEORGE H. WILLARD.

CHENANGO COUNTY

293

fession in Bouckville, Madison County, with
fair success, and then he came to Sherburne
village and succeeded Dr. C. W. Crumb.
He lives on what was formerly known as the
Ames estate, the residence on which was
built by Dr. Place. This beautiful home has
a fine location and is situated on Chappie
Street, one of the principal streets of the vil
lage. His residence contains fine office
rooms, which enable him to be prompt when
called. He devotes himself to the study and
practice of his chosen profession, and has
built up a large and lucrative practice. Dr.
Spooner is one of the most popular and suc
cessful physicians in the northern part of
Chenango County. He married Ella Van
Dusen, daughter of Rev. H. N. Van Dusen,
a Methodist preacher of Slaterville Springs,
N. Y., and as a result of this happy union
one child was born to them, Ethloine M.,
born November 27, 1895. Mr. and Mrs.
Spooner are both popular members of the
Methodist Church. Politically, our subject
is a stanch Republican. His professional at
tainments are superior, while toward each
and all he manifests a kind and gentlemanly
demeanor, which gives him the good will and
respect of the entire community.

/1§Jk)

EORGE H. WILLARD is associate
\J_X- proprietor and editor of the New
Berlin Gazette, a weekly sheet, which has a
wide circulation throughout the county. He
is a descendant of an old and well-known
New England family, and was born April 17,
1866, in Oriskany Falls, Oneida County,

being a son of E. Jay and Frances ( Ballard )
Willard. The ancestry of this family is traced back
to one, Major Simon Willard, who was arch
itect of the Bunker Hill Monument. The
great-grandfather of our subject was Josiah
Willard, who left his New England home at
an early day and located in Oneida County,
N. Y., where he was one of the pioneer
settlers in the region of Oriskany Falls. He
spent the remainder of his life there. His
son James M. Willard, the grandfather of
our subject, was born in Oneida County,
where he became prominent, both in mercan
tile circles and in politics, being an unswerv
ing supporter of the Democratic party. He
was joined in Hymeneal bonds with Miss
Angeline Hubbard, and they reared a family
of five children, the oldest of whom was E.
Jay, the father ot our subject.
E. Jay Willard was also born in Oriskany
Falls, Oneida County, and was educated in
the public schools of that town. He ob
tained a good business education and learned
the trade of a carpenter. He formed a mat
rimonial alliance with Frances Ballard, a
daughter of Clesson M. Ballard, and they
were the parents of two children : Edward
C, a printer in the employ of the New Berlin
Gazette ; and George H., in whom the inter
est of this sketch centers. In religious belief,
they were adherents to the faith of the Pres
byterians. Mrs. Willard's second marriage
was to Milo C. Barker, of Oriskany Falls, and
they are the parents of one daughter, Mabel
A., who is in attendance at school, at Bridge-
water, Oneida County, where they now
reside.

294

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

George H. Willard received his intellectual
training in the common schools of his native
town and in Brookfield, Madison County,
N. Y., where he graduated from the academy,
in 1883. He then taught school for several
terms, after which he worked on a paper
edited by F. E. Munger in Richfield Springs,
and also represented the New York Journal,
the New York Graphic, and the Utica Daily
Observer. After a period of three years'
time, he located at Waterville, Oneida
County, where he was connected with the
Waterville Times for two years. He then
went to West Winfield, Herkimer County,
and after remaining there one year, went to
Oneida, where he was city editor on the
Oneida Union, a semi-weekly sheet, and the
only Democratic organ in the county. In the
summer of 1890, he returned to Richfield
Springs, where he was editor of the Richfield
Daily and a "special" on the New York
World until the following August, when he
came to New Berlin. He remained here one
year, and then went to Norwich, where he
was at first engaged as foreman on the Morn
ing Sun and county representative of the
United Press, and later as city editor on that
paper. He remained in that village until
1893, when he moved to Ilion, N. Y. and be
came foreman of the Citizen Publishing Co.,
which position he held for some years. In
July, 1895, when he came to New Berlin, he
purchased a half interest in the New Berlin
Gazette, and has since conducted that paper
in connection with Joseph K. Fox, a record
of whose life is also given in this Book of
Biographies. Our subject's many years of
experience in his field of business have well

qualified him for the duties of his present
office, and much of the success of the paper
is due to his untiring and conscientious
work. Mr. Willard married Lily M. Lottridge, a
daughter of Henry L. and Betsy ( Fenton )
Lottridge of New Berlin, the nuptial knot
being tied December 23, 1893. This happy
union was blessed by the birth of two sons,
namely : Henry M., and Ray F. In political
belief, Mr. Willard is a Democrat and has
been a member of the county committee.
Socially, he is a Mason and belongs to the
West Winfield Lodge, No. 581, F. & A. M.;
and is also a member of the Improved Order
of Red Men of Norwich. His portrait is
shown on another page.

w«

ILLIAM BREESE, the subject of
this sketch, is a citizen of the vil
lage of Norwich, N. Y., and has been for a
number of years past engaged in the furni
ture and undertaking business, conducting
the most extensive business in that line in
Chenango County. His connection with the
business dates from January 28, 1876, when
he purchased the furniture business of Close
& Rathbun. Early in life he saw much of
politics, both in town, county and state. He
was born in West Burlington, N. Y., March
30, 1842, and is a son of Lewis Alanson and
Sobrina Electa Breese, who were married at
West Burlington, N. Y., May 17, 1832.
Aaron Breese, his paternal grandfather,
and Mary M. Bissell, paternal grandmother,
were married about the year 1803. Aaron

CHENANGO COUNTY

295

Breese was born in Loudoun County, Va.,
March 26, 1781, and died at Westford, N. Y.,
May 9, 1852, aged seventy-one years. Mary
M. Bissell was born at Litchfield, Conn.,
Nov. 23, 1790, and died at Westford, N. Y.,
February 25, i860, at the age of sixty-nine
years. Lewis A. Breese, the father of our subject,
was born at Laurens, N. Y., July 3, 1809, and
died at Garrattsville, N. Y., May 2, 1893,
aged eighty-four years. He learned the
trade of a blacksmith at Burlington Flats,
which he followed for a number of years.
Later he kept a hotel, and was postmaster at
West Burlington for a period of about
twenty-five years, being a Republican in
politics. He was formerly a member of the
old state militia. Sobrina Electa Breese, the
mother of our subject, was born at Butter
nuts, N. Y., May 5, 1814, and was a daughter
of William Laverty, and his wife, who was
Electa Wheaton. The following were the
children of Lewis A. and Sobrina E. Breese ;
Nelson W., born June 10, 1833, and died
May 17, 1835 ; Lewis Henry, born June 9,
1835, married Helen A. Chapin, July 2, 1861 ;
Lucy Electa, born December 16, 1837, was
united in marriage to Isaac C. Chapin, Octo
ber 6, 1858 ; William, whose name heads this
biographical sketch ; and Emma Sobrina,
born February 6, 1846, who was wedded to
Dorr J. Webster, December 16, 1867.
From fourteen years of age until he
attained his manhood, William Breese
worked in the hotel and post office for his
father, with limited advantages for an educa
tion in the common school. July 8, 1863,
soon after he became of age, he was called to

a temporary clerkship in the provost mar
shal's office for the Nineteenth Congressional
District of New York, comprising the
counties of Chenango, Delaware, and Otsego,
which had just been established with head
quarters at Unadilla, N. Y. Subsequently
on August 11, 1863, the headquarters were
moved to Norwich, N. Y. His services
were so satisfactory to the board of enroll
ment that in September, 1863, he was
appointed chief clerk of the board of enroll
ment, and deputy provost marshal ; in that
capacity, he had full charge and direction of
the provost marshal's office which at one
time employed about thirty clerks, and Capt.
Charles P. Root's Company of state militia
as a guard, which was later relieved by a
guard from the U. S. Invalid Corps. The
draft was conducted under his supervision
and direction, and thousands of volunteers
were enlisted and sent forward to the army.
His duties continued until the provost mar
shal's offices throughout the state were dis
continued, when he was ordered to take the
records of the office and report to Capt. S.
H. H. Parsons, provost marshal at Albany,
N. Y., where he put them in proper shape
and turned them over to acting assistant
Adjt-Gen. Frederick Townsend of the U. S.
Army for transmission to the War Depart
ment at Washington, after which he received
the appointment of deputy clerk in the New
York State Assembly. As such he served in
the Assembly in the sessions of 1866-67-68
and 69. In the fall of 1868, he was assistant
secretary of the Republican State Committee,
and was the secretary of the New York
State delegation in the Chicago Convention,

2 96

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

that nominated Gen. U. S. Grant for the
Presidency of the United States for the first
time. He was also assistant secretary of the
Constitutional Convention of the State of
New York during its sessions in 1868 and
1869. During the summer of 1868, he was
also employed to compile and superintend
the publication of a digest of all the petitions
and papers presented to the committee on
claims in the Assembly up to that date, a
work which required much labor and care in
arranging and classifying.
After 1869, our subject was connected with
the office of Judge David L. Follett for nine
years, and then embarked in the furniture
business. In September, 1888, he added the
undertaking establishment, and has built up
what is undoubtedly the largest business of
the kind in Chenango County. Mr. Breese
is very public-spirited, and has benefited the
village in more ways than one. He was
president of the village of Norwich in 1 877-
78-79 and 80. In 1878 he erected what was
then known as the Breese Opera House, the
best that this section of the state could boast
at the time. He is now and has been at
various times a member of the village board
of health; in 1874, he raised by popular
subscription of citizens over $1,500.00, which
he expended in improving the village park,
that being the first work done toward convert
ing it from a mudhole into a thing of beauty.
He curbed, graded, planted trees, and com
pleted the East Park, and after commencing
the west side, the Ladies' Village Improve
ment Association sprang into existence, took
this work in hand and completed it.
On September 10, 1868, Mr. Breese was

united in the bonds of matrimony with Miss
E. Augusta Hale, daughter of, Nelson B.
Hale. Mr. Hale was born in Norwich,
December 25, 1806, and died January 16,
1877. He was a prominent business man of
the village, and at the time of his decease, he
was vice-president of the National Bank of
Norwich. He wedded Miss Mary W. Pratt,
who was born February 16, 18 17, and
died September 16, 1892. Their chil
dren numbered five, as follows : Charles N.;
Samuel S.; Eddie P.; Julia F.; and E. Augusta.
Two children compose the family of Mr.
and Mrs. Breese, namely : Anna A., born
July 17, 1871, who is the wife of Byron H.
Delevan of Norwich ; and Harriet D., who
was born April 15, 1874. Mr. Breese is a
Mason of high standing, having attained the
Thirty-third and last degree A. A. S. R. M.
in the Sovereign Grand Consistory of the
United States, its Territories and Depend
encies. He is also a member of the following
Masonic Bodies: Norwich Lodge, No. 302,
F. & A. M.; Norwich Commandery, No. 46,
Knight Templars; Chenango Consistory, No.
31, A. A. S. R. M.; and Ziyara Temple, A. A.
O. Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Oasis of
Utica. The other orders to which he belongs
are Canasawacta Lodge, No. 205, I. O. O. F.;
Chenango Encampment, No. 51, I. O. O. F ;
Grand Lodge, I. O. O. F. of the State of
New York ; Lily of the Valley Lodge, No.
95, Degree of Rebekah ; Norwich Lodge,
No. 61, Ancient Order of United Workmen ;
Canasawacta Tribe, No. 205, Improved
Order of Red Men ; Tree Lula Council, No.
69, Degree of Pocahantas ; Branch 44, Iron
Hall of Baltimore City; Norwich Tent, No.

CHENANGO COUNTY

297

366, Knights of the Maccabees ; National
Protective Legion, No. 78 ; Mystic Encamp
ment, No. 50; Knights of St. John and Malta,
and various other organizations.
Mr. Breese has filled an honorable place in
the business life of Norwich; he is a great
lover of home and family, always standing
by his friends, and has ever thrown his
influence on the side of morality and right
living. As may be inferred from the fore
going, he has shown himself a friend to all the
different fraternal orders, having been both a
Mason and an Odd Fellow since he was
twenty-one years of age. At the same time
he has never considered it necessary to neg
lect his business, or any of his private affairs,
in order to remain a conscientious member
of the several orders to which he has be
longed ; that being in his estimation, not only
an injustice to one's family, but a crime
against morality and the good of the order.

p)i"ENRY S. GUY, a much respected
|-^-J farmer and a native of Chenango
County, is a highly esteemed resi
dent of the town of Guilford. He has a farm
consisting of 66 acres of finely improved land,
and as a man and citizen is richly endowed
with those characteristics which render our
population of so much value in this land of
thrift and progress. He is a son of Hammon
and Mary Elizabeth (Sheldon) Guy, and was
born in the town of Guilford, July 21, i860.
William Guy, the colonist and founder of
the family in America, was a native of Lon
don, England ; leaving his native country he

landed in America, January 2, 1734. Timo
thy Guy, grandfather of our subject, was one
of the early pioneers to settle in Chenango
County, locating on what is now known as
Root's Corner in the town of Guilford.
There he followed the occupation of an
agriculturist the remainder of his life. He
was connected with the Baptist Church, to
the support of which he contributed of his
means cheerfully and generously. He mar
ried a Miss Phelps. The household circle
included eight children — six sons and two
daughters, who were carefully trained in
those principles of honesty and morality for
which the family was especially noted. They
were as follows: George, justice of the peace
and a public-spirited man of Mendota, 111.;
Joel, a well-to-do farmer of Afton, Chenango
County ; Dr. Ezekiel, a leading physician of
Harpersville, Broome County ; Albert, a
minister of the Baptist Church of Hartford,
Conn.; Hammon, father of our subject; Dr.
Timothy, deceased, who was a physician of
Binghamton, N. Y.; Eliza, deceased, was the
wife of Charles Stoddard of Rock Island, 111.;
and Susan, wife of Philetus Yale, a promi
nent citizen of Utica, N. Y.
Hammon Guy was born in the town of
Guilford, September 24, 18 18. He was
reared on the farm and received his educa
tion in the district schools. As an occupa
tion he chose the pursuits of an agriculturist,
and labored upon the old homestead at Root's
Corner for a number of years. He then
moved to Broome County and located in
Colesville, where he farmed until 1882, when
he moved to Binghamton, where he lived
practically in retirement until the time of his

298

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

death. Religiously, he was a devoted mem
ber of the Baptist Church. In politics he
was an ardent Republican, and invariably
voted to uphold the principles of the party.
He was twice married ; to his first wife
Elizabeth Sheldon, three sons were reared, —
George H., a hotel clerk in the city of
Albany ; Henry S., subject of this personal
history ; and John R., who passed from this
life at the age of twenty-four years. Mrs.
Guy died July 24, 1873, aged forty-four
years. She was a true Christian and a mem
ber of the Baptist Church. His second wife's
maiden name was Amelia Hoyt, and her
native place was Binghamton.
Henry S. Guy remained with his parents
during his earlier years, attending the com
mon schools and Windsor Academy, and
assisting in the lighter labors of the farm.
In 1888, he bought his present home, the
plot then consisting of 41 acres of good farm
land. He has since increased his farm to 66
acres, which is now well improved and in a
fine state of cultivation. He is a member of
the local Grange of the Patrons of Hus
bandry, in which he takes an active interest.
He is identified with the Episcopal Church,
of which he is a vestryman. Mr. Guy prides
himself, politically, upon being identified
with the Republicans, and takes an active
interest in all measures tending toward the
public good.
November 7, 1888, our subject married
Carrie M. Moore, daughter of Artemus
Cooper Darling of Deposit, Broome County,
N. Y. Artemus Cooper Darling was born
March 10, 1820, and spent the most of his life
in following the painter's trade. In religious

views he was a member of the Methodist
Church. He married Nancy E. Hunt,
daughter of Dexter Hunt, who was formerly
a farmer of Rhode Island, but now of Nor
wich, this county. To Mr. and Mrs. Darl
ing were born nine children — seven daughters
and two sons, namely : Mary D., wife of
Edward Cheney of Norwich ; Mercy Estella,
deceased, at the age of twenty-six years ;
Nettie, deceased ; Luna Ann, widow of the
late Zalmon Lamphere of Oxford ; Carrie
M., wife of our subject; R. Ervin, a success
ful farmer of Grand Junction, Col; Dexter
H., a jeweler of Guilford ; Hattie S., wife of
William Johnson, a farmer of Nineveh,
Broome County ; and G. Eliza, who married
Frank R. Hall, a prominent farmer of Cort
land, N. Y. Mrs. Guy's first husband was
George L. Moore, son of John and Mary
Ann (Dodge) Moore. He was a native of
Greene, and after attaining his majority he
moved to Oxford, where he engaged in
farming.

ICHAEL FINIGAN, the popular
roadmaster of the Northern Divi
sion of the O. & W. R. R., is a
son of Jeremiah and Mary (Guinane) Finigan,
and was born March 12, 1859, in Madison,
Wisconsin. Jeremiah Finigan is a native of Ireland,
and emigrated to this country in 1845, set
tling in Rochester, N. Y., where he followed
farming for a short time, until he moved to
the State of Wisconsin, where he farmed until
1861 ; then he returned to New York State
and settled in the town of Butternuts, Otsego

-*P #S|

RANSOM M. HERRICK.

HIRAM W. HERRICK.

CHENANGO COUNTY

3°3

County. He farmed there until 1864, when
he moved to Chenango County and settled
in the town of Preston, where he farmed for
a short time, and finally took up his residence
in the village of Preston, retired from active
life. Politically, he is a stanch Democrat.
He is a member of the Roman Catholic
Church. He married Miss Mary Guinane,
and they reared a family of six children :
Mary, the wife of Robert Brock: Sarah, who
married Timothy Regan of Newark, N. J. ;
Emma, the wife of Michael Quinn, and a res
ident of Middleton ; Lovina, who married
Joseph Crawford; Katherine; and Michael,
the subject of this personal history. Mrs.
Finigan died in 1887.
Michael Finigan received his education in
the public schools and then worked as a
laborer on the O. & W. R. R. from 1876 until
1882, when he was made roadmaster of the
Northern Division, which position he still
holds to the entire satisfaction of the com
pany. In politics Mr. Finigan is an avowed
Democrat, and has contributed much to his
party's success. He has been a delegate to
county and state conventions, and has been a
member of the town committee. He is an
active member of the Roman Catholic Church
of Norwich. Since Mr. Finigan has been in
the employ of the railroad, he has won the
confidence of the railroad boys, and is a kind
and true man to work under.

YpTNANSOM M. HERRICK, who is
I ^yf engaged in agricultural pursuits,
J-i9 V_ -/ resides on a farm of 107 acres,
in the town of Bainbridge. He is a son of

Henry, Jr., and Diana (Burlison) Herrick,
and was born on the farm upon which he
now lives, September 27, 1853.
The great-grandfather of our subject was
born March 13, 1773, and was a pioneer of
Dutchess County. His son, Henry Herrick,
the grandfather of our subject, was a native
of that county, but at an early age came to
Chenango County. He brought his family,
and came by means of ox carts, and on the
way encountered many hardships, as the
journey was considered a very long one in
those days. It .is almost an impossibility for
the imagination to picture the difficulties
with which they contended. At that time
the roads were few, and at the best permitted
only very slow progress, a distance of from
five to ten miles per day being averaged. It
was also a Very dangerous journey, and a
sharp lookout was kept for unfriendly
Indians or wild animals prowling about at
night. The pioneers subsisted mainly on
wild game, which was to be found in abund
ance in the forests. Henry Herrick cleared
up a tract of land, upon which he built a
small house, and during the rest of his life
was engaged in clearing and cultivating the
farm. He died December 28, 1865, at the
advanced age of ninety years. He was
united in marriage with Elizabeth Pearsall,
and she proved a worthy companion to this
hardy old pioneer. She was born in 1774,
and passed into the unknown beyond October
23, 1856. They were the parents of the fol
lowing children : Nancy, who was born
October 28, 1795 ; Samuel, February 20, 1798 ;
Hughey, June 20, 1800; Polly, March 23,
1803; Phoebe, October 13, 1805; Joseph,

3°4

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

February 5, 1808; Elizabeth, October 10,
1810; Matilda, December 19, 1812; and
Henry, Jr., the father of our subject.
Henry Herrick, Jr., was born on the home
stead, at West Bainbridge, October n, 1814,
and lived there until his marriage, at the
age of twenty-seven years. He soon after
purchased a small farm, and from time to
time, as his means justified, he added to it,
until he owned 107 acres, and the farm upon
which our subject now lives. He was one of
the prosperous and progressive farmers of
West Bainbridge, where he spent the re
mainder of his life. Although he had
received only a common schooling, he was of
more than ordinary intelligence, and was
well read on all current topics and subjects
of interest to the people of that day. Politi
cally, he was an unswerving supporter of the
Republican party, and exerted his entire
influence in behalf of that organization. In
religious belief he was a Methodist, and
generously supported that church. He was
united in marriage with Diana Burlison, a
daughter of Azar Burlison, who was a native
of Massachusetts, and an early settler in the
town of Guilford. As a result of this union,
five children were born, namely : Lucetta ;
Luretta ; Nancy F. ; Ransom M., our subject ;
and Hiram W. Hiram W. Herrick, de
ceased, married Delia F. Francisco, and
resided at Sidney, Delaware County. He
graduated from the Eastman Business Col
lege in 1878, after which he accepted a posi
tion as clerk in the First National Bank of
Bainbridge. He was later called to assume
the duties of cashier of the First National
Bank of Sidney, which position he held

until the time of his death. Our subject's
father died February 26, 1881, after passing
a long and useful life.
Ransom M. Herrick was reared on the old
homestead farm, and received his mental
training in the district schools. It was but
natural that he should follow in the footsteps
of his forefathers, and engage in that ancient
and truly most honorable of callings, farm
ing. He remained on the farm with his
father for some time, and inherited it upon
his father's death. He is a man of shrewd
business ability, and recognizes the advantage
of farming by improved methods and using
the best of machinery. The estate is well
supplied with all conveniences in the way of
out-buildings, and everything about the
place has an air of prosperity and successful
management. March 4, 1885, Mr. Herrick was united in
the holy bonds of matrimony with Miss
Emma E. Pearsall, a daughter of William
Pearsall of Bainbridge, by whom he has five
children: Saphronia D., born May 21, 1887;
Clyde H., September 16, 1889; Rav A., June
11, 1 89 1 ; Lee Ervin, September 17, 1894 ; and
Ralph W., September 24, 1896. Politically,
our subject is an active Republican. In re
ligious belief he is a Methodist, and is
active in the support of the local organiza
tion. He has performed all the labors of a
dutiful citizen, and is respected and esteemed
by a large number of friends.
It gives us pleasure to present on preced
ing pages, in connection with this biograph
ical notice, portraits of both Ransom M.
Herrick, our subject, and Hiram W., his
brother, now deceased.

CHENANGO COUNTY

3°5

(RS. ANN CHAPMAN, a respected
lady of the town of Smyrna,
widow of the late Smith S.
Chapman, is a daughter oi Leman H. Talcot.
The Talcot family was among the first
families to settle in the town of Smyrna.
Leman H. Talcot was born on the farm
owned by our subject, and was a son of
Joshua and Sarrissa (Taylor) Talcot. Joshua
Talcot was born in Stonington, Conn., and
was one of Connecticut's oldest citizens. In
1799 he married Miss Sarrissa Taylor of
Springfield, Mass., and came to the town of
Smyrna, this county, and bought the farm of
Joseph Porter, now owned by our subject.
He was a son of Joshua and Jemima Talcot,
grandson of Joshua and Rachel (Hollister)
Talcot, and great-grandson of John Talcot.
The latter was a native of England, having
been born at Braintree. He married Dor
othy Mott, who was also a native of Eng
land, and in 1632 emigrated to the United
States and settled in Boston, Mass. He made
a speech on November 6 of the same year,
and was chosen a representative to the Gen
eral Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,
in 1634. He moved to Cambridge, Mass.,
and later to Hartford, Conn., where he was
one of the chief magistrates of the colony.
He died in 1660. Among his sons were
Joshua Talcott, who married Rachel Hol
lister, and settled in Bolton, Conn. To them
were born ten children, of whom one was a
son called Joshua, Jr., who was baptized
January 4, 1750. Jemima, the wife of Joshua
Talcot, Jr., bore him the following children :
Joshua, born in 1776; Tirzah; Jemima;
Harvey ; and Mary. His wife died, and

after his next marriage he moved to Sher
burne, and cleared the ITubbard farm, later
known as the Gardner farm. Joshua helped
organize the Congregational Society at West
Hill. There his wife died, at the age of
forty-nine years. His son, Joshua Talcot,
married Sarrissa Taylor. He bought the
present farm of our subject, which at that
time possessed little or no improvements.
There stood a log house on this farm at the
time of its purchase, the property then being
mainly timber land.
Joshua Talcot, the grandfather of our
subject, was the first settler of the town of
Sherburne, and at the time of his death he
was buried on the present farm of Mrs.
Chapman. Mr. Talcot's log house stood near
the center of 200 acres of timber, and the
only way out of this wilderness to civiliza
tion was by "blazed" trees. After the road had
been laid out he built a log house, nearer the
edge of the timber and along the road. Mr.
Talcot being a public-spirited man, he
allowed his brother settlers to hold court in
the rooms of his house, and on the second
floor were held the meetings of the Masonic
lodge, the only means of access being a
ladder from the outside. As the years went
by he cleared his farm, set out an orchard
and built the house, which is still standing.
In 1867 he died, at the age of ninety-three
years, the cause of his death being a broken
hip, which refused to knit. Mr. Talcot was
a very active man in his last days, and could
stand on the ground and mount his favorite
riding horse. In 1870 his wife died, at the
advanced age of ninety-six years. When
the town of Smyrna was set off from Sher-

¦?o6

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

burne, he was elected commissioner of high
ways of Smyrna, and in 1824 he was super
visor. Joshua and Sarrissa (Taylor) Talcot
had a very large lamily of children, namely :
Sally ; Julius and Julia, both of whom died
in their infancy ; Joshua, who died at the
age of twenty-one years; Julia; Leman H.,
the father of our subject; Sally Ann; Sar
rissa ; Olive ; and Henry. It is said in an
obituary, " He was one of the best citizens
of Smyrna, unswerving, honest, and full of
integrity in all his dealings.". He gave the
ground on which to build the Friends'
Church and lay out the burying ground ; he
always respected their views, although he
was a member of another religious society,
the Congregational Church. Leman H. Talcot,
the father of Mrs. Chapman, was born in 1810,
and was married to Sally Ann Spencer,
daughter of Obadiah Spencer. She died at
the age of twenty-two years, leaving an only
child, our subject, to be cared and reared
by her grandfather, Joshua Talcot. Leman
IT. Talcot married for his second wife
Aurora Holcomb. He had charge of the
old homestead, and made many improve
ments, building a large, commodious and
handsome house, and a large barn. He was
railroad commissioner at the time of the
building of the O. & W. R. R, which runs
through Smyrna. Outside of his farming,
he dealt extensively in live stock, driving
large herds of cattle to Albany, N. Y., before
the advent of the railroads. He died at the
age of eighty-five years. He was an active
member of the Masonic fraternity, and took
part in the advancement of the Knight
Templars organization of Norwich. Mr.

Leman H. Talcot was an honor to his chosen
occupation, a live, thorough going business
man, of the class who succeed.
Our subject, Mrs. Ann Chapman, was her
parents' only child. She married Smith S.
Chapman, who was born in the town of
Plymouth, this county, a son of Simon
Chapman. Smith S. Chapman early in life
followed the occupation of a farmer, and
later, in association with Mr. Turner, he went
to Norwich, N. Y., and bought a large
interest in the firm of Foote & Clark, and
under the firm name of Chapman, Foote &
Turner, carried on a large dry goods store.
After six years of mercantile life he followed
commercial life for some time. Later he
moved to Earlville, where his health failed
him, and he died in 1890, at the age of fifty-
three years. His death was mourned by his
wife and son and a large circle of friends.
Mr. Chapman was successful in all his under
takings, was a man of great energy, and
commanded the respect of all who knew
him. Will Lee, Mr. and Mrs. Chapman's
only son, was joined in wedlock with Mary
Wilcox, and they have full charge of the
farm. The citizens of Smyrna are proud to
have Mrs. Chapman return to her former
home, and keep up the old homestead, where,
through the efforts of her forefathers and
the present generation, the land has been
made to blossom and bring forth the fruits
of civilization and prosperity ; and while
history may bear the names of the pioneer
settlers down to posterity, their early strug
gles with untamed nature and its final sub
jugation through their labors and the results
thereof, erect a lasting monument to their

JOSEPH E. PACKARD.

CHENANGO COUNTY

3°9

memories. The surface is beautiful, and was
formerly covered with heavy timber ; but
time, the fertility of the soil, and necessity of
man have transformed nearly all the county
into rich farms. The soil is rich and pro
ductive, and the improvements are among
the best in the northern part of the county ;
the farm is close to the village of Smyrna.
Mr. Chapman, in his lifetime, was a most
active and zealous member of the Episcopal
Church, and devoted much time and means
to enhance its well being. Mrs. Chapman,
who is also an Episcopalian, is a woman of
many virtues, excellent qualities, and is
beloved by all.

-OSEPFI E. PACKARD is a private
banker of Oxford, N. Y., and com
mands the confidence and respect of
all with whom he has had dealings. He was
born in Bainbridge, this state, December 12,
1853, and is a son of Peter M. and Sarah J.
(Wiley) Packard, and a grandson of Ansel
S. Packard, who was a tool maker of Massa
chusetts and later of New York, where he
became widely known through the celebrated
Packard axe, of which he was the manufac
turer. Ansel S. Packard was a Democrat,'
and a good and true man. He was the
father of seven children, as follows : Cornelia,
deceased; Annie, who married D. L. Scott, a
lieutenant in the late war, by whom she had
one child, Julian ; Almira, now deceased, the
wife of Eli Stockwell of Hammonton, N. J.;
Mary married Porter R. Putnam, a promi
nent man in California, and founder of

Porterville, that state, and bore him two
sons, William R. and Frank L.; Steven S. is
a prominent dry goods merchant of Coving
ton, Pa., and married Mary Wilson of that
place, by whom he had two children, Corne
lia and Fred L., the latter a promising young
real estate dealer of Oakland, Cal.; and Peter
M., the father of our subject. In religious
views the members of this family were
Presbyterians, and were consistent Christian
people, Peter M. Packard was born December 3,
1820, and received his schooling in the com
mon schools. After leaving school he learned
the trade of a blacksmith, which he followed
until he became connected with Ethan Clarke,
who at that time was the owner of a line of
stage through the Chenango Valley. Mr.
Packard then for a time engaged in the hotel
business in Bainbridge and later associated
himself with Jarvis and Truesdall, conduct
ing a stage line through the Susquehanna
Valley ; he finally purchased the entire busi
ness. He owned 100 horses and a larg-e
number of coaches, and at one time was a
very prosperous man, doing an extensive
business. He continued in this business until
the present railroad system was built, when
his occupation was rendered useless, and he
turned his attention to the pursuits of agri
culture. He also owned and operated a
hotel in Allegheny County, Pa. He was
united in marriage with Sarah J. Wiley,
whose father was a native of Brownsville,
N. Y , and a very prominent Mason, having
taken the highest degree in the order. Mr.
and Mrs. Packard were the parents of five
children, of whom four grew to adult years ;

310

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

the record is as follows : Albert, born July 5,
1847, ar>d died August 5, 1862; Peter N.,
who married Libbie S. Wittes of Wellsville,
N. Y., and has one son, Albert T.; Joseph E.;
Isabel, who married A. B. Strong of West-
field, Pa., and is the mother of one child,
Chapman P.; Fannie L., the youngest of the
family, who married G. FI. Simmons of
Westfield, Pa. Mrs. Packard was an adher
ent of the Episcopal Church, while Mr.
Packard was inclined to be more liberal in
his religion.
Joseph E. Packard was an attendant of the
Bainbridge schools when a child, and after
ward entered the graded schools of Sidney,
remaining there until he was fourteen, when
he went to Mansfield, Pa., and attended the
schools of that place one year. He was then
fifteen years old when he secured a position
as clerk with F. G. Clarke, with whom he
remained five years. He then became book
keeper in the National Bank of Oxford,
staying there five years more and becoming
familiar with the routine of bank work, and
proving very proficient in the service re
quired of him. At the expiration of this
time, Dr. N. G. Sands, a prominent physician
of Oxford, and one of the wealthiest men
in the county, engaged his services as as
sistant in the care of his estate. He has
been superintendent of this estate since
Dr. Sands' death, and is a most energetic
and persevering worker, adding greatly to
its improvement. In all these years, having
been able to accumulate quite a snug for
tune, Mr. Packard engaged in the bank
ing business as the best means of investing
his means. He has met with merited suc

cess, and his honorable, upright dealings
in all transactions have won him a high place
in the regard of the entire community.
January 17, 1882, he was joined in wedlock
with Miss Catherine A. Sands, a daughter of
Dr. Sands, and by this union became the
father of five children, three of whom are
still living: Edith S., born May 28, 1885;
Henry, deceased, born September 26, 1886;
William G, born October 13, 1889; Cather
ine O., born September 19, 1890; and a child
that died in infancy. Mrs. Packard died
October 7, 1890, and four years later Mr.
Packard formed a second matrimonial alli
ance with Sophia S. Bixby, a most estimable
lady of Norwich. Mr. and Mrs. Packard are
members of the Episcopal Church, and give
valuable aid to that organization. He is a
Democrat, and takes great interest in the
success of the party, but has never cared to
enter the list of office seekers, preferring to
leave that field to those whose ambitions lie in
that direction.
The portrait of Mr. Packard, appearing on
another page, adds a decided interest to the
foregoing record.

JB

ANIEL JOITNSON, Trestle P. O.,
a prominent dairyman and stock
raiser of Chenango County, Guil
ford township, is a son of Seth and Jerusha
(Root) Johnson, and was born April 21, 1833,
on the old homestead, where he still resides.
The Johnsons are of English origin. The
great-great-grandfather of our subject was a
sailor, whose home was in Long Island. He

CHENANGO COUNTY

311

was probably of English birth. Daniel John
son, his son and great-grandfather of our sub
ject, moved Iroin Long Island to Connecticut,
where he continued to reside until his death,
working at his trade, which was that of a
weave)-. Sometime in I he latter part of the
eighteenth century one of his sons, Joel,
located in the wilds of New York, in what is
now 1 lu- town of Guilford. In the year 1799,
his brother Daniel, grandlathcr of our sub
ject, made him a visit. With the wonderful
lorcsighl that he ever exhibited in business,
he saw the great possibilities of this unculti
vated country, and decided to locate here.
To this end he purchased a tract of land con
taining 160 acres, immediately joining his
brother Joel's property, on which he built, a
log house. He then returned to Connecti
cut, and (he following winter moved his
family to (his new home. Moving in those
days meant slow travel by ox-team, when it
took many days to cover but a short dis
tance, and when many hardships were neces
sarily endured, lie lived on this farm forty
years until his death, which occurred al (he
advanced age of eighty years, lie was
buried in the old cemetery near his home.
lie was a soldier of the Revolutionary War,
enlisting for a short period, which he served,
after which he rc-enlislcd, in all serving
through six campaigns. He and his wife,
whose maiden name was Mary Norton, were
both bound out in (heir childhood, as their
parents were poor people. Al the expiration
of his indenture, he received a yoke of three
year old oxen, and she received beds and
bedding. With this humble beginning they
made their slarl, and by their frugality and

pluck they succeeded in accumulating a com
fortable property and were well-to-do far
mers, highly honored and respected in the
community in which they lived. For a num
ber of years he was justice of the peace and
poormasler of the town of Guilford. They
were the parents of seven children, one
daughter dying in infancy; four sons and
two daughters reached maturity. Of these
I he oldest, Hiram Johnson, was born in Con
necticut, and came when fourteen years of
age to Guilford, where he engaged in farm
ing, lie lived to be ninety years old.
Alpheus Johnson, a farmer of Guilford, now
deceased, married a sister-in-law of the late
Daniel S. Dickinson of Binghamton. Seth
Johnson, the father of our subject, was next
in order of birth. Joel Johnson was a
minister of the Baptist Church, and was for
many years a missionary in Georgia. It was
hardly safe to speak your thoughts there
during the late Rebellion, as Mr. Johnson
found. They threatened to hang him for ex
pressing his opinion as to the result of the
war. When his friends advised him to get
away he told them that to be successful in
hanging him, it would be very necessary for
him to be there, and therefore he respectfully
declined to leave. When they found that he
meant nothing worse to the cause than a
timely warning, they molested him no fur
ther, and he lived among his southern friends
until he reached his seventieth year, when
he was called to his reward. Samantha
Johnson married Ethan Pier and moved to
Pennsylvania, where she died. Louisa John
son married Lyman Bradley, late farmer and
shoemaker of Guilford. Mary Johnson was

312

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

married to Ithuel Blake, farmer of Coventry,
Chenango County, now deceased.
Seth Johnson, the father of Daniel, was
born on the old homestead, in Guilford,
October 4, 1802, and died there in July, 1866.
His death was caused by a ruptured blood
vessel in the brain, said to have been caused
by overwork. He was an industrious and suc
cessful farmer, as was attested by his farm,
which consisted at his death of 360 broad
acres. This land was under a high state of
cultivation, well improved and stocked. He
was a member of the First Congregational
Church of Guilford, of which his parents
had been two of the twelve charter members.
He was united in marriage with Miss Jer-
usha Root. They were the parents of the
following children : Hiram T., who went to
the State of Oregon, where he died in 1853;
Lucia, wife of Thomas Fleming, a farmer of
Schuyler County, N. Y.; Daniel; Charles, a
shoe merchant of Pueblo, New Mexico;
Ellen died in young girlhood ; Robert, who
enlisted in the 89th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf., was
discharged after a short service on account
of disability — he returned home to recuperate,
and when better again enlisted in the 20th
Reg. N. Y. Vol. Cav., but his disability again
returned, and he died at the Soldier's Lodge,
at Portsmouth, Va., November 18, 1864;
Esther, the widow of A. O. Shepherd, late of
Brooklyn, N. Y.; and Sarah, widow of late
John H. Brower of Chicago, 111.
Mrs. Seth Johnson's father, Ebenezer Root,
was a native of Great Barrington, Mass. He
left home at an early day, coming with his
family to Oxford, where he located on a
farm. He was a natural mechanic, and

brought with him several different kinds of
tools, which proved of great value to him
in the new country, where tools were neces
sarily scarce. His principal occupation was
farming, but he also dealt extensively in live
stock, which he drove to New York City.
He was ,but a boy of eighteen years when he
enlisted as a soldier of the Revolution. He
was twice married ; his first wife was M iss
Jerusha Dogister of Mass. After her death
he was united in marriage with Miss Cynthia
Whipple of Bainbridge, N. Y. He was the
father of sixteen children, eight by each wife.
One of his daughters, Mrs. Young, is still
living ; she is an intelligent, well informed
lady, and held in high esteem by her acquain
tances. She makes her home with Daniel
Johnson, the subject of this biography. She
has one sister living, Charlotte Godfrey, aged
ninety-three; and a brother, Silas Root, aged
eighty-one. Daniel Johnson received his education in
the district schools, and later attended the
academy at Binghamton for one term. He
taught district school four terms, but had
been brought up on a farm, and was con
vinced that farming was more to his taste
than teaching. He then engaged in farming
on the homestead of his fathers ; and there
he found the training he had received as a
boy of much value to him. His farm contains
200 acres of good land, and is well adapted to
the uses to which he puts it. He makes a
specialty of dairy and stock farming. His
dairy consists of 25 cows, and he raises a num
ber of cattle and horses. Mr. Johnson is a
member of the A. O. U. W. and the Grange.
He was for forty years a deacon of the Con-

CHENANGO COUNTY

3'3

gregational Church of Guilford Center, of
which he is a member. Politically, he is an
independent Republican. October 3, 1855, he
was married to Miss Mary A. Hale, daughter
of the late Ebenezer Hale of Cayuga County,
N. Y. This marriage was blessed with five
children: Ellen M., wife of William C.
Stubbs, a veteran of the late war ; Alice, de
ceased, wife of Fred Conklin of Deposit,
N. Y.; Charles H., a quarry man of Oxford ;
F. May, wife of Willis Hyer of Mt. Upton,
where Mr. Hyer farms ; and Louisa, who
married Walter Palmer of Masonville ( Del.
Co.), N. Y. After the death of the first Mrs.
Johnson, our subject was united to Mrs. Mary
Jane (Young) Hastings, a daughter of John
Young of Guilford Center, a farmer and
blacksmith, and the widow of William Flast-
ings, a farmer and liveryman, late of Unadilla,
N. Y. This wedding occurred October 13,
1888. They have no children.

HE OXFORD TIMES. The history
of Chenango County would be in
complete without reference to one of its
oldest and best newspapers and its con
ductors. The Oxford Times was founded in 1836 by
a joint stock company. In 1841 it passed
into the hands of Purdy cv Brigham, both of
whom gained some prominence in public
affairs after leaving Oxford. They trans
ferred the paper to Waldo M. Potter, in
1844, who, after conducting it alone for a
year, sold an interest to Judson B. Galpin,
who was then residing in Greene, and who

had conducted a general mercantile business
with his brother-in-law, Elisha N. Hawley.
Potter & Galpin conducted The Times for
four years, or until 1848, when Mr. Galpin
assumed the entire management and control,
and retained it up to the time of his death,
in February, 1893, a period of forty-five
years' continuous service.
Waldo M. Potter removed from Oxford to
Saratoga, N. Y., where he conducted The
Saratogian, first as a weekly, then with a
daily edition, for a number ot years. He
became prominent in Republican politics,
and was postmaster of Saratoga at one time.
In the later years of his life, he was a resi
dent of North Dakota, and edited a paper
and held a prominent state office. He died
there. Judson B. Galpin was born in Washington
County, Conn., May 15, 18 16. At the age of
seventeen years he entered the office of the
New Haven (Conn.) Palladium, as an appren
tice, and after a faithful service, he, in Jan
uary, 1838, became one of the publishers of
that paper, in partnership with James F.
Babcock, a leading man of his time. Mr.
Galpin sold his interest in the paper in 1839,
but remained in the office until May, 1841.
During his residence in New Haven, he
married, May 16, 1841, Catherine Jane
Brownson of Middlebury, Conn., who at
this date (1898) survives him, together with
four children : Theodore B. ; Henry J. ;
Florrie G. (Walker) ; and Jennie H. (Stark
weather), the last named residing in Hart
ford, Conn.
On assuming control of The Times, and
during the long years of Mr. Galpin's man-

314

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

agement, he was constantly at the helm, and
gave close attention to all details connected
with the work up to within a few months of
his death, when disease compelled him to lay
down the pen and his stick and rule. The
Times never failed to be issued on the day
set for publication, and was hardly ever
behind the usual hour. During his active
management he was never absent from his
post but twice on publication day. That he
was faithful to his trusts, true to his friends,
and conducted The Times for the best inter
ests of the town and its welfare, the readers of
the paper are his judges, and the files of the
paper his monument. Public office he never
sought, nor ever held. In connection with
The Times, Mr. Galpin conducted a book
store, which at his decease passed into the
hands of his son, Henry J. Galpin, who now
conducts it. During the last sickness of Mr.
Galpin, the management of The Times fell
to Theodore B. Galpin, who for one year
discharged the duties of that position, and
for about one year after his father's death.
At the beginning of a new year, he disposed
of a one-half interest to Wellington Alex
ander, and under their joint management the
business is now conducted.
Theodore Galpin was born in Oxford,
January 23, 1846, and from a boy up has
always been identified in one way or another
with The Times, first as roller boy on the
old Washington hand press, which still has
a retired nook in the office, and an age of
upwards of one hundred years, then as com
positor, writer and manager. The only
intervals that occur to break a continued
connection with the paper were his attend

ance at Oxford Academy, and two terms at
Cazenovia Seminary.
Wellington Alexander was born in Greene,
November 25, 1871. His father died some
two years later, and his early life was spent
with his grand-parents, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen
H. Millard, in Oxford. Later he went to the
State of Connecticut, where he lived with
relatives, while receiving his education. At
the age of seventeen, he entered the office
of The Seymour (Conn.) Times, where he
learned the printer's trade, and later he was
employed on The Record of the same place.
From there he returned to Oxford, found
employment on The Times, and in January,
1894, became associated with Mr. Galpin, as
one of that paper's editors and managers.
Mr. Alexander was married in 1895, to
Lilian M. French of Oxford, by whom he has
one son.
The Times, now in its sixtieth year, still
follows the old and well established custom
of issue on time. It is neither a day ahead
nor a day behind, scarcely an hour, and its
readers expect it and receive it regularly
every publication day, which is Tuesday
morning. The paper has an established rep
utation for originality and for the advance
ment of anything and everything that is for
the interest and welfare of Oxford. While
the paper itself is well along in years, modern
machinery and type have replaced old from
time to time, and The Times of to-day is a
model of typographical neatness, that will
compare favorably with any country weekly.
The paper enjoys a large subscription list,
and an extensive advertising patronage, won
on its own merits.

FLOYD H. COWLES.

CHENANGO COUNTY

3 ' 7

"Efu^

LOYD H. COWLES, postmaster and
| Is the leading druggist of Greene, Che
nango County, N. Y., was born in Smithville
Flats, January 6, i860. He is a son of Orlando
and Olive P. (Hotchkiss) Cowles, and a grand
son of Myron Cowles.
Myron Cowles was a native of Greene, his
father having been one of its earliest settlers.
His vocation was that of a farmer, but he
also owned and conducted an inn. Maryetta
Towsley, of Greene, was his companion in
life, and their union was blessed by eight
children, whose names are as follow : Floyd ;
Edward; Orlando; Leroy; Charles; Dallas:
Alice ; Flora. In religious belief, the mem
bers of the family were Universalists. He
was a Democrat in politics, but never aspired
to office. Mr. Cowles was a prosperous
farmer and stock raiser. He was a public-
spirited man, and took an active interest in
any movement tending to improve the con
dition oi the town and its people.
Orlando Cowles, after completing his edu
cation in the common schools, turned his
attention toward tilling the soil, in which he
is now engaged ; he also makes a specialty of
buying and selling fast horses. People have-
always found him a man of his word, and are
not afraid to trust him in a business transac
tion. He married Olive P. Hotchkiss, a
daughter of Amos Hotchkiss of Smithville
Flats, N. Y., and they became the parents of
two children, namely: Myra and Floyd H.,
the subject of this sketch. Mr. Cowles' wife
passed from this life in 1865, when but twenty-
seven years of age. He was again united in
marriage with Julia Hotchkiss, a sister of his
first wife, but she too passed from this life.

In religious belief, he is a member of the
Universalist Church. Politically, he is an
active supporter of the Democratic party,
and has served in an official capacity as col
lector, constable, and assessor. Socially, he
is a Mason, and belongs to the Eastern Light
Lodge, No. 126, of Greene.
Floyd H. Cowles received a good common
school education in his native town, after
which he became a clerk in the pharmacy of
J. S. Wood. He remained there several
years, and then went to Wellsboro, Pa ,
where he operated a drug store for one year.
Then after conducting a similar establish
ment at Oxford for one year, he returned to
Greene, and there purchased the drug busi
ness owned by his former employer, J. S.
Wood. To-day it is the leading pharmacy
in the beautiful little village oi Greene. Mr.
Cowles is a man of more than ordinary busi
ness ability. At present he is the efficient
postmaster of the village. In politics, he is
an active Democrat, and has held a number
of responsible positions. He has been town
clerk, and a member of the board of super
visors, and has faithfully performed the duties
of these offices to the entire satisfaction of all.
Socially, he belongs to the Eastern Light
Lodge, No. 126, F. & A. M.; and Greene
Chapter. Mr. Cowles' first wife was Anna M. Wood
of Greene. Their marriage occurred in 1885,
and they lived together happily for seven
years, when Mrs. Cowles passed away. He
was again married, Josephine L. White being
his second wife. In religious belief, they are
liberal. Mr. Cowles is still a young man and
has a bright future before him. It is with

15*

3rS

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

feelings of satisfaction and pleasure that we
publish on another page an excellent portrait
of Mr. Cowles, who is included among the
most enterprising and wide-awake citizens of
Greene.

JB

R. THOMAS JEROME TIF
FANY, a medical practitioner of
Afton village, N. Y., is a gentle
man whose trained abilities and skilled
resources have brought him before the pub
lic, and have won for him the regard, esteem,
and respect that are justly due a man of his
usefulness in the life of the community. The
work of a physician, from its innate nature, is
of the kind that brings him into the closest
relationship with the people. The way in
which he carries his heavy responsibilities is
ever to the public a matter of the most vital
importance. That Dr. Tiffany knows fully
the ethics of his profession, as well as the
teachings, and every day lives up to them,
admits of no discussion. His high standing
everywhere proves his fidelity to his patients'
interests, and his success proves his talents.
He is a son of Thomas J. and Matilda
( Rought ) Tiffany, and was born in Brook
lyn, Susquehanna County, Pa., December 23,
1854. Pelatiah Tiffany, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in Attleborough, Mass.,
September 12, 1788. He moved to Brooklyn,
Pa., and engaged in the tilling of the soil
until his death, which took place August 27,
1862. In politics he was an ardent Democrat.
Religiously, he was a consistent member of

the Universalist Church. He was married
February 26, 1793, to Hannah Miller, who
was born in Glastonbury, Conn., and they
reared a large family of children. Mrs. Tif
fany died at Brooklyn, Pa., October 31, 1839.
Thomas J. Tiffany, our subject's father,
was born in Brooklyn, Pa., January 2, 18 16,
and besides being a prosperous farmer, he
followed the occupation of a carpenter and
joiner. He was united in marriage January
1, 1840, with Matilda Rought. She was born
in Nicholson, Wyoming County, Pa., Febru
ary 4, 1818, and died at Brooklyn, Pa.,
December 27, 1888. She was a daughter of
George and Sarah (Roberts) Rought. Mr.
Tiffany was the owner of 100 acres of the
best improved land to be obtained in his sec
tion. Politically, he was an avowed Demo
crat and took an active part in politics, but
had no great desire to distinguish himself as
a public officer. He and his family were in
their religious views Universalists, and sup
ported the church of that denomination in
Brooklyn, Pa. Mr. Tiffany passed from this
life in Brooklyn, Pa., March 15, 1896. His
family consisted of the following children :
Laura Ann ; Fernando Americus ; Mather
Clemons ; Rosetta Amelia ; and Matilda Lor-
etta. Laura Ann was born June 2, 1842, and
married Emery T. Oakley December 24,
1869. They had two children, namely :
Rozetta, born July 5, 1871, and died April 1 1,
1875; and Stella May, born March 28, 1S77.
Mrs. Oakley died March 15, 1892, at New
Milford, Pa. Fernando A. Tiffany was born
February 4, 1845, and married Mary Helen
Oakley February 20, 1867. Their home was
blessed by two children, who were as follows:

CHENANGO COUNTY

3J9

Ida Lena, born May 8, 1870, and died Sep
tember 3, 1870; and Nellie Louisa, born
September 22, 1872. Mr. Fernando A. Tif
fany is following the trade of a carpenter in
the village of Greene. Mather Clemons
Tiffany, who is a farmer and owns the home
stead in Brooklyn, Pa., was born October 8,
1847, and was united in marriage July 15,
1873, with Clarissa Rerigo, and their family
consists of three children, namely : Earl, born
January 28, 1880; Ralph Ray, born March
28, 1 88 1, and Arta Laton, born August, 1883.
Rosetta Amelia was born March 30, 1850, and
she formed a matrimonial alliance with
Henry T. Seaman, and they were happily
married July 3, 1876. They are the parents
of two children. Matilda Loretta was born
November 1, 1852, and died December 19, of
the same year.
Thomas Jerome Tiffany was reared on the
old homestead, and received his early mental
training in the public schools of his native
town. He left home in 1880 and moved to
New Milford, where he was employed in a
tannery for several years. In 1884 he began
to study medicicine under Dr. S. A. Brooks
of New Milford, Pa., and in 1886 he entered
the Homeopathic Hospital College, at Cleve
land, Ohio, and was graduated in the spring
of 1888. Moving to Scranton, Pa., he fol
lowed his chosen profession until 1891, when
he went to Wyoming, Pa., where he remained
one year. His next field was in Afton, N. Y.,
where he has since grown to be one of the
most necessary and useful citizens of the
community. He was joined in the bonds of matrimony
February 1, 1877, with Eva Louisa Bennett

of New Milford, who was born in New Mil
ford, August 14, 1855, and died June 21, 1892.
Her only child was : Emma Leila, born July
5, 1878, and died February 11, 1897. He was
again united in marriage October 12, 1892,
the bride being Susan Amelia Carpenter of
Afton, this county. Mr. Tiffany is a member
of the Inter-State Homeopathic Medical So
ciety. He also belongs to the Afton Lodge,
No. 360, F. & A. M. Politically, he is a Re
publican. In spite of a life filled to the
utmost with the many cares and duties of a
general practice, Dr. Tiffany has kept in step
with the wonderful advances made by his
profession during late years. He is pre-emi
nently of a studious turn of mind, and his
reading covers an extensive field over and
beyond the actual needs of his vocation. He
is fortunate in his home surroundings and in
the fact that his life work has been among a
people who know well how to appreciate real
worth and honest endeavor.

ENRY WINTER, a veteran of the
late Civil War and a farmer of the
town of Greene, was born at that
place, March 6, 1836. He is a son of Wil
liam and Margaret (Van Dyck) Winter, and
grandson of Thomas Winter.
Thomas Winter was a native of Warwick
shire, England, where he lived, and was
engaged in farming all his liie. He was
united in marriage with Catharine Gilbert,
and they reared five children, — three sons
and two daughters, namely : Mary, who
remained in England until after her marriage,

320

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

when she and her husband went to Calcutta,
India, where they both died; Hannah, who
married Lewis Lee Morris, a farmer of the
town of Morris, Otsego County, N. Y., and
a descendant of Lewis Morris, a signer of the
Declaration of Independence ; William, the
father of our subject; John, deceased, who
was a cabinet-maker by trade, and for a num
ber of years was associated with his brother
William in the tanning business at Greene,
N. Y., but later was a farmer of Wisconsin,
where he died ; and Thomas, who at an early
age went West to live. Shortly after her
husband's death, Mrs. Winter, with all of her
family but Mary, came to America to live,
and settled in the town of Morris, Otsego
County, N. Y., about the year 1804.
William Winter was born in Warwick
shire, England, in the year 1789, and was but
fifteen years old when he came to this
country with his mother. Being the oldest
son, a large share of the responsibility of
bringing up the younger members of the
family, and of establishing a home, fell upon
his shoulders. He learned the tanner's and
currier's trade, and for a number of years he
and his brother John conducted a tanyard in
the village of Greene. In 1845, he bought a
farm on the Lower Geneganstlett, where he
engaged in agricultural pursuits the remain
der of his life. He was prospered in his
labors and accumulated a neat fortune,
because of his frugal habits, his untiring
energy, and his ability to do his work well.
At an early age he was united in marriage
with Margaret Van Dyck, a former resident
of Albany, N. Y., and a daughter of Peter
Van Dyck. As a result of this union, thirteen

children were born, who were as follows :
Thomas, deceased, who was a merchant of
Greene, N. Y.; Catharine ; Margaret, de
ceased, who was the wife of Charles G. Bun
nell, formerly a merchant of Chenango Forks,
later a hotel keeper of Keokuk, la.; Mary, a
maiden lady ; William, a farmer in Greene,
now deceased ; Maria, deceased, was the
wife of S. P. Thomas, a farmer of the town
of Greene ; Charles, a retired farmer of La
Fayette, Ind., who was a soldier in the Civil
War, serving in Co. D, 27th Reg., N. Y. Vol.
Inf. for two years ; Helen, who is the wife of
S. A. Gross, a farmer of Milford, Iowa ; Jane,
who died young; Martha, who is the wife of
L. R. Davis, a carpenter of Spirit Lake,
Iowa; Hannah, the widow of W. S. Hoag,
now living in Elizabeth, N. J.; and John, a
farmer of West Berlin, Ohio. Mr. Winter
was a consistent member of the Episcopalian
Church. His useful life came to an end in
1870. Henry Winter was reared on the farm and
received a good common school education.
He worked on his father's estate until Octo
ber 14, 1 861, when the terrible Civil War
began; he enlisted at Greene, in Co. H, 89th
Reg., N. Y. Vol. Inf., being one of the first
to respond to the call of his country. He
took part in many engagements, some of the
most important being the battles of Antietam,
South Mountain, Fredericksburg, Suffolk, and
the Burnside Expedition. In August, 1863,
he was taken sick and sent to a hospital to
recuperate ; he remained in different hos
pitals until April, 1864, when he considered
himself sufficiently recovered to join his com
pany, which was situated near Petersburg.

CHARLES G. ADAMS.

CHENANGO COUNTY

After returning, he took part in the engage
ments of Petersburg, Cold Harbor, and
Chapin's Farm, and soon after received an
honorable discharge, October 14, 1864.
There is, perhaps, nothing of which a man
may be more excusably proud than of gal
lant service in the cause of his country, nor
is there any service which lives longer in the
grateful memory of the people. He returned
to the homestead, and cultivated it until a
few years ago, when he became a painter, as
his health was such as to prevent him from
engaging in the more arduous labors of the
farm. He was united in marriage with Miss
Harriet Gross, by whom he had three chil
dren, who are as follows : Edmund, who died
in infancy ; William Thomas, a clerk in To-
wanda, Pa.; and Charles Everitt, who died
in childhood. His second wife was formerly
Mrs. Lydia J. (Purple) Wagner, whose first
husband was S. C. Wagner, by whom she
had three children, namely : Annie E., who
is the wife of Ansel Parker, a resident of
Oxford ; Dora A., a teacher of Yonkers, N.
Y.; and Nellie, who died in infancy. Mr.
Winter is a member of Banks Post, G. A. R.
of Greene, N. Y

7— iHARLES G. ADAMS. Among the
I SX pioneer residents of this county, who
^i8 ^ have accumulated largely of this
world's goods through their own efforts,
backed up by a conquering energy and per
severance, and who are now retired from the
active labors of life, upon a well-earned com
petency, is the gentleman whose name heads

this biographical notice, and whose home is
in the village of Norwich. He was born in
the town of Plymouth, Chenango County,
N. Y., July 31, 1823, and is a son of Darius
and Martha (Simons) Adams, and grandson
of Darius Adams, Sr.
The great-grandfather of Charles G. Adams
was a native and resident of Massachusetts,
and was the father of five children — four
daughters and one son, Darius, Sr., who was
born in the State of Massachusetts. In 1792
our subject's grandfather settled in New
York State, first locating in Schoharie
County, and later in Genesee County. It
was in the latter county that he met with an
accident, which cost him his life, being killed
by a runaway horse. He was the father of
eight children, namely : Lucy ; Cynthia ;
Anna ; Sally ; Polly ; Amasa ; Asa ; and
Darius. Darius Adams, the father of Charles G,
was born in the State of Massachusetts,
January 8, 1774. He came with his father to
New York, and in 1803 moved to the town
of Plymouth, where he bought a small farm.
The country was unimproved, sparsely
settled, and contained more Indians than
white men ; but undismayed by the prospect,
this hardy pioneer settler set about and
cleared the farm, which is now one of the
finest estates in the vicinity. On March 13,
1798, he married Martha Simons, and they
reared a large family of children, who were
as follows: Fanny, wife of Henry Marsh;
Walter, who married Ruth Hammond; Clar
issa, wife of Zara Brewer ; Lorenzo married
Chloe Dimmick ; Darius C. married Lucinda
Eggleston ; Martha, wife of Mr. S. Y.

324

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Hammond ; Mary married Abram Lewis,
and after his death became the wife of
Henry Van De Mark ; Orville died young ;
Samantha Emeline, wife of Jacob Van De
Mark ; Lodelia died young ; and Charles G.,
subject of this personal mention. Darius
Adams was at first a Whig, but upon the
formation of the Republican party, he
joined the ranks of the latter organization,
and remained identified with that party until
the date of his death, which was December
25, 185 1. He served at one time as justice of
the peace, and was assessor for many years.
Mrs. Adams passed away September 4, 1854,
at the age of seventy-four years. Darius C.
Adams, a member of the family named above,
and an older brother of our subject, reared
three sons and one daughter ; one of his
sons, George W. Adams, a resident of Nor
wich, N. Y., had a family of thirteen chil
dren, of whom three were triplets, born June
7, 1878, and named Louis Lorenzo, Leroy
Hayes, and Leverne Lincoln, all three being
alive at this writing (1898).
Charles G. Adams pursued his educational
career in the district schools and in Norwich
Academy, remaining closely at home the
while throughout his boyhood days, assisting
his father about the farm, and thus learning
much about agricultural pursuits. When
our subject grew to manhood he took charge
of the old homestead, and cared for his
father and mother in their declining years.
In 1856 he sold the farm, and bought a larger
property in Otselic township, Chenango
County, and now owns a tract of land, con
sisting of 415 acres. It is embellished with
an attractive dwelling, good barns and out- I

houses, and all the appliances and farm im
plements requisite for the carrying on of
agriculture in a proper and systematic man
ner. Later, he moved to Cazenovia, in order
that he might give his children an oppor
tunity to secure a good education in the
excellent seminary of that village. After his
children were all through school, he moved
to his farm in Otselic, and carried on general
farming until October, 1893, when he
moved to the village of Norwich, and bought
the Samuel Green residence, No. 64 South
Broad Street, where he lives in retirement in
his beautiful home.
On January 1, 1850, our subject and Low-
enza B. Taylor, daughter of John Taylor of
Plymouth, were happily married. Mrs.
Adams died February 18, 1853, aged twenty
years, leaving one child, Lorenzo G., who
died September 3, 1878, at the age of twenty-
five years. Mr. Adams contracted his second
matrimonial alliance on August 16, 1854,
marrying on that date Sophia Foote,
daughter of James Foote of Otselic, and
they reared the following children : Florence
O., born November 17, 1855, married Warren
Webb, a prominent farmer, and bore him
two children, Herbert and Julia; Flelen J.,
born September 7, 1857, married Wellington
Davis, a well-to-do agriculturist of Plymouth,
and they gathered about them these chil
dren, Grove, Erna and Floy ; an infant son,
born January 8, i860 ; Alice S., born October
14, 1861, became the wife of S. Crumb, and
their one child, Simeon Aubrey, was born
August 1, 1896; Mary E., born June 29, 1864,
married Wallace L. Miller, a farmer of
Otselic, and has one daughter, Inez L., born

CHENANGO COUNTY

325

September 12, 1895 ; Grant Charles, born
September 4, 1868, and died August 30, 1870;
and Jesse D., born September 25, 1871, and
died June 1, 1886. The mother of these
children passed to her reward February 10,
1895, aged sixty -four years. Our subject
was for many years a supporter of the Re
publican party, but is now a Prohibitionist,
and a strong advocate of temperance. Re
ligiously, he is a devoted member ot the
Methodist Church.
Mr. Adams possesses the force of char
acter, the industry and energy, which were
the chief characteristics of his honored
father. He has been very successful in his
farming ventures, and his love for the beau
tiful led him to adorn his home, which every
where gives evidence of his good taste and
practical skill. As already stated, he has a
wide influence in the community. Strictly
upright in all his dealings, and courteous to
all, those who know him repose in him un
bounded confidence. It affords us pleasure
to add to the interest of the above life record
by publishing a portrait of Mr. Adams,
which is presented on a page near by.

/®To

EORGE A. HAVEN, a prominent
\M_L attorney who has had charge of a
large practice in the village of Afton, since
1878, is one of the heroes of the late Civil
War, who left a happy home to do battle for
his country. He was but seventeen years of
age when he enlisted in Co. A, 52nd Reg., 111.
Vol. Inf., the month of August, 1861 ; he re-en
listed October 25, 1863, in the same company

and regiment, and served until June, 1865,
when he received his honorable discharge at
Springfield, 111. He was a corporal of the
company, and participated in the following
important engagements : Pittsburg Landing,
Corinth, Iuka, and many skirmishes. He was
taken prisoner in the fall of 1863, and was in
carcerated at Atlanta a short time and was
then taken to Bell Isle, where he was kept
until March, 1864. He was then taken to
Andersonville Prison, and later to Charles
ton, where he was paroled in March, 1865,
after sixteen months of imprisonment. He
was a brave and valiant soldier, always per
forming his full duty without complaint, no
matter how trying or hard it might be. He
was very popular with his fellow members of
Co. A, and also held the respect of his super
ior officers.
Mr. Haven is a son of John and Angeline
(Kellogg) Haven, and was born in the town
of Pitcher, Chenango County, October 1,
1843. Asa Haven, the grandfather of our
subject, was a farmer by occupation, and set
tled in the town of Guilford when a young
man. He followed agricultural pursuits
there all his life, and became one of Guilford's
good, substantial citizens. He was the pro
genitor of a family of twelve children, six
daughters and six sons, one of whom was
John, the father of our subject. He passed
to the world of rest, in 1855, at the age of
seventy years.
John Haven was born and reared in the
town of Guilford, where he lived until after
attaining his majority, when he moved to
Pitcher. There he operated a large factory,
and engaged in cabinet and chair making ; he

326

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

was also an undertaker. He sold out his
establishment in 1850, and went to Green
wood, Steuben County, N. Y., where he pur
chased a large farm and followed farming the
remainder of his life. He was a Democrat
until the agitation of the slavery question,
when he became a Republican and a strong
Abolitionist. Religiously, he was a con
sistent member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and was a leader in the Sunday
School, being superintendent at one time.
He was united in the holy bonds of wedlock
with Miss Angeline Kellogg, and they were
the parents of three children : George A., in
whom the interest of this sketch centers :
James H., who died in early boyhood ; and
Sarah J., who died at the age of sixteen
years. After the death of Mrs. Haven, our
subject's father was again married, his second
union being with Betsey Hakes, who sur
vived him many years.
George A. Haven, at the age of sixteen
went to Kaneville, 111., where he was living
at the outbreak of the war. After the war
had closed, he again came to New York
State and settled at Cincinnatus, Cortland
County, where he began his education in
earnest. He took a complete course in Cin
cinnatus Academy, and later graduated from
Cazenovia Seminary, June 9, 1870. He then
began reading law under the preceptorship
of Solomon Bundy of Oxford. He read law
during the summer and taught school in the
winter months. In 1872, he entered the
Albany Law School, and was graduated from
that institution in June, 1873. His first legal
work was performed in the village of Oxford,
where he remained for two years, and then

moved to Pitcher, practicing in that village
until 1878. He then took up his residence in
Afton, where he has since had charge of a
large and lucrative practice, numbering
among his clients the leading men of the
community. He formed a matrimonial alliance with
Addie Perkins, a daughter of Tracy K. Per
kins of South Otselic, September 13, 1876,
and their union has been blessed by the birth
of two children : Elizabeth, who is attending
the college of music at Ann Arbor, Mich. ;
and S. Ruth, who is now residing at home.
Mr. Haven is a firm supporter of the Repub
lican party, and was elected district attorney
by that organization in 1883, serving three
years. He has been sent by his party as
delegate to county, district, and state con
ventions, and has evinced a lively interest in
political affairs. In religious belief, he is an
adherent to the faith of the Methodist
Church. He is a member of the Vander-
burg Post, No. 12, G. A. R., of Afton, of
which he has been a very prominent member,
and served as commander for three years.
He has been a delegate to state encampments
a number of times. He stands high in the
esteem of his fellow men, who respect him as
one who has filled all the requirements of a
dutiful citizen.

{®To

EORGE O. WILLIAMS, M. D., one
VJ^X- °f the best physicians and surgeons
in Central New York, and a respected citi
zen of the village of Greene, Chenango
County, N. Y., was born in the village of

CHENANGO COUNTY.

327

Norwich, Conn., April 14, 1843. He is a son
of Rufus O. and Jane (Burr) Williams.
George Williams, the grandfather of our
subject, was a descendant of the Marlboro
stock of Massachusetts. He was a farmer
by choice, and followed that occupation the
greater part of his life. He was a very
prominent man of his time, and anything
conducive toward the welfare of the towns
people found a warm supporter in him. He
married Miss Pease, and a large family of
children was born to them : Mylano ; Rod
ney ; Rufus O.; Lucius L.; Melona; and Sa-
phronia. In religious views he was a mem
ber of the Congregational Church.
Rufus O. Williams, the father of our sub
ject, was a Universalist minister, and was
also a graduate in the school of medicine,
taking his degree in 1857. He followed both
professions at different periods of his career
with marked success. Later in life he de
voted his entire time to his medical practice.
He also was a journalist and writer of con
siderable note. In politics he was an adher
ent of the Democratic party. He held mem
berships in both the Masonic and Odd Fel
low lodges, and was highly regarded in fra
ternal circles. He married Jane Burr,
daughter of William G. Burr ot Madison
County, this state. Four children blessed
their happy home, namely : Carrie L., de
ceased, who married Benjamin Gage ; Lou
isa G, who married Henry De Long, a Uni
tarian minister of Medford, Mass., and gave
birth to two children, Florence and Harold ;
George O., who heads the above lines ; and
Jennie H. Our subject's father died in 1889,
at the advanced age of eighty-four years.

Mrs. Williams still survives her husband, and
has now passed the eighty-third mile stone
in the journey of life.
George O. Williams received his educa
tion in the public schools of Southbridge,
Mass., and at Exeter, N. H., Worcester,
Mass., and also at the Binghamton Academy,
and Cazenovia Seminary, N. Y. He began
to read medicine under the able direction of
his father, and later with S. H. French of
Lisle, N. Y. He then attended lectures at
the Albany Medical School of Albany, N.
Y , and graduated from that institution in the
winter of 1866. He then practiced his chosen
profession in the village of Smithville Flats,
this county, for six years, with fair success.
He came to Greene, N. Y., in March, 1873,
where he has since resided ; the results have
been most flattering both to his skill and
judgment in the diagnoses and treatments of
diseases, and to his efforts for obtaining fa
vorable notice from the people, for he has
built up a very large practice and has fre
quently received pressing requests for his-
services from points in the surrounding coun
ties, quite distant from his place of residence.
He is a member ot Eastern Lodge F. & A.
M., No. 126, of Greene. In politics he is an
unwavering Democrat.
In 1867 Dr. Williams was joined in mar
riage with Julia A. Crandall, daughter of
Welch Crandall of Binghamton, N. Y. As
a result of this union three children blessed
their home, namely: Frank H., who married
Jane S. Juliand of Greene ; Mary L., an ar
tist, whose work has been published and re
garded by critics with favor; and Raymond
L. Religiously, he is an attendant of the

328

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Congregational Church. The Doctor is a
member of the Chenango County Medical
Society ; the State Medical Society ; and is
an honorary member of the Broome County
Medical Society.

kARY A. SHOLES, who has been
the efficient preceptress of the
Sherburne Union School, and
a teacher of English, Mathematics and Draw
ing, since 1895, is a woman of deep learning,
broad views and superior executive ability,
and has done much in raising the standard
of the school, and in bringing it to its
present state of efficiency, by following the
most approved methods, as laid down by the
foremost students of pedagogy. She is a
daughter of Andrew and Harriet ( Stanton )
Sholes. Andrew Sholes was a son of Minor Sholes,
and was born November 9, 1832, at West
Burlington, Otsego County, N. Y. Andrew
Sholes, with his brother, George W., who
now resides in the village of Norwich,
carried on a general store at Morris. His
health failing him, and wishing to lead a life
with more out-door employment, he moved
to Norwich, and for four years was traveling
representative of a confectionery establish
ment. He then tried farming, and as his
health gradually improved, he decided to
make it his permanent occupation, and
bought a farm in the town of Morris, upon
which he lived the remainder of his days.
He formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss
Harriet Stanton, a daughter of Randall and

Sabina ( Brownson) Stanton. Randall Stan
ton was one of the progressive farmers of
the town, but died while in the prime of life.
Mrs. Stanton also died young, being only
forty-four years of age. They left a family
of six children.
Mr. Sholes was taken sick with typhoid
pneumonia, and passed to his eternal resting
place October 25, 1875. He was survived
by his wife and two children : George L. ;
and Mary A. Mrs. Sholes put forth her
greatest efforts to make a noble man and
woman of her children, and to give them as
good educations as they would have received
had their father lived. That few children are
blessed by the love of such a mother is fully
realized by them, and during her declining
years they are her comforters and care
takers. She is now living at Sherburne, with
her daughter. George L. Sholes, her son,
was born April 14, 1872, at Morris, Otsego
County, N. Y. After taking the required
course in the Morris Union School, he be
came a clerk in the grocery and drug store
conducted by J. H. Shepard & Co. He was
polite, pleasing and obliging, and soon be
came very popular with the customers.
September 1, 1894, he was taken into partner
ship, and the firm became Shepard & Sholes,
and they carry the finest and largest line of
goods in their section of the county. Mr.
Sholes displays rare good judgment in busi
ness matters, and is quite as successful as a
manager as he was a salesman. He was
united in marriage with Miss Sara R. Palmer,
a daughter of Russel Palmer of Sherburne.
Miss Mary Sholes, in whom the interest of
this sketch centers, is a graduate of Morris

JOHN E. MILLER.

CHENANGO COUNTY

33i

Union School, and also of the Fredonia
Normal School, where she pursued her
studies until she had completed her educa
tion, and fitted herself for her chosen profes
sion of teaching. After her graduation, in
1889, she taught for four years in the village
of Sherburne. She then went to Dover,
New Jersey, where she taught for One year.
She was then called to her present position..
as preceptress of the Sherburne Union
School. She has not only given entire satis
faction to the trustees, but to the parents of
the scholars as well. She is always a friend to
her pupils. The educational circles of Sher
burne have no more valued member than
Miss Sholes,. who devotes her whole time
and influence to the advancement of educa
tional interests. She is a member of the
Congregational Church, a'nd is an earnest
worker in the societies of that organization.

-OHN E. MILLER. With scarcely a
doubt the best known and most pop
ular citizen of Oxford is the gentleman
named above, who" is now engaged mainly in
agricultural pursuits, after a highly prosper
ous career in business as a quarryman and
wholesale dealer in blue stone. He owns
considerable property in the vicinity of
Oxford village, and does a large real estate
business. Mr. Miller was born in the month
of August, 1842, and is a son of Henry L.
and Elizabeth (Mygatt) Miller.
Epaphras Miller, the grandfather, was
born in Glastonbury, Hartford County,
Conn., June 2, 1778, and came to Chenango

County in 1800, buying large tracts of land,
which he sold piece by piece to the settlers
who came to make their homes in the new
country. Soon after becoming a resident of
Chenango County, this progressive pioneer
started a general store, which soon proved to
be an excellent investment, and claimed the
most of his time. Mr. Miller was one of the
most influential and prominent men of Ox
ford, and was a Whig in his political alle
giance.. His wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Dr.
Samuel Baldwin of Massachusetts, bore him
the following children : Robert ; Benjamin ;
Henry L.; Elizabeth ; Anna M.; and Benja
min S. All are deceased except Anna M.
Cannon. They were members of the Con
gregational Church. Mr. Miller died July
5, i86or-aged eighty-two, and his wife July
14, 1853, aged sixty-six.
Henry L. Miller received his education in
the old Oxford Academy and in 1834 left
school to enter the mercantile business with
his father, which they conducted together
until 1 841, when the son formed a partner
ship with William Mygatt. The personnel
of the firm continued to be Mygatt & Miller
for ten years, when another partner was
added to the firm in the person of Gerret H.
Perkins; in 1868, the firm was still farther en
larged by the addition of another partner,
William M. Miller, our subject's oldest
brother, the firm adopting the style of Miller,
Perkins & Co. Our subject's father was a
man of prominence in Oxford, and highly
honored for his irreproachable character.
So high was his standing in the community
for honesty and integrity, that he was often
chosen to settle estates, and was thus en-

332

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

trusted with large amounts of property with
scarcely any security whatever. He was
always interested in any movements that
promised well for the improvement of the
village, or the betterment of humanity, and
such a cause found in him an indefatigable
worker in its behalf. He was president of
his native village of Oxford from 1862 to
1866, and for a long term of years held a
trusteeship in the old Oxford Academy. For
two years, during 1865-67, he occupied the
position of cashier of the National Bank of
Oxford, and for twelve years he was vice-
president of the same institution. He was
a consistent and active member of the Con
gregational Church, and a most zealous sup
porter of beneficent evangelical work. He
united himself in marriage with Elizabeth
Mygatt, a native of New Milford, Litchfield
County, Conn., and a daughter of Mr. Miller's
partner, William Mygatt, whose personal
history appears on another page of this
work. This union resulted in the gathering
together of the following family : William
M., who, in 1879, married Emma M. Pearne
of Oxford, N. Y.; John E.; Benjamin S.,who
married, in 1881, Josephine A. Bowen of
Binghamton, N. Y.; and Henry N., deceased.
Mr. Miller died at his home in Oxford, the
scene of his life work, March 10, 1886, aged
seventy-one years. Mrs. Miller survived her
husband four years, the call coming to her on
February 5, 1890, at the age of seventy-two
years. They had both lived to an advanced
age, and the end came with the conscious
ness of a well spent life, and a serene trust in
a life everlasting beyond the shadow of the

John E. Miller received his primary edu
cation in Oxford Academy, and then attended
Yale College, graduating in the class of 1866
with the degree of M. A. After leaving
college halls, he was associated in the dry
goods business with his father until 1867,
when he was tendered a position as teller in
the National Bank of Oxford, which he ac
cepted and where he remained until he went
to Minnesota to take up the duties of a simi
lar position in the State National Bank of
Minneapolis, with which solid financial insti
tution he was connected about one year.
After leaving Minneapolis, Oxford once more
became our subject's home. He had long
thought that very profitable returns should
ensue from a business-like operation of stone
quarries, and he now set about proving the
correctness of his theory. From 1872 to
1886 he was extensively engaged in this work,
owning and operating five large quarries,
from which vast quantities of the best article
of blue stone were taken, with handsome
profits as a result. After the business was
well developed he took as a partner James J.
Treanor of New York City, and the firm
then became known as John E. Miller & Co.,
with offices in Oxford and New York. They
sold large quantities of stone, furnishing
$30,000.00 worth of blue stone for the Elmira
State Penitentiary, and also providing a large
amount for the construction of the D. O.
Mills Building and Produce Exchange of
New York City. The first tomb of Gen. U.
S. Grant in Riverside Park was built of stone
that came from John E. Miller & Co.'s quar
ries. Since 1886 our subject has turned his ener-

CHENANGO COUNTY

333

gies into pursuits of an agricultural nature,
and is the owner of some very fine farm
property. His stable of highly-bred horses is
a source of pardonable pride to him. The
real estate business has many attractions for
Mr. Miller, and claims no small part of his
time ; he is recognized on every side as one
of the most competent judges of the value of
realty in the county, and is therefore en
trusted with no small amount of real estate
transactions. Mr. Miller is something of a
journalist, having been a contributor to the
press on different occasions, the articles in
question showing his ability as a writer to be
far above the average. Mr. Miller has the
finest private library in Chenango County,
and spends his leisure moments among his
books, renewing old acquaintanceships, and
forming new attachments. The collection
consists of 1,400 well chosen volumes of
standard authors, most of which contain
nothing but the most solid mental food, 300
volumes being classics. It is needless to state
that this library is very highly prized by its
owner, and that it is ever his aim to keep the
library in excellent working condition by add
ing from time to time new works that appeal
to his cultivated tastes as destined to live in
literature. The past two years of his time
have been much taken up with overseeing
the construction and fitting up of his elegant
country residence some six miles west of
Oxford village, on his farm of 210 acres,
where he may spend his summer months, or at
Guilford Lake, where he owns a cottage and
large pleasure boat. Our subject has never
married. He is a stanch Republican, and is
intelligently interested in party affairs, but

has not been an aspirant for office. He is a
member of the Congregational Church, and
a liberal contributor to all the good work of
that society. The publishers of this volume
are indeed pleased to be able to present on a
preceding page a portrait of Mr. Miller.

tf RED A. SWEET, the present popular
\_ Is postmaster, and a highly respected
citizen of his native town, was born in the
town of Smyrna, this county, September 29,
1S62. He is a son of Leroy C. and Amelia
C. (Talcott) Sweet, and grandson of Thomas
and Ruth (Allen) Sweet.
Thomas Sweet came to the village of
Smyrna at an early day, and engaged in the
pursuits of an agriculturist, which occupa
tion he followed all his life. He was joined
in wedlock with Miss Ruth Allen.
Leroy C. Sweet was born October 19, 1S25,
and was a very successful farmer and specu
lator, spending the most of his days in his
native town of Smyrna. He was an active
politician, and in all his relations to the pub
lic welfare, his actions were prompted by pure
motives and a desire for the general good.
He was married to Amelia C. Talcott,
daughter of Harvev Talcott, who was born
in Bolton, Conn., in 1797. Mr. Talcott be
came a farmer of Smyrna, and died there in
1S47. fn J8i- he married Mary Wallace of
Ellington, Conn. She died in 1868. Harvey
Talcott was a school teacher in his younger
davs. and when he came to Smyrna he settled
on the farm where William Comstock now
resides, and later made his home where C.

334

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Hay ward lives. In 1822 he built the house in
which our subject now resides ; he also built
the corner store where the firm of Ferris,
Sternberg & Co. is located, and there he car
ried on a general store until the time of his
death. He was the first postmaster of the
village of Smyrna, which position he held for
twenty-five years, and was also a trustee of
the village. He reared a family of eight chil
dren : Philura married B. Hartwell ; Dwight
died at the age of three years ; Watts, de
ceased ; Mary, wife of J. O. Ransom ; Dwight
(2), deceased, who was a resident of Chicago,
111; Amelia, our subject's mother and wife of
Leroy C. Sweet; Maria L., who married
N. P. Wheeler; and Charlotte C, who
married Thomas Miller, and later married
Frank Finch of Chicago, 111. As a result of
the union of our subject's parents five children
blessed the home : Thomas; Dwight; Kittie
L.; Fred A., subject of this sketch ; and
Mary, who married I. S. Colwell of Auburn,
N.Y. Fred A. Sweet received his education in
the public schools of Smyrna. He had an
inherited aptitude for farming, and with his
brother Dwight purchased the farm of his
father, where they engaged in general farm
ing until 1893, when our subject was ap
pointed postmaster of Smyrna. On his
mother's lot he erected a building, into
which he moved the postoffice, and has
filled the duties of his position to the en
tire satisfaction of the patrons of the office.
Mr. Sweet learned to manufacture butter,
which trade he followed for eight years in
Sherburne Falls and in Ipswich, Mass. He
married Miss Adelia C. Coye, daughter of

F. D. Coye, a leading and progressive farmer
of Smyrna, and they have one little boy,
Franklin Leroy, born in the town of Smyrna,
July 18, 1 1

-frypiRS. LINDA M. STOCKWELL of
tz 1 zJ West Bainbridge is one of the
gX eil~ V  y oldest residents of Chenango
County, and enjoys the respect and friend
ship of the entire community. She is a
daughter of Hiram and Charlotte (Atwater)
Johnson, and was born September 27, 181 1,
in Easton, now included in Guilford, this
county. Her grandfather, Daniel Johnson, came to
Guilford in 1800, when there were but few
houses there, and the country had but few
improvements of civilized life to attract
settlers. His home had been in the town of
Wolcott, Conn., previous to this, but he
came to the new country, expecting to make
his home and his fortune, and at once set
about clearing this wilderness, succeeding at
last in getting it in such shape that he had a
very desirable farm. He served as a soldier
of the Revolution, but his life was spared,
and he returned to his home, where he died
peacefully some years later.
Hiram Johnson was also a native of Wol
cott, Conn., and came with his father's
family to this county. He was the oldest of
the family, and was born in 1786. He was
prominent in political affairs, and held several
offices, the duties of which were discharged
in the most orderly and businesslike manner.
His last public office was that of pathmaster,

WILLIAM A. BROWN.

CHENANGO COUNTY

337

and his work in this office was the subject of
much favorable comment. His life was one
of usefulness, and his death was the cause of
universal sorrow throughout the town of
Guilford, where he died, in 1873, at the ad
vanced age of eighty-seven years. He was
married to Charlotte Atwater, and their
union resulted in the birth of two children :
Linda M., the subject of this biography ; and
Mary Ann, who married Birdsall Yale. Mr.
and Mrs. Yale are now deceased.
Mrs. Linda M. Stockwell grew to young
womanhood in the town of Guilford, and
made many friends, who hold her in high
esteem. She was twice married, the first
time to Uriah Ives, in February, 1836. Her
second union was with Davis Stockwell.
Mrs. Stockwell is now in her eighty-seventh
year, and is a remarkably well preserved
woman, showing a clearness of intellect and
a strength of mind that might well belong to
a much younger person.

ILLIAM A. BROWN, the genial
and popular postmaster of Preston
Corners, whose portrait is shown on the op
posite page, is a son of Paul and Harriet S.
(Alexander) Brown, and was ushered into
this world on October 1, 1849, in North Nor
wich, Chenango County.
His grandfather, Nehemiah Brown, came
from Cortland to the town of Norwich,
where he was employed at the carpenter
trade. He was the father of the following
children : Paul ; Cyrus ; Eleazer ; James ;
Marquis ; William ; and George.

Paul Brown was born in Cortland County.
He resided for the greater portion of his life
in the town of New Berlin, where he carried
on farming. He was united in marriage with
Miss Harriet Alexander, and they are now
living in the town of Norwich. Their home
has been blessed by the birth of five children :
Lavina; Harriet; Mina; Emily ; and William,
all of whom have grown to maturity, and are
regarded with the greatest respect and es
teem by the communities in which they reside.
Mr. Brown was a Republican, but his time-
was so entirely employed with agricultural
pursuits that he gave but little attention to
political affairs.
William A. Brown, the subject of this
biography, received his early mental training
in the district schools of the town of New
Berlin, and then entered upon his career as
an agriculturist, a* calling for which he was
peculiarly fitted, both by nature and by his
early training. He came to Preston in 1870,
became acquainted with Miss Emma Evans,
and made her his wife, February 23, 1876.
She is a daughter of Charles Evans, a resi
dent of Plymouth township, this county.
They have one child, Lulu. In 1877, he took
up his residence on the farm on which he still
lives, at Preston Corners. Mr. Brown has
always been a hard worker, never shirking a
duty, no matter how disagreeable it might be
to perform, and he is now enjoying the fruits
of his industry and enterprise, having accu
mulated a considerable property. He and his
wife own two of the best farms at Preston
Corners, one of which they make their home,
and another situated near by, consisting oi
1 50 and 230 acres respectively. However, he

338

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

is not a man to enjoy too much leisure, no
matter how well earned, and at the present
time is actively engaged in general farming,
to which he has added a dairy business, keep
ing 40 cows, and receiving from them no
small share of his profits. Besides looking
after his extensive farming interests, he is
the acting postmaster of Preston Corners,
and so obliging is he, and willing to please,
that he has the support of Democrats as well
as Republicans. Perhaps in no position can
a man's standing in the community be so
readily established, provided he be made of
the right material, as in that of postmaster,
for the calls upon his time are so incessant,
often unnecessary, that it is often a strain
upon his good nature, and the fact that Mr.
Brown is a universal favorite, with young
and old alike, speaks for him the highest
praise. He has always been an ardent
worker for the Republican party, and has
held many offices within the gift of the peo
ple ; he has at different times been assessor,
supervisor, and town clerk of the town of
Preston, giving complete satisfaction to his
constituents. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are at
tendants of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and their hands are always extended to assist
a worthy cause.

ISAAC H. WILLSEY, the enterprising
clothier of Bainbridge village, is a son
of Isaac and Hannah (Dietz) Willsey,
and was born January 15, 1836, in the town
of Berne, Albany County, N. Y. The old
home of the Willsey family was in Holland ;

from there they emigrated to this country, set
tling in the valley of the Hudson, and were
members of an old Knickerbocker family.
Henry Willsey, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in the Hudson valley, either
in Dutchess or Westchester County. His
occupation was that of a farmer, and after
his marriage he moved to Albany County.
Isaac Willsey, the father, was born in the
town of Berne, Albany County, in 1798. He
was a very successful farmer, and his entire
life was passed on the farm where he was
born. He died at the age of eighty-eight
years. Politically, he was a Whig, and later
a Republican ; one who took a deep interest
in the success of his party. He served as
justice of the peace for twenty-one years.
He married Hannah Dietz, and to them
twelve children were born : Jacob, deceased ;
Henry, deceased ; Hiram, deceased ; Hannah
Maria, deceased ; Elmira ; Mary ; Katherine,
deceased; Seneca; Isaac; Emma; Joseph;
and Harriet.
Isaac H. Willsey was married to Miss
Sophia Mercellis ; they are the parents oi
four children, all of whom are living, and an
honor to the communities in which they live.
Theodore D. is the proprietor of the Central
Hotel at Bainbridge ; Burton B. has charge
of the National Express office at Buffalo,
N. Y.; Viola lives at home ; and Austin G.,
who is employed in the National Express
office at Buffalo. Mr. Willsey was educated
in the public schools and Rensselaer Acad
emy, and the few years following his gradua
tion, until he was twenty-five years old, were
spent on the farm. He then took charge of
the hotel at Rensselaerville, Albany County,

CHENANGO COUNTY

339

which he conducted four years, with the sat
isfaction of knowing that his guests were
well pleased with the treatment they re
ceived at his hands. He then engaged in the
boot and shoe business for a period of seven
years, three of which were spent in Cohoes
and four in Schenectady. Finding this busi
ness did not appear to be just suited to him,
he came to Bainbridge in 1877 and once more
embarked in the hotel business, this time as
the proprietor of the Central Hotel, which he
conducted with the best of success for seven
teen years, and then sold it to his son Theo
dore. He endeavored to please his patrons,
and so well did he succeed that his hotel had
a far-reaching reputation for the excellency
of the table and the cleanliness and comfort
of the rooms ; in consequence of this, he al
ways had a house full of guests, and it was
with sincere regret that they saw him give
up the charge of the house, even though the
new proprietor was his son. For three years
after leaving the hotel Mr. Willsey lived a
retired life, but he was not a man to settle
down to a life of idleness, although such rest
had been well earned, and at the end of that
time he again started in business, this time in
a gentlemen's clothing and furnishing store,
where he meets his hosts of old friends, and
carries on a most profitable business. Politi
cally, Mr. Willsey has been a Republican, and
is an indefatigable worker for the success of
his party. He has been president of the vil
lage of Bainbridge for six or seven terms,
and is quite popular with all classes of citi- -
zens, irrespective of party. He is a member
of the Susquehanna Lodge, No. 167, F. & A.
M. of Bainbridge.

7^TOBERT A. BENEDICT, the efficient
station and express agent of the
village of Afton, is a son of
Apollos and Lucinda (King) Benedict, and
was born in the village of Bainbridge, Che
nango County, October 1, 1858.
Apollos Benedict was born near Danbury,
Conn., where he passed his boyhood days,
after which he came to this county, and
settled in Bainbridge. Later he moved to
West Bainbridge, and remained there the
rest of his life. His occupation was that of
a tailor, and he was well-known as a skilled
workman in that line. He was twice bound
in the holy bonds of wedlock. His first
union was with Miss Amanda R. Sanford,
and they became the parents of the follow
ing children: Cyril, deceased ; Edwin, also
deceased ; and Susan, who wTas the wife of a
Mr. Fairfield, a prominent man of Hudson,
N. Y., now deceased. After Mr. Fairfield's
death, his widow was united in marriage
with Frank Alden Hill, deceased, whose pro
fession was that of a lawyer. Mrs. Hill has
traveled extensively over England and the
Continent, and is now living in Hampton,
N. H. Apollos Benedict's second wife's
maiden name was Lucinda King, and they
reared three children, namely : Howard A.,
a druggist of Bolivar, N. Y. ; Hobert A.,
whose name heads these lines; and Lyman
C, a farmer of South New Berlin. He was
a faithful member of the Congregational
Church, and as he was a talented musician,
he was accustomed to play in the church
choir. In political belief, he was a stanch
Republican, and voted uniformly with his
party. Mr. Benedict was called Home in

16*

340

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

1866, at the age of sixty-six years, and his
wife survived him two years.
Hobert A. Benedict was reared in his
native town, and received his mental training
in the common schools. After his parents'
deaths, he went to live with Silas Kneeland,
at Beech Hill, Delaware County, and later
made his home with an uncle, Wilder Fuller,
with whom he remained five years. At the
age of twenty-two he came to Afton, where
he took a two years' course in the Afton
Union School and Academy. He then went
into the railroad office at Afton, where he
learned telegraphy, and soon after became
baggage master and clerk. He officiated in
that capacity until 1893. During the first
two years of that time, W R. Sloan was
station agent, after which George E. Sackett
filled that position. Mr. Benedict worked
hard and faithfully, and when the oppor
tunity presented itself, in 1893, he was re
warded by being made station agent. He
has held that position since, to the entire
satisfaction of his superior officers. He is
also express agent, and agent for the Travel
ers' Insurance Co. of Hartford, Conn. His
brother, Lyman, succeeded him as baggage
master and assistant clerk, but after two
years' time he returned to the farm, near
South New Berlin.
Mr. Benedict was united in marriage with
Emma May Jacobs of Afton, and they arc
the happy parents of two bright daughters,
namely : Gladys May ; and Ruth J. In
politics, he is a firm supporter of the Repub
lican party. He is a member of the Baptist
Church, of which he is a deacon and trustee,
and takes an active interest in the church

affairs. Our subject is still in the prime of
life, is active and enterprising, and is es
teemed as a man of great worth in his com
munity.

T^iYRUS B. MARTIN stands at the
I \r head of one of the largest manufac-
^- ^ turing concerns in Norwich, the
David Maydole Hammer Co., whose pro
ducts are to be found in the markets of the
world. Since 1877, when he bought a quar
ter interest of his father-in-law, David May-
dole, founder of the company, he has given
his attention chiefly to this interest. For
many years he was engaged in journalistic
work. He is president of the Chenango
National Bank of Norwich. Mr. Martin
was born in Argyle, N. Y., September 6,
1830.

2UCIUS C. ANDREWS, M. D., a
practicing physician of Pitcher town-
— ^ ship, and a coroner of Chenango
County, N. Y., was born in Venice, Cayuga
County, N. Y., March 25, 1853. He is a son
of William Harrison and Emeline (Harris)
Andrews, and grandson of Obed Andrews.
The Andrews family originally came from
England, but Obed Andrews was a native of
the Green Mountain State, and came to Ven
ice, Cayuga County, this state, about the year
1800, where he engaged in farming. He was
married in Vermont, and became the father
of nine children, five sons and four daughters,

CHENANGO COUNTY

34i

of whom William H. Andrews was the
fourth son.
The father of our subject was born in
Venice, Cayuga County, August 13, 18 16,
and resided on the homestead all his life.
He was twice joined in marital bonds. The
first wife was Mary Welch, by whom he had
three children, namely : Abidah A., deceased,
who was the wife of Daniel Kratzer of Cort
land County, N. Y.; Glenn, who was one of
the many heroic men who offered up their
lives that the Union might endure ; and
Mortin M., who follows the trade of a car
penter in Buffalo, N. Y. Glenn Andrews,
named above was a member of Co. I, mth
Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf.; with a portion of his
company he was captured by the Confeder
ates and placed in Andersonville Prison,
where he died by starvation, neglect and ex
posure. The second wife of William H.
Andrews was Emeline Harris, a daughter of
Henry Harris, a farmer of the town of Locke,
Cayuga County, N. Y. They became the
parents of seven children, whose names are
as follows: Amelia S., who died in March,
1876, aged twenty-nine years; Mary E., who
is the wife of Lowell Mason, a farmer of the
town of Venice, Cayuga County, N. Y.; Ves-
tina J., a typewriter and stenographer of Al
bany, N. Y.; Dr. Lucius C, our subject;
Victor, a farmer on the old homestead ; Adel-
bert IT., a prosperous merchant of the town
of Moravia, Cayuga County ; and Willie H.,
deceased, who died in his boyhood. Mrs.
Andrews was called Home in June, 1866,
being forty years of age.
Dr. Andrews spent his early life on the
homestead, and attended the district schools

of his native town, after which he was a stu
dent at the Moravia Union School. He then
taught in the district schools for several
years, at length taking up the study of medi
cine, in 1877, with Dr. Dudley of King's Fer
ry. He attended lectures at the Eclectic
Medical Institute of Cincinnati, Ohio, for
two terms in 1877-78. Then after pursuing
a two years' course in the Medical Depart
ment of the University of New York, from
which institution he was graduated March
10, 1880, he took special courses in physical
diagnosis and gynecology. Dr. Andrews
thus had the benefit of instruction in some of
the best medical schools in the country, and
laid hold of every opportunity of becoming
a thoroughly learned and skillful physician.
These facts being generally recognized, it is
not remarkable that his practice is so large,
and that he should be brought in contact
with more critical and baffling cases than
usually fall to the lot of physicians outside
of the large cities. Immediately after gradua
tion, he began practicing at Venice, where
he remained for seven years. In February
of 1887 he located in Pitcher, as it gave him
a wider field for practice. In political belief,
he is a Republican of the purest type, and
has held several offices. For several years
he was health officer ; for the past six years
he had served as coroner with such satisfac
tion to the county, that he was again chosen
to fill that office at the last election.
On March 16, 1887, he was joined in Hy
men's bonds with Esther E. De Groff, daugh
ter of William and Helen (Holmes) De Groff,
the former of whom was a farmer of the
town of Fleming, Cayuga County, N. Y.

342

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

One child has been born to add to their wed
ded happiness, and cement their union,
George Lucius. Dr. Andrews is prominent
in social circles, being a member of the Che
nango County Medical Society, and a mem
ber of the Cincinnatus Lodge, No. 706, F. & A.
M. Allying himself with the Congregation
al Church and Society, he is an active worker
in that organization, and for eight years was
superintendent of the Sabbath School. He
and his estimable wife are active workers in
all religious and benevolent fields, and take
a deep interest in everything that tends to
uplift and benefit mankind.

"ON. DAVID LYMAN FOLLETT
was born in Sherburne, N. Y., July
17, 1836, and is a son of Uzziel and
Fanny (Miller) Follett, residents and citizens
of that town. He was educated in the
Oneida Conference Seminary and began the
study of law with Rexford & Kingsley, at
Norwich, N. Y., April 1, 1856, and January
5, 1858, was admitted to the bar at Bing
hamton, N. Y. April 1, 1858, he opened an
office in Norwich, this county, and continued
in the active practice of his profession until
his elevation to the bench, January 1, 1875.
On January 13, 1862, he was admitted to
practice in the Supreme Court of the United
States, and a year later, January 29, 1863, ob
tained the right to practice and bring his cases
before the Circuit Court for the Northern
District of New York. February 25, 1864,
he still further extended his field of opera
tions, being admitted on that date to the Cir

cuit Court for the Southern District of New
York. March 21, 1867, he was admitted to
practice in the United States District Court
for the Northern District of New York.
March 2, 1867, he was appointed by Presi
dent Johnson, and confirmed by the United
States Senate, as Assessor of Internal Rev
enue for the Nineteenth District of New
York ; he served in this federal position until
May 20, 1873, when the office was abolished,
pursuant to Chapter 13, Laws of 1872.
Judge Follett dates his connection with the
bench of the State from January 1, 1875, when
he took office. He had been nominated in
1874 by the Republican Convention for Jus
tice of the Supreme Court for the term of
fourteen years, and as there was no opposing
Democratic candidate, Judge Follett was
elected without a contest. In the Novem
ber election of 1888, he was reelected for
another fourteen years, being supported by
both Republican and Democratic parties.
Judge Follett has also held a number of high
appointive offices, to which his selection was
but natural, considering the able manner in
which he had administered justice on the
bench. He was appointed by Gov. Hill,
May 6, 1887, pursuant to Chapter 124 of the
Laws of 1887, a Commissioner to revise with
David Dudley Field and Judge William
Rumsey the Proposed Code of Evidence.
Gov. Cleveland designated him May 17,
1884, as an Associate Justice of the General
Term of the Fourth Department, and Judge
Follett filled that judicial office until January
21, 1889, when he was designated by Gov.
Hill to act as an Associate Judge of the
Court of Appeals to form a Second Division

HENRY C. BENNETT.

CHENANGO COUNTY

345

of that Court, by which Court he was chosen
Chief Judge, and so continued until October
i, 1892, when the Court was discontinued.
November 18, 1892, he was designated by
Gov. Flower as an Associate Justice of the
General Term of the First Department, and
served until December 31, 1895, when the
Court was abolished by the Constitution
adopted in 1894. October 7, 1895, Judge
Follett was appointed by Gov. Morton to
serve as an Associate Justice of the Fourth
Appellate Division from and after January 1,
1896, in which position he is now (1898)
serving. Judge Follett was married September 23,
1862. His wife, Jane Polhemus Randall be
fore her marriage, was born in Cortland, Oc
tober 4, 1837, and was a daughter of Henry
Stevens and Jane (Polhemus) Randall. Mrs.
Follett was educated at Cortlandville Acad
emy. To Judge and Mrs. Follett have been
born two sons, one of whom is now living.
Henry Randall, the elder, was born February
19, 1869, in Norwich, N. Y., and was educated
at Phillip's Exeter and Dummer Academies.
He was graduated at the Albany Law School,
June 17, 1891, and was admitted to practice
in the courts of New York State April 29,
1892. April 1, 1896, he began to practice in
Norwich, N. Y. The younger son, David
Miller, born November 3, 1870, in Norwich,
N. Y., died there June 30, 1872.

ENRY C. BENNETT, the leading
mason and contractor in the village
of Norwich, is a son of Stephen
and Clarissa (Jenkins) Bennett, and was born

at Guilford, Chenango County, New York,
October 1, 1850.
His grandfather, Solomon Bennett, was
born in Delaware County, N. Y., and later
in life moved to the town of Guilford and
engaged in farming, following that occupa
tion all his life. He had a family of four
sons and two daughters.
Stephen Bennett, father of our subject,
was reared in Delaware County. He receiv
ed a liberal education, and then followed the
pursuits of an agriculturist in the town of
Guilford. Politically, he was a Democrat,
and voted his chosen ticket all his life. He
was a member of the Methodist Church, and
took an active part in its affairs, being trustee
for a number of years. He was a member of
the old state militia. He was joined in wed
lock with Miss Clarissa Jenkins, and they
reared a family of eleven children : Lewis ;
Eliza, deceased ; Susan ; Dubois ; Luman,
deceased; Carrie; Oscar; Alvin ; Henry C;
Frank ; and Nelson. Mrs. Bennett died in
1879. Mr. Bennett passed from this life
in 1895.
Henry C. Bennett received a liberal edu
cation in the common schools, and then fol
lowed the trade of a mason in the town of
Guilford ; later he moved to Norwich, and
worked with his brother for three years,
when he started in contracting for himself,
and is now the leading mason and contractor
in Norwich. In politics he is a stanch Re
publican. He is a member of the Methodist
Church. He is also a member of the I. O. O.
F.Lodge, No. 205; Encampment, No. 52;
and Rebecca Lodge, No. 95. He is a mem
ber of the Norwich Tribe of the Improved

346

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Order of Red Men. He was married No
vember 7, 1 87 1, to Miss Georgia A. King,
daughter of R. H. King. One child, Charles,
blessed their happy home. Since Mr. Ben
nett has been a citizen of this town, he has
earned for himself the reputation of being a
good, honest, upright citizen, and it is with
pleasure that we publish his portrait on a
preceding page.

M

R. LOUIS P. BLAIR, the repre
sentative physician of McDonough,
whose superior abilities are every
where recognized, since coming to this vil
lage in 1878, has had an ever increasing prac
tice. He was born in the town of Chenango,
Broome County, N. Y., and comes of a good
family, being a son of A. Edson and Caroline
(Pease) Blair.
His paternal ancestors, hardy Scotchmen,
came to this country at an early day. His
great-grandfather, born in Massachusetts,
was a minute man of the Revolution, and had
two sons, who also fought for Independence,
one of whom died from wounds received in
battle. A. Edson Blair, the father of our subject,
was born in the State of Massachusetts, and
came to Chenango, Broome County, with
his father. He was one of the good, solid
farmers of the town, and was well and favor
ably known throughout the community.
He was a member of the Methodist Episco
pal Church, and a true Christian gentleman,
in whom a friend in trouble would always
find a ready helper and sympathizer. In

politics, he adhered to the principles of the
Republican party. He was united in mar
riage with Miss Caroline Pease, and seven
children blessed their union, namely : Mrs.
Dr. Moody of New Haven, Conn.; Morris
P., now a resident of Binghamton, N. Y.,
served in the War of the Rebellion, from the
first battle of Bull Run, to close of War, in
the 27th Reg., N. Y. Vol. Inf.; Mrs. William
H. Bristol of Binghamton, whose husband
was a major in the War of the Rebellion ;
Mrs. Ella E. Johnson ; Minnie B., who mar
ried George Reynolds of Binghamton ; Louis
P., the subject of this biography ; and Dr.
Arthur E., who died in 1889, at Castle Creek,
Broome County, N. Y., where he had prac
ticed medicine several years.
Mrs. Blair's ancestors came from France
in 1630, only 10 years after the landing of the
Pilgrim Fathers, and settled in Connecticut.
Her brother, Rev. Lewis Pease, founded the
Five Points Home of Industry in New York.
Mrs Blair was a woman of high literary
talents, and many ot her works, written
under the nom de plume of " Waif Woodland,"
have been widely read. Both our subject's
parents are now numbered among the
departed, his father dying in 1883, aged
seventy-four years.
Dr. Lewis P. Blair was born July 8, 1853,
on his father's farm, upon which he lived
until his education in the district schools was
completed. He then taught school for some
time, and later became a commercial traveler.
At the age of twenty years, he began the
study of his chosen profession, medicine,
under the preceptorship of Dr. J. A. Pettit, a
learned physician of Buffalo, N. Y. He later

CHENANGO COUNTY

347

took a course at the Buffalo Medical College,
an institution ranking high among similar
colleges of our country. Later, he entered
the Kentucky School of Medicine of Louis
ville*, from which he graduated in 1877. Pos
sessing superior natural abilities, and being
of studious habits, he ranked among the first
in his classes, and at the time of his gradua
tion was awarded the Thesis Prize, a much
sought honor. He immediately took up his
residence in McDonough, and entered upon
his present practice, which is one of the best
in his section of the county. He is of a kind
and sympathetic nature, and is always a
friend to his patients, who look upon him not
only as an honest and capable physician, but
as a personal adviser. He has a true sense
of professional honor, and is always fair in his
treatment of fellow-practitioners. He has
been successful beyond his fondest hopes
and has accumulated a handsome competency.
In connection with his practice, he takes
time to superintend the work on four good
farms, which he owns in the town of McDon
ough. Dr. Blair's farms are all operated in
an up-to-date manner, and he has not been
slow to employ the use of new and improved
machinery where it seemed for the best.
The buildings are large, neat, and substan
tial, and the farms are well stocked. He
makes a specialty of Jersey cattle, and
has a fine herd of thoroughbreds, which
attracts the admiration of all who chance to
see them.
March 20, 1875, Dr. Blair was united in
the bonds of matrimony with Mary J. Slater,
a daughter of Milo Slater of Triangle,
Broome County. Mrs. Blair is a kind and

loving wife, possessing many virtues, and has
proven a true help meet and comfort to her
husband. Obr subject is a stanch Republi
can, and actively advocates the principles of
the party. In recent years there have been
many warm fights by the two leading parties
for supremacy in the town of McDonough,
and it is with great satisfaction that Dr.
Blair has seen the Democratic majority of
sixty votes overcome, and the town safely
in control of his party. He is a county
coroner, and is now serving his fifth year as
supervisor of the town. He is president of
the board of health, and has been notary
public for the past fifteen years. He is a
member of the American Medical Associa
tion, and an original member of the New
York State Medical Association. The New
York State and Chenango County Medical
Societies also include him as a member.

ENJAMIN F. HARRINGTON.
The gentleman whose name heads
this notice is a prominent and
highly esteemed agriculturist of Green town
ship. He was born July 12, 1852, on the
old homestead, and is a son of Benjamin and
Sarah A. (Barrows) Harrington, and grand
son of Joshua Harrington, and great-grand
son of John Harrington.
John Harrington, a native of Ireland, emi
grated to America, and settled in the State
of Connecticut. At this time the Empire
State was attracting much attention on ac
count of the bright prospects held out to
pioneers, and he joined the tide of emigra
tion, took up his residence in Chenango

348

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

County, and purchased a small farm. He
was among the first white men to locate
within the borders of Chenango County, and
to begin the work of transforming a wilder
ness into a prosperous and thickly inhabited
country. At the time of the outbreak,
which occurred between the colonies and
the mother country, inspired by a spirit of
patriotism, he joined the army and rendered
valuable service. At the close of the war he
held a captain's commission. He passed
from this life in the village of Oxford, at the
age of eighty-four years. He married and
reared a family of six children, who were as
follows : Joshua ; John ; Hillman ; Ebes ;
Daniel; Mrs. Polly Harrington; and Mrs.
Rebecca Smith.
Joshua Harrington, grandfather of our
subject, was born in the State of Connecticut,
and when but a mere lad of twelve years, he
accompanied his father west and located in
Oxford, Chenango County, N. Y. Rapidly
the old settlers of Chenango County are
crossing the river of death to meet the
loved ones gone before, and the time is not
far distant when none will be left to tell the
tale of the trials incident to the early settle
ment of this country. The beautiful farms
will, however, be left as monuments of their
handiwork, and their memories will be per
petuated by just such records as those which
the reader is now perusing. Joshua Har
rington spent all his life in this district as a
farmer. He chose for his wife Thankful
Harrington, daughter of Thomas Harring
ton, who was a native of Connecticut, and
who later came to the village of Oxford and
engaged in the pursuits of an agriculturist.

To Mr. and Mrs. Harrington were born the
following children : Lucinda, deceased, was
the wife of Darius Cooper, late farmer of
Greene ; Malinda, deceased ; David, deceased,
was a well-to-do farmer of Greene ; Joshua,
deceased, was also a prominent farmer of
Greene ; Benjamin, a successful farmer and
father of the subject of this sketch ; Mar-
riette ; Margaret, deceased, was the wife of
James Tuttle, a successful blacksmith of
Greene ; Thomas W., an enterprising farmer
of Greene ; and Charles P., who died in his
boyhood days. In politics, Mr. Harrington
was an avowed Democrat.
Benjamin Harrington, father of our sub
ject, was a native of Oxford, and was born
May i, 1816. Upon attaining his majority,
he took up the occupation of a farmer, and
followed it all his active life. He attended
the early schools of his native village, and
obtained a liberal education. He was a
strong Democrat in politics, a man of great
force of character and decided views, and
labored zealously for honor, right and the
truth. He was united in marriage with Miss
Sarah A. Burrows, daughter of Simeon Bur
rows, a well-to-do farmer living in Greene.
They are the parents of the following chil
dren : Mary A., the wife of Floyd Wylie of
Broome County, N. Y.; Benjamin F., subject
of this sketch; Eugene, a prominent farmer in
Greene ; Reade E., also a wealthy farmer of
Greene ; Victoria, who married George B.
Bly, a barber of Carbondale, Pa.; and Evelyn,
who was united in marriage with Joseph
Spanley, a barber of Greene. Mr. Harrington
was a great favorite socially, and the home
of himself and wife was a pleasant resort for

.i§| *b*

JOHN J. SHERMAN.

CHENANGO COUNTY

35i

the cultured people, with whom they enjoyed
large acquaintance. He died in Greene, Jan
uary 26, 1897, leaving an estate of 500 acres,
and a large bank account, to his heirs.
Benjamin F. Harrington was born on the
old homestead, July 2, 1865, received his
early training in the public schools of his
native town, and remained under the paren
tal roof until he was thirty-one years of age.
He then went to Binghamton, N. Y., where
he engaged in the manufacture of cigars. In
1886 he returned to his native village and
bought his present home, which consists of
118 acres of highly cultivated* land. He has
his farm well stocked with cattle and runs a
dairy, keeping about twenty head of Holstein
cattle. He was married December 3, 1885, to Miss
Ella Thornton, daughter of A. Thornton, a
progressive farmer of Afton, this county. In
politics, Mr. Harrington is a strong Demo
crat. Socially, he is a member of the War
wick Chapter, Mystic Chain, No. 9, of Page
Brook.

-OHN J. SHERMAN, deceased, whose
portrait appears on the opposite page,
was born in Holmesville, Chenango
County, N. Y., January 19, 1846, where he
was reared and educated, after which he fol
lowed farming with his father until 1881.
Upon leaving the farm he went to New York
City, where he was employed by the Van
Hoff Manufacturing Co., manufacturers and
wholesale dealers in fishing tackle. After re
maining with them for two years he accepted

a position as brakeman on the New York El
evated R. R. Three years later he was ap
pointed to the police force of New York
City. He was a brave and courageous man,
always on hand in the time of need, and one
who was ever ready to discharge his full duty.
For five years he faithfully performed these
duties, and gained the respect of his fellow
officers, and the good-will of the inspectors.
On September 1, 1 891, he attempted to arrest
a desperate negro, and in the encounter he
met his death. His removal by such foul
means was a cause for universal mourning-
on the force, and by a large number of friends
in private life. He was a man of excellent
habits, kind and sympathetic in his demean
or toward the deserving, but a terror to
those traveling the paths of crookedness. He
was in the prime of life, when he was called
Home, and had a bright future before him.
He formed a matrimonial alliance with Lo-
dema Woodman, and two children blessed
their home, namely : Ada ; and Claude N.
Mr. Sherman was a member of the A. O. U.
W. of New York City.
The Sherman family is one of the oldest
and best known in the county. George
Sherman, our subject's paternal grandfather,
was one of the earliest pioneer settlers of
Morris, Otsego County, but at an early day-
he came to Chenango County and located
near Holmesville. He was a farmer, and en
dured the many hardships incident to pioneer
life. Nelson Sherman, the father of our subject,
was born December 31, 1826, at Holmesville,
where he was reared and spent his entire life.
He was a mason and carpenter by trade, but

352

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

also did considerable farming. He passed
away May i, 1894, after a long and success
ful life. He was united in marriage with
Eliza Barton, and they became the parents of
a son, John J., the subject of this personal
sketch. Mrs. John J. Sherman is a woman of ex
cellent qualities and comes of a well known
English family. She is a daughter of Wil
liam and Harriet Woodman. William Wood
man was born in England in 1831, and at the
age of nineteen years came to this country
and located at Mt. Upton. At that place he
was united in marriage with Harriet Baird,
after which they moved west to Iowa. He
was a hero of the Civil War, and fought
in many hotly contested battles. After the
close of hostilities he again came to the State
of New York and settled in Holmesville,
but two years later he moved to Madison
County. There he lived and tilled the soil
the remainder of his days. Mr. and Mrs.
Woodman were the parents of seven chil
dren : Mrs. Sherman ; Ida M. Kattau of New
York City ; Mrs. Clara E. Clark of New
York City ; William D. of Rockwell's Mills ;
Eugene C. of Holmesville ; Mrs. Lizzie A.
Fairchilds of Madison County, N. Y.; and
George W., also of Madison County. Mrs.
Sherman now lives at Holmesville, where she
has many friends.

w

ILLIAM H. SAGE, a respected
citizen of the village of Holmes
ville, New Berlin township, Chenango
County, has extensive farming and dairy

interests, and ranks with the first agricultur
ists of his section. He comes of a family,
that has chiefly followed the peaceful pur
suits of agriculture, but many members have
achieved distinction in other walks of life as
judges, lawyers, clergymen, college profes
sors, physicians, army and navy officers,
statesmen, merchants, manufacturers, and
mechanics. Whatever their avocations, or
wherever they live, the members of the Sage
family are known as sober-minded citizens,
industrious in their work, and loyal to home
and country.
The Sage family traces its descent from
Scandinavian stock, far back in the Dark
Ages ; the name was spelled " Saga," but
when the Norsemen conquered Normandy,
and over-ran France, the final "a" was
changed to " e," thus making the present
name, — Sage. The name as it appears first
in English history is found upon Battle
Abbey Roll, year 1066, A. D., — the roll made
by William the Conqueror after the battle of
Hastings, when he divided the English lands
among his own followers, — the spelling there
being '* Sageville." As a mark of dis
tinguished favor, a coat of arms was granted
by the King. The coat of arms is surmount
ed by grain, fruit and flowers, indicating that
the Sage family was then, as it is now, an
agricultural people. The motto is " Non
Sibli," — " Not for ourselves."
The founder of the American branch of
the now numerous family of Sages was
David Sage, a native of Wales, born in 1639,
who emigrated to the American Colonies in
1652, settling in Middletown, Conn., where
he died in 1703. His descendant, Daniel

CHENANGO COUNTY

353

Sage, the grandfather of our subject, was
born in Connecticut in 1756, and in 1803
came to the town of New Berlin, settling on
a tract on Great Brook, where, after passing
through the usual experiences incident to a
pioneer life, he passed away in 1852. His
farm consisted of 200 acres of interval land
on Great Brook. He served in the War of
the Revolution, and three of his sons fought
in the War of 1812, for the rights of
Americans against British oppression. He
married Sybil Jewett of Rensselaer County,
and had the following family : Sylvia, born in
1779; Erastus, 1784; Faith, 1786; Betsey,
1788; Simeon, 1789; Abigail, 1791 ; Jewett,
1793; Daniel, 1795; and Nathan, 1800.
Daniel Sage entered upon the stage of life
in 1795, in Rensselaer County, and came with
the other members of his father's family to
New Berlin township, and settled on Great
Brook. He made no mistake when he
adopted the pursuit of farming as an occupa
tion to follow through life, for the natural
aptitude he manifested in that direction, com
bined with the earnest efforts he put forth to
achieve success, conspired to make him a
very prosperous man, and an extensive land
owner, for at the time of his death he held a
clear title to 800 acres of land that he had
acquired. He was a man of great force of
character, and proved himself a model citizen
of his township. Party lines did not hold
him very strongly, but when called upon to
give his preference, he declared himself to
be a Democrat. He married Eliza Burton,
by whom he had nine children, five sons and
four daughters, who grew to manhood and
womanhood, as follows : Sylvia, born in 1831;

Richard, 1832; Olive A., 1834; Lois, 1836;
George H., 1837; William H., 1840; Augus
tus, 1843; Emeline, 1848; and Daniel B.,
1854. William H. Sage, a member of the sixth
generation from David Sage, the first of the
family in this country, was born in New
Berlin township, April 20, 1840. He obtain
ed an excellent mental training in the com
mon schools, and the South New Berlin
Academy, pursuing his studies in that insti
tution, when Prof. Barber was principal. He
afterwards attended Oxford Academy, pay
ing his own way through school, and receiv
ing no financial aid from anyone in obtaining
his education. Excellently equipped for
life's battles, he left the academy at the age
of twenty-one, and taught school one term in
Schuylkill County, Pa. He then returned
home to New Berlin township, married in
1861, and located on a farm near Holmes
ville, which is now occupied and conducted
by his brother, George H., a notice of whose
life appears on another page. On this farm
he followed agricultural pursuits for a period
of fourteen years, and then purchased a farm
of 107 acres in the town of Morris, Otsego
County, N. Y., upon which he resided for
fifteen years. In 1880, he moved into the
village of Holmesville, where he has since
made his home in a comfortable and commo
dious residence. Although living in the vil
lage, he still continues to conduct his farm,
and has also been engaged in the manufac
ture of butter and cheese, keeping a choice
dairy. In 1898 he purchased a beautiful
property, called Riverside Farm.
Mr. Sage is a Democrat in his politics

354

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

though somewhat independent in his views;
he has been a commissioner of roads. On
December 17, i860, our subject was united
in marriage with Sarah E. Thornton, a sister
of C. IT. Thornton, a merchant of Holmes
ville, and daughter of David and Abbie Ann
(Clark) Thornton. Her great-grandfather,
Jonathan Thornton, a native of Rhode
Island, brought his family, in 1812, to New-
York State, locating in Norwich township,
Chenango County. ITe followed the occu
pations of a stonemason and a farmer all his
life. He died in 1862. His son, William
Thornton, grew to maturity in Rhode Island,
and came to this state with his father after
his marriage, and followed fanning in Nor
wich. David Thornton, Mrs. Sage's father,
was born in Rhode Island in 1806, and was
six years of age when his lather brought him
to Norwich. He engaged in stock-raising
and other agricultural pursuits, and owned a
farm of 200 acres. The last years of his life
were spent in the town of Guillord, where
he died in 1885. His wife bore him these
children: Charles 1 1., a prosperous general
merchant of Holmesville, whose sketch
appears on another page ; Sarah E., the wife
of our subject; Anson, a farmer of Morris,
Otsego County ; and Samuel, who is a
retired farmer of Mt. Upton.

'OSEPH D. VAN VALKENBURGH,
who is acting as agent for several dif
ferent insurance companies, and who
is one of the energetic and thrifty business

men of the village of Greene, was born in
the above town September 16, 1849, and is a
son of Joseph D. and Maria (Wheeler) Van
Valkenburgh. Lambert Van Valkenburgh was the first of
that name to represent the family in this
country. He was a native of Amsterdam,
Holland, and emigrated (o America in 1645,
settling in New Amsterdam, now New York
City, lie was the lather of Jochem Van
Valkenburgh, who was born in 1646; grand
father of Bartholomew Van Valkenburgh,
born in 1680; great-grandfather of Jochem
Van Valkenburgh who was born in 1702;
and great-great grandfather of Claudis Van
Valkenburgh, who was born in 1747. Clau
dis Van Valkenburgh was the greal-grand-
fathcr of our subject and I he father of Adam
Van Valkenburgh, who was born in Albany
County, N. V., in 1773. In 1830 Adam Van
Valkenburgh moved lo Greene, Chenango
County, and settled on a trad of land, which
was then covered by a dense forest. He
cleared a part of his farm, engaged in I In-
tilling of the soil and was one of the lead
ing agriculturists of his section. I le mar
ried Jennie Backus, who was born in Co
lumbia County, N. Y. They were the par
ents of ten children, who were as follows:
John; Peter; Jeremiah; Joseph; George;
Christina; Maria; Jane; Katherine; and
Margaret. In religious views Mr. and Mrs.
Van Valkenburgh were members of the Pres
byterian Church. He passed from earth's
scenes, its toils and its troubles, in 1859. She
was called to her well earned rest in 1875.
Joseph D. Van Valkenburgh, the lather of
our subject, was born in Albany County,

CHENANGO COUNTY

355

N. Y., in 1822, and attended the common
schools in his native town until his parents
came to Chenango County and located in
the town of Greene. He was reared to fol
low the pursuits of an agriculturist, and
farming continued to be his principal oc
cupation throughout life. In 1 85 1 he went to
the State of California, where he remained
five years, engaged in operating a saw mill, and
in working extensively in a gold mine. Mr.
Van Valkenburgh returned to his former
home, where he remained until the time of his
death, which occurred June 4, 1895. He was
a stanch Democrat in politics. He sincerely
believed in the principles endorsed by this
party, and always voted for the maintenance
of these principles whenever an opportunity
presented itself. Fie was very popular in
his community, and was elected supervisor
and filled many other minor offices, the duties
of which offices were faithfully and honestly
discharged. He was united in marriage with
Miss Maria Wheeler, daughter of William D.
and Prudence Wheeler, and five children
blessed their home, namely : Joseph D., the
subject of this biography; Charles W.;
George A.; Emma ; Prudence D.; and Mar
garet M. Charles W. Van Valkenburgh mar
ried Hortense Wright of Greene, and they
reared a family of four children, namely :
Lilian ; Nellie ; Neil ; and Edna. George A.
was united in marriage with Miss Effie Bry
ant of Greene, and two children blessed their
home, Charles and Margaret. Emma, de
ceased, was the wife of R. A. Race of Greene,
and the mother of two children, namely, Earl
and Ethel. Margaret M. married Frank
Leary of Greene, and they are the parents of

one child, Francis. Mrs. Van Valkenburgh
entered the world of rest March 15, 1893.
Joseph D. Van Valkenburgh, whose name
heads this brief notice, received a good edu
cation in the public schools of Greene, and
then worked as a keeper in the State Prison
at Sing Sing. After remaining there some
months he went to Auburn, N. Y., where he
accepted a like position. Disliking that kind
of employment he resigned his position, and
engaged in the insurance business for La Con-
fiance Insurance Company, a French com
pany, whose headquarters were at Paris,
France. Three years after he engaged with
the American Central Insurance Company of
St. Louis, Mo., and for fourteen years he
acted in the capacity as general agent of the
Eastern States. He was required to travel
a great deal over the territory to which he
had been assigned, and spent on an average
two nights a week in a sleeping car.
In 1875 he was joined in bonds of matri
mony with Miss Emma S. Boynton, daughter
of George W. and Eliza Boynton of Greene,
N. Y. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Van Val
kenburgh consists of the following children,
namely : Ralph D.; Raymond H.; Helen S.;
and Joseph D., deceased. Mrs. Van Valken
burgh died in June, 1888, at the age of thirty-
five years. In 1889 our subject was married
to Nellie G. Mears of New Haven, Conn.,
and four children were born as a result of
this union. They are: Emma J.; Richard
M.; Edward A.; and Gertrude. Religiously,
his family are devoted members of the Con
gregational Church. Mr. Van Valkenburgh
is identified with the Democratic party,
whose principles he believes to be the best of

356

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

any existing political organization. He has
served as trustee of the village of Greene.
Socially, he is a member of the Eastern Light
Lodge, No. 126, F. & A. M., of Greene.

(®To

EORGE W. WILLCOX, M. D, one
\f£J_ of the rising young physicians of
Greene, who has a bright future before him,
wras born in Plymouth, Chenango County,
N. Y., September 9, 1866, and is a son of A.
Wallace and Lovinia ( Wales ) Willcox.
The Willcox family is of English ancestry.
The grandfather, Edward T. Willcox, spent
the greater part of his active life in the vil
lage of Verona, N. Y. He purchased a large
tract of land, which was covered by the dense
forest, which he immediately cleared, and
with the lumber he engaged in the lumber
business, and farmed the land which he had
already cleared. At first he met with great
success, but later lost his fortune by the de
signing plans of his enemies. In political
views he was an adherent of the Whig and
later of the Republican party. He was
wedded to Miss Harriet M." Houghton, and
they reared three children, who were as fol
lows : A. Wallace, the father of our subject ;
Emily, who married Wright Christian of
Verona, N. Y., and -has three children,
William, Sherley E. and Edna ; Anna was
the wife of Henry Gregory of Plymouth,
and is now a resident of Mt. Upton, N. Y.
Mrs. Willcox died in 1885. Mr. Willcox
passed from this earth in 1 888, at the advanced
age of seventy-six years. In religious views

Mr. and Mrs. Willcox were consistent work
ers of the Methodist Church, of which both
were members.
A. Wallace Willcox received his schooling
in his native village, after which he accepted
a position as watchman on the railroad at
Verona. Taking a dislike to the railroad
business, he resigned and moved to Plymouth,
where he purchased a small tract of land and
engaged in farming. He was a man of many
good business qualities and a valuable man
in railroad circles, which the company knew ;
while engaged in agricultural pursuits, he
was offered any position on the railroad be
tween Oneida and Schenectady, but he would
not accept, as he had quit that line of work
for good. He casts his vote for Republican
candidates, and is one of the political leaders
in his community. He has served as road
commissioner for several years, and has also
filled the office of excise commissioner. He
was joined in marriage with Miss Lovinia
Wales, daughter of George Wales, and they
reared a family of three children, who are as
follows : Clara, the wife of Eugene Sabin of
Plymouth, and the mother of one son, George;
George W., our subject ; and Bertha L. Mr.
Willcox, in religious views, is an active mem
ber of the Methodist Church, of which he
has been steward for a number of years.
Mrs. Willcox entered the world of rest in
1883, aged thirty-six years. A. Wallace Will
cox chose for his second wife Edna Bently
of West Winfield, N. Y., and she has borne
him one child, Elsie.
George W. Willcox received his primary
education in the public schools of Plymouth
and then entered Colgate Academy at Ham-

JAMES K. WETMORE.

CHENANGO COUNTY

359

ilton, N. Y. Upon graduating he began the
reading of medicine under Dr. Charles B.
Flint of Hamilton, with whom he remained
one year, when he entered the New York
Homeopathic Medical College, from which
he graduated in 1895, with the honors of his
class. He then successfully passed the state
examination at the University of New York,
June 5, 1895, -where he again carried off
honors. He also took a course at the Broome
Street Maternity Hospital. He chose the
village of Greene for his field of practice,
where he has successfully followed his pro
fession since June 10, 1895. September 22,
1894, he was joined in marriage with Miss
Susie Stone, daughter of J. D. F. Stone of
Hamilton, N. Y. Socially, he is a member of
the Chenango County Medical Society, of
which he is vice-president, having been hon
ored with that position January 1, 1897. He
is also a county delegate to the State Home
opathic Society. He is a member of the
Masonic Order, Eastern Light Lodge, No.
126, of Greene. Mr. and Mrs. Willcox are
both popular and consistent members of the
Methodist Church.

-AMES'K. WETMORE, president of
the First National Bank of Bain
bridge, this county, was born August
29, 1819, in the town of Bovina, Delaware
County, N. Y., and is a son of James and
Hannah (Sackrider) Wetmore.
James Wetmore, the great-grandfather,
was a native of England, and a minister of
the Episcopal Church. He came to this

country at an early day and engaged in min
isterial work in Rye, Westchester County,
where he probably died.
James Wetmore, the grandfather, was born
in the town of Rye, Westchester County, in
1762 ; when a young man he moved to Dela
ware County ancl followed the occupation of
a farmer. He was married to Hester Sneffin,
who was born in Rye, Westchester County,
in 1754. They were .the parents of a large
family of children, who grew to adult years,
married and left numerous descendants, who
are scattered all through the state, and are
among the best families. These children
were: Susannah, born December 18, 1780,
the wife of Caleb Johnston of Hobart, Del
aware County, who was born in Septem
ber, 1782, and died in Greene County ; James,
born May 1, 1784; Hester, born September
20, 1786, married Henry Sackrider of Dela
ware County ; Elisha, born September 16,
1788; Mary, born September 21, 1 791, wife
of Zera Baldwin, a merchant of Hobart;
John, born February 27, 1794, a farmer of
Delaware and Otsego Counties ; Elizabeth,
born .October 8, 1799, married Alexander
Easton, a sailor until forty-five, then a farmer.
All the above are now deceased.
James Wetmore, the father of our subject,
was born and reared in Delaware County,
and when a young man engaged in mercan
tile pursuits at Bovina, which he followed
for some time, but at a later period turned
his attention to farming. He bought land in
the town of Stamford, and became one of the
most extensive and prosperous farmers in
that section, accumulating a considerable
property. He was a Jeffersonian Democrat

36°

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

and took an active interest in the affairs of
his party. He was a member of the Episco
pal Church. His wife, Hannah, was a
daughter of Moses Sackrider, a man of
prominence and influence in Delaware Coun
ty ; he was a member of one of the old Dutch
families of Kinderhook, N. Y., and was very
wealthy. To Mr. and Mrs. Wetmore were
born the following children : Solomon S. D.,
born in 1810, a prosperous and wealthy
farmer of Delaware County ; Thomas H.,
born in 181 2, now deceased, was a farmer by
occupation; Mary H., born in 1816, wife of
Rodney Dunham, a farmer of Davenport,
this state, both deceased ; James K.; Charles,
born in 1826, lives on the old homestead in
Stamford ; Henry O. died in early boyhood.
James K. Wetmore was educated in the
common schools of his county, and reared on
his father's farm, where he lived until his
marriage, November 18, 1847, to Miss Amelia
Butts, a daughter of Henry Butts ; he then
went to Davenport Center, Delaware County,
and engaged in conducting a hotel and farm
ing. The hotel business he conducted for
seven years, and then disposed of his hotel,
and purchased a farm near Oneonta, where
he remained eleven years. In 1866 he took
up his residence in Bainbridge and became
identified with mercantile business for three
years, when he began to deal extensively in
live stock, and also in general produce and
wool. He is a shrewd business man, and
can tell just what class of goods is most apt
to be profitable ; when is the time to sell
to the best advantage ; and when to hold his
stock. He is a very public-spirited man, and
it was largely through his efforts and influ

ence that the First National Bank of Bain
bridge was established. He saw the need of
the institution, and that it could be made to
pay a good dividend, and was the first man
in the village to suggest its organization.
This bank was organized in 1882, and he has
been connected with it in some capacity ever
since. The first officers were: president,
Jervis Prince, now deceased ; vice-president,
Joseph Bush, also deceased ; cashier, Irving
Pruyn ; directors — James K. Wetmore, H.
G. Phelps, William Laimbeer, M. L. Keyes,
and James Yale, deceased. Mr. Wetmore
was chosen vice-president in 1890, and in
1 89 1 was elected president, which office he
still holds. Ervin Ramsdall is vice-president ;
Ralph W. Kirby is cashier ; and the directors
are — William Moshier of Bainbridge, H. G.
Phelps of Sidney, M. L. Keyes, I. L. Pruyn,
Elliott Danforth, and FI. D. Copley, the latter
succeeding C. S. Hynds. Mr. Wetmore is a
Democrat, believing in the single gold stand
ard. He is a man well and favorably known
all over the county, but nowhere is he more
highly regarded than in the village in which
he lives. Mr. and Mrs. Wetmore are mem
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
earnest and consistent. They have but one
child, a daughter, Angelia W., born August
11, 1849. She is the widow of George L.
Windsor, a prominent young lawyer, who
practiced before the Chenango County bar.
They were married September 29, 1874, and
but four short years had passed away, when
he was called from his labors, leaving a large
circle of friends to mourn him. They were
the parents of one child, George, born May
12, 1876, but this bright blossom was only

CHENANGO COUNTY

361

given for a short time ; it was transplanted
to the Heavenly Home, March 12, 1878.
We present on another page in proximity
to this a portrait of Mr. Wetmore, executed
irom a recent photograph.

WL^

ILLIAM M. WADSWORTH, who
ith his brother, Erastus J., con
ducts a drug and grocery store in the village
of Mt. Upton, is one of that community's
enterprising and progressive business men.
He was born in Cazenovia, Madison County,
N. Y., March 27, i860, and is a son of Rev.
William A. and Nancy (Parker) Wadsworth.
The family comes of good old Puritan stock,
and traces its ancestry back to one of three
brothers, who located in the State of Massa
chusetts, sometime during the seventeenth
century. William A. Wadsworth, the grand
father of our subject, with one of his
brothers, upon leaving Massachusetts, came
to this state and settled near where Utica is
now situated. They were among the earliest
pioneer settlers in that district. His brother
later located in Genesee County. Our sub
ject's grandfather reared a family of nine
children, of whom William A. was the fifth
born. William A. Wadsworth was reared on his
father's farm, and was educated for the min
istry. After completing a preparatory course
in Winfield Academy, he attended a theo
logical seminary in the city of Boston, and
was ordained to preach when he was thirty
years of age. He was originally connected
with the Oneida Conference, but later trans

ferred to the Wyoming Conference. During
his career as a minister, he filled some of the
best charges in the conference, among them :
Mt. Upton ; Norwich ; Unadilla ; and Coopers
town. He was a true and devout Christian,
and by his faithful and earnest endeavors,
won many to the cause of Christianity. He
was united in marriage with Nancy Parker, a
daughter of Fliram Parker, who was a pio
neer farmer of Cazenovia. Three children
blessed this union, namely : William M., who
heads these lines ; Erastus J., who is a part
ner in business with William M.; and Parker,
who lives in Cazenovia.
William M. Wadsworth received his educa
tion in Cazenovia Seminary of Cazenovia. He
then engaged in farming in the town of Guil
ford. For fourteen years he labored indus
triously, and at the end of that time owned
a farm of 140 acres as a fruit of his labors.
He then entered business in the village of
Mt. Upton, but still retained the ownership
of the farm. Dr. B. F. Smith engaged in the
drug and grocery business, and Mr. Wads
worth was given full charge of the same.
Upon the death of Dr. Smith, Erastus J.
Wadsworth became a partner, and they have
conducted the business since. They carry a
full line of groceries, patent medicines, paints,
oils, crockery, etc., and produce in season.
They enjoy a large share of the patronage of
the citizens of Mt. Upton and vicinity, and
are conducting their trade operations on
business principles.
He formed a matrimonial alliance with
Catherine M. Colburn, a daughter of the late
Amasa Colburn, August 22, 1879. They are
the parents of the following children : Wil-

362

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

liam A.; Carrie ; Catherine ; Claude ; and
Carl. In religious belief, he is a member of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has
held many of the minor offices of that or
ganization. Politically, he is a Republican,
and was elected to the office of justice of the
peace, and has held it since 1893. Socially,
he is a member of the A. O. U. W., Mt.
Upton Lodge, No. 200.

TT^HARLES L. CARRIER, who is one
I jp of Sherburne's young and progres-
^»* — -"¦ sive business men, is junior mem
ber of the firm, Collins & Carrier, dealers in
boots and shoes, and gents' furnishings. He
was born in Sherburne, Chenango County,
N. Y., March 13, 1871. He was the only son
born to Rush W. and Lovisa L. (Reese)
Carrier. His grandfather was Harley Carrier, who
was a native of Bainbridge, but later became
a resident of Sherburne. He earned a compe
tency by dyeing cloth and dresses, and card
ing wool. He married Lovinia S. White,
who passed to her eternal reward in 1884.
Their union resulted in the birth of three
children, all deceased ; they were as follows :
Rush W., the father of our subject; Charles
D.; and Dwight.
Rush W. Carrier was born in Marshall,
Madison County, N. Y., and later came to
Sherburne. After completing his schooling,
he followed the calling of a harness maker.
He soon became an expert, and, as soon as he
had gained enough experience, opened a shop
of his own. His hand made harness proved

much more servicable than any that could be
made by machine, and his skill became well
known throughout the county. During the
twenty years he was in business, he was
looked upon as the leading harness maker in
the county, and he did a large and profitable
business. He was an extensive real estate
owner, owning four houses on Chapel Street.
After the war broke out, he put aside his
work and enlisted in 1862, and served until
1864. He was a member of the 76th Reg.,
N. Y. Vol. Inf., and was in many important
battles. He was in the thickest of the fight
at the second battle of Bull Run, and re
ceived a wound from which he never re
covered. A bullet entered his left hip and
was never extracted, thus ruining his consti
tution. He returned home, but his health
was very poor, and he passed away in No
vember, 1896. His memory is held in grate
ful remembrance by his family and friends,
who are proud of his record as a patriotic
citizen, who gave up both a happy home and
a successful business to do battle for his
country. His wife was formerly Lovisa L.
Reese, who was born in Sherburne, Che
nango County, N. Y., and is a daughter of
Otto A. Reese. She was a kind and loving
wife and mother, and has many friends in the
village of Sherburne, where she now lives.
Mr. and Mrs. Carrier's union was blessed by
the birth of one son, Charles L., our subject.
In political life Mr. Carrier was an unswerv
ing Republican, and at one time was president
of the village corporation.
Charles L. Carrier's intellectual training
was begun in the common schools of Sher
burne, and supplemented in the Fort Plain

DANIEL B. CUSHMAN.

CHENANGO COUNTY

365

Military Academy. Upon leaving school, he
went to Erie, Pa., where he was employed as
bookkeeper for one year. He returned to
Sherburne, and in January, 1893, in company
with Levi Collins, purchased the gents' fur
nishing store of W. F. Jaquith. The store is
centrally located at No. 6 North Main Street,
and is well stocked with an excellent line of
goods. It is neat and orderly, and everything
about the place has the appearance of pros
perity. Mr. Carrier is one of few men who
can successfully carry on more than one line
of business -at the same time. In 1897, he
formed a partnership with Mr. Tillotson, as
undertakers, and they enjoy the patronage of
a large share of the citizens of the village.
Mr. Carrier formed a matrimonial alliance
with Miss Louise A. Fuller, who comes from
one of the most" prominent families of Sher
burne. She is a daughter of Hon. Charles
A. Fuller, whose personal history will be
found elsewhere in this book. Mr. Carrier
takes an active interest in politics, and is a
member of the Republican party. He has
served as clerk of the water board, chief of
the fire department, and foreman of the Whit
more Hose Company. All of these offices
he has filled satisfactorily and in a manner
that gained him many friends. He is a well
educated man, informed on all current
topics, and takes a deep interest in public
improvements.

ANIEL B. CUSHMAN. The Che
nango County Bar has an excellent
representative in the person of the
subject of this sketch, whose name appears

B

above, and whose portrait is shown on the
opposite page. His own native ability" and
rare judgment, his. excellent education, and
his many years of practical experience in the
courts of the State of New York all conspire
to give him a prestige, that is enjoyed by
few other attorneys of his district. Since
commencing his professional career in Nor
wich, he has met with steady success, that
has resulted in his securing for himself a
large and lucrative practice, and in his build
ing up a good-sized competency. Mr. Cush
man was born at Plymouth, Chenango
County, in December, 1853, and was a son of
Danford R. and Ruth (Potter) Cushman, *
and grandson of Luke Cushman, a resident
of the State of Connecticut. He traces his
ancestry back to Robert Cushman, who came
to this country in the Mayflower.
Danford R. Cushman was born in Tolland
County, Conn., and after receiving a common
school education began to trade in furs in
New York and Pennsylvania, trafficing and
dealing with the Indians all through this and
other regions farther south. He continued
this commercial activity for six years, and
then bought a large tract of land in Ply
mouth township, Chenango County, where he
resided in comfort the remaining years of his
life, engaged the while in following pursuits
of an agricultural nature. He was a Demo
crat in his politics, and an active member of
the Baptist Church. He was a very good
man, strictly honest, the reverse of quarrel
some, and the most constant of friends. In
all his long life, which extended to as late a
date as May 30, 1893, he was never a party
to a law-suit, and was never sued. His was

366

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

a singularly peaceful life, with no enemies to
wish him ill, and with as many friends as
acquaintances, for to know him was to love
and respect him. Four children composed
his family, as follows : George P., now de
ceased, who was at one time master of the
State Grange of New York ; Bert, deceased ;
Lorin ; and Daniel B., the subject of this
writing. Mrs. Cushman passed from life's
scenes January 10, 1875.
Daniel B. Cushman was given one of the
best educations possible to procure. From
the public schools of his native town, he
went to Yale University, and graduated in
1876. His legal education was obtained in
the Columbia College Law School of New
York City, finishing his course in 1878. He
at once located in Norwich, Chenango
County, for the practice of his profession,
and has been identified with legal proceed
ings ever since. He is also a large real
estate owner, and has a number of fine farms.
He has the degrees of A. M. and LL. D.
While in college he won distinction as an
athlete, and took the prize for wrestling.
Mr. Cushman is a Democrat in his political
affiliations, and was supervisor of the town
of Plymouth for several years. In 1882 he
made a gallant fight for election to the office
of district attorney ; he was defeated by a
very small margin, the county then going
strongly Republican. He was appointed by
Governor Flower as a trustee of the Bing
hamton State insane Asylum, and held that
office a number of years until the expiration
of his term.
Our subject was united in the bonds of
matrimony, December 4, 1891, to Sadie Van

Cleft, a daughter of Rev. A. J. Van Cleft,
which union has been blessed with the birth
of one son, Jesse Danford ; and one daughter,
Ruth Elizabeth. Mr. Cushman is a member
of the Masonic Order, Norwich Lodge, No.
102, F. & A. M.

T^iHARLES E. KEOUGH, who con-
I jp ducts the leading drug and grocery
^«»i  s store of Smithville Flats, was born
in the town of German, Chenango County,
N. Y., March 11, 1852. He is a son of
Francis and Eleanor (Ramsey) Keough.
Francis Keough was born in County Monag-
han, Ireland, in 1817, and left the " ould sod "
for the United States in 1 837, on the day which
witnessed the coronation of Queen Victoria.
He located in the town of German, in 1840,
where he purchased a fine farm of 100 acres,
and became one of the good solid farmers of
that community. He was united in marriage
with Eleanor Ramsey, who was also a native
of Ireland, and they became the parents of
the following children : Margaret, wife of
Milo V. Carr, who has charge of the Rush-
more Creamery of Norwich, and is now a
candidate for sheriff; Jane Elizabeth, de
ceased, was the wife of George Dunning;
John Franklin, who is a farmer of the town
of German ; Charles E., in whom the interest
of this sketch centers; James R., who is
proprietor of a saloon at Smithville Flats ;
Mary Mariah, the wife of Julian Seeber of
Frankford, Herkimer County, who is a bar
ber by trade ; William Robert, a resident of
Binghamton ; Joseph G., who has charge of

CHENANGO COUNTY

367

a milk station in Schoharie County ; Eleanor,
who is now deceased ; and Francis, who
makes his home in the village of Norwich.
Our subject's beloved mother passed into
the world of rest in 1864, at the age of forty-
two years.
Charles E. Keough was reared upon the
farm until he was twelve years of age, and
received his education in the district schools
of Greene and German. At the age of
twelve, he went to live with his uncle, Dr.
M. M. Wood of Greene. He attended school
and worked in his uncle's drug store for
some years. In 1874, he moved to Smith
ville Flats, and entered the employ of Purdy
& Skil.lman, proprietors of a drug and
grocery store. He was a man of good
habits, industrious and energetic, and during
the five years he clerked for that firm, he not
only gained greatly in experience, but saved
a part of his salary, and in 1879 was able to
purchase the store. He has since conducted
it, and in such a manner as to gain for him
the patronage of the leading citizens of the
village. He also follows farming and deals
extensively in real estate. He owns twelve
valuable lots in the city of Binghamton, and
a half interest in the opera house at Smith
ville Flats. He also owns a farm in the
northern part of the town of Smithville, con
sisting of 180 acres of good farm land, well
supplied with good buildings and other
modern improvements, which are so neces
sary for carrying on farming successfully.
Mr. Keough formed a matrimonial alliance
January 1, 1878, with Miss Flora E. Nichols,
a daughter of Harvey Nichols, a blacksmith
of McDonough. One daughter, Josie E.,

was born to bless their union. In political
belief, Mr. Keough is a stanch Republican,
and was appointed postmaster of Smithville
Flats under President Harrison. Socially,
he belongs to Victor Lodge, No. m, I. O.
O. F., of Smithville Flats. He is also a
member of Chenango Encampment, No. 51,
I. O. O. F., of Norwich.

(HThe

HE AMERICAN SEPARATOR
e)J_ COMPANY of Bainbridge township,
in the few years that have marked its growth
since its inception, September 4, 1894, has
made such a reputation for itself by reason
of the excellence of its products, that it is
entitled to rank with the first enterprises of
Chenango County. Certainly, it has done
much to familiarize the public at large with
the name of Bainbridge, for the company has
had its American Cream Separator in a
number of exhibitions with great credit,
winning first place, among many competi
tors, at the St. Louis Industrial Exposition of
1897, and carrying off first honors also at the
Toronto Expositions of 1896 and 1897. Many
old, and heretofore considered standard
separators, were in competition, but the
Bainbridge machine proved itself far su
perior, and demonstrated its points of excel
lence to an appreciative public, quick to
perceive and to reward real merit. It is the
consensus of opinions among the creamery
operators, who have seen the American
Cream Separator in operation, that it is
destined to become the leading article of its

368

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

kind in the market. The simplicity of its
mechanism, and the satisfactory way in
which it accomplishes the work designed for
it, are elements that must commend the pro
duct of the American Separator Co. to uni
versal favor. Orders are now coming in
faster than they can be filled, and success is
in every way assured. The fondest expecta
tions of the projectors have already been
fully realized. The American Separator Co.
was organized June i, 1895, and was capital
ized at $50,000.00, of which $20,000.00 was
preferred stock. The officers chosen were :
Charles C. Hovey, president ; William C.
Gibson, since deceased, vice-president ; Owen
L. Crumb, secretary and treasurer ; Ernest
L. Hartman, superintendent of manufactur
ing; Thomas Collins, superintendent of sales
and agencies ; Edson C. Burdick, acting
secretary and superintendent of the corres
ponding department ; Prof. Fred. W. Crumb,
director; and Wadsworth B. Matterson,
attorney. It must be a matter of some interest to the
citizens of Bainbridge township and the
county at large to read of the success of
this company, which interest no doubt ex
tends to a desire to read the history of the
men who brought the company into being,
and who have since directed its course. On
other pages of this work will be found narra
tions of the lives of Charles C. Hovey, O. L.
Crumb, Prof. Fred. W. Crumb, and Wads
worth B. Matterson. We shall, therefore,
confine ourselves to relating the salient
points in the lives of Ernest L. Hartman,
Thomas Collins, and Edson C. Burdick.
Ernest L. Hartman, the superintendent of

manufacturing, was born in Werdau, Ger
many, in 1848, and was a son of Andreas and
Henrietta (Buchert) Hartman, both natives
of that province. Andreas Hartman was a
machinist by trade ; he came to the United
States in 1871, and located at Greenfield,
Mass., where he died. Our subject is one of
a family of sixteen children, of whom nine
are still living, — six boys and three girls.
Ernest L. Hartman learned the machinist's
trade in his father's shop in Germany, and
came to America in 1867, and has ever since
followed his trade. He readily found em
ployment in some of the best machine shops
of America, among which were Wiley &
Russell, Holyoke Machine Shop, James
Smith & Co., and the Pratt & Whitney Co.
About the time he came to this country, the
first cream separators were coming into the
United States from Sweden. Finding a
great increase in their business, and also
wishing to avoid the heavy duty on ma
chinery, the Swedish concerns arranged to
start a branch company in America, hiring
their machines made on contract in the
shops, where Mr. Hartman was foreman ;
for about nine years he continued to super
intend the construction of these separators,
directly and indirectly. It was, therefore, no
small item in the success of the American
Separator Co. of Bainbridge that Mr. Hart
man was one of the inventors of the Ameri
can Cream Separator, and among the organ
izers of the American Separator Co. From
the first he has acted as superintendent of
the manufacturing department, and has per
sonally overseen the construction of each
separator turned out of the shop. In Feb-

CHENANGO COUNTY

369

ruary, 1870, Mr. Hartman was united in
marriage with Margaret Reuth, and to them
were born the following children : Anna ;
William; Walter; Louisa; and Edith.
Thomas Collins, the superintendent of
agencies, who shares with Ernest L. Hart
man the honor of inventing the American
Cream Separator, is a practical machinist
and able business man, and has abundance
of experience in constructing separators. He
was born in London, England, February 22,
1866, and is a son of Thomas and Isabella
(Lonsdale) Collins, both natives of that city.
The father of our subject was a ship-builder,
with his yard on the Thames River. Thomas
Collins was educated in the public schools of
England, and in the Polytechnic School of
Stockholm, especial attention being given to
a full and complete study of mechanics.
Upon completing his trade education, he
entered the employ of the Aktiebolaget
Separator Co. of Stockholm, Sweden, which
company is well known in creamery and
dairy circles over the United States as the
De Laval Separator Co. In their interests
he came to America, in 1887, and repre
sented the company in Philadelphia until
1889, when he engaged for himself in the
creamery business in Winchester, N. H.
From 1 891 until 1894 he busied himself in
perfecting a machine, known as a butter ac
cumulator. In 1894, with Ernest L. Hart
man, Mr. Collins invented and patented the
American Cream Separator, and accom
plished in the same year the organization of
the American Separator Co. He is a shrewd,
enterprising young man, and all who know
him predict a bright future. Mr. Collins

married Elizabeth Brennan, daughter of
Patrick Brennan, a native of Dublin, Ireland,
January 21, 1892, and to bless their home
have come three children: Isabella M. ;
Thomas ; and Edwin L. He is a member of
the Episcopal Church.
Edson C. Burdick, the superintendent of
the corresponding department, and acting
secretary, is a son of Luke C. and Martha L.
(York) Burdick, and was born May 3, 1867,
in the township of Lincklaen, Chenango
County. The father of our subject was
also a native of Lincklaen where, he farmed
all his life. He was a son of Phineas Bur
dick, who was born in the State of Con
necticut, and came to Lincklaen at an early
day, when the country was a wilderness of
forest. Luke Burdick reared a family of one
son and two daughters, as follows: Etta, who
died at the age of four years ; Edson C, our
subject ; and Cora, the wife of Frank L.
Coon, who lives on the old Burdick home
stead. The subject of this brief sketch com
pleted his education at the De Ruyter Union
School, graduating in 1891, and then went
into the mercantile business with his cousin,
at De Ruyter, under the firm name of Card-
ner & Burdick. After a year and a half in
the grocery business, Mr. Burdick sold out,
and taught school for two years in the Wood
stock Graded Union School. He removed to
Bainbridge in 1893, and became connected
with the Swedish Cream and Butter Sepa
rator Co., as bookkeeper. In 1895 Mr.
Burdick took a position with the American
Separator Co., of which he became one of
the organizers and stockholders. He is now
acting secretary of the company. In politics

370

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

he is a Republican. On June 6, 1894, he
married Cora L. Stillman, a daughter of
Jesse Stillman, who now resides in De Ruyter,
Madison County, N. Y.

^HILETUS A. HAYES, M. D., who
entered upon a practice in Afton in
1 87 1, has succeeded beyond his
fondest expectations, and now has an estab
lished practice, which will compare favor
ably with any in this section of the country.
He is a son of Caleb F. and Harriet N.
(West) Hayes, and was born in the town of
Barker, Broome County, September 10, 1848.
The Hayes family is of Welsh decent and
is one of the oldest and most distinguished
families of the New England States. The
members of this family trace their ancestry
back in an unbroken line to one, Samuel F.
Hayes, who lived in the southern part of the
State of Vermont about the year 1700. His
son, Samuel, came to the State of New York
and settled in Dutchess County, where he
was engaged in agricultural pursuits, and
became one of the leading citizens of that
community. Samuel Hayes, a son of the
Samuel named above, was the great-grand
father of our subject, and was also an agri
culturist by occupation.
Rev. Caleb Hayes, our subject's grand
father, moved to Broome County in 1800,
and lived there until his death in 1856, aged
eighty-five years. His entire life was de
voted to the work of Christ, and he was an
expounder of the doctrines of the Baptist
Church. His life was one of much good,

and he materially aided the cause of Chris
tianity in his vicinity. He was the father of
twelve children, six sons and six daughters,
one of whom was Caleb F., the lather of our
subject. Caleb F. Hayes was born in Broome
County, July 12, 1813, and resided there his
entire life. He was a prosperous farmer,
well and favorably known throughout the
county, and had a large number of friends.
He was an active member of the Baptist
Church, and filled most of the important
offices of the local society. He was united
in marriage with Harriet N. West, who was
born November 3, 1819, and still survives
her husband. She enjoys excellent health,
and is now living at Castle Creek, Broome
County. As a result of their union, three
children were born : Eugene, a farmer of
Castle Creek ; Philetus A., the subject of
this personal history ; and Mary A., the wife
of George F. Stackpole, an attorney of River
Head, Long Island. Prior to her marriage,
she graduated from the Oswego Normal
School, and taught several terms. Mr. Hayes'
useful life came to a close May 22, 1862, at
the age of forty-nine years.
Philetus A. Hayes was reared on the farm
and received his preliminary education in
the district schools, after which he took a
course in the Greene Union school, and later
in the Greene Academy, from which he
graduated in 1868. He then took up the
study of medicine under the tutelage of Dr.
S. P. Allen of Castle Creek ; by teaching
during the summer months he earned enough
to attend the Geneva Medical College in the
winter. After graduating from that institu-

AUGUSTUS W. SLATER.

MRS. L. JANE SLATER.

CHENANGO COUNTY.

375

tion of learning in January, 1870, he began
the practice of his profession at Killawog,
Broome County. He remained there one
year, and then came to Afton, where he has
since resided, and has had charge of a large,
general practice. He has the confidence of
all his patients, to whom he is a friend as well
as physician. He is looked upon as one who
has elevated the standard of his profession,
and possesses the esteem of his fellow-practi
tioners, with whom he has always dealt
fairly and honestly.
Dr. Hayes formed a matrimonial alliance,
September 30, 1869, with Permelia M.
Huntly, a daughter of Joseph and Adelia
Huntly of Broome County. Their union was
blessed by the birth of one son, Carleton H.,
who was born in 1882. The doctor is an
active member of the Baptist Church, and
has been superintendent of the Sunday
School for eight years past. Politically, he
is an unswerving Republican, and has been
called upon to serve the party in many offices
of trust. He has held the office of coroner
for six terms, and has often been a delegate
to county, district, and state conventions.
In 1896, he was a delegate to the state con
vention, and helped nominate Frank S. Black
for Governor. Socially, he is a member of
the Chenango County Medical Society, of
which he is vice-president ; the New York
Medical Association; and an honorary mem
ber of the Broome County Medical Society.
He is a member of Afton Lodge, No. 360, F.
& A. M.; Vallonia Chapter, No. 80, R. A. M.;
and Norwich Commandery, No. 46. He is
also a member of Calumet Tribe, No. 174,
Improved Order of Red Men.

(^YUGUSTUS W. SLATER, a leading
/¦¦a agriculturist of the town of Preston,
J * v_^ is a remarkable man, not only in
the manner in which he manages his exten
sive farming interests, but also in the rare
good judgment he displays in all matters
brought to his notice. He is a son of Nelson
M. and Mary A. (Kelsey) Slater, and was
born January 5, 1835. He remembers seeing
his grandfather, although but three years old
at the time. This grandfather, Moses Slater,
came from Vermont when his son, Nelson
M., was but four years old, and located in
the town of Preston. After a short residence
at this place, he moved to the town of Mc
Donough, this county, being one ot the first
settlers, and there he passed the remainder of
his life, working at his chosen pursuit, which
was that of agriculture. He married Miss
Mill Fisher, who was the mother of his three
children: Louis; Delanay ; and Nelson M.,
the father of our subject. Moses Slater died
at the age of forty-two.
Nelson M. Slater was born in Vermont,
came to Preston at an early age and married
and settled in the town of McDonough,
where his parents resided. He received a
good common school education, and was a
man who made the most of his advantages,
being considered one of the substantial
farmers of the town. He lived in McDon
ough from early childhood, and had the
respect and esteem of his fellow-citizens ;
this was shown by their choosing him for sev
eral town offices. He was a Democrat, as
was his father before him. At the time of his
death, which occurred at the age of sixty-
two, he owned one of the largest farms of

376

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

the town, which was among the best im
proved. He was a member of the Home
Guards Training Co., and an influential mem
ber of the Baptist Church of Preston. He
was the father of two children : Hartwell N.,
and Augustus W., our subject.
Augustus W. Slater received his early ed
ucation in the public schools of the town of
McDonough. Later he attended select
schools, and afterwards was a student under
David G. Barber for several terms at Nor
wich Academy. After leaving school, Mr.
Slater was engaged as a teacher for several
terms, a work for which he was particularly
adapted ; he was possessed of that happy fac
ulty, so especially desirable in teachers, of so
presenting a subject that it was most readily
understood and easily remembered. He gave
to his school his most earnest efforts, and it
was with sincere regret that his patrons
heard of his decision to retire from that field
of usefulness. After teaching for nine terms,
he married and moved on a farm and soon
became known as one of the most skillful
farmers, a calling which had always had great
attractions for him.
On November 14, 1861, he led to the altar
L. Jane Rogers, daughter of Zebulon Rogers,
a native of Connecticut. Mr. Slater and his
bride began housekeeping on a farm in the
town of McDonough, where they continued to
reside for ten years. In the course oi time, two
children came to bless this home : Burton E.,
a farmer by occupation, married May G.
Franklin, and resides with his father ; Geor
gia L., the second child, had only reached the
threshold of young womanhood, when she
received the call to the Heavenly Home, on

September 11, 1892, at the age of eighteen
years. In 1871 Mr. Slater moved from the
farm he was then occupying to the home in
the town of Preston, where he now resides.
This farm consists of fourteen acres, and is a
very attractive piece of land, it having been
brought to its present state of perfection by
its present owner. It is well suited for the
use to which it has been chiefly put — dairy
ing, for Mr. Slater has given that branch of
farming much careful consideration, and has
placed on the market an article of butter of
fancy grade, a class of goods that can not be
excelled in the state. He has proven con
clusively, that there is such a thing as scien
tific farming, and successful farming, at that.
Ever an earnest student, even in his early
schooldays, he still retains that trait, and
keeps well posted in what is going on in the
world of science and letters, and is not slow
to see and also to apply a principle that will
be of advantage to him. He is not one to
take up with a plausible appearing scheme
simply because it is new-fangled, but if, on
deliberation, he thinks it suited to his pur
pose, the idea is adopted, seldom without
showing the wisdom of his choice. He is
one of the largest farmers of the town, own
ing two large farms besides the homestead,
as well as another farm near Oxford, in Pres
ton township, making about 390 acres in all.
These farms he has rented out. He has
always been a Democrat, has served for nine
terms as supervisor, and at present is a justice
of the peace. He is connected with the fol
lowing fraternal orders : Oxford Lodge No.
175, F. & A. M.; the Grange at Preston
Corners; during the Rebellion he belonged

CHENANGO COUNTY

377

to the New York State Guards. He has
always been identified with all movements
tending toward the advancement of local in
terests, and his advice is much sought in
matters where a clear head and sound judg
ment are needed.
Portraits of both Mr. and Mrs. Slater are
shown on preceding pages, and will be
viewed with a large degree of interest by
their many friends and acquaintances.

7-^HARLES H. SANFORD, deceased.
I \r The gentleman, whose name heads
^^*__-^ this sketch, met his death as the re
sult of an accident January 3, 1884, and the
village of Sherburne was called upon to
mourn for the loss of one of her most promi
nent and progressive citizens. It was on this
date that Mr. Sanford started for Syracuse.
He was obliged to change cars at Earlville,
and it was necessary to signal the train he
wished to take at that point. As the train
pulled into the station, in some unaccount
able manner he slipped from the station plat
form beneath the cars, and two coaches
passed over his arm and wrist, and a bad
gash was cut in his forehead. It was found
necessary to amputate his arm, but the shock
proved too great for him, and he passed into
the world of rest a few hours later. It was
a sad blow to his loving wife and many
friends, who loved and honored him as a
kind husband, and a true friend.
Charles H. Sanford was born in the town
of Sherburne, Chenango County, N. Y., June
10, 1844, and was a son of Sidney D. and

Margaret (Jones) Sanford. His grandfather
was Edmund Sanford, who was born Octo
ber 25, 178 1 , at Litchfield, Conn., and moved
to Herkimer County, N. Y., in 1800, and later
came to Chenango County. He settled near
where his son Sidney D. Sanford now lives,
and engaged in the manufacture of hats. He
established a large trade there, and made it a
well known place of business. His compan
ion through life was Sarah Lynd, by whom
he had the following children : Caroline ;
Charles W.; Edmund; Sarah Eliza; Horatio;
and Sidney D., the father of our subject.
Sidney D. Sanford was born in the town ot
Sherburne, Feburary 16, 1819. He followed
speculating as a means of earning a liveli
hood and was eminently successful. He ac
cumulated considerable wealth, purchased
the farms owned by Hubbard & Gardner, and
in 1876 erected one of the finest houses in the
county. Besides speculating he loans money
and is engaged in brokerage to a considerable
extent. Although he is now nearly eighty
years of age, he is still active and energetic
and in the best of health. September 12,
1843, he was united in marriage with Mar
garet Jones, a daughter of David H. Jones,
and they became the proud parents of two
children: Charles H., our subject; and
Caroline Eliza.
Charles H. Sanford received an excellent
common school and college education, after
which he accepted a position as clerk in the
Sherburne National Bank. After a time he
traveled abroad, and upon returning to this
county entered the hardware business with
Walter F. Blanchard, under the firm name of
Sanford & Blanchard. Mr. Blanchard was sue-

37»

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

ceeded in the business by J. P Wilbur, and the
firm became Sanford & Wilbur, but later our
subject secured control of the entire business.
It was his aim to do business promptly, sys
tematically, and successfully, and under his
skillful management it became the most com
plete and elegant store in Sherburne. He al
ways identified himself with any measure
which had for its ultimate aim the advance
ment of Sherburne, and he was looked upon
as one of her progressive citizens and held
in esteem by the entire community. He
never sought public office, but was willing to
perform his duty when called upon to do so.
He was chosen as town auditor, and in per
forming the duties of that position the same
keen judgment was used that characterized
his own business ventures. He recognized
the need of a first-class fire department in
the village, and his whole influence was used
in keeping that organization up to a high
standard of efficiency.
Mr. Sanford formed a matrimonial alliance
with Marion A. Blanchard, who wras born at
Poolville, Madison County, N. Y. She is a
daughter of Walter F. and Amanda (Wil
liams) Blanchard, and a grand-daughter of
Walter Blanchard. Walter F. Blanchard was
born at Stockbridge, Mass , and upon com
ing to this state located at Poolville, where
he was engaged in making sashes and blinds.
He then moved to the Quarter where he was
engaged in the same line of business until
the estalishment burned down. He built a
new factory and operated it until 1885, when
it too burned to the ground. Although very
unfortunate in having his property destroyed
by fire, he was nevertheless very successful

and was recognized as one of the prosperous
men of the village. After the last disaster
he retired from active life and lived the re
mainder of his life in ease, dying in the
month of January, 1886, aged sixty-four
years. He was united in marriage with
Amanda Williams, a daughter of William
Williams of Cazenovia, N. Y., and they were
the parents of one daughter, Marion A., the
wife of our subject. Mrs. Blanchard met her
death at the age of seventy years by being
thrown from a buggy. As a result of their
union, Mr. and Mrs. Sanford became the
parents ot one son, Walter S., who is now a
sophomore in Yale University. In religious
belief, they were members of the Episcopal
Church. Mrs. Sanford now owns and re
sides in the beautiful home on Main Street,
which was erected by her father. Since the
place has been in her possession she has made
many important improvements, making it one
of the most beautiful residences in the vil
lage of Sherburne. Mrs. Sanford is a woman
of many virtues, kind, loving and charitable,
and has many friends.

TjuGENE M. SPENCER, a progressive
J  farmer of Greene, who has made
a splendid record for successful work along
agricultural lines, and is an honor alike to his
township and his county as a representative
of the best class of citizens, was born in Af
ton, Chenango County, October 2, 1853. He
is a son of Dr. Herschel D. and Alvina
(Marcy) Spencer. The Spencers are of Eng
lish origin, and were among the first settlers
of the Mohawk Valley.

CHENANGO COUNTY

379

The great-grandfather of our subject was
born in the Mohawk Valley and spent most
of his days following the pursuits of an agri
culturist. He was a well known and highly
respected class-leader and preacher of the
Baptist Church. Later he moved to the Un
adilla Valley, Otsego County, where he
spent his remaining years.
Dr. Gaius L. Spencer, grandfather of our
subject, was born in Unadilla, March 9, 1794.
He followed farming until he attained the
age of nineteen years, when he took up the
study of medicine in the office of Dr. Kolby
Knapp of Guilford, this county. After re
maining there one year, he entered the office
of Dr. P. Smith of Masonville, Delaware
County, N. Y.; thence he went to the office
of Dr. Stockton of Walton, where he finished
his studies, and on April 1, 18 17, was licensed
to practice by the Delaware County Medical
Association. In the following month he be
gan the practice of his chosen profession in
the town of Triangle, Broome County,
where he met with great success. He soon
arose to be the leading physician of that
town, and as such enjoyed the confidence and
esteem of a large number of patrons in that bor
ough and scattered about in the surrounding
country. He was one of the early members
of the Broome County Medical Association,
and took an active part in the advancement
of that organization. He passed from this
life June 18, 1852, in the village of Triangle.
He was married to Lucy Cady, a native of
Norfolk, Conn., and a resident of Guilford,
and they reared six children, who were as
follows : Caroline M., who married William
Baldwin, now deceased, of Binghamton, N.

Y., after the death of her first husband, John
W. Blakeslee; Erasmus S. D., a commercial
traveler, whose headquarters were in Bing
hamton, who died August 13, 1896; Dr.
Herschel D., the father of our subject ; Dr.
Cyrenius D., one of the leading physicians
of Binghamton, N. Y.; Lawrence H., a com
mercial traveler of Binghamton, died De
cember 5, 1890; and Dr. Marshall D., a prom
inent physician of Guilford, this county.
Dr. Herschel D. Spencer was born in Tri
angle, August 4, 1823. Belonging to a class
of men whose duties compel them to be not
only healers, but also to be counsellors and
advisers as well in matters of the most deli
cate nature, he has done well by his large
clientele. That his name is respected and
his individuality esteemed is but a well-earned
reward for his faithful efforts. He studied
medicine under the watchful eye of his father,
and then entered the Berkshire Medical Col
lege of Pittsfield, Mass., graduating Novem
ber 8, 1848. He then practiced with his
father a short time, when he moved to the
village of Afton, where he soon built up a
large and successful practice. He was joined
in marriage with Alvina Marcy, daughter of
Ambrose L. Marcy. To Dr. and Mrs. Spen
cer were born the following children : Eu
gene M., who heads the above lines ; and
Virgil C, deceased. Dr. Spencer passed
from this life at South Bainbridge July 27,
1857. Mrs. Spencer died in 1856.
Eugene M. Spencer was reared by his un
cle, John Marcy, a prominent farmer of
Greene, the parents of our subject dying
when he was three years of age. He was
educated in the public schools of Oxford and

38o

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

at Gilbertsville Academy. When he reached
the age of manhood he engaged in the lum
ber business in the above town, and followed
that line of business for eighteen years. In
1893 he engaged in farming, which pursuit is
now occupying most of his time. Mr. Spen
cer is an active member of the Grange, being
a past master of Genegantslett Grange, No.
555, and is at the present time serving his
third year as county deputy ; he has also
been secretary of the County Grange since
1894, and was a delgate to the State Grange
in 1894-96-97. In politics, he is a stanch Re
publican. Religiously, he is a member of
the Congregational Church.
September 7, 1876, Mr. Spencer was joined
in wedlock with Alice Harrington, daughter
of William S. and Maria M. (Bradley) Har
rington. A sketch of the Bradley family ap
pears elsewhere in this work, under the title
of Daniel D. Bradley, who is an uncle of
Mrs. Spencer on her mother's side ; the an
cestral history of the Harrington family is
contained in the biography of George N.
Harrington, As a result of Mr. Spencer's
marriage three children were born to him :
H. Dorsey, a student at Hamilton College ;
Alvina M., a teacher; and Mildred A. Mr.
Spencer is now devoting his time to agricul
tural pursuits.

"ON. TRUMAN I. MATTERSON.
This prominent and public-spirited
citizen of New Berlin, who in 1885
was elected to represent this county in the
State Assembly, is now engaged in the gran

ite and marble business. He is a son of Abel
and Laura (Potter) Matterson, and was born
in the village of South Edmeston, Otsego
County, N. Y., September 25, 1840.
His grandfather, Abel Matterson, Sr., was a
native of the State of Vermont, and at an early
age came to New York State, and located at
Burlington, Otsego County. He was consid
ered an extensive farmer in those days, and
followed agricultural pursuits all his life. In
1803, he was killed by a falling tree and
buried in West Burlington Cemetery. His
tomb bears the following epitaph :
"The caus of his deth,
As was toled me,
Was a dethly blow
From a little tree."
He was united in marriage with Miss Goff,
who was closely related to Judge N. Goff,
and they reared a family of eight children,
four sons and four daughters.
Abel Matterson, the father of our subject,
was born in Burlington, in October, 1796,
and at the age of twenty-one years moved to
Columbus, Chenango County, where he en
gaged in the blacksmith business. He re
mained there until 1839, when he moved to
South Edmeston, and followed agricultural
pursuits until his death. He owned a fine
farm of 160 acres, and by industrious work
and good management became one of the
prosperous farmers of the community. In
politics, he was formerly a Whig, but became
a Republican, when that party was organized.
He was elected to many of the town offices,
being supervisor of Columbus two terms,
also assessor of Edmeston for a number of
years. He was united in matrimonial bonds

~\

ALANSON W. POWERS.

CHENANGO COUNTY

3§3

with Miss Laura Potter, who was born in
the village of Burlington in 1800, and they
were the parents of nine children, four
daughters, who died young, and five sons,
who grew to maturity, namely : Icilus T.,
who died at the age of twenty-one years ;
Nelson W., who lived in Columbus and died
in 1897, was a farmer and merchant; Menzo
D., a retired farmer living at South Edmes
ton ; Delos W., a farmer living in Columbus ;
and Truman I., who is the subject of this per
sonal history. In religious views, they were
Universalists, and contributed largely toward
the support of that church. Mr. Matterson
died in 1873, and his wife survived him twelve
years, dying at the age of eighty-five years.
Truman I. Matterson attended the common
and select schools of Edmeston, after which
he took a course in the Oxford Academy.
Leaving school at the age of nineteen years,
he taught six years in Chenango and Otsego
Counties. He then engaged in merchandis
ing at South Edmeston, where he conducted
a store until 1862. He then sold out, and in
1867 moved to New Berlin, where he formed
a partnership with his wife's father, and they
conducted the store until 1884 under the firm
name of Demock & Matterson. In that year
he engaged in the marble and granite business,
and has been in that business since and with
good results. He also owns an excellent farm
in Otsego County, which he rents. He owns
considerable valuable real estate in the village
of New Berlin.
Mr. Matterson was united in marriage in
1862, with Miss Cornelia A. Demock, a
daughter of R. B. Demock, deceased, of
New Berlin. Their union was blessed by

the birth of one daughter, Nellie E., who
died at the age of seventeen years. Socially,
our subject is a member of the Phoebus
Lodge, No. 82, F & A. M. Politically, he is
a Republican, and cast his vote for Lincoln.
His first public office was that of town clerk
of New Berlin, which he held for three years.
In 1877 he was elected justice of the peace,
and held that position for sixteen successive
years; he then missed one term, but in 1896,
was again elected to that office, which he
still holds. He has also served many years
as supervisor of that town. In 1885, his pop
ularity with the people was shown when he
was elected to represent the county in the
State Assembly. He was a member of the
school board, when the New Berlin schools
were merged in the Union School, but he re
signed soon after, as his duties as supervisor
would not permit him to hold both offices.
He is a believer in education, is in touch with
modern progress, and is on all matters a
thoughtful and considerate gentleman. In
business and private life he has been equally
successful, and is now reaping the justly
earned rewards of a life well spent.

L ANSON W. POWERS of South
Oxford, manufacturer of wagons,
carriages and sleighs, has the
reputation of being the finest wheelwright
in Chenango County. He is a son of Myron
and Gertrude ( Willson ) Powers, and was
born January 2, 1829, in Otsego County,
N. Y.
Myron Powers was a native of Dutchess

384

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

County, N. Y., and followed the trade of a
miller, in Norwich, until 1843, when he
moved to the town of Greene and purchased
a farm of 125 acres, on which he lived for
several years. He then took up his residence
in South Oxford and bought a farm, upon
which he passed the remainder of his life.
He was a good neighbor and citizen, and
was favorably known in his section of the
county. He was united in marriage with
Gertrude Willson, and they became the par
ents of nine children, six of whom grew to
maturity, and became respected citizens of
the various communities in which they lived.
Their records are as follows : Harriet; Mary
Amanda; Louisa M.; Alanson W, the sub
ject of this personal history ; Orrin D.; and
Myron D. Mr. and Mrs. Powers were mem
bers of the Baptist Church and attended
divine worship regularly.
Alanson W. Powers attended the public
schools of Greene, and later, of Norwich.
Upon entering upon the duties of life, he
learned the trade of a wagon maker, and has
followed it since. In 1849, he moved to his
present place of business, in South Oxford,
and began the manufacture of wagons,
sleighs and carriages. He soon became well-
known throughout the county, and his
wagons are now in great demand. He
makes a specialty of heavy farm wagons,
making them very substantial, yet giving
them a finish that is seldom seen on a heavy
wagon. He is an industrious and energetic
worker, and richly deserves the success with
which he is meeting.
In 1850, Mr. Powers was united in mar
riage with Miss Emily Bartoo, a daughter of

Hiram Bartoo of Greene, and two children
have blessed their union, namely : Myron E.;
and Minnie M. Myron E., whose companion
in life is Jessie Sheldon of Oxford, has two
children : Percy ; and Katheryn. Our sub
ject is a solid Republican, honestly believing
in the principles advocated by his party, and
does everything in his power to promote the
interests of the party, believing that such
action is for the welfare of the country. He
has served in official capacities as postmaster,
excise commissioner, assessor, and inspector
of election. Socially, Mr. Powers is a Mason,
belonging to Oxford Lodge, No. 176, F.
& A. M. In religious belief he is a member
of the Baptist Church. He is a valued
member of the community, and by his up
right dealing and habits of thrift and industry
has secured the confidence and esteem of
his neighbors. We present his portrait on
another page in proximity to this.

c:

HARLES HOLMES. Among those
who have contributed largely to the
agricultural success of Columbus
township, Chenango County, N. Y., is the
gentleman named above. He is one of the
oldest and yet one of the most active and
energetic men in the village. He was born
in the village of Washington, Dutchess
County, N. Y., May 19, 1807, and is a son of
Isaac and Sarah Ann (Titus) Holmes.
Jacob Holmes, the grandfather, came from
Dutchess County to Oneida County, and
settled in the village of Bridgewater. After
living there for some years, he passed from

CHENANGO COUNTY

385

this life at the age of seventy-six years.
Three children were reared, namely : Titus ;
Sarah ; and Isaac.
Isaac Holmes was born in Dutchess County,
and with his father moved to Oneida County.
In 1827 he came to Chenango County, and
settled in the village of Columbus, where he
purchased the farm where Eugene Hopson
now lives. Later, he bought an improved
farm, and carried on general farming until
he retired to the village of Columbus. He
was joined in wedlock with Miss Sarah
Ketchum, and as a result of this union a
large family of children was reared, as fol
lows : Elias ; Eliza ; Gilbert ; Jonathan ; Jacob ;
Charles ; Phoebe ; Melle ; Henry ; and Piatt.
Of this large family, only three are at present
living, Charles, our subject, Henry, whose
sketch may also be found in this Book of
Biographies, and Piatt. Mr. Holmes was
called to his well-earned rest at the age of
sixty years.
Charles Holmes, our subject, wdrile still a
youth, left his home and spent ten years at
agricultural pursuits. When he left his home
he started out poor, but by persistent energy
and industry, and by exercising economy, he
succeeded in saving enough money to buy a
small place in the village of Columbus. He
kept buying land adjoining his first purchase,
whenever circumstances made it possible for
him, and now he owns a very large farm.
On what was formerly known as the Caleb B.
Hall place, he built himself a fine resi
dence, and has erected barns, and otherwise
improved the properties. Since his first start
in life, he has been successfully engaged in
dealing in cattle and sheep, driving them to

neighboring markets, or wherever he could
obtain the best prices. Mr. Holmes keeps
some twenty head of milch cows on his farm
all the time.
Mr. Holmes has been married twice ; Sarah
Merchant wras his first wife, by whom he
reared two children : Cerelia, who married
Charles W. Spurr ; and Mary J., who, after
the death of her first husband, Charles Hay
wood, married James Amsby. Our subject's
second wife's maiden name was Lucy
(Phillips) Sturges, widow of the late Lavette
Sturges of South Otselic. She is a daughter
of Esek Phillips of Chenango County, and to
her first husband four children were born :
Harlan ; Myra ; Amy ; and Minnie. Mr.
Holmes, in his early life, was a member of
the I. O. O. F. Lodge of New Berlin, N. Y.
In political affairs, he is a stanch Republican,
and takes an active part in local affairs. He
has never sought public office, as his ambi
tion has not been for political distinction,
preferring rather the pursuits of business
and the quiet of domestic life. He certainly
is possessed of a very strong constitution, and
now, in his ninety-first year, he is still hearty
and hale. There certainly cannot be another
man in the county over eighty years of age
who is as active and energetic as Mr. Holmes,

(^pOHN SELFE, proprietor of the Nor
wich Bottling Works, is an enterpris
ing business man, and one who has
made many friends in private life. He is of
English birth, having been born in Trow
bridge, England, April 26, 1846. He is a

18*

386

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

son of Samuel and Sarah Selfe, both natives
of England.
Samuel Selfe was also born in Trowbridge,
England, November 10, 1821. After receiv
ing a common school education, he obtained
employment in a woolen factory, and con
tinued in that occupation until 1850. He
then sought a home in freedom-loving Amer
ica, locating in Pascoag, Rhode Island. For
sixteen years he worked in the woolen mills
there, and then moved to West Eaton, Madi
son County, N. Y., where he followed the
same occupation. Although liberal with his
family, he was able to accumulate some
wealth, and in 1882 he retired from business
cares, to spend the sunset of life in ease and
comfort. To Mr. Selfe and his wife Sarah,
four children were born, namely : John, the
subject of this biography ; Lottie ; George ;
and Rosie. In politics, he is a firm supporter
of the principles advocated by the Republi-
. can party. He is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and is a regular attend
ant upon divine worship. Although almost
seventy-eight years of age, he enjoys good
health, and is surprisingly active for one of
his years.
John Selfe obtained his mental training in
the common schools, and like his father, his
first work was in a woolen mill. He fol
lowed this occupation in different mills until
1882, when he came to Norwich and engaged
in his present business. It was a success
from the beginning, and steadily increased
until he was making larger sales than any
similar institution in the village. He is one
of those pleasant and genial men who make
friends rapidly wherever they go. He is one

of the most popular men in Norwich, and
one who, when once a friend, is always a
friend. In national politics, he is a Republican, but
in local affairs he casts his vote for the man
best suited for the position, regardless of
party. Socially, he is a Thirty-second Degree
Mason, being a member of Norwich Lodge,
No. 302, F. & A. M.

ILLIAM P. BUCKLEY of ^the
village of Oxford is a man whose
reputation as a contractor and builder
extends throughout Chenango County. He
was born in Smithville, October 2, 1838, and
is a son of Jacob and Clarinda (Hastings)
Buckley. John Buckley, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was born in the State of Connecticut,
whence he came to New York in 1795, locat
ing in the town of Oxford, Chenango County.
As was customary in those days, he plied his
trade of a wheelwright in the winter months,
and during the summer months engaged in
farming. He purchased a good farm in the
town of Oxford, which has remained in the
family since, and is now owned by his grand
son, William P., the subject of this biography.
He married Hannah Decker, a descendant of
the sturdy German race, and they reared the
following children : Cynthia ; Jacob; Hannah ;
Peter ; Polly ; Rebecca ; and Sally Ann.
Religiously, they were members of the Uni
versalist Church.
Jacob Buckley received his education in

CHENANGO COUNTY

3«7

the common schools of Oxford, and then
learned the trade of a millwright, following
it during the winter and farming in the sum
mer. He also owned and operated saw mills
in Oxford and Smithville, and was a very
prosperous man. He was united in matri
mony with Clarinda Hastings, a daughter of
Stephen Hastings of Smithville, and four
daughters and one son blessed their union,
whose records are as follows : Marion mar
ried Charles Stratton of Oxford, and has the
following children, — Flora L , Herbert C,
Robert B., Vernon D., and Carroll ; William
P., whose name heads these lines; Almeda was
united in marriage with John P. Davis of
Smithville, by whom she had three children, —
Marion B., Everett E., and Charles S.; A.
Anvernett is the wife of H. D. Wilcox of
Smithville ; and Mary A., who married James
Warn of Oxford, and has one daughter,
Bonnie. Jacob Buckley and wife were
adherents to the faith of the Universalist
Church. Politically, Mr. Buckley was a
stanch Democrat, and for twelve years served
as assessor. His peaceful life came to an
end in 1884, aged eighty years. The mother
died January 8, 1895, aged eighty-eight
years. William P. Buckley was intellectually
prepared for the battles of life in the acad
emy at Oxford. After leaving school he
taught for several terms, and at the age of
twenty years took up the work of a carpen
ter and joiner, and has been engaged in that
line of work since. He is considered one of
the best mechanics in the Chenango Valley,
and has had many large contracts in the
county. He built the Union Free School in

Norwich, and the Opera House and Fire
men's Hall, at Greene. He has also put up
many fine residences in the village of Oxford,
including his own, which is one of the most
beautiful and finest finished houses in the
county. He is honest and upright in all his
dealings, and has never been known to slight
any work that he has contracted to perform.
In 1865 occurred his marriage to Ruth A.
Bartle, daughter of Uri Bartle of Oxford.
One son was born to them, J. Burr, who
graduated from the Mechanical and Engineer
ing Department of Lehigh University, and
now lives in New York City. Mrs. Buckley's
death occurred August 29, 1892. William
P. Buckley formed a second union, December
26, 1894, with Mrs. Helen Brown, widow of
Smith Brown of Preston. Mr. and Mrs.
Buckley are attendants of the Universalist
Church. Mr. Buckley is a Democrat and
takes an active interest in political affairs.
Socially, he belongs to the A. O. U. W. of
Oxford. For seven years he was a captain
in the state militia.

%t

NSEL EVANS, deceased. The sub
ject of this brief notice was one of
the pioneer settlers of Chenango
County. His remote ancestors were of
Welsh origin. He was born in Guilford,
Vermont, in 1790. When a young child, he
came with his father and family to this town,
where he resided until his death.
His grandfather, Major Henry Evans, was
granted three square miles oi land in the
County of Chenango, State of New York,

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

situated upon the Susquehanna River. The
three deeds were signed by Governor George
Clinton. The lands were granted by Con
gress for the services rendered by him
during the War of the Revolution. Major
Evans sold a portion of this land, upon which
the village of Bainbridge now stands for 18^
pence per acre. His death occurred in 1792.
He lies under six feet of earth, in an old de
serted cemetery beside his wife Abagail, with
this quaint epitaph upon the headstone :
" This man came to this country at an early day,
Where nothing dwelt, but beasts of prey,
And men as fierce, and wild as they." A
Our subject's father, Henry Evans, Jr., was
a man of great brain power, and possessed an
inventive genius that was keen, and far reach
ing — but circumstances, such as make great
men famous, were wanting. Our subject's
mother, whose maiden name was Sally Rice,
a woman of sweet and gentle presence, died
in her youth, leaving one daughter, Sally, and
three sons — Ansel, Newell, and Jehial. Like
the branches of the fabled golden tree, when
one is torn away, another is not wanting — the
three sons, by heritage, had the same inven
tive genius and brain power.
Ansel Evans, the subject of these memoirs,
was a millwright by occupation. He was
always master of his work, and nothing
could satisfy his demands upon himself but
perfection. Fie was a stanch and honest
Democrat through life. Fie was a conscien
tious and consistent member of the Episcopal
Church. A splendid physique, with a grand
head and face, and a firm, dignified bearing,
were the outer expressions of the inner man.
His mind was logical and his judgment law

to his family and friends. His integrity was
uncompromising, and unflinching. Home
was to him a heaven of rest and joy. No
harsh word escaped him there, but a glance
from his keen, dark-blue eye governed the
most rebellious child of the household.
In early life, he married Gratia Redfield,
daughter of Russell Redfield, a man noted
far and wide for his wit and genial humor.
There were nine children born to them, six
daughters and three sons. Sally C. was
married to Burr Chamberlain of Dalton,
Mass.; G. Adelia was wedded to A. Putman
of Bainbridge, N. Y.; William Wallace mar
ried Katherine Harding of Tunkhannock,
Pa., she is now deceased ; his second wife
was Susan Coe of Sidney, N. Y.; Betsey A.
was married to Dr. A. M. Smith of Pittsfield,
Mass.; Diana M., to whom poetry was the
natural expression of thought, died when
seventeen years of age ; Rhoby IT. was the
second wife of Dr. A. M. Smith of Pittsfield,
Mass.; Harriett N. died when two years of
age ; G. Weston married Josephine Risby of
Bainbridge, N. Y.; Dr. Robert, D. D., was
married to Miss S. Emma Tarble of Bain
bridge, N. Y. — his second wife was Miss
Mary Moody of Bainbridge, N. Y.
In later years Mr. Evans devoted himself
to agricultural pursuits. Some portion of his
land was once included in the original grant
to his grandfather, Major Evans, and another
part was once the home of Mrs. Evans when
she was a little child. It was a happy home
stead, children and grandchildren clustered
around them, and the tender loving mother
of nine children was the same bright, cheer
ful companion, with her poetic fancies, her

MISS S. AGNES BRISTOL.

CHENANGO COUNTY

39'

intense love for the beautiful, and ready sym
pathy in all things, when her eyes closed at
last, at the age of seventy-seven years, in
1 87 1. Mr. Evans survived her two years.
With his eyes undimmed, in the full vigor of
his mental powers, he died, aged eighty-three
years, in 1873.

JB

ANIEL S. BRISTOL was for many
years considered one of the most
intelligent and influential farmers
of Chenango County ; for the past fourteen
years has been most closely identified with
the interests of the village of Bainbridge,
where he resides in one of its most charming
spots, " Sunnyside," as his home is appropri
ately called. He is at present engaged in
working Fire Insurance, and has met with
gratifying success. He is a son of Peter and
Sophia (Peck) Bristol, and was born June 5,
1828, near the village of Hamilton, in Madi
son County, N. Y.
Peter Bristol was born April 5, 1794, in
Litchfield, Conn., and was a son of Daniel
Bristol, a native of Litchfield, Conn., and
later a resident of New Lisbon, Otsego
County, this state, where he died. Peter
Bristol was a hatter, and came with his
parents to Otsego County, locating later in
the town of Lebanon, Madison County,
where he continued to reside until his death,
February 10, 1867, at the age of seventy-
three years. During his residence in Che
nango County he was elected by the Whigs
to the office of justice of the peace of
Smyrna, and discharged the duties devolving

upon him in a manner entirely satisfactory
to all concerned. The maiden name of his
wife was Sophia Peck ; she was born April
12, 1798, and died March 10, 1857. They
left a family of six children : William, born
September 16, 1818; Homer, September 30,
1822; Joseph, January 12, 1825; Daniel S.;
Sophia, December 25, 1830; and Mary J.,
September 19, 1840.
Daniel S. Bristol attended the academy in
the village of Smyrna, and there received the
major part of his education ; he is a great
reader and a close observer, and keeps fully
abreast of the times in all current events.
His first business venture was in Bainbridge,
where he opened a carriage shop in 1856,
and for eight years carried on a very profit
able trade. He then moved a short distance
into the country, and for twenty-one years
was engaged in agriculture, conducting his
operations by the most approved modern
methods, and being known as one of the
thriftiest and most successful farmers of the
section. In 1885, he concluded to give up
the arduous duties, necessarily attending
farm life, and once more took up his residence
in the village, leaving a son in charge of his
farm property. Since his removal to Bain
bridge he has been engaged in Fire and
Accident Insurance, and does an extensive
business, under the firm name of Bristol &
Card. They have pleasant offices in the
Prince Block, and represent all the promi
nent, reliable fire insurance companies of this
country and England. These companies are :
Aetna; Phoenix of Hartford; Continental;
Home ; Hanover ; German American ; Phe-
nix of Brooklyn ; Fire Association ; Phoenix

392

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

of London ; Sun of London ; Hartford Fire ;
Northern of London ; Travelers Accident ;
Travelers Life and Lloyd's Plate Glass. In
politics Mr. Bristol is a Republican, but in
no sense an office seeker, for the only time
he allowed his name to be used in such a
connection was when he was elected to the
office of supervisor of Bainbridge, in 1863.
At the same time he is deeply interested in
all political movements, and gives his in
fluence and vote to the cause of right. Mr.
Bristol was united in marriage, February 20,
185 1, with Sarah E. Nearing, daughter and
only child of Joseph and Abigail (Davis)
Nearing. Joseph Nearing was born either
in Schenectady, this state, or in Connecticut;
he was engaged in farming in New Lisbon,
and later retired from active life and was
living in Gilbertsville at the time of his
death. He was a very prominent man, and
became quite wealthy. He married Abigail
Davis, a native of New Haven, Conn., and a
daughter of Isaac Davis. Mrs. Bristol's
grandfather was Joseph Nearing, Sr., also a
native of Connecticut. He came from there
to Schenectady and later to New Lisbon,
Otsego County, where he carried on farm
ing as long as he lived. To Mr. and Mrs.
Bristol have been born three children : S.
Agnes, born February 22, 1852; Joseph
Lodell, born July 22, 1858, married Eugenia
Campbell, and is farming the land formerly
operated by his father ; and Herbert, born
May 15, 1873, who is an operator of West
Winsted, Conn. Mr. and Mrs. Bristol are
members of the Episcopal Church, as are
all the family.
S. Agnes Bristol, the only daughter of Mr.

and Mrs. D. S. Bristol of "Sunnyside," Bain
bridge, N. Y., has received much honorable
mention from authors and publishers, having
for years been an extensive contributor to
various periodicals under nearly every head
ing known to the literary world, viz : sketches,
stories, poems, locals, obituaries, marriage
notices, original histories, criticisms on
various subjects, etc. She is a lady possess
ing literary talent to an unusual degree, and
has the happy faculty of making eve"ry one
around her feel at ease. " Magnetic, lovable
and loving, winning, steadfast and sweet,"
is just the description that fits Miss Bristol.
We take the liberty of copying some of her
verses from the Bainbridge Republican of
July, 1895, knowing that they will be read
with pleasure. Magnetic, lovable and loving',
Winning, steadfast and sweet,
Not unto the self-righteous alone,
But also the lowly at his feet ;
" Come unto me all ye Weary
And I Will give thee rest ! "
Or unto thee will I come
If that way seemeth best.
Scribe, Pharisee and Sadducee
Rebuked by the Madonna's Son
As ''breaking bread" with the motley
crew,
His Father's Will was done
Then into each hardened heart
A warmer feeling came,
For somebody cared for them,
And Jesu was His name
Humble, lowly as the lowliest,
Brother, Friend and Lord,
Christ, Savior, Bless'd Redeemer,
Divine and human, in Him accord ;
Crucifix and Corona,
Symbolize and define
The Alpha and Omega
Of His life and thine.

CHENANGO COUNTY

393

The following tribute is among her latest
short poems, and is worthy a place in these
memoirs, especially as the subject has just
passed to his place among the immortals :
England's "grand old man."
Tireless I study the grand, strong face,
Which speaks of talent in every place,
And covet a tone of the clarion voice
Which bids a nation weep or rejoice.
Would I might herald from afar
The Old World's peerless star.
Undimmed through all the changeful years,
Unchanged by laughter or by tears ;
A very hero ! Crown him now
With love eternal on his brow !
Nor wait till death the tale to tell
Of how he served all England well.
America's Jewels, flawless and pure,
For generations may endure ;
But to the " Kohinoor" over the sea,
To the " Grand Old Man " I bend the knee.
His head may be hoar with the frost of years,
His eyes may be dewy with unshed tears,
But old and young acknowledge the sway
Of the " Great Premier," whose regal way-
Charms his kindred, and awes the guest,
Who unquestioning obeys his slightest behest ;
Then to the " Kohinoor" over the sea,
To the " Grand Old Man " I bow the knee.
On another page appears a portrait of Miss
Bristol.

'ON. FREDERICK JULIAND. One
hundred years ago, the Empire of
France was in the first throes of
that great political upheaval which has gone
into history as the French Revolution, and
not only changed the map of Europe, but
reorganized the social and economic world.
Louis XVI, the weakly stubborn Bourbon

King, and Marie Antoinettee, his frivolous
Queen, were to all intents and purposes pris
oners of the powerful Third Estate. The
baleful star of Robespierre, Danton and
Marat was rising above the national horizon.
A majority of the Royal family and thousands
of the nobility were fugitives across the boun
daries to other lands, and were known to the
world as emigres. Already the nations of
Europe, through the demands of France,
were taking measures to force them without
their borders. America offered inducements
as a safe and desirable asylum, and thousands
were seeking its hospitable shores, eager to
place the waves of the broad Atlantic be
tween them and the horrors that drenched
their native land in blood.
Of the French families who emigrated to
the United States, a number sought the
interior of the country. Several, who had
congregated in Philadelphia, decided to form
a settlement in the Empire State, and sent out
one of their number, Simon Barnet, to select
a site. He came up the Susquehanna to
" Chenango Pint," now Binghamton, and
then followed the course of the Chenango
River to the present site of Greene. He
was so pleased with the situation he decided
upon it for the proposed settlement and
entered into a contract with Malachi Treat
and William W. Morris, the original pat
entees, for a tract of land, which became
known as the " French Tract," or " French
Village Plot." It was located on the east
bank of the Chenango River, and embraced
the farm which is now the exhibition ground
of the Riverside Agricultural Society. From
the field books of the surveyors, it is evident

394

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

that this occurred about 1792. Charles Felix
de Bolyne, "a man of considerable talent,
learning and wealth," was at the head of the
enterprise and signed the contract of pur
chase. Soon eight or ten French families
came to Greene and settled upon the pur
chased land. In 1795, the colony entertained
the celebrated French statesman, Talleyrand,
who was on a horseback journey from Phila
delphia to Albany. While at Greene, Tal
leyrand formed the acquaintance of a son of
M. Dutremont, one ot the refugees, and was
so pleased with him, that he took him back
to France, and made him his private secre
tary. Soon after this, in 1795, M. de Bolyne
was drowned while fording a river on horse
back, as he was making a journey to Phila
delphia in the interest of the settlement.
With his death, the financial affairs of the
colony became sadly deranged. As he had
not paid in full for the land, it reverted to the
original patentees. In a few years the emi
grants became discouraged and scattered.
The plans of operation adopted by the
French colony for carrying on their agricul
tural pursuits were the same which prevailed
in their native country, where the agricul
turist with his family resides in the village,
and owns and works a farm, more or less
remote from his residence, Rude dwellings
were constructed from the material on hand,
and each settler proceeded to put a small
piece of land under complete cultivation,
while their supplies of provisions were
drawn from great distances with much labor
and expense. " Under the circumstances,"
writes the late Dr. Purple, " it is not strange
that persons reared in affluence and accus

tomed to the pleasures of refined society
should yield to the pressure of the misfor
tunes that soon overtook them."
In 1798, Captain Joseph Juliand, who was
a native of Lyons, France, and had fled from
the horrible scenes of the Revolution to this
country, came to Greene and cast in his for
tunes with the little French settlement. But
when the other families became discouraged
and abandoned the enterprise, he remained,
and "to him and Judge Elisha Smith the
foundation of the village of Greene is
ascribed." Captain Juliand in early life recei\Ted a
good academic education. His subsequent
studies were directed with a view toward
his becoming a medical practitioner. He
acquired a good general knowledge of that
science, which in his after life was a great
value to him. But his tastes early in life led
him to abandon medicine and to adopt a
maritime life. He rose through all the subor
dinate grades to that of commander of a
vessel in the mercantile marine of France.
In this capacity he made several voyages
across the Atlantic, principally between
Nantes and Bordeaux, France, and Boston
and Philadelphia in this country. His peri
odical voyages afforded him opportunities to
make journeys into the interior, mingle freely
with the people and learn their language,
manners and customs. On one of these
trips, he met at New Haven, Connecticut,
Hannah Lindsley, the daughter of a respect
able farmer. In 1788 he married her and
removed to a farm near Greenfield, Massa
chusetts. In 1798, having heard of the French settle-

CHENANGO COUNTY

395

ment at Greene, he sold his farm, and with
his wife and two children set out for the in
terior of New York, "in the expectation of
finding a new home and congenial society."
On arriving at the settlement he was sur
prised to find that many had departed and
others were preparing to follow. Nothing
daunted, he purchased a portion of the land
abandoned by his disheartened countrymen,
and made it his home for the rest of his life.
He died at Greene, October 13, 1821.
Frederick Juliand, the subject of this
sketch, was born October 9, 1805, in a log
house which had been erected by his father,
Captain Joseph Juliand, upon his arrival in
Greene. He was the youngest of a family of
six children, and spent his early years in labor
upon his father's farm. The foundation for
his education was laid in the district schools
of that early day. When he had attained his
sixteenth year, his father sent him to Utica,
where he entered the academy there and
prosecuted his studies for one year. Utica
Academy was a famous institution of learning
at that time. Among his fellow-students were
Horatio Seymour, afterwards Governor of
the State and a presidential candidate ; Hon.
Ward Hunt, afterwards Judge of the Court
of Appeals and Associate Justice of the Su
preme Court of the United States ; Hon.
Rutger B. Miller, afterwards Member of
Congress ; and others who in later years be
came leading citizens in the professional and
business world. A year later, in 1823, he
entered his name as a student of Oxford
Academy. His room-mate was Hon. John
W. Allen. Some of his fellow students at
Oxford were the millionaire railroad mag

nate, Charlemagne Tower, recently deceased ;
Dr. John Guernsey ; Hon. William M. Patter
son, afterwards a well-known lawyer and
Member of Assembly ; Hon. Henry R. My
gatt, for so many years the acknowledged
leader of the Chenango County bar, and
others, mention of whom space will not al
low. The academy had for principal, Dr.
David L. Prentice, LL.D., a teacher of ac
knowledged ability and strong personality.
There Mr. Juliand began the study of Latin,
which was continued at Greene after he had
left the academy, Rev. John B. Hoyt acting
as his private instructor.
Having completed his studies he entered
upon the active duties of life. His first en
gagement was with Hill & Juliand, at Bain
bridge. He entered their employ as assist
ant to them in their hotel. Leaving this
position, he secured a clerkship in the store
of Col. Moses G. Benjamin, then a leading
merchant in Bainbridge. He resided in the
family of his employer and received fifty dol
lars salary for the first year's work. He con
tinued with Col. Benjamin for five years, his
salary being increased ten dollars each year
for three years, and the last year raised to
fifteen dollars per month.
In 1830, he returned to Greene to embark
in the mercantile business combined with
farming. He was associated with his three
brothers, Joseph, Lewis, and George. The
firm assumed the title of J. Juliand & Broth
ers, and was continued, amicable in its rela
tions and prosperous in its ventures, for ten
years, when it was dissolved by mutual con
sent. In the division of the assets of the
firm, Frederick Juliand received the store

396

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

and its good-will. Fie continued in trade
until i860, when he transferred his business
to his son, John R. Juliand, by whom it was
continued till 1866.
In his religious preferences, Mr. Juliand is
an Episcopalian. When he was but four
years of age, he was taken by his mother to
Bradford, Connecticut, her old home, for
baptism, since there was no Episcopal
Church in this vicinity at that time. In its
organization and its subsequent career he
has ever taken a deep interest in Zion Epis
copal Church, Greene. He was confirmed
by Bishop Onderdonk on the occasion of the
last visit of that eminent ecclesiastic to this
diocese. For twenty-five years he was assist
ant superintendent of the Sunday School.
Upon the death of his brother, Joseph Juli
and, in 1873, he was elected junior warden,
an office which he still holds.
Mr. Juliand has ever been an ardent poli
tician. He began life as a Whig. His first
vote was cast in 1828 for John Quincy Adams,
when the latter was a candidate for President
the second time and ran against Andrew
Jackson. Since then he has voted at every
general election and at every town meeting
except one, when he was absent at Albany.
In the faithful performance of his duty as a
citizen in this respect, his example is worthy
of emulation and of thoughtful consideration
by the men of to-day. When the Republican
party was organized, he cast in his fortunes
with the new force in politics. He has acted
with it ever since. He was always a strong
admirer and advocate of the principles of
Greeley, Garrison, Wendell Phillips and Gar
rett Smith. When in Albany, in 1856, he, on

several occasions, aided slaves fleeing to
Canada by the Underground Railroad. Ever
a temperance man in principle and practice,
he always voted with that party when any
good would be accomplished thereby ; at the
same time, it has ever been his belief that the
Republican party is the true channel through
which any permanent beneficial results could
be accomplished, as all the temperance legis
lation that has ever been effected thus far has
been through the Republican organization.
A parental survivor of the Tippecanoe Club
of 1840, his steadfast fealty has led him to
believe that a good Republican makes the best
American. The first office held by Mr. Juliand was
that of postmaster of Greene. He received
his commission from President Harrison, and
served for four years and through President
Tyler's administration. He was nominated
for Member of Assembly by the Whig and
Temperance parties in 1855 and triumphantly
elected. He took his seat in January, 1856,
Tompkins H. Matterson being his colleague,
and served upon the Committee on Banks.
In the fall of 1863, Mr. Juliand was nomina
ted by the Republicans for the office of State
Senator from the Twenty-third District, com
prising Chenango, Madison and Cortland
Counties. He was elected by the magnifi
cent majority of 5,459. In the Senate he was
Chairman of the Committee on Public Print
ing and a member of the Committees on
Banks, Roads and Bridges and Poor Laws.
He earned no little distinction as Senator,
acquiring a name for exercising careful and
comprehensive judgment upon all matters of
legislation and for steadfastly advocating

CHENANGO COUNTY

397

economy in conducting the affairs of the
state. Standing in the foremost ranks of
those whose honesty and firmness could be
relied upon, his career as a Senator was with
out blemish. Among the important meas
ures settled by the Legislature while he was
in the Senate was the Chenango Canal ex
tension. This measure received his immedi
ate supervision and active exertions, and
mainly through his efforts and influence was
passed. The speech made by Mr. Juliand in
its behalf before the committee of the whole
Senate displayed careful research and wise
judgment and had weighty influence.
In the fall of 1866 he was again brought
forward by the Republicans as a candidate
for the Assembly. In the preliminary cau
cuses, his name was not mentioned, nor even
when the nominating convention met. After
its organization, however, he was named and
even then against his express desire. But
such was his popularity, he received a unani
mous nomination, which was ratified at the
polls by a majority of 1,608, the highest vote
given to any candidate on the ticket. He
served acceptably in the session of 1867 as
Chairman of the Committee on Towns and
Counties, and a member of the Committee
on Banks. That fall he was renominated for
the same office and re-elected. In the Assem
bly of 1868 his experience made him a valu
able member. Although belonging to the
minority, the Legislature being Democratic,
he was honored with an appointment upon
his old Committee of Towns and Counties
and was placed upon the important Sub-Com
mittee of the Whole. With the close of the
legislative session of 1868, Mr. Juliand re

tired from public life, having served his
county at Albany for five years — two as
Senator and three as Member of Assembly.
Besides these elective offices, Mr. Juliand
has held other places of important trust. In
1862 and again in 1866 he was a member of
the Republican State Committee. He was
also appointed one of the incorporators for
locating the State Soldiers' Home, at Bath,
and one of the trustees of the State Inebriate
Asylum, at Binghamton.
Mr. Juliand was an effective supporter of
the Government in the War of the Rebellion.
He contributed liberally of his time and
means to sustain the Union cause. His liber
ality toward the families of absent soldiers
endeared him to those at home and made his
name familiarly welcomed at many a lonely
fireside. In 1862 he was appointed a member
of the committee from the Twenty-third Sen
atorial District to raise troops under the call
of President Lincoln for " three hundred
thousand more " and he did most efficient
work in putting the 1 14th Regiment into the
field. He was present at the meetings of the
committee and cast his vote for Col. Elisha
B. Smith to be commander of Chenango
County's now famous regiment.
In the summer of 1864, he had a never-to-
be-forgotten experience of " grim visaged
war." That summer, the town of Greene
had occasion to forward funds to its recruit
ing agent, William Jones, who was then at
Newbern, North Carolina, endeavoring to
enlist men to fill its quota. Much against his
will, Mr. Juliand was induced to undertake
the task. He started via Washington and
Norfolk, taking the steamer Fawn at the lat-

398

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

ter place for Roanoke Island, via Dismal
Swamp Canal. When about 150 miles from
Norfolk, the steamer was attacked by guer
rillas. Upward of a hundred shots were fired
at the steamer, killing and wounding nine of
the little party of only thirty. Mr. Juliand
and the remaining survivors were taken pris
oners and robbed of all their baggage ; the
steamer was burned, and they were com
pelled to march, the whole night, thirty miles
to Elizabeth City, where after being robbed
of $6,000.00 ( a portion of the funds he was
transporting ) he and Major Jenny of Syra
cuse were paroled, through the influence of
a friend, the remainder of the party being
marched off to a vile Southern prison, where
it has since been ascertained more than half
of them died horrible deaths. Mr. Juliand
and his companions made their escape from
the rebel domains in a sail boat, after being
without food or shelter for about two entire
days. Mr. Juliand has been married three times.
His first wife was Miss Jane Cameron Ringer,
daughter of Capt. John Ringer of Geneva.
Their marriage occurred in 1835. Of this
union one son was born, John Ringer Juliand,
who succeeded his father in business as nar
rated above. In 1841 our subject was united
in marriage with Miss Catherine R. Hayes,
daughter of the Hon. Isaac Hayes of Una
dilla. She bore him three children, a son
and two daughters. The son died in infancy.
Sarah J. and Minerva H. still survive. Again,
in September, 1865, Mr. Juliand was married
to Miss Harriet M. Crocker, daughter of
Hon. Benjamin Crocker of Cambridge,
Washington County, N. Y.

Here ends the story of a long, happy and
successful life. In the twilight of age, he
who hath lived it awaits the final close.
Whatever may be the issue of the future, he
dwells in the consciousness that by that life
he has won as a man a reputation for purity
of purpose, dignity of character, ability and
enterprise ; and dying, he will leave a mem
ory worthy of emulation and ever to be cher
ished with tenderness and affection.

j) 1 FRED HOVEY, commissioner of
^-J . highways of Oxford township, Che
nango County, N. Y., was born in
West Millbury, Massachusetts, October 2,
1855. He is a son of Albert C. and Mary L.
(Small) Hovey, and grandson of Simon
Hovey. Simon Hovey was a native of Guilford,
N. Y., where he spent most of his life. His
calling was that of a farmer, and he was en
gaged in agricultural pursuits all his life. He
was a prosperous man and had many friends
throughout the county. He was united in
marriage with Miss Cornwall, and they be
came the parents of seven children, whose
names are as follows: Tyler; William; Hor
ace ; Albert C, the father of our subject ;
Nancy, who married a Mr. Bradley ; Ran
som ; and Mary, who married a Mr. Easton.
In their religious belief, they were members
of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Albert C. Hovey is a native of the State
of New York, and follows the occupation of
a farmer. He has spent a great many years
at that pursuit, but is now living a retired

GEORGE AYLSWORTH.

CHENANGO COUNTY

401

life. He has been a very active Republican
in politics, and has held the office of assessor
for many years. He was united in marriage
with Mary L. Small, and they became the
parents of five children, whose records are as
follows : George, who formed a matrimonial
alliance with Julia Wheeler, and after her
death married Marilla Hartwell of Oxford, by
whom he has had three children — Luella,
Frank L., and Ethel ; Hattie married Garrett
Wheeler of Oxford, and they are the parents
of two children, Nora P. and Emma; Will
A. married Anna Doolittle of Susquehanna,
and they became the parents of two boys,
Paul and Luke ; Mary B. married Elroy Sal
isbury of Coventry ; and H. Fred, the subject
of this sketch.
H. Fred Hovey received a good common
school education in the public schools of Ox
ford, after which he began to till the soil as a
means of earning a livelihood. He farmed
with his parents until he was thirty years of
age, then purchased a farm for himself, which
he operated with good results until 1895.
He worked at several employments that year,
and in 1896 was elected commissioner of
highways, and as the duties of that office
would not permit him time to do outside
work, he gave up his farm. He is a man
faithful to his charge, and has given universal
satisfaction. In 1887, he was united in marriage with
Carrie O. Gifford of Oxford, a daughter of
James Gifford. In religious belief, he is a
member of the Baptist Church. Socially, he
is a member of the Improved Order of Red
Men, Lodge No. 105, of Oxford. In politics,
he is an active Republican.

rwro

EORGE AYLSWORTH, liveryman
Vj^X- and dealer in horses and agricultural
implements, is one of the thoroughly wide
awake, hustling men who have been closely
identified with the success and growth of
Bainbridge. He is a son of Dexter and
Nancy (Taylor) Aylsworth, and was born
September 10, 1841, in Newark, Tioga Coun
ty, N. Y. His grandfather, Andrew J. Ayls
worth, was a native of Long Island and set
tled in Chenango County, in the town of
Bainbridge, purchasing 300 acres of land,
where he afterwards lived. He was a farmer
and did much to improve this farm, clearing
it and otherwise adding to its value. His
wife was Lydia Hicks, and to them were
born the following children : Thomas ; Dex
ter; Lewis; Robert; Chadiar; Prudence;
Clara; and Hannah.
Dexter, the father of our subject, was born
in Long Island, but came to this county with
his parents, and settled down in the town of
Bainbridge, where he built and operated for
a number of years a saw mill and a carding
factory, that was located two miles north of
Afton. He then moved to Tioga County,
where he purchased a large farm of 300 acres,
which is one of the finest farms in that sec
tion of the country, and there he resided for
ten years, when he returned to the old home
stead in order to care for his mother and sis
ter. He lived there until 1868 or 1869, when
he moved to the town of Pike, Wyoming
County, where he died. He was a Republi
can in his political views. He was a strong
Methodist, having united with that church
when he was only twelve years old. He was
a man of strict integrity, honesty and probity,

402

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

one whose deeds would stand the search
light of truth. He was much honored by
his neighbors, and was without an enemy.
He was united in marriage with Miss Nancy
Taylor, by whom he had a family of four
children, namely : Mary, Marilla, Armina,
and George, the subject of this biography.
Dexter Aylsworth was afterward married to
Miss Lydia Pearsall, who bore him one child,
Alvira, now deceased. After the death of
Mrs. Aylsworth he once more took to him
self a wife, this time being united to Miss
Lydia Hoag. They had one child, Olivia.
George Aylsworth, our subject, was mar
ried to Miss Ruiette Fosbury, December
26, i860. She is a daughter of R. C. Fos
bury of Bainbridge, this county. This mar
riage has been blessed with the following
children : Juvenelia, who died in infancy ;
Georgianna, who died at the age of four
years ; Mary, now residing in Bainbridge, the
wife of Dorcas Payne, a barber; William S.,
who is engaged in business with his father
and makes his home with him ; and Georsre
Franklin, also in business with his father, and
married to Lizzie Masters. Mr. Aylsworth
received his education in the district schools,
and began life on his own account as a farm
er, on the old homestead in Afton. Here he
followed in the footsteps of his fathers, tilling
the soil, for about five years, when he re
moved to Bainbridge and engaged in the liv
ery business, which he has followed in that
village ever since. In connection with his
livery he has always been engaged in buying
and shipping horses, doing a large business.
Especially during the last four years has he
done an immense business, as he has bought

horses in the Western States and shipped
them to eastern markets, until this has be
come a leading feature of his business. He
also carries a general line of agricultural im
plements, which he added to his other busi
ness about four years ago.
When the black cloud of the recent Rebel
lion was hanging over our land, threatening
to overthrow our government and destroy
our institutions, Mr. Aylsworth was among
the first to answer the call of his country.
Leaving at home his newly wedded bride, he
enlisted on August 8, 1862, in Co. H., 114th
Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf., and marched to the
seat of war, where he served until the fratri
cidal conflict came to an end. The last two
years of his service were spent as receiving
clerk in the commissary's office.
After leaving the army he returned to his
family and the more quiet pursuits of private
life, but not for long was he left to the enjoy
ment of this quiet. He had always been a
Republican, and his many friends were not
slow to appreciate his executive ability, and
soon called upon him to serve them in the
capacity of constable. That his manner of
discharging the duties of that office was in
every way satisfactory to his constituents is
clearly proved by their continuing him in
the same capacity for a term of twenty-six
years. He has also served as deputy sheriff
one term, and has ever been active in the af
fairs of his party, frequently representing it
in county conventions as a delegate. He is
a member of Susquehanna Lodge, No. 167,
F. ix A. M., and also belongs to the Improved
Order of Red Men. While full of push and
energy, yet Mr. Aylsworth always has time

CHENANGO COUNTY

4°3

to devote to his many friends, and this cour
teous, affable bearing ha's no doubt had much
to do with the success he has met with, both
in business and social life. We are pleased
to present his portrait on a preceding page.

(^Y-r-LEXANDER ROSS, proprietor of
/~i the Ross Cotton Mills, and an exten-
s * \^ sive land owner in the village of
Sherburne, Chenango County, N. Y., was
born at Morris, Otsego County, N. Y., June
'25, 1845. He is a son of Hector and Ellen
(Edwards) Ross, and grandson of John and
Isabella (Melville) Ross. John Ross was a
moulder by trade, and after his death his
wife and children, William, George, and
Belle, moved to Binghamton, N. Y.
Hector Ross was born in Greenock, Scot
land, in 181 1 ; upon emigrating to this coun
try he settled in Canada, where he worked
in a foundry. Later he moved to Rochester,
N. Y., but finding no work he started east on
foot, and at Brownells, Oneida County, N.
Y., he engaged in his old trade as a mule
spinner. From there he moved to New Ber
lin, this county, whence, failing to find em
ployment, he went to Morris, Otsego County,
where he worked at his former trade, receiv
ing $18.00 per month. He remained in this
business for twenty years, and the last six
years he had full control of the mill. In 1838
he was joined in marriage with Ellen Ed
wards, daughter of John Edwards, a native
of Wales, who emigrated to the United
States in 1833 or 1834. Mr. Ross, upon leav
ing Morris, moved to New Berlin, and with

his brothers Daniel and William Clinton pur
chased the mills located there ; later, in 1861,
Hector sold his interest to his brother Dan
iel. He then bought a farm, upon which he
built a large and handsome residence, and
otherwise improved the land; in 1864 he
sold this property and moved to Sher
burne, where, in 1863, he had erected the cot
ton mills now owned by our subject. The
planning ot the structure was placed in the
hands of Mr. Ross, and the first brick of the
tall chimney, which is 108 feet in height, was
laid by our subject on his birthday, June 25,
1863, and the first brick on the factory was
laid by our subject's father on his birthday,
May 6 of the same year. The mill is a three
story structure, 163 feet by 46, and has an ell in
the rear 57x26; the boiler house is 51 by 23
and the office 42 by 22. The mill and seven
tenement houses were completed, and the
first cotton was run through December 23,
1863. The mill was at first run in the inter
est of the stockholders, but later the entire
mill was purchased by our subject's father.
Mr. Ross died June 24, 1872, and the mill
was left to his heirs. Mrs. Ross died at the
age of seventy-four years. Their children
were : Catherine ; Amelia ; Mary ; Alexan
der; John; Ellen; Lucy; Melville; and
Minnie. Our subject entered his father's mill and
mastered the varied details of the business,
but desiring to learn the trade of a wagon-
maker, he left the mill. Later on, however,
when his father was in need of his assistance
he was taken from his trade, and in 1872 was
placed in full charge of the mill. Mr. Ross
purchased the different shares of the heirs,

4°4

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

and in 1893 he became sole proprietor, since
which time he has put in new and improved
machinery, and now has an output of three
million yards of cloth fabric per year, and
has employed at one time over one hundred
men. Mr. Ross deals extensively in real es
tate, and is the owner of twenty-one fine
houses, which he rents in great part to his
employees; he also conducts a general store,
in which he has a large, paying patronage.
Mr. Ross chose for his life companion Liz
zie E. Horner, daughter of William Horner
of Camden, N. J., and they are the parents
of one child, Mary E., who is one of the
most skilled artists in the county. She is
proficient in painting, etching, and teaches
needle work. Our subject is an avowed Re
publican, and is an active and popular leader
in his community. He has been elected as
president of the village four terms, which
mark of favor shows his popularity and the
esteem in which he is held by his fellow-citi
zens. Socially, he is a member of the F. &
A. M. Lodge of Sherburne; the R. A. M.
Chapter; Binghamton Consistory, Thirty-
second Degree ; and the Knight Templars of
Norwich. He is also a member of the A.
o. u. vv.

T^iHARLES CLINTON, the able and
f jp well-known attorney of Smithville
^^  Flats, holds a high rank in his pro
fession and is a man of recognized intellectual
attainments, which have not only been shown
in his legal actions in the course of Chenango
County, but also in high educational circles

of the Empire State. He is a son of Ormond
D. and Almira (Payne) Clinton, and was
born in the town of Willet, Cortland County,
N. Y., August 2, 1858.
The grandfather of our subject, John Clin
ton, third of that name, was a grandson of
John Clinton (1), who was born in New
Haven, Conn., November 8, 172 1. John
Clinton married Elizabeth Beecher in No
vember, 1746, and among their children was
John Clinton (2), who was born May 4, 1752.
This son married Mary Scribner, which
union resulted in the accession to the family
of three sons and one daughter, namely :
John, the grandfather of our subject ;
Simeon ; Joel ; and Phebe. Mary (Scribner)
Clinton died September 16, 1805, in her fifty-
seventh year, and was buried in the old
cemetery at Fly Creek, Otsego County,
N. Y. John Clinton (2), was a soldier in the
Revolutionary War. On page twenty-two
of a manuscript volume, entitled " Military
Register," in the custody of the Regents of
the University of the State of New York, in
the State Library, he is recorded as a private
soldier in the Fifth New York Line, or Regi
ment, of Continentals in the company com
manded by Capt. F. John Hamtranck, and
served, as there stated, from May 21, 1779, to
January 1, 1780. On page eleven of Vol. 2,
Treasurer's Certificates, a manuscript volume,
he is also recorded as a sergeant in a regi
ment of levies raised in 1781. The records
show that these regiments were in active
service in the War of the Revolution.
John Clinton, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was born on March 25th of the year of
the Declaration of Independence, and died at

CHENANGO COUNTY

4°5

the home of his son, Ormond D. Clinton, in
Willet, June 17, 1858, being buried at Haz
zard's Corners, Triangle, Broome County,
N. Y. On December 22, 1800, at South
Wallingford, Vt., he married Lemira Doty,
who died June 19, 1835, in German, Che
nango County, N. Y., at the age of fifty-two
years. In early life he taught school and
worked at the carpenter trade. He came
into Central New York from Ballston
Springs, Saratoga County, first settling in
Triangle, Broome County, and afterwards
taking up his residence in the town of Ger
man, Chenango County. His family con
sisted of seven children, in the following
order : Orille, who died in the State of
Iowa ; Polly Shaft, who died in Chautauqua
County, N. Y.; Ormond D., the father of our
subject; Joel, who died in •Springfield, Brad
ford County, Pa.; Phebe Doty also passed
from life in the same town ; Elias D., born
September 22, 181 5, died in Willet, N. Y.,
May 6, 1891 ; and David, who is supposed to
have been lost on the Phoenix propeller,
which was destroyed by fire on Lake Michi
gan within sight of Racine, Wis.
Ormond D. Clinton was born in Triangle,
Broome County, N. Y., December 4, 1807.
On August 9, 1840, he was united in marriage
with Almira Payne at the village of Virgil,
Cortland County, N. Y., by Hiram Green, a
minister of the Universalist Church. Almira
Payne was born in Leicester, Providence
County, R. I., November 17, 1816, and was a
daughter of William and Lydia (Barnes)
Payne. Our subject's father departed this
life in the town of German, June 18, i88r,
and lies buried in Sylvan Lawn Cemetery,

Greene, N. Y. The mother still lives ; she
held a reunion ot the family on November
17, 1896. There were seven children in the
family, of whom six survive. De Witt, born
March 3, 1847, died October 18, 1849. Jane,
born April 12, 1849, married Lorenzo D.
Leach September 19, 1871, and they are the
parents of five children, namely : Elmer C,
born September 8, 1872 ; Albertus, born Janu
ary 23, 1874, died September 10, 1880; Elpha,
September 18, 1878, died September 17, 1880;
Mattie C, born August 7, 1880; and Carl,
born June 26, 1886, died July 17, 1887.
Phebe, born May 20, 1852, was united in
marriage to George Schouten, June 13, 1874,
and five children blessed their home, namely :
Gertie, born December 5, 1876, died Sep
tember 22, 1880; Alta, born April 29, 1879,
died March 22, 1895; Lennie, born January
20, 1885; Bertie, born November 12, 1888;
and Mary, born August 15, 1890. Eugene,
born January 13, 1855, was joined in the
bonds of matrimony January 10, 1884, with
Bertha L. Johnson of Greene, N. Y. He was
admitted to the practice of law in the state
courts May 4, 1880, at Ithaca, and in the Su
preme Court of the United States December
5, 1888. Mary, born September 19, 1856,
married Charles C. Curtis of McDonough,
N. Y., February 8, 1877 ; they have two chil
dren—Bertha, born May 28, 1885, and Lillian
M., born July 8, 1895. Our subject is the
next in order of birth. Emma, the youngest
member of the family, was born June 2, 1861,
and was united in wedlock with John S.
Mason of McDonough, this county, No
vember 30, 1880.
Our subject attended the common and se-

19*

406

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

lect schools until sixteen years of age, and
then engaged in school teaching until he was
twenty years old. After studying law with
his brother, Eugene Clinton, of Greene, he
was admitted to the bar, September 17, 1885.
He immediately entered upon the practice of
his profession at Smithville Flats, and being
an untiring worker and a man of great ability,
he was soon recognized as a coming attorney,
and to-day he ranks among the most distin
guished lawyers of Chenango County. Per
haps one of the most important cases of
which our subject has had charge was the
defense of John H. Dingee, in 1888, for the
murder of Jerome Perrington, one of the
most exciting murder cases that ever came
up before the Chenango County courts. He
succeeded with the aid of his associates,
John W. Church, and his brother, Eugene
Clinton, in getting the accused murderer off
with a sentence in the second degree.
September 15, 1880, Mr. Clinton and Emma
Fosgate, daughter of William Fosgate, a far
mer near Greene, were happily united in
marriage. They are the parents of three
sons and two daughters, who are as follows:
Almira L.; Hattie M.; Charles D.; George
C; and Julian B. Socially, Mr. Clinton is a
member of the Eastern Lodge, No. 126,
F. & A. M., of Greene. Our subject takes a
deep interest in educational institutions, and
in 1894 State Superintendent Croker called
upon him to assist in establishing a new
method in keeping the records of examina
tions. He is now advocating the adoption of
a certificate for teachers, which will not com
pel a teacher to be examined every year after
she has once taken and passed successfully

an examination. In politics our subject is
proud of the record he has made since he
has been identified with the Grand Old
Party, and upholds Republicanism both by
ballot and voice. He has served as town
clerk for four years, and in 1890 he was
elected school commissioner of the second
district of this county, and is now filling his
third term in that office.

AMUEL A. ROGERS, a stationary
engineer on the N. Y. & O. W. R.
R., who makes his home at Oxford,
was born in the town of Pitcher, Chenango
County, N. Y., June 30, 1827. He is a son
of John C. and Ann (Finch) Rogers, and a
grandson of Amos Rogers.
Amos Rogers was a native of Connecticut,
and came to Chenango County when it was
mostly a wilderness. He settled in Preston,
and purchased a tract of land on what is now
Rogers Street. He cleared and improved it
and became one of the prosperous farmers of
the town. In political belief, he was a Whig.
Religiously, he was a Seventh Day Baptist.
His companion in life was Mary Chapill,
whose father was a Presbyterian minister of
Pharsalia, N. Y. They were the parents of
the following children ; Elsie ; John C, the
father of our subject; Hannah; Mary;
Davis ; Polly ; Juliette ; Phoebe ; Tryphenia ;
Amos ; Abigail ; and one that died in in
fancy. John C. Rogers was born in Stonington,
Conn., and at an early age came to this
county with his father. He received his

CURTIS E. KNICKERBOCKER.

CHENANGO COUNTY.

409

education in the common schools of Preston,
after which he tilled the soil in connection
with carpenter's and joiner's work. He was
a well read man and posted on all subjects of
interest to the people. He was a leading
politician in the county and was active in
helping his friends to office, but would never
accept one himself. He was united in mar
riage with Ann Finch, a native of Pitcher,
and a daughter of Samuel Finch. Samuel
Finch was a lieutenant in the War of 1812,
and at one time was judge of Chenango
County. He was one of the prominent men
of the county. His nephew is now judge of
Broome County, N. Y. This union resulted
in the birth of the following children :
Samuel A.; Mary ; Thomas ; H. B.; Silas R.;
Daniel L.; John E.; Aurelius D.; and Apgar.
Mrs. Rogers passed away in 1882, and her
husband survived her eleven years. They
favored the Seventh Day Baptists, in their
religious belief.
Samuel A. Rogers attended the common
schools of Pitcher, after which he took a
course in Pitcher Academy. After complet
ing his schooling, he learned the trade, of a
carpenter and builder, also that of a bridge
builder. He followed his trade until 1880,
when he entered the employ of Miller & Per
kins of Oxford, N. Y., as traveling salesman.
He remained with them for eight years, and
then he accepted his present position, as
stationary engineer on the N. Y. & O. W.
R. R.
In April, 1854, Mr. Rogers was united in
marriage with Susan (Kinney) Lake, a daugh
ter of Samuel Kinney of Oxford. Her first
husband was Israel Lake, by whom she had

three children, namely : Whitman E.; Mary E.;
and one that died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs.
Rogers' union was blessed by the birth of
three children, whose records are as follows :
George married Catherine Butts of De Ruy
ter, N. Y., and they are the parents of two
children, Bessie E. and Jessie A.; Anna A.
married. Lyman Judd of Delaware County,
N. Y., and reared one son, Frank H., — her
second husband is Romain Jackson of Tread-
well, N. Y.; James H. married Anna Hutch
ins of Otselic, and has two children, namely,
Henry O., and Mildred S.

7~*URTIS E. KNICKERBOCKER, a
( ^rp resident of the village of Norwich,
V*  ^ and assistant civil engineer for the
O. & W. R. R., is a son of Edwin Knicker
bocker of Morris ville, Madison County,- N. Y.,
grandson of Harley Knickerbocker, a native
of Connecticut, and great-grandson of John
Knickerbocker. Our subject's great-grandfather was born
in the suburbs of New York City of an ances
try, which several generations before came
from Holland to New Amsterdam, now New
York. The father of John Knickerbocker
fought on the side of the colonists in the
Revolutionary War, and surrendered his life
in the blessed cause of freedom. Soon after
his father's death, John Knickerbocker went
to live wdth an uncle in Connecticut, and re
sided in that state until 1804, when he emi
grated to the State of New York, making the
entire journey with a team of oxen. He set
tled in what is now the town of Eaton, Madi-

4io

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

son County, purchased a tract of land cov
ered with timber near Leland's Pond, built a
log house, and began the hard and serious
labor of clearing a farm, and preparing the
land for the cultivation of crops. At that
early day, there were neither railroads nor
canals, even in the Empire State, which was
one of the first states of the Union to give
attention to internal improvements. Of man
ufactures there were few, except those rude
and simple ones that were carried on in the
domestic circle. For many years after set
tling in this new country, John Knicker
bocker was obliged to travel one hundred
miles to Albany to market the farm products
and to obtain in exchange such supplies as
were needed in the household and on the
farm. The round trip required one week for
its completion ; on his return he was accus
tomed to bring with him various kinds of
goods required by the pioneer merchants in
their stores. With the assistance of his
sturdy sons, he managed to effect a clearing
of some 150 acres of his property, and con
tinued to reside on his first purchase for
many years, finally selling his estate, and
thereafter making his home with his son,
Henry, at Cincinnatus, Cortland County, and
living to the remarkable age of one hundred
years. His wife's name before her marriage
was Lydia Jackson.
Harley Knickerbocker, the grandfather of
our subject, was eight years of age when the
family removed to this state. His youth was
passed in agricultural pursuits on his father's
farm. His first marriage took place in Pot
ter County, Penn., the bride being a Miss
Stannard, a native of the Keystone State.

After their union, the young couple settled
on a farm in Potter County, where, after a
married life of less than two years, Mrs.
Knickerbocker died, leaving one daughter,
Cordelia, who grew to womanhood, married
and reared quite a large family, she, herself,
dying in Chicago, 111. After the death of his
first wife, Mr. Knickerbocker removed to
Madison County, and in Eaton township was
married for the second time. Purchasing a
portion of the old homestead near Leland's
Pond, he moved into the farm-house already
erected thereon, and began the life of a
farmer on his own account, and under very
auspicious circumstances, for he possessed
better advantages than his father had for
merly enjoyed, one of which was a market at
Utica, only thirty miles distant. After resid
ing a few years on this property he disposed
of it to good advantage, and bought another
farm near the present site of Morrisville Sta
tion, upon which he lived upwards of sixty
years, and then retired to the village of Mor
risville, where his death occurred at the age
of eighty-seven. The maiden name of his
second wife was Henrietta French ; she was
born in the State of Rhode Island, and was a
daughter of Abel and Mary (Wilson) French.
She died on the farm at the age of seventy-
two. Seven children constituted the family,
who were named as follows: Julia A.; Edwin,
our subject's father; Maria; Jeanette;
Sophia ; Susan ; and Jackson J.
Edwin Knickerbocker received his early
education in the district schools, and later
attended the academies of Morrisville and
Hamilton. He began teaching at the age of
twenty, and followed that occupation for a

CHENANGO COUNTY

411

portion of each year, until he settled down
to farming. In 1852 he purchased a farm two
miles north of Morrisville, upon which he
resided until 1867, when he moved to the
village of Morrisville, where he lived until
his death in October, 1896. He was born in
the town of Eaton, Madison County, January
5, 1824. In 1852 he was united in marriage
with Mrs. Mary T. Stafford, nee Curtis, who
was born in Nelson, Madison County, March
20, 1829. Her father, Ransom Curtis, died
in Chittenango while yet in the prime of life,
being about forty years old, and when his
daughter, Mary T., was but fourteen. Mr.
Curtis was born in Nelson, Madison County,
in 1803, and was a son of Jonathan Curtis, a
native of Connecticut, and of New England
stock, who after his marriage to a Connecti
cut lady, Miss Johanna Wilkinson, emigrated
in the most primitive and rude fashion to
Madison County, N. Y., and settled on a farm
in the town of Nelson in the closing years of
the last century. Some years later, Johanna
Thankful (Wilkinson) Curtis died, leaving a
family. Some time after the death of his
first wile, Jonathan Curtis formed a second
matrimonial alliance with a Mrs. Newell,
who survived him several years, and died in
Waterville, N. Y., at the home of a son by
the first marriage, Ebenezer Newell, after
having attained to a good old age. Jonathan
Curtis died in the town of Nelson when
quite advanced in years. He was the father
of five children, of whom Ransom was the
third in order of birth. The latter grew to
manhood in Nelson and became a farmer, in
middle life removing to the village of Chit
tenango, where he died in 1843, being only

forty years of age. He was a Whig in poli
tics, and in religion a member of the old
school Baptist Church, his father before him
being a deacon in that church. Ransom Cur
tis was married in the town of Nelson to
Miss Aurelia Billings, who was born, reared,
and spent her married life in Nelson and
Chittenango, after the death of her husband
residing some years with her daughter, Mrs.
Edwin Knickerbocker, the mother of our
subject, and dying in 1862. She was born in
1803, and was a daughter of Lemuel and Pris-
cilla (Locke) Billings, pioneers of Madison
County. Like her husband, she was a mem
ber of the Baptist Church, and a devoted
Christian woman. Mr. Edwin Knicker
bocker was a Democrat in his early life, was
then a Free-Soil Democrat, and upon the or
ganization of the Republican party became a
Republican, to which party's principles he
ever afterwards remained true. Education,
the mainspring of civilization, the force that
sets in motion and regulates the complicated
machinery of human action in its various
spheres of labor and lines of development,
ever found in him a friend and champion.
Mrs. Knickerbocker died in. September, 1896.
Curtis E. Knickerbocker, the subject of
this history, graduated from Cazenovia Acad
emy in 1887, and from Princeton College
with the class of 189 1. He then located at
Middletown N. Y., in the city engineer's
office, with Charles Everson, in July, 1891 ; in
October, 1891, he advanced to the chief en
gineer's office at Middletown, and remained
there until March, 1893, when he came to
Norwich, and located as assistant civil engin
eer for the O. & W. R. R. He is well versed

412

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

in all the details and intricacies of the civil
engineer's profession, and is capable of filling
almost any position in the engineering line.
His work claims his whole time, so that
though he is a loyal Republican and a con
sistent member of the Presbyterian Church,
he has never found the time or requisite
opportunity for engaging in either politics or
religious work to any great extent. He is a
whole-souled, genial fellow, and has any num
ber of warm friends, who unite in wishing
him the best of success through life.
On November 16, 1893, in New York City,
he was united in marriage with Miss Jennie
E. Wilkinson, a young lady of intelligence
and varied accomplishments, who grew to
maidenhood and was educated in the place of
her birth, Middletown, N. Y. They have
one child, Kenneth E. The publishers of
this work present Mr. Knickerbocker's por
trait on a preceding page, in connection with
this sketch of his life.

JB

R. LEWIS E. DIXSON, a disciple
of ^Esculapius, within the length
of time during which he has fol
lowed his chosen profession among the
people ot Chenango County, especially of
New Berlin township and its vicinity, has
made for himself a place and won a standing
that may well be envied. Belonging to a
class of men whose duties compel them to be
not only healers, but also counsellers and ad
visers as well in matters of the most delicate
nature, he has done well by his large clientele.
That his name is respected and his individu

ality esteemed is but a well-earned reward
for his faithful efforts. Dr. Dixson is a son of
Samuel R. and Ruth L. ( Kinney ) Dixson,
and was born in the town of Butternuts,
Otsego County, N. Y., April 29, 1861.
Robert Dixson, grandfather of our subject,
was a native of Stetsonville, Otsego County,
and a manufacturer of hats. He was twice
married ; to his first wife, Miss Clinton, six
children were born —three sons and three
daughters. He was again married, and was
the father of three children — one son and two
daughters. He died in 1850 at the age of
fifty-four years.
Samuel R. Dixson was born in New Lisbon,
Otsego County, N. Y., in 1827, and died Sep
tember 20, 1894, in the town of Butternuts.
He received a good education in the common
schools of his native town and then took a
course in the academy at Gilbertsville ; he
also had a private teacher for some time.
Upon leaving school he taught for several
years and then iollowed the pursuits of an
agriculturist. Having been more than or
dinarily successful, and a man whose charac
ter was above reproach, his name was a
familiar one throughout the county of his
residence. He was an earnest and sincere
Christian, and an active member of the Epis
copal Church, with which organization he
was identified for many years. To this
society his death was an almost irreparable
loss, for he was looked upon in confidence as
a wise counseller and interested friend. Fie
was a strong Republican, and for eighteen
consecutive years was elected commissioner
of highways in the town of Morris. He was
united in marriage with Ruth L. Kinney, and

CHENANGO COUNTY

4i3

they reared a family of five sons and three
daughters, namely : Blanche, wife of George
Harris of Otego ; Eugene, who resides at
Oneonta, N. Y.; Lydia, deceased ; Dr. Lewis
E., whose name heads these lines ; John,
deceased ; Samuel, a prominent cheese man
ufacturer of South New Berlin ; Elva, de
ceased ; and James, also deceased.
Dr. Lewis E. Dixson attended the high
school at Morris, where he laid the solid
foundations of his education. Next he took
up the study of medicine under the precep
torship of Dr. W. W. Hall of Morris. In
1887 he entered the Medical Department of
the University of Buffalo, N. Y., and was
graduated from that institution in 1890. He
then returned to Morris and spent some time
in practicing his chosen profession. Later
he moved to South New Berlin, where he has
since resided. Dr. Dixson is essentially a
broad man. While a thorough student and
an up-to-date practitioner, he finds ample
time to handle a large practice and to look
after many other interests in a satisfactory
manner. His profession has yielded him
good returns, and he is considered one of the
solid men of his section. He has also taken
a special course in urinalysis, and has re
ceived a special diploma in that work.
On October 21, 1891, Dr. Dixson was united
in marriage with Fanny Arnold, who died
five months after marriage with consumption.
For his second wife he chose Jennie Thomp
son of Morris, Otsego County, N. Y., and
they have one child, Ruth L., born August
25, 1894. Dr. Dixson is a gentleman who
fully appreciates the duties of his profession,
and at the same time does not forget the

claim which the public has upon him as a cit
izen. He is a firm advocate of the best
educational facilities. In politics, he is a
Republican of the strongest convictions.
Active in thought and movement, possessed
of keen foresight, and endowed with excep
tional executive abilities, the Doctor is, apart
from his calling, a man of influence and force.
He is a member of the Winnebago Tribe,
No. 362, I. O. R. M. In religious views he is
a member of the Episcopal Church. As a
physician, Dr. Dixson is on all sides trusted
as well as loved. Well read in all that per
tains to the well being of the human body,
keen and correct in his diagnosis, cool and
collected under the strain of a severe surgical
operation, it is no mistake to aver that he is
an instance of the right man in the right
place. The severest test to which one can
subject a man's personality is to lay it open
to the criticism of those who have seen him
grow from childhood to manhood, and in
manhood expand his career year by year.
This test Dr. Dixson stands exceedingly well,
for no more popular, well esteemed, or re
spected gentleman than he has ever grown
up among the sturdy sons of Chenango
County.

JB

R. LEROY J. BROOKS, the lead
ing and most popular physician of
the town of Norwich, can look
back with pride on a quarter of a century's
successful practice in the vicinity of his pres
ent residence and throughout the county.
He was born in Norwich, August 2, 1850,

414

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

and is a son of Edwin and Helen ( Keyes )
Brooks. His grandfather Brooks was born in Pitts
field, Mass., and from there moved to Nor
wich, where he was engaged in mercantile
business a number of years. The Baptist
Church numbered him among its most active
and consistent members. He married Laura
Bissel, and reared a family of eight children,
that consisted of four boys and four girls.
Edwin Brooks, the father of the Doctor,
was born in Otsego County, N. Y., March
1 8, 1827, and was united in marriage with
Helen Keyes, May 13, 1846. He became a
resident of Norwich, and there followed
mercantile lines of business, achieving sue
cess and accumulating considerable property.
His death occurred May 2, 1884. He was a
Republican in politics, and a leading mem
ber of the Baptist Church. His children
numbered seven, as follows: Edwin, de
ceased ; Dr. Leroy J. ; Nelson ; Howard ;
Clara, who married O. Cobb ; Emma, de
ceased ; and Hattie, who was the wife of
Dr. H. B. Love, now deceased.
Dr. Brooks attended the common schools
of the neighborhood in his youth, and from
them advanced to Norwich Academy, from
which school he graduated in 1866. He then
entered upon his professional education,
having had the idea of making himself a
physician for many years previous. In 1872
he graduated from the Bellevue Hospital
Medical College, and then, to obtain the
necessary practice, he became one of the
attendant doctors in the Bellevue Hospital,
and remained on the staff two years, until
1874, when, with a splendid equipment for

his profession, he returned to his native
place, Norwich, and entered upon what has
been a very successful practice. His services
are much sought after in Norwich and the
contiguous territory, and such are the de
mands made upon him, that he has little time
he can really call his own, for his duties keep
him busy continually, from early in the
morning until 10 or 11 o'clock at night. To
those who are in need of his services, he is a
true friend and counseller, as well as adviser
in matters relating solely to the health and
well-being of their bodies. He is most
popular and highly regarded among his fel
low practitioners, and is often called in con
sultation in critical cases of doubtful nature.
In every way in his power he does his best
to inculcate the laws of hygiene and the
principles of a higher morality, believing
that the medical profession should not be
selfish in its work, but should undertake to
make the world better. His practice has
netted him handsome returns, that he has
laid by to educate his children, and provide
for his declining years.
Dr. Brooks was fortunate in his choice
of Miss Delia P. Wescott for a life com
panion, for no truer or more devoted help
meet could be found. They were united in
the bonds of marriage March 25, 1875. Mrs.
Brooks is a daughter of Paul Wescott. Three
children are the fruits of this union : Paul
Bellows ; Keith Leroy ; and Pauline Brown
ing. The family attends the Baptist Church
of Norwich, of which Dr. and Mrs. Brooks
are active members. Dr. Brooks is a Re
publican in his politics, and was at one time
a member of the excise commission. He is

J. A. SANDERS.

CHENANGO COUNTY

4i7

a member of the following medical societies:
New York State Medical Association ; Belle
vue Hospital Alumni Association ; Central
New York Medical Society ; Chenango
County Medical Society ; and the American
Climatological Association.

A. SANDERS, who is living in the
village of Afton, is a son of Harry
and Ruth (Allen) Sanders, and was
born in Unadilla, Otsego County,, N. Y.,
March 1, 1848. The father of our subject
died when our subject was but three years of
age, and his mother passed from this life one
year later. He had two sisters, Julia and
Adaline, and they were reared by their uncle,
John Allen, a direct descendant of Ethan
Allen, and who was a farmer in the State of
Wisconsin. Julia, the eldest, became the wife
of George W. Leopard, and they make their
home in Shreveport, La. Adaline, deceased.
was the wife of Edward Colton.
Our subject was reared by his uncle,
William Hinman of Coventry, this county,
but later a resident of Susquehanna, Pa.
Our subject returned with his uncle to Cov
entry at the age of ten years, and worked for
different farmers during the summer months,
and during the winters attended school ; his
industry and perseverance supplied what at
this later day the youth of America now
seemingly acquire without a struggle. In
1872 he rented a farm and carried on farm
ing for one year, and for five succeeding
years he hired out to the surrounding farm
ers. In 1878 he went west to seek a fortune

and first located in San Antonio, Texas,
where he managed a ranch of 8,000 acres
for two years. He also raised cattle for him
self, and was very successful. He then went
to Russell, Kansas, remaining there through
the winter, prospecting and speculating in
lands and live stock. In the spring of 1881
he purchased a team, and with his wife he
set his face westward for the land on the ex
treme western shore. Their outfit consisted
of a span of horses and wagon, and they
camped and cooked by the wayside ; after
traveling four months they reached Dayton,
Washington. He soon found a position with
the Oregon Improvement Company, and
after one year he was appointed superinten
dent and sent to Endicott, the same state. In
1884 he was employed a short time as clerk
in a store, and later he purchased a hotel,
which he conducted until 1887, when he
again clerked in a store. In the spring of
1888 he moved to Puget Sound, prospecting
for about four months, and then moved to
Tekoa, where he built a hotel, which he con
ducted until 1889. In 1890 he bought a half
interest in a hardware store, which he con
tinued to operate until 1894, when he re
turned to his native state and settled in
Afton, Chenango County. He purchased
one of the most beautiful farms in the state,
which is situated on a high bluff, command
ing magnificent views of the Susquehanna
River and the beautiful scenery in the sur
rounding country. He also owns a farm of
160 acres in Tekoa, Wash., which he rents.
Our subject has been twice married. His
first wife, Mary Parker of Coventry town
ship, bore him two children, both of whom

4i8

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

died in infancy. Mr. Sanders was again
married in 1894, to Miss Belle C. Dorwin
of Afton. Our subject has always been a
stanch Republican, and has filled town offices
where he has lived. He served as commis
sioner of Tekoa for six years. He is now a
member of the board of trustees of Afton vil
lage. Religiously, he is one of the leading
and prominent members of the Presbyterian
Church, of which he is a trustee. Socially,
Mr. Sanders is a member of the Tekoa
Lodge, No. 78, I. O. O. F., and a member of
the Tekoa Lodge, No. 52, K. of P. The
progress which our subject has made from
poverty to comparative affluence marks him
as a man of no ordinary ability. Beginning
with empty pockets, but with willing hands
and a strong will, he is now in the enjoyment
of a well-earned competency. His business
qualities, no less than his fidelity to all his
obligations in life, have contributed to give
him a wide influence in the community in
which he lives. His portrait appears on
another page in proximity to this.

rp-)i"ARRY TEW, a prominent painter,
P^H and manager of the Citizens' Opera
House of Oxford, was born in
Buckingham, England, March 12, 1850. He
is a son of William and Sarah (Churchill)
Tew, the former a native of Buckingham and
the latter of Deddington, Oxford County,
England. William Tew, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was a native of England and a farmer
by vocation. He followed his chosen occupa

tion all his life and was very successful. He
was the father of thirteen children, of whom
the father of our subject was the third son.
In religious belief he was an Episcopalian.
William Tew received his education in the
common schools of England, and then learned
the trade of a shoemaker, which he followed
for a number of years. In 1873 he emigrated
to the United States and settled in Farming-
ton, Connecticut. He purchased the farm
he still owns, and carried on general farming,
in which he has been prospered. In politics,
he is a stanch Republican. He was united
in marriage with Sarah Churchill, and they
reared the following children : Harry; Carrie
M.; Elizabeth ; and Jane. Mrs. Tew passed
from this life at an advanced age ; Mr. Tew
has passed his seventy-sixth year, and is re
markably hale and hearty.
Harry Tew received his education in the
schools of Buckingham, England, and then
followed shoemaking for a short time in his
father's shop. For three years he followed
the trade of a painter, and then, in 1868, he
came to the United States, and located at
Oxford, N. Y. In 1870, he opened up a
paint shop, in which he employed several
men, doing an extensive business. He took
in William Taft as a partner, and for several
years they carried on the business under the
name of Tew & Taft. Later they dissolved
partnership, and Mr. Tew conducted the
business alone. In 1891, he took charge of
the Citizens' Opera House, and also has
charge of the new Bank Building, and was
janitor of the old Oxford Academy for nine
years. Mr. Tew is an avowed Republican.
In 1873, our subject married Sarah Tew,

CHENANGO COUNTY

419

daughter of James Tew. Although they are
of the same name, they are not related.
They are the parents of three children :
Clara M., a graduate of Oxford Academy ;
Herbert C, a tinner and plumber, living at
home; and Gertrude E. Mr. Tew is a member
of the following lodges : Oxford Lodge, No.
175, F. & A. M.; Oxford Chapter, No. 254;
Malta Commandery of Binghamton, No. 21 ;
and the A. O. U. W. In religious views, Mr.
and Mrs. Tew are members of the Episco
palian Church. Mr. Tew's first wife passed
from this life in 1880. He chose for his
second wife Susan Chappell of Oxford.

B

E WITT FREDENBERG, a pros
perous and enterprising merchant
of Beaver Meadows, town of Ot
selic, was born January 5, 1835, in the town
of Root, Montgomery County, N. Y. He
is a son of Abram F. and Rosanna (Cole-
paugh) Fredenberg. The Fredenberg ances
try originally came from Holland, while that
of the Colepaughs came from Germany,
thus two branches of the sturdy Teutonic
race are united in the Fredenberg family.
Abram F. Fredenberg was a native of
Schoharie County, N. Y., where he passed his
early days. When a young man he moved
to Montgomery County, where he remained
until 1839, when he moved to Plymouth,
Chenango County, N. Y. His occupation
was that of a laborer, which he followed all
his life. He was joined in Hymen's bonds
with Miss Rosanna Colepaugh, who was
reared in the vicinity of Poughkeepsie, N. Y.

Mr. and Mrs. Fredenberg both reached the
age of seventy-two before passing to their
eternal rest. They were the parents of the
following children : Serena, deceased, was
the wife of John W. Bennett, of Montgom
ery County, N. Y. ; Walter, deceased, was
a resident of Monroe County, N. Y. ;
George, deceased, was a stone mason, of
Wayne County, N. Y.; Elizabeth and her
husband, Cyrus Bennett, make their home at
Binghamton, N. Y.; William, deceased, was
a farmer of Plymouth ; Eli, deceased, was a
stone mason of Howard, Mich.; De Witt,
who died in infancy ; De Witt, our subject ;
and Mahala, who was married to Bennett
Simons of Smyrna, this county, and is now
deceased. De Witt Fredenberg received his educa
tion in the district schools, after which he
engaged in farming. He followed agricul
tural pursuits until he was about twenty-four
years of age, when he went to Erie County,
Pa., where he sold and repaired saws of all
kinds as a means of earning a livelihood.
He remained there for six years, and in 1868
came to Beaver Meadows, town of Otselic,
where he again engaged in the saw business.
In 1887 he embarked in commercial pursuits;
he conducts a general store and carries a full
line of groceries, dry goods, ready-made
clothing, hardware and crockery. He han
dles the very best of goods and the stock in
voices at $1,000.00. He has made a reputa
tion for himself as an honest and straightfor
ward business man, treating all alike, and he
now enjoys a large trade, which yields him
the comfortable income of $6,000.00 per
year.

420

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Mr. Fredenberg's first wife was Miss Fan
nie Robbins of Plymouth, by whom he had
four children, whose names are as follows:
Alice May, who died in childhood ; Seldon,
who also died in childhood ; Lillian, who
died in infancy ; also an adopted daughter,
Ellen, who died at the age of fourteen. On
October 22, 1886, he married Mrs. Eliza A.
(Ray) Tallett, a sister of Congressman Ray of
Norwich, and the widow of the late Daniel
Tallett. Daniel Tallett was born in the town
of Otselic, Chenango County, N. Y. He
was a son of Henry and Glysara (Church)
Tallett. He followed farming as an occupa
tion, and was very successful. April 2, 1867,
he was united in marriage with Miss Eliza
A. Ray, and they became the parents of one
child, Charles H., who is a farmer and paint
er of the town of Otselic. He died March
8, 1884, at Otselic. Mrs. Fredenberg is a
woman of more than ordinary business abil
ity, and has held public office ; June 25, 1889,
she was appointed postmaster of Beaver
Meadowrs, and filled the office with credit.
She is a faithful member of the Baptist
Church. Mr. Fredenberg sides with the
Prohibitionists politically, and believes that
liquor is the curse of our country ; he was
formerly a Republican, and for four years
was a justice of the peace.

(WTo

, EORGE C. ROBERTS is one of the
VcJ_ proprietors of the Chenango Ameri
can at Greene, N. Y. The Chenango Ameri
can is Republican in its politics, and is able
and earnest in its advocacy of Republican

principles. At the head of this paper are
men, who are giving their entire time toward
building up the enterprise, increasing the
journal's influence and circulation, and mak
ing it popular and a necessity with the people.
If talent, indomitable energy and persever
ance will win, and they generally do, there
will be no occasion to write the obituary of
the Chenango American.
The subject of this notice is a son of Dr.
George W. Roberts, who was born in Meri-
den, Conn. His father was an old English
sea captain- and was born in England. Dr.
Roberts, being a poor boy, was bound out to
a farmer, in whose service he spent his early
days. After attaining his majority, being
desirous of taking up a profession, he accord
ingly took a course of study, fitting himself
for a dentist. He followed that profession
for a few years ; owing to his ill health, how
ever, he abandoned it and took up the pro
fession of medicine. He studied with Dr.
Hoffendale of Albany, and later graduated
from the medical college of Castleton, Ver
mont. Dr. Roberts had a sister who lived in
Greene, N. Y., and thinking a visit in the
country would do him good, he came to
Greene and resided for a few years. Soon
after reaching here, he was called upon to
attend cases, and his success in the first few
created a demand for his services, and he soon
acquired a large practice, compelling him to
make long drives through the country. He
followed his chosen occupation for thirty
years and finally dropped dead by the bedside
of one of his patients in 1870, at the age of fifty-
nine years. Very little need be said by us in
regard to the character and capabilities of Dr.

CHENANGO COUNTY

421

Roberts ; the record speaks for itself. It will
at once be seen that he was a citizen of im
portance and a valued physician and surgeon,
and as such contributed his quota to advance
the interests of his community and county.
He married Deborah Graves of Athens, N. Y.,
and they reared eight children, namely :
George G; Dr. Charles G.; Deborah ; Mary,
deceased ; Dr. A. C. R. Stevens ; Hannah,
deceased ; Dr. Joel L.; and Dr. Frank P.
Mrs. Roberts died at the age ot seventy-four
years. George C. Roberts was born in the city of
Troy, N. Y., February 2, 1834. His father
came to Greene when our subject was but
six years of age, and in that town George C.
received his primary education. He then
took an advanced course in Oxford Academy,
and upon leaving school went to California,
where he remained for six years. Returning
to Greene in 1857, be began to work in the
office of the Chenango American, and a few
years later he purchased a half interest in the
same, which business has interested him ever
since. When rumors of war began to be
heard in the land, and the Rebellion had
assumed alarming proportions, Mr. Roberts,
laying aside his personal interests and the
demands of business, determined to go to the
rescue of the Union. He accordingly served
on the United States Steamer Maumee.
December 12, 1864, he was united in mar
riage with Helen J. Gray, and they are the
parents of three children, whose names are
as follows : George B.; Wilkie C; and
Mabel L. (Cooley). In politics, Mr. Roberts
is an uncompromising Republican, and holds
to the principles of his party with the stead

fastness that characterizes all the other actions
of his life. He is decided in his opinions and
fearless in the maintenance of them. Our
subject has thoroughly learned the news
paper business and understands how to con
duct a journal. The reading matter of the
Chenango American is well selected, its
editorials good, and its locals crisp, fresh,
and entertaining.

QYDDISO] J=4 ceased
/^\_. citi2

ISON DUDLEY ADAMS, de
ceased, was one of the enterprising
citizens and proprietor of one of
the leading dry goods and drug stores in the
village of Greene, and was born in Durham,
Greene County, N. Y., being a son of Piatt
and Clarrissa (Dudley) Adams.
The Adams family is of Scotch descent,
and is known to have come to this country
in the latter part of the Eighteenth Century,
about 1775. Piatt Adams, the father of our
subject, was admitted to the bar, but dislik
ing the profession he turned his attentions
toward mercantile pursuits. Later he be
came a banker, and when the 1812 War broke
out he formed a small company in his native
village, and was commissioned a colonel. In
1839 ne moved to New York City, where he
engaged in the publishing of bank books and
supplies. Later he became a broker on Wall
Street, in which he was very successful. He
chose for his companion Miss Clarrissa Dud
ley of Lisle, N. Y., and they reared the fol
lowing children : Addison Dudley, the sub
ject of this personal history ; Grosvenor ;
Frances ; and Emily C. Grosvenor Adams

422

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

was united in marriage with Nancy Cone, a
native of Connecticut, and they were the
parents of four children, namely : Barclay ;
Grosvenor ; Sarah ; and Annie. Frances
Adams was united in marriage with Ebenezer
Jennings, and one child blessed their home,
Emily.' Emily C. Adams was the wife of
Dudley Kavanagh of New York City. Mr.
Adams was a devoted member of the Pres
byterian Church. He passed from this life
May 14, 1887.
Addison Dudley Adams received his ele
mentary education in the public schools of
his native town, and after attaining a fair
education he left school and moved to the
village of Oxford, this county, and engaged
in mercantile business. In 1839 he moved
to the village of Greene, where he conducted
a dry goods store. As the business increased
he added a complete line of drugs, and
through his popularity and the manner in
which he treats his customers, he soon built
up an an enviable trade.
Addison Dudley Adams formed a matri
monial alliance with Mary Perry, daughter of
John and Mary (Welch) Perry of Oxford,
this county. Mr. and Mrs. Perry are both
natives of New London, Conn., and they
reared a family of six children, who were as
follows: Piatt, who married Claire Varlet
of Paris, France ; John P married Calista
Weaver of Syracuse, N. Y., and they are the
parents of two children, Edwin P. and
Mabel; William A., deceased, was married
to Mary Rule, and they had three children,
Piatt, William A., and Benjamin W.; Reuben
A., deceased; Augustus Willard; and Emily,
the wife of Romeo M. Wilbur of New York

City, now a resident of Chicago, 111. Mr.
Adams was a Democrat in politics, and
always voted with his party when opportun
ities presented themselves. He held the
position of supervisor for several terms.
Socially, he was a member of the Eastern
Star Lodge, No. 126, F. & A. M. Relig
iously, Mr. and Mrs. Adams were both popu
lar and devoted members of the Episcopal
Church. Mr. Adams crossed the river and
rejoined those beyond in 1878. His death
was mourned by many friends and the best
citizens of Greene, for he had firmly estab
lished himself in their regard as a man of
strict integrity, and disposed to many kind
actions. Mrs. Adams is still residing in the
village of Greene, and has excellent reason
to be proud of her family, to whom she has
been one of the kindest and most faithful
mothers. By the loveliness of her life and
her strict devotion to duty, she has won the
esteem and confidence of all who know her.

HENRY BROWN, the owner and
proprietor of the South Otselic Mills,
is a son of James and Louisa (Duncan)
Brown, and grandson of Edmund Brown,
who was one of the earliest residents of
South Otselic, and a farmer by occupation.
Edmund Brown was the father of a large
family, as follows: Edward; Daniel; Ma-
ribah ; Eliza; Lyman ; and James, the father
of our subject. Mrs. Brown died about
1830, and a few years after her death Mr.
Brown married a Miss Waite, from which

DR. LEONARD M. JOHNSON.

CHENANGO COUNTY

425

union there resulted three children — Morris,
Mary, and Lucius.
James Brown was born and reared in the
town of Otselic, where he tilled the soil
during his early days; he gave up farming
in 1857, and moved to the village of South
Otselic, where he operated the South Otselic
Grist and Flour Mill. The mill was built
and originally owned by his two brothers,
Edmund and Daniel, from whom he bought
it. For thirty-five years, he conducted this
business, and by successful management kept
it on a good paying basis. He was a public-
spirited man, and for a number of years
held the office of justice of the peace, which
he filled creditably ; he held the respect and
confidence of his fellow-citizens, and was
appointed administrator of many estates in
the neighborhood, which he always settled
satisfactorily. He was originally a Whig,
but later he became a Republican. Relig
iously, he was an earnest member of the
Baptist Church. Socially, he was a Mason
and a Knight Templar. Mr. Brown's first
wife was Miss Louisa Duncan, and their
only child was J. Henry Brow-n, our subject.
His second wife was Miss Harriet Sabin.
He departed this world, in 1892, after a long
and useful life.
J. Henry Brown was born at South
Otselic, Chenango County, N. Y., September
28, 1857. He received his education in the
district schools of his native town ; his first
work was in his father's mill while yet a boy,
and there he worked until after his marriage.
He then moved to Lincklaen, where he
engaged in agricultural pursuits for eight
years ; he also hauled freight from George

town Station to South Otselic, during two
years of this time. He hauled freight until
1892, when his father having gone to his long
home, he in connection with S. Johnson
rented the mill; at the expiration of three
years, he became the sole owner. He manu
factures flour of a superior grade, also feed,
meal, etc.; there is a large demand for his
roller buckwheat flour, which is known to be
of excellent quality. He also has a large
retail as well as wholesale trade. The mill
contains machinery that has the latest im
provements, and enables him to put the very
best article on the market. The mill con
tains two sets of burrs, having a capacity of
20 bushels per hour, and is run by water
power. Mr. Brown was joined in marriage with
Ida E. Sanford, a daughter of the late
Robert Sanford of Texas Valley, Cortland
County, N. Y.; they became the proud
parents of four children, of whom two are now
living. The record is as follows: James Leo,
a lad of fourteen years, who weighs 200 lbs.;
Henry Lloyd ; a son, who died in infancy; and
Orlo, who also died in infancy. In political
belief, the subject of this notice is a Republi
can. He has lived a useful and upright life,
and he and his wife have always been
respected by their fellow-citizens.

R. LEONARD M. JOHNSON,
whose portrait appears on the op
posite page, one of the leading
physicians and surgeons of Greene, and a
veteran of the Civil War, was born in the

B

426

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

village of Le Raysville, Pa., January 24,
1830. Rev. Leonard Johnson, the father of our
subject, was born and reared in the State of
Vermont, and gained some renown as a min
ister of the Congregational Church. After
receiving a good preparatory education in
the common schools, he attended the Theo
logical Seminary at Andover, Mass. His
ministerial career then began, and the re
mainder of his life was devoted to preaching
the Gospel, and winning souls to the Stand
ard of the Cross. Most of his charges were
in the State of New York, but wherever he
went he made many friends by his true
Christian bearing and his kindly demeanor.
His useful life came to an end in 1858, at
Triangle, Broome County, N. Y. He was
joined in the holy bonds of wedlock with
Miss Harriet N. Hatch, a native of Vermont,
and they reared the following children :
ITarriet N., who married Theodore Rogers,
now of Binghamton, N. Y.; Leonard M.,
whose name appears at the head of this bi
ography ; Urial C, deceased ; Charles, de
ceased ; George; Joseph M.; John H.; Wil
liam E., deceased ; and H. Norton, deceased.
Mrs. Johnson survived her husband many
years, and died at the age of eighty-three.
Leonard M. Johnson received the benefits
of a good school and college education. After
taking the required course in the common
schools of Manchester, Vt., he attended the
Delaware Literary Institute of Franklin, N.Y.,
and later was a student in Binghamton Acad
emy. He then took, a course in Hamilton
College, after which he went south to teach
school. He located in Virginia, where he

acted as private tutor for two years, and
then decided to take up the study of medi
cine. He returned to New York State, and
began to study with Dr. Daniels of Union,
N. Y., and graduated from the Albany Medi
cal College with the class of 1855. During
his study with that experienced doctor, he
had every opportunity to become thoroughly
acquainted with the intricacies of his profes
sion, and he soon became qualified to handle
the most complicated cases. His first field
of practice was in New Ohio, and after a
period of one year he went to Berkshire, N.
Y., where he gained quite a successful prac
tice. Thinking the West offered better op
portunities for enterprising young men, he
moved to Brownville, Neb. He had been
there about two years when the Civil War
broke out, and he gave up a lucrative prac
tice and returned to New York, where he
enlisted as assistant surgeon in the 3d Reg.
N. Y. Vol. Inf. He was soon promoted to
the position of surgeon, and his services in
caring for the wounded were invaluable. He
served through the war and gained a great
reputation as a skillful performer with the
knife. After the war had closed he moved
to Greene, where he has since practiced and
become one of the leading physicians of the
community. He has made many friends
since his residence here, and they all bear
testimony to his worth and influence in the
community. In 1858, Dr. Johnson was united in mar
riage with Miss Adelaide A. Keeler of Union,
N. Y., and they are the parents of three chil
dren, whose names are as follows : Stella T.;
Harriet N., who married Norris Packard ;

CHENANGO COUNTY

427

and Tracy K. Socially, our subject is a
member of the Eastern Light Lodge, No.
126, F. & A. M., of Greene. He belongs to
the J. G. Banks Post, No. 137, G. A. R. He
is also a member of the Chenango County
Medical Association, and the New York
State Medical Association. In politics he is
an unswerving Republican.

LMER H. PHELPS of New Berlin
is proprietor of the principal dry
goods store in the village, which
is also one of the best in the county. He is
a son of Henry and Thankful (Harrington)
Phelps, and was born in South Edmeston,
Otsego County, N. Y., September 26, 1845.
Travis Phelps, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was a farmer by occupation, and spent
most of his life in South Edmeston. He was
one of the good substantial citizens of the
town, and was well known all over Otsego
County. Henry Phelps was born in 1816, in the
town of Edmeston, and resided there until
1865, when he moved to New Berlin, Che
nango County. His trade was that of a
wagon maker, and was his main occupation,
but he also followed farming during the
summer months. In 1887, he moved to
Middleport, Niagara County, N. Y., where
he now resides. In 1890, after many years
spent in toil, Mr. Phelps retired from active
business, and is spending the sunset of life in
quiet and peace on his farm. His companion
in life was Thankful Harrington, and two
children blessed their union, namely : Aimer
H., whose name heads these lines; and
20*

Alice, who is living with her father at Mid
dleport. Aimer H. Phelps, after completing the
required course in the public schools entered
the New Berlin Academy. He left school
at the age of nineteen, and as a means of
earning a livelihood he engaged as clerk in
the dry goods store of Morgan & Hawkins.
Later the firm became Morgan & Finch, and
he remained in their employ until 1870, when
he was taken into the firm. The firm name
then became Morgan, Finch & Phelps, and
they conducted their business on North
Main Street. As Mr. Phelps was a man who
paid strict attention to business during his
clerkship, and during those years spent in
partnership with Messers. Morgan and Finch,
he acquired considerable experience, and was
well qualified to take the next step up in the
ladder of life. He purchased his partners'
interests in the store and has since conducted
it alone, and under his capable management
the business has flourished and become one
of the largest, in its line, in Chenango
County. He carries a complete and excel
lent line of dry goods, carpets, clothing, and
ladies' and misses' shoes. His store is neat,
clean, and tidy, and carefully systematized,
making it an actual .pleasure as well as a
duty for the residents of New Berlin to
trade there. He is enterprising and en
ergetic and conducts business on recognized
principles. In 1884, the store on North
Main Street was burned down, and three
years later he built a fine building on South
Main Street, where he has since conducted
his business. It is a large three story build
ing, wdth a 24 ft. front and a depth of 85 ft.

428

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

In 1871, Mr. Phelps formed a matrimonial
alliance with Miss Nettie Ward, a native of
New Berlin. His second union was with
Susan E. Harvey of New Berlin, and
occurred in 1891. Religiously, he is a mem
ber of the Episcopal Church of New Berlin,
and has contributed largely to the support of
that organization.

"ENRY STERNBERG, who was one
of the leading and substantial farm
ers of Smyrna, now living in re
tirement in Norwich village, was born in the
town of Lebanon, Madison County, April 17,
1838. He is a son of Adam and Susan
( Neville ) Sternberg.
Adam Sternberg was born near Oneida
Community, Oneida County, N. Y. In 1837
he came to Smyrna and bought a farm in the
western part of the town, commonly known
as Beaver Meadows, which was partly im
proved. After making extensive alterations,
he sold this farm and bought what is now
known as the Charles Brown farm. He was
a successful man, and by thrift and economy
became a prosperous farmer. From there he
moved to Plymouth, where he purchased a
small home and led the life of a retired citi
zen. He married Miss Susan Neville, and
reared a large and intelligent family, whose
members were named : Sarah ; Elizabeth ;
Henry, our subject ; Mary ; John W., who
died aged eight years; and Helen. The
children now living are all well-to-do, and are
among the most respected citizens in their
various localities. Mr. Sternberg died aged

sixty-seven years. Mrs. Sternberg passed
from this life at the age of sixty-eight years.
Henry Sternberg, our subject, upon leav
ing home, purchased the farm now owned by
P. D. Nearing, and after living there a few
years, he sold the property, and rented a
farm in the town of Sherburne, near East
Earlville. He remained there for ten years,
when he rented the William Saxton farm,
where he remained for the next four years.
Upon leaving this property he bought the
present farm of P. D. Nearing, consisting of
146 acres, on which he built the finest set of
buildings in the town, and as good as there is
in the county. This farm is a part of the
old Isaac Foote tract, located in the valley
near Smyrna village, and is considered very
historical, as Isaac Foote was one of the first
settlers in the county, and the old orchard
owes its origin to his labors. Mr. Sternberg
not only proved himself a successful man, but
also a model farmer. On account of failing
health Mr. Sternberg moved to Norwich,
where he is pleasantly located at No. 47
Cortland Street. Perhaps there was no
other man in the county who kept his barns
and barn-yard in such a state of cleanliness as
Mr. Sternberg. His farm was stocked with
eighteen head of fine grade Holstein milch
COW'S. Mr. Sternberg married Abbie Brown,
daughter of Pardon Brown, a prominent and
well-to do farmer of Plymouth. Two chil
dren have been reared by our subject and
wife : Starr P., now living in Smyrna ; and
Earl W., of the firm of Ferris, Sternberg &
Co., general merchants of Smyrna, who has
won many friends by his strict integrity.

CHENANGO COUNTY

429

Mr. Sternberg, politically, is a Democrat, and
is an active supporter of the party. He is a
man who tends strictly to business, and pre
fers private life to public distinction.

7^\ HESTER W. CORBIN. Among the
I \r representative and influential farmers
V»i£_^- of Central New York, who have
contributed largely to the position that Che
nango County has attained among the coun
ties of the Empire State, is the above named
gentleman, who was born on the old home
stead in Afton village, December 31, 1842,
and is a son of William W. and Eunice Ann
(White) Corbin, and grandson of Sylvester
Corbin. Sylvester Corbin first saw the light of day
in the State of Vermont, June 17, 1771, and
closed his eyes and entered the world of rest
in the village of North Norwich, July 12,
1836. He operated a saw mill, and farmed to
considerable extent, and was the owner of a
tract of land almost a mile square. This
first purchase was located in the village of
Bainbridge, and he soon gained the reputa
tion of being one of the most progressive and
enterprising farmers in that section of the
county. In politics, he was a leader of the
Democratic party in his community, and for
years he served as a justice of the peace and
township supervisor. He was united in wed
lock, May 2, 1796, with Eunice White, and
they reared the following children, namely :
Ezra, born February 20, 1797; Richmond,
born July 18, 1798; Patience, born January
28, 1801 ; William W., born February 23,

1803, the father of our subject ; and Squire
W , born April 24, 1806. Upon the death of
his first wife, Sylvester Corbin married Nancy
Hunt, August 24, 1833.
William W. Corbin, the father of our sub
ject, was born on the old homestead, and
when he attained his majority he engaged in
the lumber business, which was his chief oc
cupation throughout his active life. He
purchased large tracts of timber lands, and
after clearing the farm he would sell the
property at a good price, and would float the
lumber down the Delaware River to Phila
delphia, where there was always a good
market. He was the most progressive lum
berman in Chenango County and kept two
saw mills constantly at work, one of which
was located at North Norwich, while the
other one was on the old homestead. He
was extensively engaged in farming, and also
dealt in sheep and wool. Politically, he was
a Democrat, but when the platform of that
party no longer coincided with his views, he
joined the ranks of the Republican party, and
remained identified with that organization
the rest of his life. He was by no means an
office seeker, but owing to his popularity he
was forced to serve as assessor, and was re
elected for eight or ten succeeding terms.
Mr. Corbin was an active and consistent
worker of the Universalist Church, with
which he and his family held membership.
Mr. Corbin entered the world of rest, May
24, 1875. He was joined in wedlock with
Eunice Ann White, and their home was
blessed by the following children : Francis G.,
born March 24, 1832, and died in his infancy;
Devillo, a prominent farmer of Bainbridge

43°

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

township ; William H., born December 16,
1839, and died young; Chester W., the sub
ject of this personal history ; Frank Jerome,
born April 8, .1849, and died October 27,
1876; and George A., born March 9, 1852,
and died August 3, 1875. Mrs. Corbin was
a daughter of Dr. Asa White, a successful
physician of Chenango County, and a resi
dent of Sherburne for many years. Dr.
White left his home in Sherburne and started
west on a prospecting tour ; while traveling
in Missouri, he was caught in a blinding snow
storm, became bewildered and lost his way,
and so was frozen to death.
Our subject received his intellectual train
ing in the common schools, and then engaged
in farm work on the old homestead, and is one
of the wide-awake farmers in his community.
When President Lincoln issued a call for
troops to put down the Rebellion, our subject
laid aside all plans for the future and enlisted
in the Army, August 9, 1863, in Co. H., 1 14th
Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf., and served six months,
when he was taken sick with typhoid fever
and was compelled to return home.
Mr. Corbin was united in the bonds of
matrimony, October 13, 1869, with- Gertrude
M. Humphrey, daughter of Dr. W. T. Hum
phrey of Osceola. Dr. W. T. Humphrey was
born December 22, 1824, was educated in his
native village, and then engaged in teaching
school for some time, and after deciding
upon a profession, entered the Albany Medi
cal School, from which institution of merit
he was graduated in 1848. Soon after his
marriage to Mary P. Kelsey of Bainbridge,
he moved to Addison, and one year later
took up his residence in Elkland, where he re

mained eight years, practicing his chosen
profession, and succeeding in building up a
large and successful practice. He left there
in April, 1857, and located in Osceola, Tioga
County, Pa. When the Civil War broke out
he enlisted, and was assistant surgeon of the
13th Reg. Pa. Vol. Inf., which regiment was
known as the " Flint Rifles" and the " Buck-
tails ;" later he was a member of the 42nd Reg.
Pa. Vol. Inf., and on September 12, 1862, was
transferred to the 149th Reg. Pa. Vol. Inf.,
which was mostly recruited from Tioga
County. He was chief surgeon of the Third
Division, First Army Corps, and was placed
on the staff of Maj.-Gen. Doubleday, and
soon after became medical director of that
corps. After serving three years and seven
months his health failed him and he resigned
his position, January 17, 1865, and returned
to his home in Tioga County, Pa. At Chan
cellorsville Dr. Humphrey was surgeon of
the Twenty-second Brigade, Third Division,
of the First Army Corps. During the battle
of Gettysburg a Catholic Church was used as
a hospital, and during the first day's engage
ment the town was taken by the rebels, and
Mr. Humphrey was taken also a prisoner.
He had his horse and saddle and medical in
struments taken from him. As the wounded
soldiers did not occupy all of his time, he
went up into the belfry of the church and
watched the battle and saw Pickett make his
last charge against the Union forces ; the
Rebel Major, who was with him, saw the
Confederates defeated and retreat in con
fusion, and did not attempt to conceal his
chagrin, but poured out volleys of oaths and
maledictions upon the heads of the despised

.

HENRY A. CLARK.

CHENANGO COUNTY

433

Yankee conquerors. That day the Union
forces occupied the city, and Dr. Humphrey
again joined his regiment and remained with
them throughout the campaign of the Army
of the Potomac. Dr. Humphrey was an
active Republican, and after his return from
the war he was elected to the State Legis
lature of Pennsylvania in 1865-66-7475-76.
He was twice united in marriage ; to his
first wife three children were born : Ger
trude ; W. G.; and Jennie G. His second
wife was Mary Barker, who survives him.
Mr. and Mrs. Corbin have but one child,
Mabel G, born November 11, 1883. In poli
tics, our subject is an ardent Republican.
Socially, he is a member of the G. A. R. ;
Loyal Legion ; and A. O. U. W.

"ENRY A. CLARK is one of the old
est, as he is one of the most respected
citizens of Bainbridge. For over
half a century has his well known figure been
conspicuous in the village, while his talent as
a lawyer and his ready wit have secured for
him more than local fame. Born August 3,
181 5, in Sidney, Delaware County, N. Y., a
son of Ezra and Mary ( Foote ) Clark, he
came to Bainbridge while yet a young man,
and has grown to old age here, winning his
way into the hearts of the people by his
many excellent traits, even as he won distinc
tion by his keen logic and eloquent speeches.
As far as is authentically known, the first
one of this family to settle in America was a
Samuel Clark, one of twenty men who be
came dissatisfied with the methods of the

colony of which they were members, and de
cided to establish for themselves independent
homes ; they left the colony at Westerfield
and settled at Pippowams, now Stanford,
Conn. Ezra Clark was one of the descendants of
this pioneer ; his father was born in March,
17 1 3, in Bedford, N. Y., and died in Septem
ber, 1791. Ezra was born September 15,
1779, and devoted his life to agriculture in
Sidney, Delaware County, N. Y. He was a
Whig, and while he took no active part in
the political affairs of the nation, yet he was
well posted on them and could furnish most
convincing reasons for his beliefs. He twice
entered the matrimonial state. His first wife
was Polly Banks, to whom he was married in
May; 1799, and wno died seven years later,
May 3, 1806, leaving four motherless little
ones, as follows: Samuel, born January 29,
1800; Sallie, born September 30, 1801 ;
Hiram, born October n, 1803; Mary, born
March 9, 1806, and but two months old at the
time of her mother's death. As his second
wife Mr. Clark chose Mary Foote, who was
born September 24, 1776, a daughter of a Rev
olutionary soldier who served at West Point
with Washington. To this union were born
six children : Elizabeth, born August 14,
1808, and died July 15, 1866; Joseph F., born
July 1, 1810, and died June 25, 1877; Susan,
born January 24, 18 12, and died February 24,
1855; Harriet, born May 13, 18 14, and died
August 24, 1814; Henry A.; and Catherine
J., born August 1, 18 19, also deceased. The
father died May 24, 1858, two weeks later
than the mother, who was taken to her eter
nal rest May 8, 1858.

434

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Henry A. Clark graduated from Hamilton
College in 1838, and then went to Buffalo,
where he studied law with attorney Talcott.
He was admitted to the bar in 1839, ana" af
once came to Bainbridge, where he took pos
session of the office formerly occupied by
John C. Clark, and has been engaged in the
practice of his profession ever since. He
met with flattering success from the first, and
at one time he had more cases upon the cal
endar than any attorney in the county. His
manner of speaking was easy and flowing, not
labored or ostentatious; his object was to
present his subject, not himself to his hearers,
and this he did in such a clear and convinc
ing manner that the speaker was lost sight of
in the speech. In addressing a jury he ap
pealed to their judgment rather than to their
emotions, his masterly efforts and concise
statements deciding many suits in his favor.
He is a citizen of whom any community
might well be proud, and Chenango County
holds him among her most respected and
honored residents. His first vote was cast
for General Harrison, and he remained with
the Whig party until its displacement by the
Republican party, when he became a mem
ber of the latter organization. In 1861 he
was elected State Senator by the Republicans
and Union Democrats for the district com
prising Chenango, Cortland and Madison
Counties ; he was given 8,000 majority, the
largest ever received by any candidate in the
district. The Biographical Sketches of Sen
ators and Members of Assembly, compiled in
1862-63, have this to say regarding him:
" Henry A. Clark is a man of great sagacity
and unwearied industry, devoting the whole

power of his mind to the performance of his
duties. Hence, as a legislator his services
are invaluable ; and if his example could be
generally followed we would have better, or
at least more intelligible laws, less speaking
for political effect, and more of practical,
honest legislation for the benefit of the
people." He was appointed chairman of the
Senatorial Recruiting Committee by Gov.
Morgan the first year of his senatorship, and
he performed the duties of that office, as he
did all the duties that fell to his share, con
scientiously and to the best of his ability,
giving entire satisfaction to his constituents.
In company with Mr. Bundy, afterwards a
Member of Congress, he recruited Co. H.for
the U. S. service in the late Civil War. Mr.
Clark was united in marriage with Ellen A.
Curtiss, who was born in 1835. They are the
parents of two sons and two daughters :
Ellen Virginia, born February 18, 1866, and
died April 14, 1867; George C, born March
28, 1868, is the proprietor of the Bainbridge
Republican and makes his home with his
father; Charles H., born January 28, 1870, is
following in the footsteps of his father, and is
a rising young attorney of Bainbridge ; and
Ellen Josephine, who was born July 14, 1872,
and resides at home with her parents. Mr.
and Mrs. Clark are members of the Episcopal
Church, and have done their share in bring
ing the organization to its present flourishing
condition. They are free, open-hearted and
generous, and any worthy object is sure of
substantial help at their hands.
As one of the most representative attorneys
of Chenango County, whose connection with
the bar and legal interests probably exceeds

CHENANGO COUNTY

435

that of any other member of the profession
in this district, we take great pleasure in
presenting Mr. Clark's portrait on a preced
ing page.

w

ILLIAM E. STOVER, supervisor
of the town of Smyrna, and a
prominent citizen of his section, is a descen
dant of one of the first families to settle in
the northern part of Chenango County, and
was born in the town of Smyrna on the farm
he now owns and operates, April 4, i860.
He is a son of Richard E. and Philura P.
(Keeler) Stover, and grandson of William
and Betsey (Elwood) Stover. His great
grandfather was Adam Stover, and his great-
great-grandfather, Jacob Stover.
Jacob Stover (or Stauffer) was the first of
the family to come to America ; he landed on
one of the West India Islands, and remained
there three months, when he was joined by
his brother. He finally settled in Dutchess
County, N. Y., while his brother took up his
home in Pennsylvania. It is said that the
latter had a large family of children, but
nothing further is known of him, for com
munication was not to be easily had in the
early part of the eighteenth century. Jacob
Stover had four children : three sons, Phelta,
Matinas and Adam ; and one daughter, whose
name is not known. Matinas and his sister,
whose husband's name was Emiegh, went to
Canada about the time the Revolutionary
War closed, and settled near Kingston, then a
wilderness. The government gave the family
of each settler an axe and a hoe. The names

of Stover and Emiegh are quite common
in those parts, the members of those families
being invariably well-to-do people. Phelta
settled in New York State, near Lake
Champlain. The date of Jacob Stover's
death is unknown, but he was laid to rest in
the burying grounds of the old Lutheran
Stone Church, beside the Lutheran minister,
of whose church he was long a member.
Adam Stover, the youngest son of Jacob
Stover, continued to reside in Dutchess
County, and married Mary Woolweaver
Koonz, a woman of high intellectual endow
ments. They had seven children, six sons and
one daughter, namely : William ; Michael ;
Frederick ; Adam ; Peter ; John ; and Mary,
who married Peter McLees, and for her
second husband Shuble Nichols. Adam
Stover presented each of his sons, when they
became of age, with a wagon made by him
self. All his children had large families.
William Stover, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in Dutchess County, N. Y.,
May 23, 1765, and died in Smyrna, N. Y.,
November 4, 1841. On October 3, 1789, he
married Elizabeth Holnbeck, who was born
in 1768 and died in 1806. Their children
were : Mary ; Adam ; Betsy ; Asenath ; Sam
uel; Hannah; Jemima; and William. In 1808
he married Betsey Elwood, who gave birth
to the following children : Susan, who mar
ried Russell Wilcox ; Lydia, the wife of
Alfred Seymour; Benjamin; Ruth, wdio mar
ried Jarvis Pike; John A.; Catherine (Mrs.
Thomas L. Willcox), and Richard Elwood,
our subject's father. The father of Betsey
(Elwood) Stover was Richard Elwood, whose
wife was Catherine Bell, and whose children

436

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

were : Polly (Spencer) ; Betsey (Stover) ;
Susan (Wilcox) ; Catherine (Russell) ; Mar
garet (Morse) ; Dorothy (Goodman) ; Ben
jamin R.; Daniel; Peter P.; John B.; and
Isaac R. The last named was a lawyer, and
clerk of the New York Senate from 1843 to
1847, inclusive. John B., a physician, resided
in Rochester, and was mayor of that city in
1847. Betsey (Elwood) Stover was born in
1778, and died in Smyrna in 1855.
William Stover, when he came to Che
nango County as a young man, purchased a
tract of about 400 acres of land in the town
of Smyrna, then Sherburne, where he farmed
the rest of his life, and reared his large family
of children. He built himself a house near
the present dwelling of our subject, the latter
structure being erected about 18 14. He was
a man of good business instincts, thrifty and
energetic, and accumulated a considerable for
tune for those days, being considered a man
of much more than ordinary ability, and was
accorded a high place in the community.
He at one time was a member of the sect of
Reformed Methodists, but finally withdrew
from that denomination for some cause or
other, and built a church on his own land at
his own expense, which he ever afterward
supported, allowing no contributions to be
taken, but paying all the bills himself. Min
isters of every denomination were welcomed
and invited to occupy the pulpit, when it was
not his regular preaching day, for he himself
was a minister of no small renown. He was
a very well educated man, and could speak
German fluently. He was charitable and
benevolent by nature, and was always ready
to relieve the want and misery of those in

need. He was a Christian, and a truly good
man, with most exemplary habits ; it is
affirmed that he never used tobacco in any
form, nor did any of his sons ever learn to
use the weed. The butternut grove, where
he built his church, was, before the erection
of that edifice, a favorite spot for the holding
of quarterly meetings, and at least one such
conference was held in the church after its
erection. One of these largely attended
meetings, held there about 1828, had among
those present no less a person than Brigham
Young, in later years the head of the Mor
mon Church. Our subject's grandfather was
without doubt one of the great men of his
section, and did an incalculable amount of
good in shaping the destiny of Chenango
County and Central New York. He had
friends by the hundred, who aided him very
materially in his good work. Both of his
wives seconded his efforts in the home and in
more extended fields in which he was such a
power for good. He was a Whig in his pol
itics, and besides serving in other town
offices, filled the office of supervisor of the
town of Smyrna from 1810 to 1820.
Richard E. Stover, the father of our sub
ject, was ushered into life in the town of
Smyrna, January 21, 1822, and took up farm
ing on a valley farm near his father's place.
This property he improved in many ways,
and had the reputation of being a successful
as well as hard working farmer. His death,
which terminated his career in 1873 at the
age of fifty-one years, was the result of an
accident. He was in the woods giving in
structions as to how he wished a tree cut
down ; the tree came down with a crash,

CHENANGO COUNTY

437

with him well out of the way of its fall, but
the jar caused a dead tree back of him to
topple over and fall, a knot giving the blow
that resulted in death. Mr. Stover married
Philura P. Keeler in 1851 ; she was a daugh
ter of Noah and Mindwell (Youngs) Keeler,
and granddaughter of Nathan and Martha
(Gregory) Keeler. Nathan Keeler, a native of
Connecticut, moved from that state when his
son Noah was a lad, and died in Otego, Otse
go County, N. Y. These children constituted
his family : Ebenezer, Nathan, Noah, Betsy,
Esther, Nancy, Polly, and Martha ; the last
two remained in Connecticut. Nearly all
these children reared large families, members
of which went to Illinois many years ago.
Noah Keeler was born in 1788, and died in
Smyrna, N. Y., in 1 85 1 . He reared these chil
dren: Lucinda; Polly; Nancy; Elsie; Rox-
ana ; Rhoda ; Philura (Stover) ; and Devolson.
His wife, Mindwell, was one of a family of
sixteen children. Her ancestors came from
England in the latter part of the seventeenth
century. Her father, Joseph Youngs, a na
tive of Connecticut, settled near Amsterdam,
N. Y., when the surrounding country was a
wilderness. He served in the Revolutionary
War, and in after years was never weary of
eulogizing Washington, whom he had seen
many times. Joseph Youngs married Eliza
beth Peck, and their children had numerous
descendants. Elizabeth Peck had two broth
ers in the Revolutionary War, both of whom
were killed in battle ; they both participated
in the battle of Bunker's Hill. Their mother,
who lived within hearing of the guns, passed
the time of the conflict in great anxiety. She
died in Albany at ninety years of age.

There were born to our subject's father
and his wife two children, namely : William
E., our subject ; and Burt W., who married
Miss Jessie Nash of Poolville, N. Y., and
lives at Norwich, this county, where he is
filling the office of deputy county clerk. He
was educated at Phillips Academy, Andover,
Mass. Richard E. Stover was a Republican
of decided views and well formed opinions ;
he held several town offices, and was railroad
commissioner for many years. The M. E.
Church was his church home.
William E. Stover, in whom the interest of
this personal narration centers, was given a
good, practical education in the district
schools, and in a private school of Utica, N.
Y., and with his brother ran the home farm.
In 1890 Mr. Stover became connected with
a drug business, which he continued some
little time. Mr. Stover is also interested in
the Empire Chemical Co. of Earlville, N. Y.
He is actively interested in the material
progress and welfare of the town of Smyrna,
and is a stanch Republican in his political
views. He has been justice of the peace
since 1881, served as road commissioner two
years, and as supervisor six years, in which
capacity he is now laboring in behalf of
Smyrna.

W"

LLIAM W. ENGLISH, a retired
farmer and stock dealer of Greene
township, now a resident of Willards, this
county, was born in the town of Greene,
Chenango County, N. Y., November 1, 1834.
He is a son of Clark and Ann (Whitbeck)

43«

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

English, and grandson of Jonathan and Isa
bella (Niles) English.
Jonathan English was born May 2, 1775,
and came from Easton, Washington County.
N. Y., to Chenango County, where he lo
cated in the south-eastern part of the town
of Greene. He was one of the pioneers to
settle in this county, and was one of those
who saw the forests give way to the repeated
and continued blows of the hardy woods
men's axe, and become transformed into
smiling fields, covered with orchards, grain
or pasturage. To his wife Isabella Niles
were born the following children: Luke;
Jonathan ; William ; Clark ; David ; Mercy ;
Mary ; Chloe ; Isabella ; and Sarah. After
the death of his first wife he married Mrs.
Mary Wheeler, and they reared three chil
dren, namely : Francis M.; George W.; and
Benjamin H.
Clark English, father of our subject, was
born at Easton, Washington County, N. Y.,
April 7, 1809. He followed the trade of a
carpenter a short time and later that of a
cooper. In middle life he turned his atten
tion toward the occupation of a farmer, and
carried on general farming for a time. He
also ran a general store and a hotel at Wil-
lards for some years, and then purchased a
farm in Sapbush. Selling this farm he bought
the Townsend farm, a part of which our sub
ject now owns. Mr. English then moved to
Chenango Forks, where he purchased a
home, and there he lived in retirement until
his death, which occurred May 13, 1881.
On February 9, 1832, Clark English mar
ried Ann Whitbeck, daughter of Walter
and Lydia (Townsend) Whitbeck. Walter

Whitbeck, was a son of Walter Whitbeck,
Sr., who was born in Holland, and emi
grated to this country, settling in Albany,
N. Y. Walter Whitbeck, Sr., reared the fol
lowing children, namely : Jasper ; Martin ;
Walter ; and Cornelius. Walter Whitbeck,
Jr., was born in Albany County, N. Y.; in
1826, with his horse and sleigh, he moved to
Stillwater, now the town of Greene, and set
tled on the farm where A. Dunn now lives.
He was joined in marriage with Lydia
Townsend, and the following children were
reared : Phoebe ; Mariah ; Ann ; Martin ;
Cornelia ; Walter ; Andrew ; and Jasper. By
his second wife five children were born :
Lano ; Daniel ; Benjamin ; John ; and Cor
nelius. Mrs. Ann English, mother of our sub
ject, died May 13, 1887, at the advanced age
of seventy -six years. Two children mourned
her death : Elizabeth Amelia, who is the
wife of David Rogers and the mother of
these children, — Isabella, Harriet E., Ed
ward C, and Fred B., twins ; and William
W., who is the subject of this personal
history. William W. English assisted his father on
the farm until his marriage, February 18, 1859,
to Miss Catherine C. Strickland, daughter of
Jonathan and Rebecca (Dunn) Strickland.
Mr. English then started to wage the battle
of life purely on his own resources, renting
a farm and engaging in agricultural pursuits
with very little preparation to face the hard
ships of life, except a strong constitution and
a determination to make a success. Being
endowed with good judgment and persever
ance, he soon got a good foothold, and, when
real estate was at its highest valuation, with

jg^r

GEORGE A. MUNSON.

CHENANGO COUNTY

441

his father he purchased the Townsend farm,
retaining one-half the south side. In 1868 he
built a large and commodious house and en
larged and remodeled the barns ; now he
owns one of the best and handsomest farms
in his district. In 1870 he began to deal ex
tensively in cattle and smaller stock, his mar
ket being at Binghamton. Shortly after the
death of his wdfe, which occurred October 3,
1 882,. he retired to Chenango Forks.
Mr. and Mrs. English were the parents of
three children, namely ; Annie ; Bell, who
died at the age oi four years ; and Lottie L.,
born February 28, 1861, who married F. L.
Willard, and has one child, A. May. Mr.
English chose for his second wife Miss
Carrie D. Smith, daughter of Oscar and
Diana (Young) Smith. One son blessed
1 their happy home, William W., born May
17, 1887. Mrs. English passed from this life
in 1893, at the age of thirty-two years. For
his third wife our subject chose Mrs. Mary
J. Holland, widow of Sidney Holland, and
daughter of David and Angeline (Litchnor)
Prince. Mr. English's operations are not
conducted solely for his own benefit. He
sympathizes with struggling men, and, with
broad views of the need of the surrounding
country, he has at times engaged in enter
prises that had as their object the promotion
of the welfare and growth of his town. He
has always been a man of sound judgment
and good understanding, and has exerted a
marked influence in his section, and has be
come a prosperous citizen as a natural result
of his thrift and industry. Along social and
political lines he is very energetic, and is a
man whose ideas are sought Tor as having

real weight. He is a stanch Democrat, and
has held the important office of town asses
sor. In religious views he is inclined to be
liberal.

(WZo

EORGE A. MUNSON, a descendant
Vi_J- of one of Smyrna's earliest farmers,
and a representative of the best and most
noticed stock dealers in Chenango County,
was born in the village of Smyrna, this
county, January 9, 1853, ar*d is a son of Al
bert and Hannah (Merrell) Munson, and
grandson of John and Sarah (Merrell) Mun
son. John Munson was born in Barkhamsted,
Litchfield County, Conn., in 1785, and in
1809, with his wife and two children, moved
west and located in Smyrna. He purchased
the Hutchinson farm and mills, being a mil
ler by trade, and later he built a distillery and
distilled malt liquors. He owned the only
grist mill in his section of the county, and
carried on milling the greater part of his life.
He passed from this life in April, 1827, aged
forty-two years. Mrs. Munson died January
29, 1862, at the age of seventy-two years.
They were the parents of three children,
who were as follows: Hannah; Albert and
Eliza. Our subject's grandfather took an
active part in politics and voted to uphold
the principles of the Democratic party ; he
served as justice of the peace for many years
and held several minor offices. Religiously,
he and his family were devoted members of
the Universalist Church.
Albert Munson, the father of our subject,

442

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

was born in the village of Smyrna, January
4, 1811, and was reared to follow the trade
of a miller, which he had learned in his father's
mill. This mill, upon the death of John
Munson, became the property of Albert and
his two sisters. Our subject's father pur
chased the mill from the other heirs and
carried on milling until the time of his death.
The mill was burned down in 1836, but was
rebuilt soon after. Albert Munson was united
in marriage with Hannah Merrell, and they
reared and educated three children, John
H., Sarah E., and George A., the subject of
this brief notice. Mr. Munson closed his
eyes and entered the world of rest, May 28,
1880. Mrs. Munson passed from this life
November 29, 1870.
George A. Munson was educated in the
common schools and then entered the Clinton
Liberal Institute, from which he was gradu
ated in 1872. He remained under the paren
tal roof, assisting his father in his labors
about the farm ; after his father's death he
moved to the village of Smyrna, where he
owns a handsome residence ; he also owns a
fine farm, which he purchased from William
S. Wilcox, which consists of 180 acres of the
best improved land in this part of Chenango
County. Since he has taken possession of
this farm, he has remodeled the old barns
and built new ones, and has it well stocked
with some of the finest grade Jersey cows
that can be found in the Empire State, in
which he takes great pride. During the
Chenango County Fair, held at Norwich,
August 31, September 1, 2, and 3, Mr. Mun
son had on exhibition nine of his best Jerseys,
which were premium winners. Among them

the most noted were : Gem of the County
Fair, a promising three-year old, whose sire
was Hugo Pogis of Smyrna, and whose dam
was August Flower, one of the finest bred
cows in Central New York ; and Agonian
Girl, a handsome yearling heifer, also sired
by Hugo Pogis of Smyrna, and whose dam
was Buttercup Midget. Mr. Munson is now
breeding the noted St. Lambert stock. Our
subject has purchased the E. W. Stokes
Block, which he rents. The first floor is used
for store purposes, and he has a finely fur
nished office on the second floor. In 1886,
with his brother John, he built a fine opera
house, 38 x 76, which has a seating capacity
of five hundred. The second floor is rented
to different organizations: the I. O. O. F.;
G. A. R., and the A. O. U. W. Mr. Munson
has been a director of the Chenango National
Bank since 1890. October 30, 1875, our sub
ject established the Smyrna Citizen, a newsy
eight-page paper which he conducted but
one year, during which time he demonstrated
his ability as a writer and journalist.
Mr. Munson is one of the leading Demo
crats in his community, and is proud of the
record he has made in that party. He is now
a justice of the peace and has been for the
past seventeen years, and was appointed by
Gov. David B. Hill as clerk of Chenango
County in 1886. Socially, our subject is a
member of the I. O. O. F. Lodge, No. 116,
in which he is past grand, past deputy and
grand master. He is also a member of Sher
burne Lodge, F. & A. M., No. 444. Mr.
Munson has lived in Chenango County all
his life, and has witnessed its development
from an uncultivated condition to that of one

CHENANGO COUNTY

443

of the most productive agricultural counties
in the State, and he has been more or less
connected with its progress and advance
ment. His business career has been marked
with naught except straightforward and hon
orable dealing with all, and indeed he is one
of the most respected and esteemed citizens,
not only of his community in which he lives,
but also of the county. His portrait appears
on a preceding page.

TdRASTUS J. BERRY, a prominent and
J  . successful farmer of South Oxford,
was born in Oxford, September, 20, 1822,
and is a son of Richard W. and Rosanna
(Frink) Berry.
Richard W. Berry was born in the State
of Rhode Island and received his education
in the common schools of his native town.
Upon beginning life for himself, he followed
the fishing industry for a number of years.
He then took up the occupation of a farmer
and became a very prosperous man. In 18 17,
he moved to Preston and there purchased a
farm ; he also owned farms in Pharsalia and
Oxford. There he continued to farm, and at
the time of his death was a very wealthy
man. He was a man with good principles,
and took an interest in all things tending to
improve the condition of the farmer. He
was a Jeffersonian Democrat, and was well
informed on political matters.
His companion in life was Rosanna Frink,
who was a native of Connecticut, and their
union resulted in the birth of nine children,
whose names are as follows : Richard W. ;

William P.; Mary E. ; Eliza; Silas E.; Hiram
P. ; Erastus J. ; Peleg G. ; and Clarinda S.
In religious belief, they were members of the
Universalist Church. Mr. Berry passed into
the unknown beyond in 1849, af tne age of
sixty-seven years.
Erastus J. Berry attended the public
schools of Oxford, and later graduated from
Oxford Academy. He then turned his at
tention to farming, and became one of the
leading agriculturists in the town. He is sit
uated on a fine farm near South Oxford,
which is well stocked and supplied with
good buildings, which are so necessary for
carrying on farming in a proper manner. He
was united in marriage with Emily Com
stock of McDonough, and they became the
parents of two children, namely : Daniel F.,
who married Isabel Tyler of Smithville, N.
Y. ; and Bertha L., who married Clark Strat-
ton of South Oxford, and has one son, Percy.
Mrs. Berry died at her home, June 27,
1887, aged sixty-four years. In religious be
lief, the family favors the Universalist
Church.

OHN W. SFIEPARDSON, the popu
lar depot agent on the N. Y., O. & W.
R. R., and dealer in produce of the
village of Smyrna, Chenango County, N. Y.,
was born in the above village September 21,
1859. Tie is a son of Andrew and Emma
(Dalmon) Shepardson, grandson of Jonathan
and Hannah (Munson) Shepardson, and great-
grandson oi Jonathan Shepardson.
Jonathan Shepardson, who was of Welsh

444

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

descent, came from Attleborough, Mass.,
and settled in the village of Plymouth, this
county, where he followed the trade of a car
penter and joiner the remainder of his life.
He also carried on farming, and was one of
the early pioneer settlers to locate in his
section of the county. While constructing a
house he fell from the top of the building,
the injuries received in this accident causing
his death. He was twice married ; to his
first wife were born the following children :
Jonathan, grandfather of our subject ; Olive,
(Phillips) ; Nancy ; Vianna (Holden) ; Elmira
(Colburn); and Lydia (True). By his second
wife he reared three children, namely : Polly ;
Susan ; and Luther.
Jonathan Shepardson, grandfather of our
subject, was born in the village of Plymouth,
Chenango County, N. Y., and during his
boyhood days clerked for Harvey Talcott, in
Smyrna ; later he assisted John Munson, his
father-in-law, in running the mills and dis
tillery at Smyrna, and remained in the above
employment until Mr. Munson's death,
when he in company with Albert Munson
continued the business until his (Mr. Shepard-
son's) death, at thirty-six years of age. He
married Hannah Munson, daughter of John
Munson, and she lived to pass her seventy-
second birthday. One child was born to
them, Andrew, the father of our subject.
Andrew Shepardson was born on the farm
now owned by John Munson, December 13,
1828. He attended the public schools of his
native town until he was fifteen years of age,
and then entered the store of Webster Mer
rill ; later he went to Earlville, N. Y., and
worked for Mr. Mudge, who manufactured

Trask's Ointment ; after remaining in this
capacity a short time, he acted as traveling
salesman for the above establishment. Mr.
Shepardson moved to Smyrna and purchased
an interest in the Munson Mills, and after
conducting the same for two years, he sold
his interests, and in 1869, he was appointed
station agent of the N. Y. & O. M. R. R.
In his prime Mr. Shepardson took an active
interest in politics, and was a firm supporter
of the Republican party. At one time when
his residence was in Earlville he was elected
justice of the peace. In 1870, he was elected
to the State Assembly and served during
1871-72. He also served as supervisor of the
town, U. S. assistant assessor, and town clerk
of the town of Smyrna, and from 1873 to 1885
officiated as county clerk. He is now living
in retirement, and is one of the most respect
ed and esteemed citizens of Smyrna. He
purchased the Isaac Collins residence on
Main Street, which he remodeled and en
larged, and thus transformed it into a hand
some and comfortable home. He was joined
in wedlock with Miss Emma Dalmon, daugh
ter of John Dalmon of Earlville, N. Y., and
they were the parents of the following chil
dren: Walter A.; John W.; Mary E.; and
Albert L. Walter A., who is a leading far
mer and supervisor of Otselic, married Miss
Ida Stokes, and two children blessed their
home, Eri S. and a daughter, who died in
infancy. Mary E. was married to Edward
P Lyons, a prominent lawyer of Brooklyn,
N. Y., and four children were born to them :
Edna S.; Percy S.; Harold ; and Dorothy.
Mrs. Shepardson passed from this life at the
age of fifty-two years.

CHENANGO COUNTY

445

John W. Shepardson, the subject of this
personal history, assisted his brother Walter
A. in his work about the depot, and at the
age of fifteen years he was appointed agent
upon the retirement of his brother, and has
occupied this important position to the
present time. He also built a large store
house, 30 x 65, and engaged in buying and
shipping produce; in 1880, he shipped the
first car load of hay ever shipped out of
Smyrna, which have since numbered in the
hundreds. He deals in coal, and sustains an
excellent reputation of being one of the most
energetic and prosperous business men in
Smyrna. He formed a matrimonial alliance
with Miss Maria B. Per Lee, and they are
the parents of two children, namely : Alice
M., and Charles A. The high esteem in
which Mr. Shepardson is held, not only by
the corporation he represents, but by the
residents of the whole section which makes
use of the Smyrna station, is the best evidence
in the world that he is an instance of the
right man in the right place.

fJOE SCHORN, a member of the firm
of Schorn Bros., manufacturers of
cigars in the Schorn Block on East Main
Street, is one of Norwich's enterprising and
successful business men. He is a son of
Joseph S. and Matilda (Weiler) Schorn, and
was born in 1846 in Cologne, Prussia, Ger
many. Joseph S. Schorn was born in Germany,
and received a good common school educa
tion. After leaving school he learned the

trade of a cabinet-maker and followed it for
some time in his native city. In 1853 he
came to this country and located in New
York City. He again took up his trade as a
cabinet-maker, and followed it in that city for
three years. He next moved to Norwich
and remained there until his death, which
occurred in 1883. He was an unswerving
Republican, and was active in the support of
the party. He was united in matrimony to
Matilda Weiler, a native of Cologne, Ger
many, and they reared nine children, whose
names are as follows : F. Joe, the subject of
this personal history ; Jacob A. ; Matilda,
who became the wife of Charles Bruen ;
Frederick ; Maria ; Anna ; John, deceased ;
Julia, who became the wife of D. I. Belden ;
and Josephine, the wife of H. J. Borden,
whose sketch and portrait appear elsewhere
in this volume.
F. Joe Schorn obtained his intellectual
training in the public schools of Norwich,
after which he learned the trade of a cigar-
maker with William Weiler. In 1872, he
started to manufacture cigars in Norwich,
and has continued in that line of business
since. In 1892, they erected the Schorn
Block on East Main Street, where our subject
now conducts his business, in partnership
with his brother, J. A. Schorn. They are
upright, honest, shrewd and business-like in
all their dealings, and have a large share of
the patronage of the village.
F. Joe Schorn has been twice bound in the
holy bonds of wedlock. He first married
Charlotte Rock, a daughter of William Rock,
who was the resident engineer on the O. &
W. R. R., and they were the parents of one

446

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

daughter, Olive. His second wife was Edith
A. Young, a native of Columbus. Mr. Schorn
is one of the leading politicians of Norwich,
and has been chosen to represent the people at
a number of Republican county conventions.
He is a Republican in his views. In 1888, he
was made president of the village corpora
tion, and was re-elected in 1889. Socially, he
is a Mason, being a member of the Norwich
Lodge, No. 302, F. & A. M., and for six years
acted as secretary of Harmony Chapter. He
is also a member of Commandery No. 46,
K. T. He is very popular in Norwich, and
has a large circle of friends, who bear testi
mony to his sterling character.

OHN H. O'BRIAN. The Sher
burne News, edited by Mr. O'Brian,
is a striking illustration of what per
sistent and well-directed efforts will accom
plish in the furthering of an enterprise. With
a modest beginning it has developed from
year to year until the publication has become
one of the most substantial in Central New
York. No effort has been spared to make
the paper popular with the people, and that
it has wonderfully succeeded is attested by
the circulation books. The Sherburne
News was established by S. B. Marsh,
March 2, 1864. It was then known as The
Home News, being a sheet one column wide
and nine inches long, and had only eleven
subscribers, who paid ten cents per month.
The paper was gradually enlarged to seven
columns and four pages by its different
editors, and in 1881, the date of its purchase

by Mr. O'Brian, it was enlarged to eight
columns and four pages.
John H. O'Brian was born in the village of
Sherburne, February 29, 1856, and is a son of
Patrick and Margaret (Keeler) O'Brian, who
were both born in County Cork, Ireland, and
who in 1849 emigrated to America and settled
in Sherburne, N. Y. Patrick O'Brian at once
began work in the Pratt & Rexford store
houses, and remained in that employment for
many years, during which time he accumu
lated enough funds to buy a neat little home
and retire from active business. He chose
for his life companion Margaret Keeler, and
they reared a large family of children, who
were as follows : Daniel, wdio was drowned
at the age of six years ; Mary ; Julia ; John
H., our subject; William; Ella; Margaret;
Annie; Lizzie; and Emma. Mrs. O'Brian
died October 28, 1897, and Mr. O'Brian died
April 18, 1898.
John H. O'Brian was educated in the
schools of Sherburne village, and then en
tered the office of The Sherburne News
as an apprentice of the printer's trade. He
became thoroughly acquainted with the busi
ness, and in 1881 he purchased the plant,
which under his good management has in
creased both in popularity and circulation.
He has been the supporter and encourager of
every work and purpose tending to the ad
vancement of the interests of Sherburne vil
lage, and has cheerfully contributed of his
means and influence to aid the community in
sustaining its position as the seat of culture,
morality and education. He purchased the
Rosell Manchester property, which he has
remodeled and enlarged into a fine residence.

HIRAM H. TUCKER.

CHENANGO COUNTY

449

He was married to Miss Ida F. Owen, eldest
daughter of Dr. Ira C. Owen of Sherburne
village. Two children were born to them,
— Lina L., born April u, 1887, and one that
died in infancy. In politics he is a solid Re
publican, avowed in his allegiance to party,
and firm in his advocacy of what he consid
ers to be right. He has been clerk of the
village and trustee, and has served as town
clerk since 1884, and still holds the last-
named position. He has been a member of
the board of education several years, and
takes a lively interest in matters educational.
For five years he was a member of Active
Hose Co. No. 1. Socially, he belongs to the
Sherburne Lodge, No. 444, F. & A. M.
Mr. O'Brian is a genial gentleman, and
an experienced paragrapher, which personal
characteristics are the first essentials neces
sary in the make-up of a good editor. These
qualities are manifested in the columns of
The Sherburne News, for that paper
shows clear thought, sound judgment, and
an aptitude to grasp the subject in hand, that
brings to it the hearty approval of its read
ers. Mr. O'Brian is ambitious, and has a de
sire to secure for his paper a front place
among the journals of its. class in the state,
and there is scarcely a doubt but that he will
most admirably succeed.

'IRAM H. TUCKER, one of the most
prominent citizens of Sherburne vil-
- y ^ lage, whose portrait is shown on
the opposite page, has attained especial
prominence in railroad circles through his

ability and competency as an agent. He was
born January 25, 1854, in the town of Nor
wich, and is a son of Thomas and Nancy
(Hunt) Tucker.
Hiram H. Tucker received his primary
education in the public schools and then
entered Norwich Academy, and later gradu
ated from the Lowell Commercial Business
College of Binghamton, N. Y. In 1877, he
entered the office of the D., L. & W. R. R.
at Hamilton, where he became day operator.
He was then promoted to the position of
station agent for the D., L. & W. R. R., at
Brisben, N. Y., and thence to Richfield Junc
tion, where he remained one year. Going
to Utica, N. Y., he was there promoted to be
assistant train dispatcher, and for the suc
ceeding eight years he acted as chief dis
patcher. In 1889, he came to Sherburne,
where he still holds his position as depot
agent. He is also agent for the United
State Express, and represents several of the
foreign steamship companies. Mr. Tucker
is the only coal dealer in Sherburne, and is a
heavy handler of this kind of fuel, dealing
exclusively in Scranton coal. In 1893, the
railroad built a new and handsome depot,
which is surrounded by large flower gardens
and a beautiful, well kept lawn. Mr. Tucker
has a beautiful home at No. 17 Main Street,
handsomely situated, with a large and com
modious house, elegantly furnished, and sur
rounded by a beautiful lawn. Fie also owns
a large tenement house, and is a stockholder
in the Sherburne Opera House, and secre
tary of the same.
Mr. Tucker was joined in matrimony with
Miss Jennie Crumb, daughter of Rowland B.

45°

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Crumb. One child, Alta, has blessed their
home. Both he and his amiable and excel
lent wife are popular members of the Baptist
Church. Mr. Tucker is a strong Prohibi
tionist, and heartily endorses the principles
of that party. He is very popular with his
fellow citizens ; is a member of the school
board ; past master of the Masonic Lodge of
Sherburne, and has been high priest of the
Chapter. ^ He has also held many minor
offices in the Norwich Commandery, and is a
member of the Mystic Shrine of Utica. He
is a member of the Sherburne Band, and is
an excellent musician. He is held in high
esteem in his community, and is always
among the foremost to endorse every good
work and purpose tending to the advance
ment of his country and community, in ele
vating its social status, and improving its
educational facilities. He is a liberal and
cheerful giver to worthy objects, and is one
of the foremost men of his community to
encourage worthy enterprises. The reforms
which have been brought about, both as
regards human liberty and the use of intoxi
cating beverages, are due to just such men
as Hiram H. Tucker.

IARRINGTON. This
id well-to-do resident of
lage, who is most exten
sively engaged in dairy farming, has met
with success in the many business ventures
in which he has been interested during the
past two score years. He has raised himself
to his present position in the community by

hard work, and is now ready to enjoy the
sunset of life, free from harassing cares and
pinching economy. He has one of the larg
est and best appointed dairy farms in the
county, and was the proprietor of Lyon
Brook Dairy, which has its office for the re
tail sale of bottled milk at 1554 Broadway,
borough of Brooklyn, New York City. Mr.
Harrington was born in Plymouth, Chenango
County, N. Y., March 5, 1834, and is a son of
William A. and Jane M. (Weaver) Harrington,
and grandson of William Harrington, who
was born November 23, 1779, at Salem, Mass.
The grandfather of the subject of these
lines came to Madison County, N. Y., and
then to Chenango Count}' in 1809, settling in
the town of Plymouth. He was one of the
pioneers of this section, a representative of
those men whose names should not be for
gotten, and to this end biographical history
will perpetuate their memory, though gran
ite monuments molder and crumble to dust.
lt is therefore with pleasure that we record
the facts connected with the lives of the
early settlers, in order that their descendants
may know and keep ever before themselves
and their children the work performed by
the hardy frontiersmen in the early develop
ment oi this country. Mr. Harrington was
a large land owner, his property having been
accumulated through his own honest toil and
saving economy. In politics he was a strong
Democrat, and took a lively interest in local
affairs of a political nature. He married
Betsey Hemenway, who was born January
9, 1785, at Salem, Mass., and they reared the
following children, in order named as follows :
Alphonzo, who died young ; Laura married

CHENANGO COUNTY.

45i

Richard D. Taylor of Smyrna ; Calista Al-
meda became the wife of Rev. D. Gardner ;
William Albert, the father of our subject ;
Julia Ann, the wife of William Sackett of
Plymouth ; Melzar W. married Lucy Wor-
den of Smyrna ; Janus H. espoused Miss
Ramsdell of Plymouth ; Marcius P. married
Loise Murdock of Plymouth ; Fordus mar
ried Abigail Chapman of Smyrna ; Orson
married Mary C. Wakely of Cincinnatus ;
and Orlando, whose wife was Hannah Brown
of Plymouth. William Harrington, father
of the above-enumerated family, was a mem
ber of the Universalist Church.
William Albert Harrington, the father of
our subject, was born in Salem, Massachu
setts, May 20, 1805, and was a small lad when
his parents transferred the family residence
to this county. With an example of industry
set him by his lather, it is little wonder that
the boy took upon himself the work and
duties of a man at an extremely early age,
and cheerfully shared the privations and
hardships incident to that period in the new
country. Of these struggles with nature, the
present generation can form no adequate
idea, and in no way can they realize to the
full extent how much they are indebted for
their present enjoyment of a high state of
civilization to those who were the vanguard
and forerunners. Through good, honest,
hard work, and the close husbanding of his
capital, he accumulated a large tract of land,
and was accounted a very prosperous farmer
of his section. He spent his last days in the
village of Oxford, where our subject now re
sides. Politically, he was a stanch Demo
crat, and took an active interest in the ad

vancement and success of the party until the
War of the Rebellion. He was joined in
wedlock with Jane Maria Weaver, daughter
of Jonathan Weaver of Plymouth, February
7, 1832, and they reared five children, who
were as follows: Alonzo De Calvas, the sub
ject of this biography ; Mary Jane, born May
13, 1836, married Sylvester W. Hunt of Ply
mouth, September 27, 1853; Anna Maria,
born July 18, 1840, married George A.
Shoals, M. D., of Plymouth, December 25,
1867; Helen Mar, born October 13, 1835, now
deceased ; and Albert Leroy, also deceased,
whose birth occurred October 27, 1847.
William A. Harrington was inclined to be
liberal in his views on religion, while his wife
was a devoted member of the Presbyterian
Church. Our subject's father died June 18,
1880, being survived by his wife, who at
length bade adieu to earth's scenes, and went
to join those gone before, November 5, 1893.
Alonzo D. Harrington received his prelim
inary education in the common schools near
home, and then took advanced work in Ox
ford Academy, from which he was absent for
a time pursuing his studies in Norwich Acad
emy, but finally returned to the Oxford insti
tution. Upon leaving school he prosecuted
the vocations of a teacher and a farmer,
alternately, until several years after he had
attained his majority. Then, in 1858, he em
barked in mercantile pursuits in Pitcher, this
county, and ran a store for six years, the firm
being Taylors & Harrington, who conducted
a very successful business, after which he
went on the road as a traveling salesman for
McCarthy & Sedgwick, afterwards McCar
thy & Sons, of Syracuse, N. Y. After filling

45 2

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

out a period of eight years of satisfactory
service for the above firm, he took up his
residence in Oxford, in 1874. Afterwards he
went into retail business with W. A. Carl in
the Harrington Block. The firm, in 1884,
became A. D. Harrington & Son, by J. W.
Harrington's buying out Mr. Carl, and this
arrangement continued until our subject re
tired after a few years, leaving his son to
conduct the business, until he in turn sold out
to the present firm of Carl & Cronks.
As has been noted before, our subject
bought his dairy farm in Oxford in 1874.
It consists of 170 acres of fertile land, em
bracing both rich, bottom lands, and rolling
and slightly hilly pastures. The house, a
three story building, with mansard roof,
stands on a prominence, and from the front
veranda may be seen a large portion of the
village, and an extended view of the Che
nango River, as it sweeps through the val
ley ; the lawns slope, with several terraces, to
the street. The rooms are finely furnished
and decorated throughout, and water is sup
plied to the house through pipes that con
nect with large cold springs upon the farm.
The barn is declared by those competent to
know to be a model of completeness, capacity
and convenience. It was built under Mr.
Harrington's directions, and embodies many
of his excellent ideas. It stands sixty-four
feet square on the ground, and on the lower
side is forty-eight feet high. As the barn
stands on sloping ground, the main entrance
is practically on a level with the street. The
basement is ten feet high, and in it are kept
the forty head of cows, that comprise the
dairy, each cow being supplied with running

water, piped from the springs. Beneath the
basement is a cellar, where the manure is
thrown, to be removed, when occasion offers.
Ventilators keep the air free from the objec
tionable odors so common to cow stables,
while the temperature, is so regulated that
at all seasons of the year there is nothing but
comfort. The fourth floor is reached by an
easy incline, on which the hay and grain are
taken into bays that have a total capacity for
137 tons. The silo connected with the barn
holds 100 tons of ensilage, while the root
cellar is frequently stored with 1000 bushels
of mangles. Mr. Harrington holds the ideas
of an enthusiast, regarding agriculture as a
science capable of development to an almost
unlimited extent, far beyond the drudgery
of ordinary farm work. Soon after taking
up dairy work in Oxford, Mr. Harrington
came to the conclusion after a close study
that there was good money to be made in
supplying the residents of Brooklyn with
pure milk, and, having had experience in bus
iness, he carefully made his plans and inau
gurated the venture. The business office in
the metropolis is under the immediate super
vision of E. L. Haynes. The bottling of the
milk is done at Haynes Station, a few miles
north of Oxford, by J. W. Harrington, our
subject's son, several men being employed.
Mr. Harrington also deals in real estate, and
at one time was a director in the National
Bank of Oxford. For many years he was a
director in the Highland Solar Salt Com
pany of Syracuse.
On September 30, 1862, Mr. Harrington
was united in marriage with Emma A.
Waldron, daughter of M. N. Waldron of

CHENANGO COUNTY

453

South Otselic, N. Y., and they have one son,
John Waldron, who married Gertrude Hop-
son of Norwich, and is the father of one child,
Henry. Mr. Harrington is an avowed Re
publican, and supports the principles of his
party with conscientious fervor. While a
resident of Pitcher, he served as postmaster
during Lincoln's first term, and has also been
a supervisor of the town of Oxford. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Harrington are supporters of
the Congregational Church of Oxford. Our
subject is a member of the Ayrshire Breed
er's Association, and the New York State
Agricutural Association. He is one of the
oldest business men of Oxford, and is still
one of the most active. His enterprise,
which is displayed in all his business ven
tures, makes him a valued citizen. He is
quiet and unobtrusive in his demeanor,
honest and upright in his dealings, and most
highly esteemed in the community.

T^iOLONEL TYLER, a man of high
I jp standing in his community, and a
V*  <"" veteran of the late Civil War, is
now living in retirement in the village of
Norwich, Chenango County, N. Y. He is a
son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Purdey) Tyler,
and was born January 21, 1834, at South
New Berlin, Chenango County.
His grandfather, Isaac Tyler, was a native
of Connecticut, who at an early day came to
the State of New York, locating on the east
branch of the Delaware River, in Dela
ware County. There he was one of the
prominent men of his time, and a prosperous

lumberman. In politics, he was originally a
Whig, and later a Republican. He was a
true and consistent Christian gentleman,
holding fellowship with the Baptist Church,
and was respected and honored for his ster
ling worth. He was the father of two chil
dren, Samuel and Rachael, both now de
ceased. Samuel Tyler was one of the prosperous
and substantial farmers of Delaware County,
and later of Otsego County. He was born
on the homestead in Delaware County, and
there was reared. He received as good an
education as could be obtained in the com
mon schools of his native town, and then fol
lowed agricultural pursuits as a means of
support. After leaving his native county,
he settled in Butternuts, Otsego County,
where he passed the remainder of his days
in the pursuits of his occupation.
His companion in life was Elizabeth
Purdey, and they reared a family of fourteen
children, thirteen of whom are now deceased
they were as follows : Lucinda ; Morris
James ; Rachel ; Samuel ; George ; John
Orvill; Elmira; Alma; Allison; William
and Colonel, our subject, who is the only one
now living. Samuel Tyler was a stanch sup
porter of the principles advocated by the
Republican party. He was a faithful mem
ber of the Baptist Church.
Colonel Tyler was mentally equipped for
the duties of life in the common schools. He
followed the trade of a blacksmith for some
time, but later learned the trade of a cooper.
He became a skilled and rapid workman, and
for the twenty-one years succeeding his
mastering the trade he was actively engaged

454

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

in that occupation, in South Berlin and Nor
wich. In 1862, he enlisted in the 114th Reg.,
N. Y. Vol. Inf., and with the exception of a
few months served throughout the remainder
of the war. He was a brave and valiant
soldier, and did much for the cause of his
country. No service lives so long in the
grateful memory of the people as that ren
dered by a brave soldier. Mr. Tyler may
view with satisfaction his record as a patriot,
and as an upright and worthy citizen.
In 1853, our subject was united in marriage
with Miss Cordelia Davis, a daughter of
Wilber Davis of Morris, Otsego County.
Two children were born to make their home
happy, namely : Wilber and Mary Eliza, both
of whom are now deceased. In political
belief, Mr. Tyler is a Republican, and takes
an active interest in political affairs. So
cially, he is a member of the E. B. Smith
Post, G. A. R., No. 83. He is a well read
man, and a pleasing conversationalist. His
many friends delight in hearing him relate
reminiscences of the war.

^ROF. CHARLES R. LOOMIS, the
efficient principal of the Sher
burne High School, and a highly
respected citizen of that village, was born
May 2, 1863, at East Pembroke, Genesee
County, N. Y. He is a son of Samuel and
Amanda M. (Babcock) Loomis.
Samuel Loomis was a native of Cicero,
near Syracuse, N. Y. In early life he re
moved to East Pembroke, where he became
engaged in the manufacture of flour barrels

for the mills of that section. The later years
of his life have been devoted to agricultural
pursuits, and he is one of the good substan
tial farmers of his community. He was
joined in the holy bonds of matrimony with
Miss Amanda M. Babcock. They became
the parents of four sons and one daughter.
Prof. Charles R. Loomis was the youngest
of the four sons born to his parents, and was
reared on his father's farm. He was edu
cated in the district school and the academy
of his neighborhood, and took the classical
course in the Geneseo Normal School. In
1889, on examination, he received a State
Certificate from A. S. Draper, State Super
intendent of Public Instruction. Immedi
ately thereafter, he accepted a position as
teacher, and taught at Smithville, and later
at Elba, Genesee County. In 1892 he went
to South New Berlin, where he taught in the
union school of that place tor two years,
and demonstrated his ability as a man
qualified in every respect to assume the
greater duties of his next position, that of
principal of the Sherburne High School.
He succeeded Prof. A. C. Nute. This school
was founded in 1839, and was known as
Sherburne Academy. It continued under
that name until 1847, when it became the
Sherburne Union School and Academy, with
Miss Catherine Little as principal. In 1866
it was organized under the statutes as a Un
ion Free School. In 1870 it was decided to
erect a new school building at a cost of $9,500.
A substantial two story brick structure was
put up on the lot owned by Dr. White of
Sherburne. In 1895 the name of the school
was changed by the Regents of the Univer-

CHENANGO COUNTY

455

sity from Academy to High School. The
school is now well equipped with library,
physical and chemical and other apparatus.
In 1895 an additional teacher was secured,
making the present number on the faculty
seven. As a principal Prof. Loomis has been
popular and has gained the active support of
the citizens and the school board. He has
filled his position intelligently and to the
great good of the educational interests of the
village. He was united in marriage with Miss Katie
M. Shotwell, in July, 1892. They are the
parents of one son, Glenn S., who was born
February 10, 1895. In politics, Prof. Loomis
is a Republican.

TdDSOl

IDSON L. WHITNEY, one of the en-
J  terprising and leading business
men of the village of Sherburne, this county,
engaged in carrying on a very flourishing-
business in dry goods and groceries, was
born in Sherburne, September 18, i860. He
is a son of Edson G. and Experience (Loomis)
Whitney, grandson of Ephraim and Thurzie
(Benedict) Whitney, and great-grandson of
Ephraim Whitney. Ephraim Whitney, who
was one of Vermont's pioneer residents,
came to Central New York in middle life,
and located in the village of Sherburne, Che
nango County, where his vocation was that
of tilling the soil. Later he moved to Hop
Bottom, Pa., and it was there that he died at
the age of eighty years. Mrs. Whitney de
parted this life and entered into her reward
at the age of seventy-five years. To them

were born six children, namely : Nathaniel;
Ebenezer; Ephraim, Jr.; Ruth; Annie; and
Thurzie. Ephraim Whitney, Jr., was born in Ben
nington, Vt., and while still a young man
he left his father's house to seek a new home
in Sherburne. After living there a short
time he was joined by his father with the
rest of the family. He bought the farm
commonly known as the Dows farm, and fol
lowed the occupation of an agriculturist for
some years. After clearing the ground,
building a house, and making other substan
tial improvements, he sold the estate, and
moved to the village of Sherburne, where he
bought the house now standing on the corner
of Union and State Streets, which he later
sold, and then purchased the house where
Mrs. Cushman lives. In this latter house he
opened and ran a general store, at the same
time renting a farm, which was operated by
his sons. Later he ran an ashery, and then
retired to private life. He married Miss
Thurzie Benedict, a daughter of Jared Bene
dict. As a result of this happy union nine
children were born: Edson G; Charles;
Sarah ; Almira ; Albert ; Mary ; Porter ;
Catherine; and Caroline. In 1859, Mr.
Whitney passed from this life, aged eighty-
one years. Mrs. Whitney lived to the age
of ninety -one years. Politically, Mr. Whit
ney was an old time Whig, and at the time
of his death was an Abolitionist. The Con
gregational Church included him among its
members. Edson G. Whitney, father of our subject,
was born in Sherburne, this county, and
when a small boy clerked in the store of

45 6

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Holmes & Fargo, after which he was with
Holmes & Cook ; later he went into business
on his own account with Frederick Coats as
a partner, the business being conducted
under the firm name of Coats & Whitney.
They carried on a general store in the old
Opera House building ; later, when Mr.
Whitney was alone in business, his store had
the same location. In 1882, he retired and
led a private life, being succeeded by Whit
ney, Kutschbach & Bullis. Mr. Whitney
purchased Dr. Devillo White's residence on
North Main Street, and alter instituting and
carrying to completion a number of improve
ments, he had a comfortable home, suited in
every way to his desires. He married Ex
perience Loomis, and to them were given
two children, namely : Mary E., deceased ;
and Edson L., our subject. Mr. Whitney
was a stanch Democrat until Horace
Greeley's time, and since then he was an un
swerving Republican. He served as presi
dent of the village of Sherburne, and held
several minor offices. In religious views, he
was a member of the Congregational Church.
In 1885, he died, leaving behind his wife, one
son, and a large circle of friends to mourn
his death.
Our subject received his education in the
Sherburne Union School. In 1882, he
became a member of the firm of Whitney,
Kutschbach & Bullis, who were the largest
merchants of the village of Sherburne. In
February, 1896, our subject disposed of his
interests, and went to the town of Smyrna,
where he bought out the old established
house of Dixon Bros., and identified himself
with the leading commercial enterprises of

the village, keeping a very large and select
line of dry goods, groceries, and all the
articles, except boots and shoes, that are
generally to be found in a general mercantile
store. In January, 1898, occurred another
change in his affairs, when he purchased the
stock and store of Walker Bros, of Sher
burne ; he now does a large and flourishing
business. Mr. Whitney is one of a company
of six, who rebuilt the Opera House Block,
and is treasurer of the company. His family
all along has continued to live in Sherburne,
and there he intends to make his home ; how
ever, he still retains a one-third interest in
the store at Smyrna.
Mrs. Whitney's maiden name was Clara E.
Foote. She is a daughter of Samuel M. and
Sarah (Hartwell) Foote. Samuel M. Foote
was born in Colchester, Conn., and was a son
of Israel and Lucy (Brainard) Foote, and
grandson of Nathaniel and Abigail (Foote)
Foote. Israel Foote came to the town of
Sherburne in 1824. He was a school
teacher and a mechanic. He bought the
property known as the Purdy farm, and fol
lowed the occupation of an agriculturist.
He married Lucy Brainard, and the fruits of
this union were seven children, namely :
Samuel M.; Sarah T.; Caroline E.; Lucy ;
Ellen ; Israel O.; and Milton L. Mr. Foote
was called to his well-earned rest at the age
of ninety years. His wife died, aged sixty-
six years. Samuel M. Foote received a
liberal education, and then taught school for
several terms. He finally settled on the
homestead. When still a young man he was
considered one of the most wide-awake,
energetic, and successful farmers in the com-

if

:-"«3P

..' , 4>

ALMON LEE TUTTLE.

MRS. PHEBE MARYETTE TUTTLE.

CHENANGO COUNTY

461

munity. He married Sarah Hartwell, and
five children blessed their nuptials, as fol
lows: Fanny, deceased; Annie J.; Minerva
C; Edward O.; and Clara E., the wife of our
subject. To our subject and wife two children have
been given : Helen E., born December 9,
1893; and Edward F., born December 4,
1895. Mr. Whitney's political views coincide
with those of the Republican party. He has
been a member of the board of trustees of
Sherburne village for two years. His relig
ious connections are with the Congregational
Church of Sherburne, of which he is a valued
member. He is a member of the Smyrna
Lodge, I. O. O. F. Mr. Whitney is a man of
pleasing address ; social and hospitable ;
generous and liberal in his sentiments; re
taining the activity, vivacity and cheerful
ness of youth, his life reveals the success that
may be attained by self-reliance, integrity,
and persevering industry.

LMON LEE TUTTLE. The name of
this honored old citizen of the Em
pire State is a familiar one through
out Chenango County. He. is among the
respected citizens, who in the sunset of life
are enabled to retire upon a sufficient compe
tency from active labor, and is now residing
in the town of Columbus. He was born in
the above town, November 22, 1826, and is a
son of Amos Bishop and Patty (Spaulding)
Tuttle, and grandson of Melicu Tuttle.
Melicu Tuttle was born in New Haven,
Conn., June 18, 1775 ; his father dying when

Melicu was about nine years of age, leaving
the family in destitute circumstances, he at
once manfully confronted the difficulties of
the situation, and succeeded in overcoming
them. Subsequently, he went west into the
wilds of Central New York, and for a while
worked for a brother-in-law, John Tallett,
who had been one of England's " Hessian
hirelings " in the War of the Revolution, but
who, after being captured with Burgoyne's
army, came to know and love the American
people, whom, he said, he had been taught to
believe were all savages. Later, about 1794,
Mr. Tuttle, being well pleased with the
country, his judgment telling him that here
were future possibilities not to be despised,
accordingly located a claim in the northern
part of what is now the town of Columbus,
Chenango County, on Lot 57. He cleared a
patch, built a log cabin, then returned to
Massachusetts, and married, in 1795, Lovisa
Bishop. They at once started out to make
their new home among the Indians and wild
beasts of the wilderness. They walked all
the way, and drove a cow, that had been
given them by Mrs. Tuttle's father. The
remainder of the bride's outfit was all tied in
a red bandana handkerchief. In their new
home husband and wife lived and labored,
the former for over seventy years and the
latter for over fifty years. They brought up
a family of six children, whose names were :
James; Phebe; Julia; Amos Bishop ; Dian-
tha ; and Emeline.
Being very ingenious in mechanical con
trivances, Melicu Tuttle became indispensa
ble to other new settlers, who afterwards
came into the district. He could build a log

462

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

cabin, and make any farming implement, such
as ox sleds or carts, bull plows, meat casks,
sap pails, etc. His powers of physical labor
and endurance were remarkable. He would
go two miles to the farm of his brother-in-law
do a large day's work, chopping and logging,
then back a bushel of grain to the mill a mile
away, have it ground, and then back it home
three miles, in the dark, through woods and
along a dim path, marked only by " blazed "
trees. Once it was necessary to go sixteen
miles to the mill at Burlington Flats with
grain ; having no vehicle, he hung a bag with
two bushels of corn on the yoke between two
oxen and started. Three miles short of the
mill, the oxen became exhausted and could
bear the load no farther, so Mr. Tuttle took
it on his own back, and when he arrived at
the mill found it " closed for repairs," leaving
him no alternative but to return home with
out his grist. Subsequently he improvised a
cart without wheels, the contrivance being a
crotched sappling, notched to the ring of the
yoke, with pins in the prongs to hold the bag.
He once walked the entire distance to New
York City, 250 miles, to make a payment on
his land, crossing the Hudson River by swim
ming, with his clothes bundled and strapped
to his back. The memory of no man, who
labored and sacrificed during the early settle
ment of the state, is more worthy of perpetu
ation than that of Melicu Tuttle.
The sons and daughters of the later gener
ations, who are permitted to reap and enjoy
so much where the fathers and mothers
fought the obstinacies of the primeval wilder
ness and in toil and privation sowed the seed
that has yielded many a hundred fold of

wealth and even luxury, though they can
realize but little of the hardships and priva
tions of that early struggle, should turn in
gratitude and thankfulness to the memory
of those most worthy forebears.
Melicu Tuttle was kind, honest and faithful,
and long lived to enjoy the fruits of his
labors and the esteem of his fellow citizens.
He spent his last days with his son, Amos
Bishop Tuttle, and passed from the world in
the ninety-eighth year of his life, July 31,
1872. His wife, born June 9, 1778, died Feb
ruary 16, 1849.
Amos Bishop Tuttle, father of our subject,
in 1825, purchased a tract of land, now
owned and occupied by our subject, and
built thereon a log house amidst the forest
in which he lived until 1839, when he built a
frame house three rods north-east of the old
log structure. Mr. Tuttle was among the
substantial men of Chenango County, a gen
tleman respected for his sterling worth and
integrity. At his death, which occurred in
1890, at the age of eighty-seven, he possessed
75 acres of the best improved land in his
section of the county. Mrs. Tuttle died at
the age of fifty-four. To Mr. and Mrs. Tut
tle were born seven children, who were as
follows : Almon Lee ; Harvey ; Lucretia ;
Delia and Celia, twins ; Sarah L.; and Julia,
who died aged nine years. Harvey, Lucretia
and Celia died in childhood. Sarah L. mar
ried Reuben L. Lamb, and died at the age of
twenty-seven years. Delia (Mrs. William B.
Olney) survives at this writing (1898.) Mr.
Tuttle was originally an old line Whig, but
for many years he was an out-spoken Aboli
tionist, when such as he were taunted as be-

CHENANGO COUNTY

463

ing " nigger worshippers ;" but later, at the>
organization of the Republican party, he
joined its ranks and remained identified with
the new power in the political world until his
death. Almon Lee Tuttle, subject of this personal
history, received his education in the district
schools and at Whitestown Seminary. Dur
ing his early manhood he taught school and
was superintendent of the schools of Colum
bus. For several years working his father's
farms, he also purchased and operated the
adjoining farm, commonly known as the
Hickock property, where A. M. Lamb now
resides; he also bought the old Gates farm,
where he now lives. He built all the build
ings on the latter farm, including a cheese
factory, that he operated for thirty-three
years. He has a reputation for the manufac
ture of cheese that stands second to none in
the Empire State, and he was awarded a
medal and chart for his exhibit at the World's
Fair at Chicago. He also purchased the J.
Finch, farm, the Abels farm, and his father's
farm — 425 acres in all. His farm being espe
cially adapted to grazing, Mr. Tuttle makes
the production of milk his chief work; the
milk at this writing (May, 1898) is bought by
Borden's (N. Y.) Condensed Milk Co. Mr.
Tuttle is a successful apiarian, and now has
fifty colonies of bees, although he has had as
high as one hundred colonies.
Mr. Tuttle sought and obtained in mar
riage the hand of Phebe Maryette Francis,
daughter of Levi Francis of Sherburne, this
county. Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle were given
one child, Emma Adelia, who was removed
from them at the age of eight years. Our

subject was an Abolitionist with his father,
but helped in the formation of the Republi
can party, and still later joined the ranks of
the Prohibition party. He is tolerant of the
opinions of others, but his views are decided,
and expressed with the fearlessness of a man
who feels that he is right and is not afraid to
take a decided stand to maintain his opinions
and principles. He served as justice of the
peace for twenty years and as supervisor
three terms. Mr. Tuttle is an excellent citi
zen, and has now abandoned the more active
duties and labors of life, and is enjoying the
rewards of his early toil. His mind, how
ever, always active and industrious, retains
a general oversight of his business affairs,
which he has always conducted with great wis
dom and skill. The Tuttle family is well
known and highly respected throughout the
county, and has contributed its full quota
toward the building up of the section of
which they may be classed as early pioneers.
It is with feelings of pleasure, which we
are sure are shared by all the readers of this
volume, that we present on preceding pages
portraits of both Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle, who
merit this distinction because ot the leading
part they have taken in the agricultural and
social work of Chenango County.

TJdMUND j. STACK, the well known
J — proprietor of the Gothic House,
the leading hotel of South Otselic, was born
in the town of Sherburne, Chenango County,
May 1, 1856. He is a son of Michael and
Mary (White) Stack.

464

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Michael Stack was born in the town of
Ennis, County Clare, Ireland, in 18 17, and
came to America about 1853. His perman
ent location in this country was in the town
of Smyrna, Chenango County, where he set
tled down on a farm. He was engaged in
farming all his life, and was one of the good
substantial farmers of the community in
which he lived. Religiously, he was a Cath
olic and was educated for the priesthood, but
never took orders. He was united in mar
riage with Mary White, who is also a native
of County Clare, Ireland, coming to this
country in 1853. She still survives her hus
band, and is living on the old homestead with
her daughter, Mrs. T. J. Sullivan. Mr. and
Mrs. Stack w^ere the parents of five children,
four of whom grew to maturity, namely :
Ella, who married T. J. Sullivan, a farmer
living on the old homestead in Smyrna town
ship ; Edmund J., who is the subject of this
biography ; John B., a special pension ex
aminer of Washington, D. C; and Margaret
A., a resident of South Otselic.
Edmund J. Stack was reared on the farm
and received his mental training in the
Smyrna Union School. Leaving school at the
age of seventeen, he began teaching school,
and taught for about ten terms. In 1887, he
moved to Palmyra, Wisconsin, where he en
gaged in business for one year, and then re
turned to his home in Smyrna. He bought
a farm adjoining his father's estate in the
town of Smyrna, and engaged in agricul
tural pursuits for about two years. In 1883,
he purchased his present hotel business in
South Otselic. He made many improve
ments, fitted the hotel with modern conveni

ences, and made it a very desirable stopping
place. It has nice, large and comfortable
rooms, newly furnished, lighted with gas and
heated by hot air. The meals served by this
establishment also add greatly to its popu
larity with the traveling public. In connec
tion with the hotel, Mr. Stack conducts a liv
ery barn, and is a dealer in carriages, cutters,
sleighs, etc. In 1893, he opened a carriage
repository, which is also very well patronized.
He owns the valuable two story building in
which M. D. Greenleaf conducts a harness
business. Mr. Stack is an enterprising and
public-spirited citizen, and actively supports
all new enterprises conducive to the welfare
of the village. He was the principal organ
izer of the Merchants Gas Co. of South Ot
selic, and is a stockholder and president of
the organization. In religious belief, he is
a faithful member of the Catholic Church.
Socially, he belongs to Cascadilla Lodge, No.
478, I. O. O. F., of South Otselic ; Chenango
Encampment, No. 51, I. O. O. F., of Norwich,
N. Y.; and is past captain of Canton Lodge,
No. 40, I. O. O. F., of Norwich. In political
belief, he adheres to the principles advocated
by the Democratic party.
February 28, 1881, our subject was united
in marriage with Ella Noonan at the home
of her mother at Schenevus, N. Y. After
eight years of happiness, Mr. Stack was be
reaved of his wife's companionship by death,
April 15, 1889. She was aged twenty-eight
years, eleven months and twenty-one days
when the summons came, and was just be
ginning to enter the prime of life. She left
one child, a bright boy of four years, M. Leo.
The loss of his beautiful young wife was a

CHENANGO COUNTY

465

sad blow to our subject. She was dearly
loved by all, as is shown by the following
lines, which were written by a friend : " Ten
derly we would gather the sweet memories
of her former life, and count ourselves rich
in the legacy of her modest example. A
warm heart never beat more kindly, neither
found more joyous, generous doings, yet with
a humble disposition that recognized no sac
rifice and made unselfishness the keynote of
her daily duty. Wife, mother, and friend,
the joy of our life must be less without
thee, but we would not hold back from the
raptures of Heaven."
December 15, 1896, Mr. Stack formed a
second union with Marcia Lamb, an adopted
daughter of D. B. Parce of South Otselic.
She is a woman of many virtues, is a kind
and loving wife and has many friends. Our
subject has a large number of friends in the
community, who respect and esteem him as
a man of great worth and influence.

JB

ANIEL CONROY, the well known
superintendent of the F. G. Clarke
blue stone quarries of South Ox
ford, commands the respect of a large force
of men under his charge, and conducts his
business affairs in such a manner as to retain
the confidence and approval of his employer.
He is a native of Ireland, and was born in
Queens County, May 1, 1845. He is a son of
Daniel and Margaret (Dunn) Conroy.
Daniel Conroy, the father of our subject,
was born and reared in Ireland, where he
was engaged in agricultural pursuits. He
22

was united in marriage with Margaret Dunn,
and a few years later, seeing the superior
advantages offered to farmers on the fertile
valleys and plains of America, he came to the
United States, and located in Ulster County,
N. Y. He settled in the town of Hurley,
and became quite successful as a farmer.
He was the progenitor of four children, all
of whom died in their infancy but Daniel,
our subject. Mr. Conroy died soon after
coming to this country, but his wife survived
him many years, dying in 1887 at the ad
vanced age of seventy-two years.
Daniel Conroy obtained his education in
the common schools of Hurley, attending
until he was fourteen years of age. He then
operated a small quarry for a time, and later
decided to try farming. He went to work
upon a farm, but found he was not suited for
such work. He again turned to his occupa
tion of stone cutter, and for five years he
worked faithfully, and soon acquired great
skill. He gained largely in experience, and
at the end of the five years he was qualified to
go into business on his own account. Being
a man of good habits he used his money
sparingly, and was enabled to purchase a
stone quarry. He operated it for about two
years and was very successful, but think
ing the grocery business more profitable, he
engaged in that line of business for the next
year. It was a good paying venture, but
unsuited to a man of his tastes. He was next
made superintendent of a quarry at Smith
ville, and acted in that capacity for the fol
lowing five years. He then went to Hast
ings on the Hudson River, in the employ of
the same company. Later he moved to

466

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Rockland, Sullivan County, where he opened
a new quarry, which he operated until 1889.
By this time Mr. Conroy had made a reputa
tion for himself, and he was known far and
wide ; his services were in great demand.
He was called to South Oxford to act as
superintendent of the F. G. Clarke blue
stone quarries, and is now serving in that
capacity. He has charge of about sixty
men, and gets the best possible results from
them by his just treatment and strict atten
tion to business.
August 24, 1873, Mr- Conroy married Kate
A. Cahill of Kingston, and they became the
parents of thirteen children, seven of whom
are now living, whose records are as follows:
Daniel F., who is assistant superintendent in
the quarry at South Oxford ; Patrick J., a
medical student of Buffalo, N. Y.; Joseph J.,
a stone cutter ; Margaret ; Catherine ; Agnes ;
and Francis. In religious belief the family
are Catholics. Mr. Conroy is a firm sup
porter of the Democratic party.

B. FRANKLIN is one of the best
known, and most influential citizens
of Preston township, occupying as
he does a place of prominence in the village
as the leading grocer. He is a son of
Stephan and Betsey (Ashcraft) Franklin, and
was born March 25, 1835, at Pharsalia, this
county, where he resided for almost half a
century. His paternal grandfather, Benjamin Frank
lin, was a native of Windham, Vermont, but
moved to Chenango County, New York,

where he bought a farm in the town of Pres
ton, and spent the remainder of his life. In
early life he was a Democrat, but he was
ever a man who had the courage of his con
victions, and when the principles of that
party failed to coincide with his ideas of
right, he became identified with the Whigs,
and later with the Republican party. He
was a member of the Baptist Church, of
which he was for many years a deacon. He
was the father of eight children : Clarissa
Bicking; Sallie Champlain; Roby Coy; Mrs.
Carter ; Benjamin ; William ; Moses ; Aaron
and Stephan.
Stephan Franklin, the father of our subject,
was twenty years of age when he came with
his father from Vermont to the town of Pres
ton. He bought a farm of 150 acres in the
town of Pharsalia, and became one of its
prominent and substantial farmers, remaining
there the rest of his life. He was married to
Betsey Ashcraft, and raised a family of nine
children, whose names are as follows : Olive ;
James ; Anna ; Leonard ; Stephen ; Elizabeth ;
Ira; H. B.; and Diana. He was first a Demo
crat and afterwards a Republican. He was
a Baptist in religion. James Ashcraft, the
maternal grandfather of our subject, took an
active part in the War of the Revolution,
serving as captain of a vessel.
H. B. Franklin, our subject, was educated
in the common and select schools in East
Pharsalia. After leaving school he worked
at farming in the town of Pharsalia for fifteen
years, at the end of which time, in 1884, he
came to Preston village and opened a gro
cery store, a business which he has since
continued with good financial results, win-

CHENANGO COUNTY

467

ning for himself hosts of friends by his
straightforward manner of dealing, and the
kindly attention accorded all who enter his
place of business. His popularity is attested
to by the fact that he has served as deputy
postmaster at Preston for the past thirteen
years. He is a stanch Republican, and has
been retained in office as justice of the peace
of the town of Preston for the past twelve
years, giving entire satisfaction in the man
ner in which he discharges the duties of his
office. October 4, 1857, he was wedded to Mary
Park, a daughter of Lorenzo Park, a resident
of the town of Preston, this county, and this
union has resulted in the birth of four chil
dren : Eva G., the wife of Carlos Crandall, a
mason, residing at Norwich ; Horace D., a
farmer; May, the wife of Burton E. Slater,
who resides with his father, a farmer of Pres
ton township ; and Jennie B., who lives with
her parents. Mr. Franklin has been quite
successful in his business ventures, and owns,
in the town of Preston besides the store, a
farm which he leases.

TJdwa

J DWARD JULIAN ELLIOTT. A strik-
J  ing example of what may be ac
complished, by an individual possessing
energy and perseverance, is to be found in
the career of the subject of this biographical
notice. He began life on his own account as
a common carpenter, working by the day,
and has gradually worked his way up to his
present position, that of leading contractor
and builder of the village of Norwich. He

was born April 20, 1865, in Plymouth, Che
nango County, and is a son of Cyrus and
Annis (Balden) Elliott.
He is ot Scotch ancestry. His grand
father, Jacob Elliott, was a native of Rhode
Island, and came to Chenango County about
ninety -eight years ago, locating in the town
of Greene. He made farming his life occu
pation and was very successful. In political
views he was a Democrat. He was a mem
ber of the old state militia. He reared a
family of nine children, eight sons and one
daughter. Cyrus Elliott is among the sturdy tillers
of the soil in this county who have been suc
cessful in life, and who are enabled to enjoy
the fruits of a laborious past. He is a native
of Chenango County, and received his educa
tion in the common schools of his native
town. He was reared a farmer's boy and
assisted in the labors on his father's farm. It
was but natural that when he left the parental
roof he should take up farming as an occupa
tion. He first farmed in the town of Greene,
but later moved to Plymouth, and after re
maining there some years came to Norwich.
After farming here for a few years, he retired
from active life, and is now living a life of
ease at the home of his son, Edward Julian,
in Norwich. The results of his union with
Annis Balden were four children, whose
names are as follows ; Orin ; Porter ; Ella,
who is the relict of Lemont Snow ; and Ed
ward Julian, the subject of this personal
sketch. Cyrus Elliott takes an active inter
est in political affairs, and is a member of the
Democratic party.
Edward Julian Elliott was mentally equip-

468

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

ped for life's battles in the public schools of
Plymouth. Upon leaving school he became
apprenticed to the carpenter's trade, work
ing under S. H. Hall of Norwich for four
years. By strict application to his work, he
became a skilled workman, and well qualified
for his next step in life. It was in 1885 that
he became a contractor and builder, and he
has continued in that line oi operation to the
present time. He receives most of the large
contracts in Norwich, and many others
throughout the county. That Mr. Elliott
has been so successful in life is due to his
own unaided efforts and industry. He is yet
a young man, but the people, recognizing his
ability, feel that their confidence in him is
not misplaced.
Mr. Elliott was united in marriage with
Ella Curnalia, a daughter of William Cur-
nalia of Norwich, and they are the parents
of two sons : Ary, and Earl. Mrs. Elliott is
a kind, loving wife and mother. Our subject
is a prominent Mason, and takes an active in
terest in the workings of Norwich Lodge,
No. 302, F. & A. M. In politics, he is a firm
supporter of the Democratic party, and is
town committeeman.

Y^JTERMAN S. SALEY. One of Sher-
j-^-l burne's most energetic and prosper-
J-i9 v  . ous business men is the gentleman
named above, who is an undertaker and
dealer in furniture. He is a native of Sher
burne, his birth occurring there, October 18,
1862. He is a son of Marcus S. and Cor
nelia S. (Tuttle) Saley, grandson of Nathan

E. and Marinda (Frances) Saley, and great-
grandson of James and Emily (Mainard)
Saley of the State of Connecticut.
Nathan E. Saley was born in Connecticut,
and at the age of five years came west with
a family that was moving in this direction,
and settled in Sherburne, N. Y. He was the
means of getting his father, James Saley, to
remove to Sherburne, where both settled on
the farm, where Stephen Coons now resides.
James Saley was a stone mason by trade.
Not many years after their removal to Sher
burne, Mr. and Mrs. James Saley died, leav
ing a large family of children, namely : Elias ;
Silas; Nathan E.; Orrin ; Marcus; Sally;
Betsey ; James ; and Lydia. Nathan E. Saley
had always followed the occupation of a far
mer, and as his first purchase, he bought a
farm in the north-east corner of the town.
On it he made many improvements, building
a house and barn, and otherwise fitting the
place up for a suitable home ; when he sold
it to his son, Marcus S., he bought the farm
adjoining. He died in 1886, at the age of
eighty-one years. His wife passed from this
life in 1884. To them were born two chil
dren, of whom Marcus S. is the only one now
living. Emma J., the only daughter, died in
infancy. Marcus S. Saley assisted his father in run-
nine the farm, and later learned the trade of
a shoemaker, which trade he followed five
years, besides managing his father's farm in
the mean time. Later he disposed of his
shoemaking business and bought a thresh
ing machine, and for nine years operated it,
traveling around over the country in the sum
mer. He built a shop and cider mill, and put

WILLIAM B. STEWART.

CHENANGO COUNTY

47i

in an iron lathe and shingle machine. In
1884 he sold his establishment, and bought
the Barber farm, which he operated for a
short time, then sold the property and
bought a lot in Sherburne village, which
formerly belonged to the Whitford estate.
There, under the firm name of Saley & Co.,
his son being the other member of the firm,
he was engaged in pressing hay, and ship
ping it to various places. Since January 1,
1887, he has been assisting his son in the
business. He was joined in marriage with
Cornelia S. Tuttle, daughter of James Tuttle,
and their only child is Herman S., our sub
ject. Politically, Marcus S. Saley is an un
swerving Democrat. In his religious views
he is a member of the Free Will Baptist
Church. Being the only son and child, our subject,
Herman S. Saley, remained with his parents
until he attained his majority, when he en
gaged in the furniture and undertaking busi
ness. He went to New York City and com
pleted a course in Prof. F. A. Sullivan's
Oriental School of Embalming. Returning
to his native town, he opened up business as
a mortisan. He has one of the best hearses
and a very fine team. Being a man of great
ability, he rose rapidly in his chosen vocation,
and gained the patronage of the village and
the surrounding country. Our subject has a
very fine line of house furniture in his store,
and everything needed in an undertaker's
establishment. Mr. Saley is never idle ; his
chief aim is to help build up his native town,
Sherburne. He takes great interest in all the
enterprises which are for the benefit of his
townspeople. He has dealt quite extensively

in horses, and conducts a blacksmith and
wagon shop, where he gives employment to
several men.
Mr. Saley was united in matrimonial bonds
with Jennie Phelps, daughter of Charles
Phelps of South Edmeston. Religiously,
our subject is a Free Will Baptist. In poli
tics he has always been an untiring and con
sistent Republican. He is a man who is well
adapted for public service, and the people ap
preciate -that fact by electing him to office.
Socially, Mr. Saley is a public-spirited man,
and always lends his aid and influence in the
advancement of measures which he believes
would be conducive to the public welfare.

Wi

ILLIAM B. STEWART. Probably
no man is more widely known
throughout the town of Plymouth than the
gentleman, whose name heads this sketch,
and whose portrait is shown on the opposite
page. His varied business interests along
milling and mercantile lines has been such as
to extend his acquaintance through the
entire county, while his personality has made
itself felt tin the community where he now
resides. Mr. Stewart was ushered into this
world at Kirk, Plymouth township, Che
nango County, January 16, 1857, his parents
being George W. and Charlotte (Chase)
Stewart. Flis paternal great-grandfather was born
in New London, Conn., of Scotch ancestry ;
he came with his family to New York, set
tling in the village of Kirk. He owned a
farm of 140 acres which he cultivated. He

472

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

was a Whig and took part in the War of the
Revolution. Asahel Stewart, the grandfather, was one
of nine children. He was born and grew to
manhood in the State of Connecticut. His
vocation was that most useful one of agricul
ture, without which all our mills would be
useless, our factories would close, and our
people die of starvation. He had charge of
his father's farm at Kirk, and also bought
and sold general farm produce. He was a
Whig, and when that party gave place to the
Republican organization he joined its ranks.
His entire life from early manhood was
spent in Plymouth township. He became
impressed with religious convictions and
united with the Methodist Episcopal Church,
where his knowledge of the Bible and his
ready manner of expressing his thoughts,
gave him much prominence in religious
circles. He was a frequent exhorter and a
familiar figure in the pulpit, where he
preached some very able sermons. The
maiden name of the lady whom he married
was Lucretia Fulk, and their children were :
Alanson; Charles; George W.; Giles; Ches
ter; and Lucretia Frink. Asahel Stewart
died at the age of ninety, and his wife at the
age of eighty-seven years, each in the ripe
ness of age, and with the consciousness of a
life well spent.
George W. Stewart was born in the village
of Kirk, and attended the district schools,
after which he engaged in farming and lum
bering. He was a very successful farmer,
owning 145 acres of good land. He was a
Republican, and accepted such local offices
as highway commissioner, etc. He was

married to Charlotte Chase, and three chil
dren were born to them : William B., our
subject; Montezuma C; and George L., now
deceased. Mrs. Stewart is still living. Mr.
Stewart's death was the result of a most un
fortunate accident ; while engaged in cutting
down some trees on his farm, in 1889, in
some way he was caught by one of the falling
trees and crushed to the ground, receiving
injuries from which death shortly relieved
him. William B. Stewart was educated in the
public schools and then attended Norwich
Academy, where he was a diligent pupil and
soon acquired a good practical education.
He taught for one term in the town of Ply
mouth, but felt that he was not suited for the
life of a pedagogue, and, preferring to en
gage in outdoor pursuits, accordingly turned
his attention to the occupation of his fathers,
farming, and gave to agricultural pursuits
ten years of his best efforts. He worked at
lumbering for two years, and then moved to
South Plymouth in 1892 and embarked in
the milling business. This mill has a fifty-
four horse power wheel, and a capacity of
two tons per hour ; it is fitted up with the
most improved modern machinery, and turns
out the best class of goods. He does both
merchant and custom grinding, and has a
business of from $22,000.00 to $25,000.00
annually. In 1894 he was appointed post
master of South Plymouth, and opened a
general store, which nets him a neat income.
He owns an interest in the 145 acres left by
his father.
Mr. Stewart contracted marriage Febru
ary 23, 1878, with a most estimable lady,

CHENANGO COUNTY

473

Flora Tower, whose father, Almon Tower,
was a farmer of the town of Plymouth.
Mrs. Stewart was a pupil in Oxford Acad
emy, a graduate of the State Normal School
at Brockport, N. Y., and is a lady of refine
ment and intelligence. She is also a musician
of no mean ability, as she always places her
self in touch with her audience by her sym
pathetic rendering of a selection. She
received musical instruction from Prof. Lynn
Babcock of Norwich, and proved a most apt
scholar. Six children have been born to Mr.
and Mrs. Stewart, viz : Leon T.; Lottie L.;
John H.; Amasa E.; Florence D.; and Olive
M. Mr. Stewart is an active politician, and
was elected by the Republican party to the
position of highway commissioner of the
town of Plymouth, in which capacity he
served for several years, and was elected
supervisor in 1898. He is a member of
Lodge No. 302 of Norwich. Mr. Stewart
commands the entire respect, confidence and
esteem of the people, and has a most kindly
nature, being ever ready to do a generous
act.

ENRY W. SAGE, deceased. The
honored name of the subject of this
history will be remembered long
after those who were personally acquainted
with him have passed away. He was one of
the early residents of Chenango County, a
man of great energy and force of character,
and left his decided impress upon the com
munity in which he lived and upon all with
whom he came .in contact. He was a son of

Jewett and Susan (Jaycox) Sage, and was
born in the town of New Berlin, July 13,
1833- The Sage family traces its descent from
Scandinavian stock far back in the Dark
Ages ; the name was spelled " Saga," but
when the Norsemen conquered Normandy,
and over-ran France, the final "a" was
changed to " e," thus making the present
name — Sage. The name as it appears first
in English history is found upon Battle Ab
bey Roll, year 1066, A. D., the roll made by
William the Conqueror after the battle of
Hastings, when he divided the English lands
among his followers — the spelling there being
" Sageville." As a mark of distinguished
favor, a coat of arms was granted by the
King. The coat of arms is surmounted by
grain, fruit and flowers, indicating that the
Sage family was then, as it is now, an agri
cultural people. The motto is " Non Sibli,"
" Not for ourselves."
The founder of the American branch of
the now numerous family of Sages was
David Sage, a native of Wales, born in
1639. He was reared, as many another Welsh
farmer lad, on a small tract of land, the agri
culturists of that country possessing only a
limited idea of farming, as it is carried on in
the New World. He read the glowing ac
counts of what might be accomplished by
men of energy in the American colonies, and
he resolved to come hither with the hopes of
bettering his financial condition. He located
in Middletown, Conn., where he spent the
rest of his life, dying in 1703. His descend
ant, Daniel Sage, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in the State of Connecticut

474

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

in 1756, and in 1803 moved to New Ber
lin, N. Y., where he took up a tract of 200
acres, as one of the first settlers in that local
ity. He lived there with his family, the only
company being some roving Indian, of
whom he was seldom afraid. He passed
away in 1852. He served in the War of the
Revolution, and three of his sons fought for
the rights, of Americans against British op
pression in the War of 1812. His wife, Sybil
Jewett of Rensselaer County, bore him the
following children: Sylvia, born 1779; Eras
tus, 1784: Faith, 1786; Betsey, 1788; Simeon,
1789; Abigail, 1791 ; Jewett, the father of our
subject; Daniel, 1795; and Nathan, 1800.
Jewett Sage, father of Henry W. Sage,
subject of this biography, was born in Rens
selaer County, N. Y., in 1793, and at the age
of six years came to New Berlin township,
where he engaged in the pursuits of an agri
culturist until the time of his death, which
occurred in 1821. He was one of the wealth
iest farmers in Chenango County, owning at
the time of his death 1,500 acres. He kept
a herd of 90 well bred cattle, and was en
gaged extensively in dairying. He chose for
his companion Susan Jaycox, and they reared
five sons and three daughters.
Henry W. Sage received his intellectual
training in the public schools and Norwich
Academy, and at the age of twenty years he
engaged in teaching, which calling he fol
lowed five years. He then devoted his atten
tion toward agriculture. He purchased a
farm four miles north-west of South New
Berlin, where he carried on farming in a
successful manner for two years, and then
bought a farm of 240 acres on Great Brook

in New Berlin township. It is one of the
best farms in Chenango County ; the soil is
rich and productive ; and the improvements
are of the best. Mr. Sage was interested in
the manufacture of cheese and dairying, and
had his farm stocked with some 40 head of
milch cows. He was active in politics, up
held Democratic principles earnestly and con
scientiously, and voted for all measures cal
culated to advance the public good. He
served as supervisor three terms in the town
of New Berlin, and was instrumental in the
securing of the Union School.
His first marriage was with Miss Frances
A. Osgood, who was born June 28, 1835, and
they reared one child, IdaM., who died April
21, 1869, aged twelve years. Mrs. Sage died
May 21, 1866, and on December 22, 1868,
Mr. Sage was united in marriage with Orril
O. Osgood.' Mrs. Sage was born May 12,
1 841, and is a daughter of Luther and Mary
E. (Berry) Osgood, both natives of the town
of Preston, this county. In social circles
Mr. Sage was a member of the Masonic
Lodge of New Berlin. Mr. Sage was wor
thy to receive the title of an honest man and
a good citizen. From his early youth he was
imbued with high moral principles. He will
long be remembered in his township as one
whose place it will be difficult to fill.

EORGE IRVING SKINNER, ESQ.
j£J_ The subject of this sketch is a lead
ing lawyer of Chenango County, residing in
Bainbridge, and justifies the high esteem in
which he is held. During his early years he

CHENANGO COUNTY

475

gave promise of great ability, easily carrying
off the honors of his class while a student,
and in later years developing a shrewd busi
ness insight that was a surprise even to those
who knew him best. He was born February
20, 1858, on Skinner Hill, Sherburne town
ship, a son of Dan. Barnes and Jennet ( Hor
ton ) Skinner. He became a student at
Colgate Academy in 1873, and graduated at
the head of his class in 1876. He then en
tered Madison University, located at Hamil
ton, Madison County, N. Y., graduating with
honor in 1880. He was prominent in college
fraternity work, being a member of the Delta
Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, and became a
member of the Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity
upon his graduation. He stood high in all
departments at college, and received prizes
in both mathematics and elocution. He rep
resented his University in Greek in the Inter-
Collegiate contests of 1878. Since graduation,
he has well sustained the reputation thus ac
quired. Alfred Skinner, the grandfather, came to
the State of New York with his father,
Stephen Skinner, formerly of Connecticut,
and settled in the town of Sherburne on
what was afterward known as Skinner Hill,
so called in honor of Stephen Skinner. Al
fred Skinner followed farming as an occupa
tion, filling in his spare time by working at
the trade of a cabinet maker. He was an in
dustrious, hard working man, who soon
acquired a competence and enjoyed a local
reputation. He was a Whig in politics, an
Abolitionist in sentiment, and assisted in the
organization of the Republican party. The
maiden name of his wife was Elizabeth

Coastin. The children born to them were :
Sidney ; Amasa ; Dan. Barnes ; La Fayette ;
Zara; Emory; Leonard; Exana ; Jerusha ;
and Adaline. Late in life he went from New
York to Wisconsin, where he died, at an ad
vanced age.
Dan. Barnes Skinner was an inhabitant of
Sherburne all his life. He was a farmer and a
teacher at different periods of his career. He
was also elected superintendent of schools, a
work for which he had a special aptitude. Like
his father, he was a Whig and Abolitionist.
He took an active part in the formation of the
Republican party, but died too early to par
ticipate in its great achievements. He had
been elected a delegate to the state conven
tion of that party the year of his death. His
first matrimonial alliance resulted in the birth
of three children : Leonard S. was born Oc
tober 12, 1839, ancl is a merchant, ranch
owner and mine operator in New Mexico ;
Frederick- B., was born May 23, 1842, and
was a member of Co. A., 114th Reg. N. Y.
Inf. Vol. during the Civil War — he enlisted
as a private, became sergeant by promotion
and lost his life at the battle of Cedar Creek ;
Harriet lone, the only daughter, lives at Nor
wich, the wife of Elihu Hickock. His second
marriage was with Jennet Horton, and to
them but one child was born, the subject of
this biography. Dan. Barnes Skinner was
born September 19, 1816, on Skinner Hill,
and died at the same place, November 19,
1858. The maternal grandfather of our subject
was Newton Horton, whose father, Benjamin
Horton, a native of Connecticut, was a farmer
residing at Coventry at the time of death.

476

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Newton Horton was married to Laura Tuttle.
Her father was Uri Tuttle, a pioneer of Che
nango County ; he was a native of Connecti
cut, but moved to Oneida County, N. Y.,
and afterwards to this county, coming to
Columbus when the country was one vast
forest. His home was in the midst of the
woods, and when any of the family left home
the only path out of this wilderness was
found by following " blazed " trees.
After leaving school George Irving Skin
ner devoted several years to teaching, his
first position -being in Norwich Academy,
where he remained two years as assistant
principal. The Union School of Smithville
then secured his services as principal, his
work there extending over a period of three
years and proving his ability to impart infor
mation with the same facility that he had
acquired it. While located at Smithville he
began to take an active interest in politics
and in 1884 was nominated for school commis
sioner by the Republicans of the 2nd school
com. district, but was defeated on account
of difference between factions. But he
desired to become a lawyer, and with this
end in view he returned to Norwich and
studied for his chosen profession with John
W. Church. He applied himself diligently
to his studies and was admitted to the bar in
January, 1887. He at once moved to Bain
bridge where he has since been located. In
April, 1890, he was appointed postmaster of
Bainbridge by President Harrison and held
the office until October 1, 1894. In January,
1897, he was appointed State Bank Examiner,
and in March of the same year he was placed
at the head of the Foreign Corporation,

Building, Loan and Banking Law Bureau of
the New York State Banking Department.
A number of examiners are connected with
this branch of the State Banking Department
and work under the instructions of the Chief
of the Bureau. This Bureau has supervision
over foreign corporations selling mortgages,
bonds, and debentures in the State of New
York, and also has charge of the Building
and Loan Associations of the state.
November 19, 1891, Mr. Skinner married
Mary Elizabeth McCrea, of Smithville, Che
nango County, N. Y. Two children add
their bright presence to this family group :
George McCrea, born October 27, 1893 ; and
Elizabeth, born March 8, 1897. Our subject
is a member of the Episcopal Church, a ves
tryman of St. Peter's Church of Bainbridge,
and for a number of years was superintendent
of the Sunday School. Politically, he is a
stanch Republican, and has been an active
party worker for many years, contributing
largely towards its success in the county.
He has repeatedly served as delegate to
county, congressional and senatorial conven
tions, and was a delegate to the state con
vention held in New York City in 1896, to
elect delegates to the St. Louis Convention.
In 1883 he became a member of the East
ern Light Lodge, F. & A. M., of Greene,
but has since transferred his membership to
Susquehanna Lodge, No. 167, of Bainbridge.
He has filled all the principal offices of the
lodge, and was elected master in 1892-3-5-6.
He is well informed in all the workings of the
lodge, and was district deputy grand lecturer
of the 1 8th Masonic District in 1894. He
also belongs to the Improved Order of Red

CHENANGO COUNTY

477

Men, having been sachem of Susquehanna
Tribe No. 274, of Bainbridge, and deputy
grand sachem for Chenango County in 1896.
In private life Mr. Skinner is most compan
ionable, and enjoys the society of hosts of
friends.

B

ELOS VAN WOERT, ex-postmas
ter, and at present engaged in the
fire insurance business, is one of
Afton's substantial and progressive citizens.
He was born in the town of Milford, Otsego
County, N. Y., September 21, 1843. He is a
son of Jacob and Sarah (Gile) Van Woert,
and a grandson of Adrian Van Woert.
The family comes from the sturdy old
Holland race, and the earliest ancestors, upon
coming to this country, settled in the Mo
hawk Valley. Jacob Van Woert, the great
grandfather of our subject, came to this
country, and with his brother, John, settled
at Albany, N. Y. His trade was that of a
ship-builder, but after moving to Otsego
County, he engaged in agricultural pursuits.
He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War,
serving until the end, and rendering valuable
aid to the cause of liberty. After the war
was over, he returned to Otsego, and there
lived until his death, which occurred in 1843,
when he was eighty years of age. He mar
ried Sarah Van Ness, by whom he had five
children, who have all passed away ; they
were as follows : John ; Peter ; Adrian ; Eliza
beth, who married a Mr. Young; and Jacob.
Adrian Van Woert, the grandfather of our
sketch, was born in Albany, N. Y., and was a

boy of twelve years, when he went to Otsego
with his father. ITe made farming a life
long occupation, and accumulated consider
able wealth, being an energetic worker, and
a shrewd manager. He owned a farm of 200
acres and raised large quantities of grain.
In 1850, he moved to Michigan and located
near Kalamazoo, remaining there until his
death. His wife, Elizabeth Young, was a
daughter of David Young, who lived near
Otsego, and their union was blessed by the
birth of ten children, as follows : Mary, who
died at an early age ; Jacob, the father of
our subject; David, deceased; Sarah, the
wife of Edward Chidester, lives in Kalama
zoo, Mich.; Mary, deceased, was the wife ot
James Scrambling; Rachel, relict of Artemus
Garnet, lives in Kalamazoo County, Mich.;
Margaret, deceased ; Andrew lives near
Jackson, Mich.; Cornelia, deceased; and
Joseph, also deceased.
Jacob Van Woert was born May 13, 1817,
in Delaware County, just across the river
from the old homestead in Otsego County.
When he was four years of age, his father
moved to Otsego, and there he grew to man
hood. After his marriage, he located in the
town of Milford, where he engaged in farm
ing. In 1848, he moved to Chenango County,
and settled in what was then South Bain
bridge, but now the town of Afton. After
twenty-eight years of active work on the
farm, he retired to the village of Afton,
where he is now enjoying a well earned rest.
His companion and helpmeet in life was
Sarah Gile, to whom he was married Decem
ber 19, 1839. She was a daughter of Andrew
and Ruth (Knott) Gile, who lived near One-

478

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

onta, N. Y. Three children were born to
them : Delos, the subject of this personal
sketch ; Mary, who was born in the town of
Milford, October 9, 1846, and died at Afton,
May 21, 1884, — she was the wife of James H.
Nickerson, an extensive milk shipper, whose
biography will be found elsewhere in this
book; Egbert was born in the town of Afton,
December 15, 1852, and died there, July 17,
1 87 1. Jacob Van Woert is one of the oldest
citizens of Afton, and during his residence
there has ever identified himself with its
interests, and has done much to promote the
public welfare. In political views, he is a
Republican, and has held a number of im
portant offices ; he has been town collector,
commissioner of highways, and served one
year as county poormaster. In religious
affairs, he takes an active interest, and for the
past twenty years has been an elder of the
Presbyterian Church of Afton. Although
he is now past eighty years of age, Mr. Van
Woert is remarkably hearty, and has the ap
pearance of one many years younger.
Delos Van Woert was four years of age
when his father moved to Afton, and it has
since been his home. He went through the
public schools, took a two years' course in
the academy at Norwich, and graduated
from the State Normal School at Albany, in
1866. As a young man he was ambitious
and energetic, devoting his whole time to
business. For eight years he taught school
in the winters and farmed in the summers.
He then devoted his time exclusively to
farming, and carried it on successfully, until
i889,when he moved to the village of Afton,
where he was appointed postmaster, under

President Harrison. He served from i£
to 1893, and was pronounced the best post
master Afton ever had. At the expiration of
his term of office, he clerked for two years,
and then engaged in his present business,
that of fire insurance agent. He is industri
ous and has the necessary tact for a success
ful insurance man. He is well educated, and
well informed on all subjects of the day, and
is a pleasing conversationalist. He is very
popular in Afton, and does a large amount of
business. He takes an active interest in
political affairs, and has served the Republi
can party in a number of offices. He is
looked upon as a party leader in Afton, and
has been a delegate to many county conven
tions. He has served in an official capacity
as town assessor for thirteen successive
years, and in 1896, was appointed justice of
the peace to fill a vacancy. A great deal of
his time has been devoted to the educational
interests of the village, and he is president of
the board of education. Mr. Van Woert
was joined in Hymen's bonds, November 1,
1868, with Esther P. Greene, a daughter of
Truman L. Greene of Afton. One child,
Anna Mary, was born to make their home
happy.

jEV. JOHN A. HART, pastor of St.
Paul's Roman Catholic Church of
the village of Norwich, this state,
was born in Albany, N. Y., September 29,
1 85 1. He graduated from the Christian
Brothers' Academy of Albany, N. Y.,in 1870;

NEWTON D. BARTLE.

CHENANGO COUNTY

graduated in 1874 from the Joliette College,
Canada; and then entered St. Joseph's Theo
logical Provincial Seminary of Troy, N.-Y-.,
from which institution he was ordained a
priest in December, 1877. He was then placed
in charge of the Catholic Church, at Coopers
town, N. Y., and remained there one year,
when he was sent to take charge of St. Pat
rick's Church in Troy, during the absence
of the regular pastor. In all, he had charge
of five different parishes before he became
assistant of the church at Amsterdam, N. Y ;
later he became assistant of the church at Sar
atoga, where he remained two years, and then
was sent back to Troy to take charge of St.
Mary's Church. His first regular pastorate
was Boonville, N. Y., where he was situated
five years. January 22, 1888, he was ap
pointed to St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church
of Norwich, N. Y., a position he has
acceptably filled up to the present time.
Shortly after he took charge of his new
church, it suffered from fire, which spread
rapidly, and despite the hard work done by
the fire department, the building was a com
plete loss. Although a stranger to his con
gregation, he soon had money enough sub
scribed for the erection of a new church, and
the parish not only has a very handsome
structure, but one of the finest choirs in the
county. Father Hart is a genial, whole-souled
gentleman, who is sure to create a favorable
impression in whatever surroundings he is
placed as a true Christian, wdro thoroughly
believes in the brotherhood of man. He is a
man of much more than ordinary ability, and
we feel that we are but conservative in at

tributing the present condition of the
Catholic Society and its position among
the other religious bodies of Chenango
County to his efforts.

^NEWTON D. BARTLE. The history
I =* of every community of progress and
-¦- ^- ^ enterprise always includes the bi
ographies of certain of its enterprising citi
zens, who have made themselves especially
prominent in forwarding the growth and
development of the place ; these men of in
domitable will and unconquerable energy
almost invariably have arisen from honorable
though humble walks of life, and have sur
mounted the ladder of success step by step
till they reach a position that is the cynosure
of the eyes of their fellow-citizens. To this
class of citizens, whom the people denomi
nate as self-made, we must surely include Mr.
Bartle, who conducts a mercantile store in
Guilford, N. Y., and whose portrait we take
pleasure in presenting on the opposite page.
His record offers a splendid example of what
may be accomplished in an up hill struggle
by one to whom no discouraging obstacle
offers a complete barrier to progress.
The subject of this sketch was born in the
village of Oxford, N. Y., May 10, 1842, and
is a son of John W. and Arvilla ( Hill ) Bartle.
John Bartle, the grandfather of our subject,
was a native of Connecticut; in 1803 he came
to Oxford and located on a tract of land con
sisting of 100 acres, which he purchased from
the government. He erected a large public
house, which he continued to run until the

482

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

time of his death. He was the father of a
large family of children, all of whom lived to
an advanced age. They were as -follows:
John W., the father of our subject; Phillip,
deceased, was a merchant of Union, N. Y.;
Andrew, deceased, was a farmer in Tioga
County, N. Y.; Alanson F., deceased, was a
merchant a short time in the village of Ox
ford, then went to New York City, where he
ran a commission store, but spent his later
days in the village of Oxford ; Rosanna, the
wife of David Lyons of Greene, N. Y.; Eme-
line, deceased ; and Hannah, deceased.
John W. Bartle was born on the old home
stead, and lived there all his life, following the
vocation of a farmer. Beginning as a farm
renter, he demonstrated the possibilities af
forded our American youths, and is to-day in
the enjoyment of a well-earned competency.
He has succeeded in paying off the other
heirs, and, besides owning the old home
stead, also possesses additional land to the
amount of 400 acres. In politics he is a Dem
ocrat. He was united in marriage with Ar-
villa Hill, daughter of Chauncey Hill, a
farmer in the town of Smithville, N. Y. To
Mr. and Mrs. Bartle were born the following
children : Ranford D., a well-to-do farmer in
Delmar, N. Y.; Edwin D., deceased, was a
farmer on the old homestead ; John S , late
of Binghamton, N. Y.; David W., late of Ox
ford ; and Newton D., the subject of this
personal history. Our subject's father, to
whom an exceedingly old age has come, and
yet who lives with as bright an eye and with
faculties as clear and unimpaired as in the
days of yore, is one of the most widely
known and highly respected residents of Che

nango County. He is a man of character
and refinement. His share of the work of
this busy world was well and carefully per
formed to the best of his ability. The suc
cess which attended his efforts was deserving,
and came to him as a natural result of his
methods of life.
Newton D. Bartle spent his younger days
in school after the usual manner of American
youths, and after his home education had
been completed, he attended Oxford Acad
emy. When he grew to manhood he engaged
in the tilling of the soil, which he followed in
the town oi Oxford, fn 1870 he came to the
village of Guilford and started in to conduct
a dry goods store, which has been his sole
occupation up to the present day. Born of a
family that has had much to do with public
affairs, he is a sturdy exponent of true Dem
ocracy. He has served as justice of the
peace almost continually to the present time
since 1878, the only break being one year,
when a Republican candidate was elected in
the township by not more than 100 votes;
this is the usual Republican majority, which
Mr. Bartle failed only once in overcoming.
Socially, he is a member of the A. O. U. W.,
and takes an active part toward the advance
ment of that order. He was married Janu
ary 1, 1863, to Elexey S. Jacobs, daughter of
Harvey Jacobs of .Oxford, N. Y. They are
the parents of one child, Nettie A., who mar
ried John Rowley, foreman of the Stillwater
Creamery of Greene, N. Y., and has one son,
Earl B. Mrs. Bartle departed from this life,
January 3, 1897. She was a member of the
Christ Episcopal Church of Guilford.
Mr. Bartle has built the home where he

CHENANGO COUNTY

483

lives and dispenses hospitality and good cheer
to his many friends and acquaintances, and is
altogether a very public-spirited citizen, and
one who is deeply interested in the growth
and development of the township, and the
county at large. He is one of the oldest and
most reliable and enterprising citizens resi
dent within the borders of Guilford town
ship. He is popular, both socially and from
a business point of view, his genial politeness
and sterling integrity and worth winning him
a hearty patronage and a large circle of
friends. No merchant has been so long in
the business in the township, or understands
better the fundamental principles of the mer
cantile vocation.

Is

vROF FRED WAITE CRUMB, the
efficient principal of the Bainbridge
High School, is a man of superior
intellectual attainments and since acting in
that capacity, has done much to promote the
educational interests of the village and to
elevate the moral tone of the pupils coming
under his supervision. He is a son of Benja
min Waite and Mary Elizabeth (Maxson)
Crumb, and was born August 22, 1861, in the
town of De Ruyter, Madison County, N. Y.
His great-grandfather, Joseph Waite
Crumb, was a native of Providence, Rhode
Island, and a son of William Crumb, born in
1696, in Southern Germany, whose wife was
of French descent and bore the name of Le
Face. They emigrated to this country and
located at Providence, where Mr. Crumb be

came one of the leading merchants. Joseph
Waite Crumb moved from Rhode Island in
1796, and came to Madison County, N. Y.,
bringing his seven sons and one daughter
with him. He settled on a farm in the
vicinity of De Ruyter and engaged in agri
cultural pursuits. Among his sons was one,
Hosea Waite. the grandfather of our subject,
who was born in Providence in 1794, and
came with his father to De Ruyter in 1796.
There he remained all his life and in connec
tion with farming followed the trade of a
cooper. He formed a matrimonial alliance
with Martha Irish, and they became the
parents of three children: Sarah, who died
when an infant ; Benjamin Waite, the father
of our subject: and Sarah J., who became
the wife of Giles D. Johnson, who still sur
vives her and is living at Cazenovia, N. Y.
Benjamin Waite Crumb was educated in
the common schools and at De Ruyter Insti
tute, which was the leading school in Central
New York from 1836 to i860. After leaving
school, Jiis vocation was that of a farmer and
he engaged in tilling the soil on the old
homestead farm. He also dealt extensively
in horses, and was a breeder of fine horses.
He was engaged in this line of business until
his death, which occurred February 10, 1891.
He was a Republican in politics, and took an
active interest in all political events of the
day. He was twice bound in the holy bonds
of wedlock, his first wife being Janet Coon,
by whom he had two children : Janet ; and
Phineas B. His second union was with
Mary Elizabeth Maxson, a daughter of John
Maxson, a direct descendant of the first white
child born in Rhode Island, who came to the

484

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

town of Preston in middle life, having fol
lowed the trade of a ship carpenter in early
life. This union was blessed by the birth of
four children, who are as follows : Herbert
Frank, who is a resident of the town of Ox
ford, and has been town assessor for many
years ; John Maxson, an enterprising and
progressive farmer, who has been very suc
cessfully engaged in dairying for the past
few years, is also a resident of the town of
Oxford ; Prof. Fred Waite, in whom the in
terest of this sketch centers, and Owen
Lovejoy. Our subject attended the De Ruyter Union
School and Academy of Madison County,
N. Y., from which he graduated in 1881.
He then entered Yates Academy of Chitte
nango, taking a full course and graduating in
1883. He was then thoroughly prepared to
enter Alfred University, of Alfred, Allegany
County, N. Y., where he took a full classical
course, and graduated in 1887. One year
later he received the degree of Master of
Arts. Upon completing his college educa
tion, he became principal of the Union
School and Academy at North Brookfield,
Madison County, and filled that position in a
highly satisfactory manner for four years.
He then came to Bainbridge and assumed
the greater duties, as principal of the Bain
bridge Union School and Academy, which
has since been changed to the Bainbridge
High School. Prof. Crumb is an energetic
and enterprising man and he immediately set
about to improve the school in every manner
possible. The citizens of the village heartily
co-operate with him in his plans and do not
hesitate to place their children under his

care. He possesses the entire confidence of
the people and the attendance has rapidly
increased under his capable management,
making it necessary to build an addition to
the school at a cost of $7,000.00. In addition
to this $500.00 was appropriated with which
scientific apparatus was bought. The grounds
about the building have been graded and
many other substantial improvements have
been made which add greatly to the school's
appearance. The teachers of this institution
are all well educated and competent to teach
the various branches of study. The studies
taught are of the most advanced order of
high school work, and are divided into three
courses, namely : English, Classical, and Sci
entific ; a student who has completed one of
these courses is ready for entrance upon col
lege work. Prof. Crumb is a thoroughly
wide-awake educator, popular alike with pu
pils, teachers, and citizens, and has proven
that he is the right man in the right place.
He is still a young man, just in the prime of
life, and has a brilliant future in educational
work before him.
Our subject was joined in matrimony with
Marie L. Birdsall, July 30, 1890, and they are
the parents of one daughter, Helen Marie,
who was born September 9, 1896. Mrs.
Crumb is a daughter of Dr. Gilbert Birdsall,
of North Brookfield, a native of Otsego
County, N. Y., who is now practicing medi
cine in that village. Dr. Birdsall served dur
ing the Civil War in Co. H., 2nd N. Y. Heavy
Artillery ; he is a prominent member of the
Republican party, and has served in an offi
cial capacity as pension examiner, and post
master at North Brookfield. Socially, our

CHENANGO COUNTY

485

subject is a member of Sanger Lodge, No.
129, F. & A. M.; Valonia Chapter No. 80;
and Norwich Commandery, No. 46, K. T.
He is also a member of the Improved Order
of Red Men, Susquehanna Tribe, No. 274.

B

AVID LEWIS TAYLOR, M. D.,
is a young physician of ability and
skill who, in the few years of his
residence in Bainbridge, has made for him
self many friends, and secured a good prac
tice. He was educated in the Oneonta
Union School, where he won the approba
tion of his instructors by his close application
to his work. After leaving school, he ac
cepted a position as bookkeeper with D. M.
Miller & Son, hop dealers of Oneonta, where
he worked for eighteen months, when he re
signed to accept a position as foreman and
bookkeeper in the Conrad Yagle Clothing
Manufactory of the same place. It had
always been his wish to enter professional
ranks, and he now took up the study of med
icine with Dr. J. H. Van Rensselaer of One
onta. He set about this work with his usual
diligence, and in a short time was prepared
to enter the Albany Medical College, from
which he graduated in 1892. He at once
came to Bainbridge and opened an office,
giving to his practice the care and attention
that mark the successful physician. He is a
member of the Albany Medical Alumni, and
feels deeply interested in the affairs of his
alma mater. He is a member of Susquehanna
Tribe, No. 274, Improved Order of Red Men.
Dr. Taylor is a wide-awake, enterprising

young man, whose successful practice at this
time predicts a brilliant future. Our subject
chose Miss Nettie Jenks, a daughter of Har
rison Jenks of Gilbertsville, Otsego County,
as his bride, the ceremony occurring June
13, 1889. Dr. Taylor was born December 25,
1867, in Oneonta, and is a son of William and
Elizabeth (McClerman) Taylor.
William Taylor was born in Albany, N. Y.,
in 1827, his father, William Taylor, having
permanently located in that city, when he
arrived in America, after the long voyage
from his native hills of Scotland. William
Taylor, Jr., grew to manhood in Albany, and
remained there until 1862, when he moved to
Oneonta, and engaged in the commission
business, at the same time buying and selling
large quantities of stock ; he dealt in stock
on an extensive scale, shipping to the New
York City markets. Perhaps more exten
sively than any man of the section, he was
engaged in that work, and it contributed in
no small degree to the wealth which he was
enabled to accumulate. He was a Democrat,
and no man was better posted on current
events than he ; the same intelligent judg
ment was observed in politics that was em
ployed in business life. He died in 1883,
leaving a large family to perpetuate his name,
as follows: William, who resides in White
side County, Illinois, and expert judge of
like stock, and a large wholesale dealer, for
merly with the P. D. Armour Co. of Chicago,
111., but now in the employ of a Philadelphia
house ; Jerome, a farmer of Oneonta; James,
proprietor of a large plant for making butter
in Whiteside County, III.; John S., for eight
years a teacher, but at present bookkeeper

486

BOOKIOF BIOGRAPHIES

and superintendent of the Crawford Wagon
Works at Delhi ; Charles, a teacher in the
town of Laurens, Otsego County ; and David
Lewis, the subject of this biography. Three
children died in infancy. The lady whom
Mr. Taylor married was Miss Elizabeth Mc
Clerman, whose parents were natives of the
southern part of Scotland, where they passed
their lives ; the daughter left the land of the
thistle when quite young, and came to this
country to make her home. Here she met
Mr. Taylor and became his wife, rearing her
six sons to lives of honor and usefulness.

JB

R. WINFIELD SCOTT FISH,
who for twenty-one years was the
leading dentist of the village and
town of Sherburne, is now engaged with his
wife, ITelen M. Fish, in catering to the wants
of the traveling public in the popular Hotel
Daniels, of which he and his wife are pro
prietors. He is well known in Sherburne
and the vicinity, and has an unassailable
reputation for integrity, and straight-forward
dealing. Dr. Fish was born in Herkimer
village, N. Y., July 19, 1839, and was a son
of Almanzor Denslow and Julia Ann (Howell)
Fish, and grandson of Samuel and Mary
(West) Fish.
Samuel Fish emigrated from the town
where he was born in Connecticut, to Herki
mer County, N. Y., in 1806, with his broth
ers, Walter and Joseph, and located on the
site of the present village of Frankport. ¦ In
1839, he changed his residence to Litchfield,
Herkimer County, and lived for several

years on a farm he purchased some two
miles from the Mohawk River. He then
moved to a farm near by in the same town
ship, where our subject's father was born.
Samuel Fish attained the age of about sixty
years, while his wife was well along in her
eighty-fourth year, when overtaken by death.
Their children were : Elias L.; Alonzo L.;
Almanzor Denslow; Mary ; and Nancy.
Our subject's father was born in the town
of Litchfield, Herkimer County, December
10, 1813, and there grew to manhood. In
his early youth he spent some time in the
private school of J. C. Underwood of Otsego
County, and then went one spring to Canada
with the intention of going on a fishing voy
age, but failed to carry out his plans, being
held back by fear of the cholera that was
then raging there. He next went to Clinton,
to complete his education under the direc
tion of George R. Perkins, since professor of
mathematics in the State Normal School,
but he fell sick .with an intermittent fever,
and returned to his home in Litchfield to
recuperate his strength. During the follow
ing winter and summer he was an attendant
of the Clinton Liberal Institute, and in the
next year went to Sauquoit. When he was
nineteen years of age, he began the study of
law in the office of Griffin & Allen of Clinton,
with whom he remained one summer. He
then went to Utica, N. Y., to study in the
office of Cooper & Hunt, and was for a time
a student in the office of Aaron Huckley of
Herkimer. His next removal was to Water-
town, N. Y., but he soon returned to Herki
mer County, and continued his studies under
the direction of J. C. Underwood, who was

CHENANGO COUNTY

487

then in practice, with Judge Michael Hoff
man, until his admission to the bar. He
practiced in Herkimer County until his
health failed him, when he bought a farm in
the town of Litchfield, Herkimer County,
removed his family thither, and followed
agricultural pursuits the rest of his life ; he
retired from active labor at last, and at the
age of sixty two years departed from this
life, February 27, 1875, being then a resident
of Sherburne, making his home with his
younger son, Dr. M. Hoffman Fish. He was
a man of fine educational attainments, and
was a trenchant as well as a brilliant prose
writer on various subjects; he was also a
happy versifier, and composed a number of
short poems, that reflect credit on his ability.
He married Julia A. Howell, a daughter of
Capt. William Howell, who served at Sack-
ett's Harbor, in the War of 1812. They
were married in Herkimer, in 1837, and had
a family of two sons and one daughter, as
follows: Winfield Scott, the subject of this
sketch ; Hattie A., born in Litchfield, Decem
ber 8, 1841-, who married William H. Round,
and died at Richfield, N. Y., November 24,
1868; and M. Hoffman, the leading dentist
of the village of New Berlin. Mrs. Fish
lived to be eighty-four years old. Our
subject's father supported the Democratic
party from the time the Whig party broke
up until his death.
Dr. Winfield S. Fish attended the Winfield
Academy, and then followed the machinist's
trade at Ilion, N. Y., for five years, and then
for a like period was engaged in selling sew
ing machines, until he commenced to study
dentistry at Sherburne, N. Y., with his

brother. He then went into business with
Dr. M. Hoffman Fish, and their partnership,
that extended over a period of nearly six
years, was marked by very successful work ;
during this time, Fish Brothers conducted
three offices, the one at Earlville being run
by our subject, and the offices at New Ber
lin and Sherburne being attended to by his
brother, spending three days of the week at
one place, and the remaining three days at
the other place. He then bought out his
brother's interest in the office at Sherburne,
and practiced his profession alone in Sher
burne, until he sold his business to E. L.
Martin, since which time he has been in
terested in conducting a hotel. When he
married the first time he built the residence
on North Main Street, which is now owned
by Mrs. McCall.
Dr. Fish married Frances M. Perkins,
daughter of John T. Perkins of Washington
Mills, N. Y.; she died at thirty-five years of
age, leaving one daughter, Flora, who died
when four years old. Our subject's second
wife, Helen M. Griswold, widow of Henry
B. Griswold, was a daughter of James and
Ruth (Arnold) Merriam. James Merriam
was born in New Salem, Mass., and came to
Chenango County when a young man, with
no other capital than his knowledge of the
cooper's trade. He worked at his chosen
vocation at New Berlin, married there, and
went west to Chicago, where he engaged in
the cooperage business for several years.
Returning to Morrisville, Otsego County, he
went into business ; his wife having inherited
a farm in Plymouth township, this county,
they moved thither and settled down, Mr.

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Merriam following agricultural pursuits and
coopering. Mrs. Merriam was a daughter of
Joseph Arnold ; she died in Plymouth at the
age of sixty-four, and her husband then
moved to Norwich, and carried on business
until his death, which occurred when he was
sixty-eight years old. Their children were :
Irvin, a member of Co. B, 22d Reg. N. Y.
Vol. Cav., who was taken prisoner in the bat
tle of the Wilderness, and died in Anderson-
ville Prison ; Helen M., our subject's wife ;
and Rosanna. Helen M. Merriam, now our
subject's wife, was first married to John Ran
dall of the firm of Taylor Brothers & Co.,
merchants of the village of. Pitcher, this
county. Mr. Randall died at the age of
twenty-four, and his widow then married
Henry B. Griswold, who was a native of the
town of German, Chenango County. Mr.
Griswold was reared to agricultural pur
suits, but his best years were spent as a land
lord. He enlisted in Co. K, ioth Reg. N. Y.
Vol. Cav.; he was taken prisoner during one
of the engagements of his troop, and carried
to Belle Isle, whence he escaped and returned
home. He went into hotel keeping at Willet.
In 1872, with J. G. Smith, now a resident of
Sherburne, he ran the Hotchkiss House at
Oxford until he removed to Sherburne, and
bought the Medbury House, which he oper
ated with marked success for several years.
Finally selling this hostelry he bought a
farm and hotel at McDonough, and con
ducted both enterprises until he bought the
Tabor House of De Ruyter. Removing to
the latter place, he took charge of his newly
acquired hotel property, and conducted the
business two years, when he in company with

Harvey Trass bought the Hotel Daniels,
which had been built in 1881, replacing the
Medbury House, which had been destroyed
by fire. The structure is in every respect a
model hotel, built according to approved
plans, with many modern details of excel
lence. It is three stories high, and contains
some ninety rooms. The building is heated
by steam, furnished with hot and cold water,
and supplied with abundant bathing conveni
ences. The hotel is located in the very cen
ter of the village, and has the most advan
tageous situation of any hotel in the northern
part of Chenango County. Mr. Griswold took
charge of the Hotel Daniels January 1, 1892,
but was at the head only a few months, for
he was stricken by death May 4, 1892. He
left one son, Ralph J., born August 6, 1880,
who graduated in 1896, irom the Fairfield
Military Academy, and who is now attend
ing the Albany Business College. Mr. Gris
wold was married before, and had one son,
who is now in business at Sidney. After
Mr. Griswold's decease, his widow with Mr.
Trass ran the hotel until her marriage with
Dr. Winfield S. Fish, the subject of this writ
ing, who bought Mr. Trass' interest. The
hotel has since been conducted by Helen M. &
W. S. Fish as proprietors ; they have one of
the best equipped hotels in the county, and
extend a hospitable greeting to the traveling
public, that finds not its equal in many a long
day's journey.
Our subject is a stanch Republican, as re
gards his allegiance to party. He is an hon
orary member of the Torrent Engine Com
pany of Sherburne, and served six years as
the chief engineer of the fire department of

EDWARD DANIELS.

CHENANGO COUNTY

491

the village. Dr. Fish is a member of the
Sixth District Dental Association, and is a
well known and deservedly popular Mason,
belonging to Sherburne Lodge, No. 444,
F. & A. M.

"EDWARD DANIELS, president of the
X  . village of Sherburne, and prom
inent as a business man, respected for his in
tegrity and straightforward dealing with his
fellow-men, and a gentleman who has attained
success, not as the recipient of a legacy, but
through individual endeavor, is at present
dealing in hops and produce. He was born
in the above village July 16, 1849, and is a
son of James and Catherine (Ryan) Daniels.
James Daniels and wife settled in the vil
lage of Sherburne, N. Y., in 1840. Mr. Dan
iels bought several small parcels of land,
which he later disposed of and bought the
old Thayer farm, and lived there until the
date of his death, which occurred in 1896, at
the advanced age of eighty years. Mrs.
Daniels passed from this life in 1892, aged
seventy-eight years. Their children were as
follows : Thomas ; John, deceased ; Mary ;
Joanna ; Edward, our subject ; James, de
ceased ; and Alice ; all of whom are re
spected citizens in the different localities in
which they reside.
Our subject lived at home, assisting his
father in the labors of the farm and attending
school, besides clerking in a store between
the ages of twelve and sixteen years. He
remained under the parental roof until he
had attained his majority. He first engaged

23*

in the buying and selling of stock, and then
became a dealer in hops, buying thousands
of bales each year. He is now the largest
hop dealer in his section of the county. He
also formed a partnership with F. C. Doolit-
tle, and under the firm name of Doolittle &
Daniels they operated a general store, occu
pying the first floor of the Empire Block,
where they carried a large and well selected
stock of dry goods,' groceries and produce.
When he sold his interests in the store, Mr.
Daniels began to deal more extensively in
hops and produce. He purchased the Irons
property, and immediately thereafter im
proved and enlarged the house and barns
and grounds.
Mr. Daniels married Miss Etta Harring
ton, daughter of Asa and Lucy Harrington
of Sherburne, N. Y., and as a result of this
union one child has blessed their home, Jen
nie Catherine, born August 7, 1883. In poli
tics our subject is a stanch follower of the
Republican party, whose principles he be
lieves in honestly and sincerely, and he casts
his vote with the party of his choice, when
ever opportunity occurs. From the time of
his entrance into the community, he has ever
been interested in its welfare, and has fulfilled
the duties of a good citizen, lending a help
ing hand at every chance in aiding Sherburne
to become one of the first towns in the Em
pire State. He was postmaster from August,
1889, to October, 1894, and is now president
of the village. He has also served as chief
of the Sherburne Fire Department. Much
credit is due Mr. Daniels for the condition in
which the streets of the village are kept.
The village of Sherburne was founded in

492

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

1790, at which time it was simply a postoffice
for the surrounding countrymen. In 1801
the first store was opened, and round it clus
tered what has come to be one of the most
flourishing villages in the county, with a pop
ulation of 1,200. It boasts a bank, four
hotels, several fine dry goods stores, some of
the ablest lawyers in the county, six churches,
a good school, a newspaper, a cotton and
knitting factory, a machine shop, and one of
the finest depots on the line of the D., L. &
W. R. R. The citizens of Sherburne may
well be proud of their village and its history
of steady growth and industrial develop
ment ; they may well congratulate them
selves that they have the proper man in the
chief magistrate's chair, who will see that
every interest of the village is conserved and
promoted. We are indeed pleased to present on an
other page of this work an excellent portrait
of Mr. Daniels, executed from a photograph
taken in May, 1898.

IC«

,UFUS S. fVES, a farmer of Guilford,
Chenango County, N. Y., who is
held in high esteem wherever he
is known, and who is a fair example of the
kind of men who have built up this part of
the State of New York, was born in the old
Ives Settlement August 1, 1831, and is a son
of Alfred and Roxalena (Parsons) Ives.
Abraham Ives, the great-grandfather of
our subject, was born in the State of Connec
ticut, and was a farmer and stone mason all
his life. He was the father of a large family

of children, who were as follows : Samuel,
a prominent farmer and the first of the Ives
to locate in the State of New York ; Lyman ;
Elias and Abraham, both of whom were
farmers in the above settlement ; Clarissa,
the oldest daughter, who was united in mar
riage to Ozias Bush ; Fannie, who was mar
ried to Lyman Trask, and upon his death
married Ozias Bush, the widower of her
oldest sister Clarissa ; Eunice, the wife of
Abijah Cornwall ; and Mariab, who married
Stephen Yale.
Samuel Ives, the eldest son, was the first
of the family to leave home ; he came west
and located in New York State. Being
favorably impressed with the surroundings
of the country, he purchased a tract of 100
acres, and then returned home, where he was
married to Lucy Ann Atwater, and in the
winter of 1797, he and his bride started for
their new home, arriving in Chenango
County in the spring of 1798, and took up
their headquarters in the log house which
had been built by Samuel Ives on his first
visit to this district. In the meantime his
father in 1796 moved to this new country, and
bought a large tract of land near that owned
by his son. He also was the owner of a horse
which was the only one in the neighborhood.
It was his only means of carrying grain to
the mills, which were located at Oxford and
Unadilla, a distance of nine miles. Later the
rest of the family followed, and this was
the beginning of what has been known for
the past century as the Ives Settlement. He
died with typhoid fever at the age of forty-
five years. His wife and six children and a
large circle of friends mourned the loss of

CHENANGO COUNTY.

493

such a valuable neighbor and good citizen.
His children were as follows: Alfred, the
father of our subject ; Orin ; Isaac A.; Sam
uel G.; Edwdn ; and Lucy. Samuel Ives was
a leader in politics in his neighborhood, and
always upheld the principles of the Demo
cratic party. He lived the life of a true
Christian, and was beloved and respected
wherever known.
Alfred Ives, father of our subject, was
born in the Ives Settlement in Guilford
township, January 22, 1798. He, too, was
one of the pioneers of the State of New
York, and among Chenango County's most
distinguished citizens, who have contributed
to its prosperity ; departing this life, he left
behind monuments of his labors that will be
remembered and lauded by many genera
tions yet to come. Such advantages as were
offered in this country years ago, in the way
of schools, were made use of by him, and by
perseverance and energy he acquired a fair
education. He inherited the occupation of
a farmer, and when he grew to manhood he
purchased the old homestead, which was
later increased by the addition of another
farm of 100 acres. In addition to farming he
carried on dairying, and was the owner of
the finest herd of cattle in his district. He
was a member of the Congregational
Church. The Democratic party ever
claimed his support, and he held many local
offices in the town. He died on the old
homestead February 22, 1866. He was
united in marriage to Roxalena Parsons,
daughter of Jehial Parsons, a native of Con
necticut, who came to the town of Guilford,
and engaged in the pursuits of an agricul

turist. Three children blessed the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Ives, namely ; Emeline P., who
married Edwin M. Whiting, now deceased, a
mail agent on the C. & N. W. R. R.; L. A.
is a farmer and a neighbor of our subject,
whose sketch also appears in this book ; and
Rufus S., the subject of this personal history.
Rufus S. Ives was brought up to agricul
tural pursuits, and was educated in the dis
trict schools of his native town. He has
lived on the old homestead all his life, and
with the assistance of his sons he carries on
farming to a large extent. The homestead
consists of 255 acres ; he also owns a farm of
184 acres in the town of Guilford, which is
one of the best improved farms in the coun
ty. He is engaged extensively in dairying,
and always keeps a large herd of grade
cattle, and milks 45 cows the year around.
In politics he is an active Republican and
was elected assessor for twelve consecutive
years. He is strictly a temperance man,
and for more than forty years he was minis
ter of the Congregational Church of Guil
ford. He was married September 6, 1853, to
Miss Adaline H. Van Cott, daughter of John
Van Cott, and sister of the wife of L. A.
Ives. They reared four children, as follows:
Alfred, who assists his father on the old
homestead"; Arthur, who died in his boyhood
days; Paris Rufus, deceased; and Millie,
who remains at home. The Ives family
record discloses a creditable history, and the
later descendants possess in a marked degree
those honest and substantial qualities which
have constituted them excellent citizens of
the various communities where their lots
have been cast.

494

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

ISAAC DALRYMPLE, an extensive far
mer and stock-raiser of the town of
Otselic, resides on his farm of 252 acres,
which is well supplied with substantial and
neat looking buildings, necessary for carry
ing on his vocation. He was born in the
above named town, August 31, i860, and is a
son of Charles C. and Caroline C. (Marden)
Dalrymple, and grandson of Eli Dalrymple.
Eli Dalrymple was a native of Massachusetts
and followed the trade of a cooper ; after
moving to this county, in 1833, he engaged in
farming in the eastern part of the town of
Otselic, which was then very sparsely set
tled. He was the father of two sons: Charles
C; and John, a farmer of the town of
Smyrna. Charles C. Dalrymple was born in Brook
field, Madison County, N. Y , September 10,
1826. He tilled the soil, and for a number of
years was very successful, but he became
deeply involved in debt by indorsing papers
for others. He was generous to a fault, and
would not stand by and see a man in trouble,
without rendering all the assistance in his
power ; he even shared his money with desti
tute men when he needed it badly himself.
He was united in marriage with Caroline C.
Marden, whose father was William Marden,
a native of New Hampshire, but later a resi
dent of the town of Otselic. Two children
were born to them, whose names are as fol
lows : Ella F., the wife of Milton Thompson,
of the town of Otselic; and Isaac, our sub
ject. Socially, Charles C. Dalrymple was a
member of Lodge No. 659, F. & A. M., of
South Otselic. Like all good citizens he
took an interest in politics, and was a Demo

crat ; he held a number of public offices,
chief of which were those of supervisor and
railroad commissioner. He passed to his
eternal rest, September 21, 1877.
Isaac Dalrymple was reared on a farm and
received his primary education in the district
schools, after which he attended Norwich
Academy. At the age of seventeen, upon
the death of his father, he came into posses
sion of the farm, upon which he now lives,
which was then heavily encumbered with
debts. He at once set about with the per
sistent purpose of clearing the farm of its
debts, which he has done by his wonderful
foresight and sound judgment, together with
an unlimited energy for hard work and the
ability to do it well. For a few years he
taught school, after which he directed his
attention to his farm, upon which he still re
mains. He makes a specialty of Holstein
cattle, and has one of the finest herds in the
county, which contains none but thorough
breds ; he has fifty head, thirty of them being
cows and the remainder young stock.
January 3, 1882, Mr. Dalrymple married
Rosa M. Hagerty, a daughter of Richard
Hagerty, a farmer of the town of Otselic.
They are the proud parents of two children,
namely : Charles C, and David B. Hill. He
is quite prominent in social circles, being a
member of the following fraternal orders :
Otselic Grange, No. 463, Patrons of FIus-
bandry ; Georgetown Lodge, No. 679, I. O.
O. F.; and Lodge No. 726, F. & A. M., of
Georgetown, N. Y.
In political preferences he is a Democrat,
and has held many town offices of trust ; he
was a member of the board of supervisors

CHENANGO COUNTY

495

for six years, representing one of the strong
est Republican towns in the county, and has
been postmaster of Otselic, and railroad
commissioner. For fifteen years he has been
secretary of the Otselic Creamery, which is
one of the largest creameries in the county ;
a great deal of credit is due Mr. Dalrymple
for its present prosperous condition.

'AMES L. GUILE, engineer and elec
trician of the Oxford Electric Light
Co., and one of the enterprising and
respected citizens of that town, was born in
North Norwich, this county, August 24, 1853.
He is a son of Enos and Jane (Henry) Guile,
the former a native of New Berlin, and the
latter a native of Plymouth, N. Y.
William Guile, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was born in Saratoga, N. Y., and in 1808
moved to Chenango County, locating in New
Berlin, where he was engaged as a carpenter
and joiner. Later he followed the pursuits
of an agriculturist, which was his sole occu
pation the rest of his life. He married Mary
Lattimore of Saratoga, N. Y., and they were
the parents of seven children, who all became
well-to-do and respected citizens in the local
ities in which they lived. They were as fol
lows : William"; James ; Nathan ; Reeve ;
Catherine ; Ruth ; and Enos, the youngest,
and father of our subject. Mr. Guile was a
consistent member of the Methodist Church.
In politics, he was an old-time Whig.
Enos Guile was educated in the public
schools of New Berlin, and upon leaving
school he taught a few terms, and then took

up the trade of a carpenter and millwright,
which he followed the rest of his active life.
In politics he affiliates with the Republican
party, whose principles he upholds and sup
ports, casting his vote for its men and meas
ures whenever legitimate opportunities are
afforded. He has served as collector of
taxes of the town of New Berlin for one year
and of the town of North Norwich two years.
He is a gentleman respected for his mor
ality as well as integrity, and has led an
upright and straightforward life, endeavor
ing by word and deed to do as he would be
done by. When the Rebellion broke out and
the call was issued for troops to preserve the
Union, he laid aside his personal interests
and plans for the future, and enlisted as a
soldier, November 8, 1861. He was assigned
.to the 8th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Cav., and re
mained in the service throughout the war,
receiving an honorable discharge in July,
1865. He was joined in marriage with Jane
Henry, and they reared a family of three
children, namely : Col. F., deceased ; Lydia,
who has been twice married, — her first hus
band was John Skinner of New Berlin, now
deceased, and her second husband is Albertus
Langworthy of Norwich ; and James L., the
subject of this biography. In religious views
the members of the family were Methodists.
James L. Guile was educated in the public
schools of New Berlin, and for the three
years after he left school was engaged in
agricultural pursuits. He then learned the
trade of a carpenter and millwright, which
he followed with great success for three
years, when he accepted a position as engin
eer in Norwich. He also operated a saw

496

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

mill in which he was successful, although the
work did not suit him. For almost six years
he was engineer for the Chair Company, and
two years with the D., L. & W. R. R. as fire
man. In 1892 he accepted his present posi
tion as engineer and electrician of the Oxford
Electric Light Co. Politically, he is a stanch
Republican. Socially, he is a member of
Lodge No. 175, F. & A. M., of Oxford. Mr.
Guile is a member of the National Associa
tion Stationary Engineers.
Our subject was joined in wedlock with
Emma Follett, daughter of Marshall A. Fol
lett of Norwich. Mr. and Mrs. Guile have
reared and educated the following children :
Mabel, Marshall, Ruth A., and James L., all
of whom are residing with their parents.
The members of the family are sincere ad
herents of the Congregational Church. Mr.
Guile is now in the prime of life, enjoying
the comforts of a good home and surrounded
by a happy family. His strict attention to
business has secured him a fair share of this
world's goods, while his uprightness in all
dealings, combined with his genial deport
ment, has won him the respect and affection
of all who know him.

^

ILLIAM MYGATT, deceased, was
one of the prosperous merchants
of the village of Oxford and one of the most
prominent men in the community. Coming
to the village of Oxford in the year 181 8, he
began business in a small way, and by his
untiring energy, his diligent attention to
business, and a wise forecast of what the

future would bring, he became eminently
successful. His business operations were of
greater magnitude and extent than usually
pertain to one man in a town of the size of
Oxford ; in all his dealings he maintained an
unsullied integrity, and a character for fidel
ity and honesty above suspicion or reproach.
He was a man who was liberal in a sense,
yet saving in habits, and by the time he
was sixty-six years of age he had amassed
considerable wealth and was enabled to re
tire from active business life. He faithfully
fulfilled the obligations of a husband, a father
and a citizen, and folded his hands for his
final rest, with a consciousness of having
done his duty in the best manner possible,
with the approval of his own conscience and
the deep respect oi his neighbors and ac
quaintances. Mr. Mygatt was born in the town of New
Milford, Conn., October 25, 1785, and was a
son of Noadiah and Clarissa (Lynes) Mygatt.
In his native town were spent the years of
his childhood, youth and early manhood. In
1 818 he came to the State of New York and
located at Oxford, making that village his
home until the time of his death. He was
united in marriage, July 29, 1817, with Cath
erine Northrup, who was a native of New
Milford, Conn. Their union was blessed by
the birth of the following children : Eliza
beth, the wife of Henry L. Miller of Oxford,
and the mother of John E. Miller, whose per
sonal history appears elsewhere in this Book
of Biographies; Frederick N. ; Sarah A. mar
ried Dr. A. B. Coe, whose sketch is also re
corded in this book, and they are the parents
of one son, George B. ; Emily M.; Susan

CHENANGO COUNTY

497

M. ; Caroline L. married Hon. Rufus J. Bald
win of Minneapolis, Minn., and they have
one son, Frederick R. ; Jane A. became the
wife of Dr. George Douglass of Oxford ; and
Julia M., who married Judge C. E. Vander
burgh of Minneapolis, Minn., and bore him
two children, William and Julia. Our sub
ject's habits of life were rigidly temperate,
frugal and regular, and to them he was
doubtless indebted for that uniform health
which he enjoyed even to old age. He was
early trained in 'his New England home in
the principles of Christianity, and always ex
hibited a high appreciation of the institutions
of religion, giving to them his personal en
couragement and pecuniary assistance. He
was a faithful member of the Congregation
al Church. Thus he lived to a good, ripe
age, honored and respected, and then passed
away and entered into his eternal rest. His
hands were folded in response to the final
summons, February 4, 1868, leaving a goodly
record of an honest life filled with kind im
pulses and good deeds.

N. FISHER, who is interested in the
tanning business with his brother,
J. E. M. Fisher, at South Otselic,
N. Y., was born in Bavaria, Germany, No
vember 3, 1842. He is a son of Yobst and
Margaret (Ritter) Fisher. Yobst Fisher was
born in February, 1804, in Bavaria, Germany.
While in Bavaria he dealt extensively in
stock, fattening them and taking them to mar
ket. Seeing the advantages offered to indus
trious men in America, he came to this coun

try in 1848, bringing his family with him.
He settled in Manlius, Onondaga County,
N. Y., and engaged in farming. He bought
a farm, and by making many improvements
made it one of the finest farms in the county.
He lived upon it the rest of his life. Mr.
Fisher married Margaret Ritter of Bavaria,
Germany, before coming to this country.
Five children were born to them : Earhart
(deceased) was a farmer in Onondaga County ;
Eugene, who is in the butcher business in the
town of Manlius; Henry (deceased) was a
minister of the Evangelical Church ; John
E. M. is a partner in a tannery with our sub
ject ; and J. N., in whom the interest of this
sketch centers. They were all born in Ba
varia, Germany. In religious belief, Yobst
Fisher was a member of the German Evan
gelical Church. Politically, he sided with
the Republican party. Mrs. Fisher is now
ninety-one years of age, and is remarkably
hearty for a woman of her years. She still
resides on the old homestead.
J. N. Fisher received his education in the
district schools, after which he learned the
trade of a tanner at Fayetteville, N. Y. He
followed this occupation until August 3, 1864,
when he enlisted in Co. H., 2d Reg. N. Y.
Vol. Cav. He was in the Third Division of
the Army of the Potomac, and fought under
Gen. Custer. He took part in all of the im
portant engagements, and rendered valiant
service for his country. He remained until
the end, and was at Appomattox Court House
when Lee's surrender to Grant brought a
conclusion to the strife. He returned home
in June, 1865, having received an honorable
discharge. The following year he and his

498

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

brother, John E. M., succeeded Elihu
Thompson in the tanning business at South
Otselic. They have conducted this business
ever since, but it has greatly increased, and
they now turn out 140 dressed hides per
week. They are also interested in farming
in South Otselic.
J. N. Fisher was joined in marriage with
Nettie Cone, September 26, 1871. Her father,
who is deceased, was Daniel Cone, a farmer
in Chenango County. Two children have
blessed their home: Clayton, who naturally
follows the trade in which his father has been
so successful; and Ida May, who lives at
home with her parents. In politics, Mr.
Fisher is a firm supporter of the principles
promulgated by the Republican party. Be
sides being successful in business,- he has
been a good citizen and has made many
friends.

Edga

JDGAR S. BULLIS, M. D., is the skill-
J  fui and efficient surgeon of the
Albany and Susquehanna R. R. at Bain
bridge. He is a son of Chauncey De La
Fayette and Flannah Storey (Leach) Bullis,
and was born May 2, 1862, in Moriah, Essex
County, N. Y.
Chauncey De La Fayette Bullis was a son
of Isaac Bullis, whose parents came from
Germany to Essex County, where he was
born and passed his entire life. He was an
extensive manufacturer of iron, using char
coal in his furnaces. His wife was a Scotch
lady ; among the children born to them was
Chauncey De La Fayette, whose birth oc

curred about the year 1826. Our subject's
father is a farmer of no small repute and has
also engaged in merchandising to a consider
able extent. He has always resided in Essex
County, and has been strongly identified with
the Republican party in that section ; he has
held several offices, and discharged the duties
in such a manner as to elicit the highest
praise. He was elected to the office of sher
iff, and later became justice of the peace, in
both positions being a constant menace to all
evil-doers. He is at present serving as cor
oner, an office he has held continuously for
about twelve years, showing that he is a very
popular and satisfactory official. His wife
was Hannah Storey Leach, who was born in
1829 and passed away in 1890, after a life that
spread sunshine and happiness on those about
her ; she was a woman whose many deeds
of kindness are indelibly inscribed in the
loving memories of her friends. She left a
husband and two children, three of her little
ones having preceded her to the brighter
shore. The record reads as follows : Lester
died in infancy ; Luther died at the age of
seven years; Ida died at the age of five
years ; Edgar S., our subject ; and Adelaide,
the wife of William Hooper of Westport,
N. Y.
Dr. Edgar S. Bullis received a good educa
tion ; he had a retentive memory and was
able to grasp almost at a glance a subject
that would require hard study on the part ol
many. He first attended Sherman Academy
at Moriah, then studied under the preceptor
ship of Dr. C. S. McLaughlin and Dr. C. A.
Hopper of Port Flenry, N. Y., after which
he entered the University of Vermont. Fie

JOSEPH K. FOX.

CHENANGO COUNTY

5°i

was a young man who determined on push
ing his way to the front, and applied himself
diligently to achieve that purpose, so we are
not surprised to hear of him as among the
youngest graduates of Drake University, at
Des Moines, Iowa, in the class of 1884. Af
ter graduating he went to Ames, Iowa, to
locate, where his ability was soon recognized
and his services secured as instructor in the
State Agricultural College of that place ;
there he remained two years, until 1886,
giving the best oi satisfaction. Feeling,
however, that he had a more important mis
sion to perform, he came back to the home
of his childhood and located in Schroon
Lake, Essex County, where his invalid pa
tients found him a kind and skillful healer.
His mission was to cure the sick, and his aid
was freely given alike to rich and poor, with
no thought of the sufferer's ability to repay
him. He remained but a year in this village,
where everyone was his friend, coming
thence to Bainbridge, a much better field in
which to practice medicine. In his present
field he has secured a wonderful reputation
for the skill and care displayed in all the
cases that come under his charge, while the
success that has attended his efforts has jus
tified the confidence that has been placed in
him. His success both as a physician and
surgeon soon attracted the attention of out
siders, and the officials of the Albany and
Susquehanna R. R. at once set about secur
ing his services for their road. He at length
accepted the charge, and has been called upon
to relieve many an injury that has seemed
almost past relief, but which, under his judi
cious and skillful care, has been entirely cured.

Aside from railroad work he enjoys a very
large practice. He takes a deep inter
est in everything pertaining to medicine, and
is a member of the Academy of Medicine at
Binghamton. He is also connected with a
number of fraternal societies, namely : the
F. & A. M.; I. O. O. F.; Knights of Pythias ;
Patriotic Order of Sons of America ; and
the Improved Order of Red Men of Susque
hanna. He has always been interested in
the success of the Republican party, and
does his share towards its advancement. He
never loses an opportunity to help along the
cause of education, and is one of the most
able members of the board of education of
Bainbridge. On the 24th of March, 1886, Dr. Bullis was
united in marriage with Ella Louise Leland.
Their home is the embodiment of cosiness
and home comfort, and the guest in their
household is made to feel a hearty welcome.
Two children have added their bright pres
ence to this home circle : Leland Storey and
Louise Griffin.

OSEPH K. FOX. While the news
paper is such an important auxiliary
in our civilization, yet to embark in a
journalistic enterprise is a hazardous under
taking, and is oftener attended with disaster
than success. It requires a person of pe
culiar talents — in fact, a combination of
talents to be a successful editor. In the
first place, he must be educated in the
broadest sense ; he should be a man of dispas
sionate judgment, and free from prejudices ;

5°-

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

he should be a ready writer, and quick at
analysis of subjects ; last, but not least, he
should be a brainy man. But it is a rare
thing to find this combination, and this is the
cause of so many newspaper failures. The
New Berlin Gazette, in its mature age,
has such a combination, yet it had a hard
and long road to travel, before it reached its
present height in newspaper fame. Its suc
cess is mainly due to the untiring efforts of
the editor, Joseph K. Fox.
He was born in Reephamshire, England, in
1830, and is a son of Robert and Susannah
(Keeler) Fox. Robert Fox was also born in
Reephamshire, England, and was educated
for the ministry. He preached in England
for a short time, but in 1830 came to this
country, bringing his wife and infant son.
They landed in New York City, then went
to Utica, N. Y., where they located. There
he entered the Wyoming Conference, but
later was transferred to the Troy Conference.
From Utica he went to Albany, where he was
pastor of the State M. E. Church, and while
there was made chaplain of the State Legisla
ture. He next moved to Troy, where he was
living at the time of his death. In his minis
terial work, he filled the pulpits of many of
the principal churches in the State. He was
a well educated man and possessed natural
oratorical ability ; he was a strong and forci
ble speaker, firm in his convictions and fearless
in the expression of them. He was united
in marriage with Susannah Keeler, and they
reared a family of five children, whose rec
ords are as follows: Charles W., deceased,
was for many years conductor on the New
York Central R. R.; Flora A., the relict of E.

Bennett, who was a druggist of Troy ; Fanny
is the widow of Dr. William Bonesteel, who
for many years was a prominent physician of
Troy ; Robert N., who died while at work in
a printing office in Troy, was employed for
many years in the Times office ; and Joseph
K. Joseph K. Fox received his intellectual
training in Owego Academy, and later in the
Ithaca and Binghamton Academies ; he also
took a two years' course at Cazenovia, grad
uating in 1846. He then became an appren
tice to the printer's trade with the late R. W.
Roberts of Utica. After the first six months
the job office was merged into the Utica
Herald, and he worked on the first edition
published. He served a three years' appren
ticeship, and in December, 1850, came to
New Berlin, and, in connection with Rev. M.
E. Dunham, embarked in the newspaper busi
ness. They established The New Berlin
Gazette and conducted it jointly for one
year, when our subject purchased the entire
plant and published the paper alone until
1894, when the firm became Fox & Willard.
Mr. Fox is the oldest publisher in the county ;
he began on a small scale, publishing a five-
column, four-page paper, but it is now one of
eight columns, four pages, and is an up-to-
date paper in every respect, ft is a weekly
sheet, published on Saturday, and has a large
circulation. Through the medium of his
paper, Mr. Fox has maintained a firm and de
cided stand for all public improvements. He
organized the first fire department of the vil
lage, and it is due to his efforts that New
Berlin is supplied with electric lights, water
works, and an opera house. He is a bold,

CHENANGO COUNTY

5°3

fearless and versatile writer, and a deep
thinker. With his contemporaries he is
courteous, indulgent and forbearing with
them in their attacks, but when fully aroused
he is in his retaliation like a lion attacking his
prey. Truthful and conscientious on all sub
jects with which he treats, zealous in his de
votion to principle, he has won a place in the
confidence and affection of the people that
time cannot shake.
He formed a matrimonial alliance with
Mary E. Hugill, of Whitesboro, Oneida
County, and three children have blessed their
union, namely: Will, who lives at Muscatine,
la., and is an engineer on the Lightning Ex
press of the C, R. I. & P- R. R.; Florence E.,
the wife of Dr. J. B. Noyes, whose personal
history is given elsewhere in this book ; and
Lizzie, who is living at home with her father.
Mr. Fox was at one time a Democrat, and in
1856 was elected by that party to the office
of town clerk. He later became identified
with the Republican party, and in 1868, was
made town clerk by that party, also serving
in that capacity in 1871, 1872, and 1873. For
a number of years he was president of the
village corporation. We take pleasure in
presenting on a preceding page the portrait
of this pioneer newspaper man of Chenango
County.

kfRANK B. MITCHELL is a represen-
||_ b tative and highly esteemed citizen of
the town and village of Norwich, who is
now living in practical retirement, his sole
business care being the conservation of the

ample fortune he has accumulated by a life
of great activity. He was born in Norwich,
September 19, 1852, and is descended from
one of the first families in the country, and
from one of the pioneer settlers and phys
icians of Chenango County. Mr. Mitchell is
a son of John and Caroline (Foot) Mitchell,
grandson of Dr. Henry and Rowena (Wales)
Mitchell, and great-grandson of John Mit
chell, who was born in 1754, and settled
in Woodbury, Conn.
John Mitchell was a son of John Mitchell,
and grandson of John Mitchell, Sr., from
whom the line runs back to Experience
Mitchell, who was of the company of Pil
grims who sought refuge in Holland from
religious persecution; from there he came to
America in the ship Ann, the third vessel
that crossed the Atlantic with the PiWim
Fathers, and settled in Plymouth, Mass. Our
subject's great-grandfather, John Mitchell,
married Elizabeth Sherman, a daughter of
Joseph Sherman, and brother of Roger
Sherman, who was one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence.
Dr. Henry Mitchell was born in Wood
bury, Conn., where his father had settled in
1784, and was graduated from Yale College
in 1804. He studied medicine in Philadel
phia, and in 1806, qualified to practice, he
came to Chenango County, and settled at
Coventry, moving thence after a short resi
dence to Norwich, where he followed his
profession, administering healing medicines
and friendly counsel to those in physical afflic
tion, and making himself a real public bene
factor. He was one of the most noted and
successful physicians and surgeons that Che-

5°4

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

nango County ever had the fortune to claim
as one of her citizens. He was a noble man,
taking part in all good work, and by his exam
ple showing many the path to truth, righteous
ness, and a proper mode of living. He died
in 1856, and even now the mention of his
name calls to mind a man of wonderful skill,
tried judgment, and benign influence. He
did considerable work in the building up of
Norwich village, and was one of the original
promoters of the progress and enterprise,
that has since been steadily maintained. The
village, where half a century of his life was
spent, should ever hold his memory dear,
and should see that the work, so well com
menced by him, never lags or halts till its
entire completion. The death of his first
wife left him a widower with six children,
namely : Charles ; John ; Jane ; Harriet ;
Mary ; and Maria. In order to fill a vacant
place in his household and to provide one
who would care for his children in place of
their mother, who had been taken to her
Home, Dr. Mitchell married Mary (Zella-
may) Guernsey, daughter of James Zellamay,
and- widow of Peter B. Guernsey, and
this union resulted in the birth of sev
eral children. Dr. Mitchell was a very
active politician, as was very natural for a
man of his prominence before the public,
and was elected to the State Assembly and
even to a seat in the National House of
Representatives. John Mitchell, our subject's father, gradu
ated from Norwich Academy, and early in
life entered the drug business, in which he
prospered and became well-to-do. His prof
its he invested with discretion and far

sightedness ; his transactions were chiefly
confined to Norwich real estate, so the Nor
wich business world benefited indirectly
from his own prosperity. He was active in
furthering the growth and advancement of
his native village, and in 1863 erected the
Mitchell Block, which was for that period
the finest business block in the village. His
home was the Col. Perlee house, which he
remodeled and fitted up in the most substan
tial as well as handsome manner. This
splendid residence is now owned by our sub
ject. Mr. Mitchell was a Republican, but
was not quite so prominent in public affairs
as was his father, and therefore did not fill
many public offices. His wife, Caroline, was
a daughter of John Foot, which gentleman
was born in Colchester, Conn., in 1788, and
settled in Hamilton, N. Y., where he died in
1883. His daughter, Caroline, the mother
of our subject, was born in Hamilton, N. Y.,
in 1 82 1, and is still living and enjoying excel
lent health, with a promise of remaining
many more years with her children and
grand-children. Our subject's parents reared
five children, who are all alive to-day ; they
are as follows: Frederick, a druggist of the
village of Norwich, and one of the prom
inent men of the place; John W., M. D., of
Providence, R. I.; Franklin B., our subject ;
Caroline, who married R. Little of Pasadena,
Cal.; and Mary, who became the cherished
wife of B. Newton of Los Angeles, Cal.
Franklin B. Mitchell acquired the first
rudiments of his education in the public
schools, Norwich Academy, and at Williston
Seminary, where he fitted for college. He
then attended Yale University, from which

CHENANGO COUNTY

5°5

high institution of learning he graduated in
1875. The ensuing two jjears were spent in
the Columbia Law School, providing himself
with a legal education ; he was graduated
from this professional school in 1877, his
diploma of graduation including the right to
practice in any court in the state. He then
spent some two years in the city of St.
Louis, Mo., engaged in the practice of his pro
fession, and then turned his energies and at
tention to contracting, chiefly in public works,
carrying on his operations in the States of
New York, Ohio and California. After he
gave up this work, he returned to Norwich,
and was appointed postmaster of the village,
a position he held some five years, after
which he served two years as secretary of
the Fishing, Game and Forest Commission.
Since he withdrew from the latter position, he
has only busied himself in caring for his
extensive estate, which his assiduous labors
have netted him. It is needless to remark
that he is most highly regarded as an astute
business man, whose record is clean and open
to inspection. As a public officer, his integ
rity and faithfulness in the performance of
his duties ever rendered him popular. His
interest in his native place has never flagged,
though at times his lot has been cast in
places far from Norwich ; upon his return he
easily rose to a place of prominence because
of the public character of his services in
behalf of the village.
Mr. Mitchell married Helen Sage, daugh
ter of Col. C. H. Sage of Brooklyn, and has
three children, namely : Sally, born January
31, 1881; Minot, July 27, 1882; and Marguerite,
who was born June, 1887, and died a year

later. He has always supported the Repub
lican ticket, and has been chairman of the
Republican committee, and has served his
town as supervisor and as trustee of the
schools.

ENJAMIN B. READ, an insurance
solicitor and a justice of the peace
of Greene, Chenango County, N. Y.,
was born April 7, 1833, in Smithville, N. Y.
He is a son of Hiram and Sarah ( Ketcham )
Read, and grandson of Silas Read.
Silas Read was a native of Massachusetts,
who came to Chenango County at an early
day and settled in Smithville. He was a
prosperous farmer, and owned 2,000 acres of
land, being the heaviest taxpayer in the town.
He married Lucy Lund, a native of Connect
icut, and they1 became the parents of the
following children: Merrick; Polly; Hiram;
Clifton K.; Harriet (Chappell); Prescott;
and Sophia (Howe). They were earnest
members of the Baptist Church, and were
very liberal in the support of that organiza
tion. In politics, Silas Read was a Democrat
until 1840, when he became a Whig and cast
his vote for William Henry Harrison. So
cially, he was a member of the Masonic
Order. Although he received but little
schooling, he was a well-informed man, being
a constant reader.
Hiram Read was educated in the common
schools of Smithville, after which he followed
agricultural pursuits until April, 1859, when
he moved to Greene to spend his declining
years in retirement. He was united in mar-

506

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

riage with Sarah Ketcham, a daughter of
Benjamin Ketcham. She was a native of
Rensselaer County, N. Y., and in 1798 came
to Chenango County with her father. Mr.
and Mrs. Read were the parents of six chil
dren, namely : Alice M.; Elizabeth, who was
the wife of Joseph Limburger, by whom she
had one daughter, Josephine ; Benjamin B.,
our subject; Henry K., who married De
borah C. Roberts of Greene, and became the
father of three children — Carlton, Anna, and
one that died in infancy; the sixth child died
young. They were Baptists in religious be
lief. He was an active member of the Dem
ocratic party, but never aspired to office.
He was a prosperous farmer and a much
respected citizen.
Benjamin B. Read, better known as Judge
Read, received his primary education in the
common schools, after which he pursued a
two years' course in Norwich Academy. He
then followed agricultural pursuits until 1864;
he found farm life uncongenial to his tastes,
so he went to Greene and entered mercantile
business. He successfully conducted his
store for twelve years, three years of the
time in partnership with his brother. In
1876, he entered the insurance business, and
has been connected with that line of work
ever since.
Benjamin B. Read was joined in Hymen's
bonds with Mary Jane Hill, a daughter of J.
P. Hill of McDonough. They are the par
ents of two children: Flelen, who married
E. B. Merriam, a member of the firm of Cole
& Merriam, druggists of Niagara Falls, N. Y.;
and one child, who died in infancy. Judge
Read in his religious views is liberal, but at

tends the Episcopal Church, of which his
wife and daughter are members. In political
belief, he is a stanch supporter of the princi
ples advocated by the Democratic party.
He has held the town offices of clerk and sup
ervisor. He was appointed postmaster under
President Cleveland, during his first adminis
tration, and is now acting as justice of the
peace. Socially, he has been a Mason since
1858, and is a member of the Eastern Light
Lodge, No. 126, of Greene; Greene Chapter;
and has been affiliated with Malta Comman
dery, No. 21, of Binghamton, N. Y., since
October, 1868.

Y^VTVCHAEL H. SULLIVAN, one of
F I 1 tne energ'etic and progressive busi-
H -*- V_^ ness men of Norwich, and pro
prietor of a boot and shoe store, was born
March 30, 1857, in the above village. He is
a son of Patrick and Mary (Hill) Sullivan.
Patrick Sullivan was a native of County
Cork, Ireland, and was born March 17, 1834.
After receiving a good education in the
parish schools of his native town, at the age
of fourteen he emigrated to the United
States, and settled in New Berlin, Chenango
County, N. Y., where he engaged in the
pursuits of an agriculturist ; he also followed
the trade of a stone mason to some extent.
After living there a short time he moved to
North Norwich, and located in what is com
monly known as King's Settlement, where he
followed his chosen occupations for ten years.
His next move was to Wood's Corners, in
Norwich, where he lived until 1870, when he

CHENANGO COUNTY

5°7

moved back to a farm in North Norwich,
where he resided until his death, which oc
curred May 18, 1891. Religiously, he was
attached to the Catholic Church, and was
one ot the efficient and valued workers of
that church. He was a member of the first
Catholic congregation that met regularly for
worship in Norwich, and was one of the chief
promoters of St. Patrick's Catholic Church
that was erected in that village a few years
later. He was an excellent workman at his
trade as a stone-mason, and was for a number
ot years superintendent of masonry on the
Utica Division of the D., L. & W. R. R. In
politics he had great confidence in the Demo
cratic party, and never failed to cast his vote
for that party when a legitimate opportunity
was given. He chose for his companion
Mary Hill, and they reared six children, all
of whom are well-to-do in the various locali
ties in which they reside ; they are as fol
lows : Julia M.; Michael H., the subject of
this personal history ; Annie, the wife of M.
W. Dolan ; Jane, who married Ed. Quinn ;
William H., a young attorney of Norwich,
whose biography appears elsewhere ; and
Mary L.
Michael H. Sullivan received a liberal
education in the district schools of his native
village ; upon attaining his majority, he turn
ed his attention toward the tilling of the soil,
which occupation he pursued successfully
until 1891, when he came to the village of
Norwich and engaged in his present business,
as a dealer in boots and shoes. His store is
located on North Broad Street, where he
carries a large variety of goods, and in his
dealings with the public he is very accommo

dating and willing to please, and has suc
ceeded in building up a large and enviable
trade. He also superintends his farm in
North Norwich, which is one of the best
improved properties in that section of the
county, and brings him in a snug income each
year. In politics he is an ardent Republican,
and, while a resident of the village of North
Norwich, served his fellow-townsmen as rail
road commissioner. He has held the posi
tion of vice-president of the Chenango
County Agricultural Society.
On March 20, 1888, Mr. Sullivan was
happily married to Agnes May Bissell, and
they have a family of seven children, who
are as follows: Francis; Henry; Mary;
Harriet; Julia; Harry; and Charles. Mr.
Sullivan has always been a man of sound
judgment and good understanding, and has
exerted a marked influence in his section,
and has become a prosperous citizen as a
natural result of his thrift and industry.

ir\ ANIEL D. BRADLEY, a prominent
I — — J business man of Greene, was born
r~^«— S July 29, 1828, at Greene, Chenango
County, N. Y. He is a son of David and
Sally (Ketchum) Bradley, and grandson of
David Bradley.
David Bradley, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was a native of New Haven, Conn., but
later lived in Kent, Litchfield County, Conn.,
where he was engaged in agricultural pur
suits. In 1802, three of his sons, Zachariah,
David and Smith, came to Chenango County,
and settled at Greene, on the Genegantslett,

5°*

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

about one-halt mile east of Genegantslett
Corners. Mr. Bradley joined his sons three
years later and brought the rest of his family
with him. He bought lands one-half mile
north of Genegantslett Corners, cleared
them, and began farming. He married
Lydia Fuller, also of Connecticut, and they
became the parents of seven childen, namely :
Zachariah (deceased), a farmer and pioneer
settler of Greene ; David, the father of our
subject ; Smith and Timothy, farmers and
pioneer settlers of Greene, both now de
ceased ; Polly, deceased, who was the wife of
George Beckwith ; Mercy, also deceased,
who was married to Dr. Levi Farr; and
Orlo, deceased. David Bradley was a true
member of the Presbyterian Church. He
was eighty-four years of age when he was
called to the better land.
It is not definitely known where David
Bradley, the father of our subject, was born,
but his birthplace is supposed to have been
either New Haven, or Kent, Conn. With
his two brothers, he came to Greene as one
of the pioneer settlers.
Beginning in a small way, by industry and
successful management, he accumulated con
siderable property, wholly by his own efforts.
His wife's maiden name was Sally Ketchum ;
her father, a native of Saratoga County,
N. Y., moved to the present sight of Greene,
this county, in 1792. He came as far as Ox
ford with an ox-team, but there he was obliged
to give up the team, as there were no roads.
It is hard for us to realize the difficulties of
travel in those days; we now have the use
of railroads over which we can travel as
many miles per hour as would have taken

days to travel with an ox-team on the poor
roads of that day. At Oxford, he built a
boat and floated his goods down the Che
nango River to what is now called Greene.
He at once set about to fix a shelter for his
family, which he did by piling bark along
the side of logs. This did very well until he
built a rude log house, which was the first
house in the village of Greene, and probably
the first in the town. It was in this rude
structure that he entertained Captain Joseph
Juliand, when that pioneer made his first trip
to Greene a few years later.
Mr. and Mrs. David Bradley were the
parents of six children, four boys and two
girls, whose names are as follows: Dr.
Stephen K., deceased, practiced medicine at
Delaware, Ohio ; Chauncey F., who has re
tired from active pursuits, lives in Delaware,
Ohio ; Esther S., deceased, was the wife of
Daniel M. Laytonof Vestal, Broome County,
N. Y.; Timothy D., a retired farmer of Car-
dington, Morrow County, Ohio; Maria M.,
deceased, married William S. Harrington, a
retired farmer of Greene, N. Y.; and Daniel
D., our subject. David Bradley reached an
advanced age, dying in 1872 on the home
stead. He was an old time Whig, and later
was a Republican ; he served several terms
as poormaster.
Daniel D. Bradley was born and reared on
the old homestead, and received his educa
tion in the district schools of Greene. After
leaving school he followed farming as an oc
cupation ; he farmed the old homestead and
owned 210 acres of fine farm land. In 187 1, he
bought a saw and feed mill at Genegantslett
Corners, and two years later he moved there

«

"--*,

w

BRADFORD G. GREENE.

CHENANGO COUNTY

511

to look after the interests of the mill. In
1879, he built himself a fine country home
near his mills, and has resided there ever
since. He also owns and operates a grocery
store at the same place. Mr. Bradley has
made a success of every business he has
undertaken, owing to his honest and capable
manner of dealing with the public.
Our subject is a member of the Patrons of
Husbandry, and takes an active interest in
anything that tends to the improvement of
farming life. In politics, he is a stanch Re
publican. Mr. Bradley was united in mar
riage, January 4, 1859, with Deborah H.
Francis, .a daughter of David Francis, late
a farmer of Greene. Five children have
blessed their home: Eleanor S., who is
teaching school at Kattelville, Broome
County, N. Y.; Mary E. is the wife of Cyrus
A. Kinsman, a farmer of Greene ; Francis,
who died in childhood ; Frederick E., who
married Marian Curtis of Greene, N. Y.; and
George B., now living at Genegantslett Cor
ners, and engaged in operating the mill for
his father.

, , -. RADFORD G. GREENE, deceased,
^A whose portrait appears on the op
posite page, was one of the honored
and progressive business men of Oxford, and
was born April 16, 1839. He was a son of
Frederick and Sophia (Baldwin) Greene, the
former a native of Oblong, Dutchess County,
N. Y., and the latter a native of Oxford, this
county. Thaddeus Greene, the grandfather
of our subject, was a native of Rhode Island,
and was a hatter by trade.
24*

Frederick Greene received his elementary
education in the public schools of his native
town. He then taught school during the
winter months and farmed during the sum
mers. He was a man who believed in the ad
vancement of educational institutions, and
anything calculated to better the community
found a warm supporter in him. In politics
he was a stanch Whig, but was not an
aspirant to office. He chose for his life-com
panion Sophia Baldwin, daughter of Jonathan
Baldwin, and they reared and educated a
family of four children, namely: Harvey M.,
deceased, a physician; Bradford G., who
heads the above lines ; Charles F., a member
of Co. H, 114th Reg., N. Y. Vol. Inf., in the
late Rebellion, who was killed while fighting
for his country ; and Clara C. In religious
views, Frederick Greene was a devoted
member of the Episcopal Church. He
passed to the unknown beyond August 13,
1846. Mrs. Greene departed from this life
July 22, 1885.
Bradford G. Greene, the subject of this
biography, received his primary education
in the common schools in his native town,
and supplemented it with a course in Oxford
Academy. He then read dentistry with Dr.
Eccleston of Oxford, N. Y., and later entered
into a partnership with the Doctor. When
the Civil War broke out, he and four of his
school chums enlisted in the Union Army, to
defend the Government and help put down
the Rebellion. He was assigned to the U.
S. Navy, and was placed on board the ship
North Carolina, whose duties were to patrol
the harbor of New York City. Shortly after
entering the navy, he was taken sick, and for

512

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

six months he was unable to perform hard
labor, and was placed in the hospital as a
steward. After the expiration of his service
for the U. S. Government, he shipped before
the mast, on an expedition which lasted
three years. Upon his return he engaged in
the jewelry business as clerk for Coville &
Cady of Oxford, and remained in their em
ploy for eighteen years. In 1881, he became
connected with the National Express Com
pany, and later he found employment in the
American Express Company. In 1883, he
engaged in business for himself, operating a
coal office, in which business he was very
successful. Mr. Greene participated in village and
town affairs with his usual spirit and energy,
and on occasions when party politics pre
vailed, he unflinchingly maintained the plat
form and principles of the Republican party.
He held the office of postmaster under the
administration of President Harrison, and
served as township collector for several years.
Socially, he was a Mason of Oxford Lodge,
No. 175, also a member of the E. E. Breed
Post, G. A. R., of Oxford. He was a director
of the Chenango Mutual Life Insurance Co.;
was also a member of the board of education,
and took an active part in agitating for a
Union School, and was made chairman of
the building committee. He was joined in
wedlock with Marianna Sisson, daughter of
Thomas Sisson of Norwich. To Mr. and
Mrs. Greene were born three children,
namely : Frederick B., who married Minnie
A. Howard of Greenfield, Mass.; Flarry M.,
who lives at home with his mother ; and one
that died in its infancy. Mr. Greene was a

liberal giver to all worthy enterprises at
large, and was never known to turn a deaf
ear to true charity. He was a man of broad
information and well rounded character, and
carried on business in many different parts
of the county, always sustaining the charac
ter of an upright man, good neighbor and
honest citizen. He lived a useful, patriotic
and practical life, and died full of honors,
respected and esteemed by all who knew
him. Mrs. Greene has always been a bright,
active woman. She received a good educa
tion, and her bright, cheerful ways have
always made her very popular, while her
shrewd, business like methods entitled her to
the respect of all. Her property she
manages wisely and well. She owns con
siderable real estate in and about the village
of Oxford, and conducts the coal business
formerly managed by Mr. Greene.

AMBERLAIN is a retired
and a prominent citizen of
well's Mills. He is a son of
Calvin and Wealthy (Demmin) Chamberlain,
and was born on his father's farm at Rock
well's Mills, June 4, 1828.
Wyatt Chamberlain, his grandfather, a
native of England, came to Butternuts, Ot
sego County, as one of the first settlers of
Central New York, when all this vast section
was a wilderness, inhabited only by the
wild beasts and Indians. It is largely due to
the courage and perseverance of such men

CHENANGO COUNTY

5i3

that this region is to-day civilized and highly
cultivated. Wyatt Chamberlain became a very
successful farmer, and was a soldier in the
War of 1812. He raised a large family of
children. Rev. Israel, the eldest, was the first
class leader of the Rockwell's Mills Union
Church in 1819, later was well and favorably
known as a minister of the Methodist Church
in Genesee County, and for four years was
chaplain of the Auburn State Prison. He
also edited the Christian Advocate of Syra
cuse, N. Y., for a number of years. He
raised a large family of children, some of
whom are prominent in religious circles
of the Methodist Church, and one son was
for many years a teacher in Buffalo. Of the
remaining members of the family, Wyatt was
a member of the Methodist Church, and went
in the interest of that church as a missionary
to Canada ; Calvin became the father of our
subject ; Zetosch was a farmer of Mt. Upton ;
Joel was a miller of the same place ; and
Ashley, who was a speculator.
Calvin Chamberlain, the father of our sub
ject, was born near Mt. Upton in 1800, and
became one of the most successful farmers of
Rockwell's Mills, where he owned a large
farm. He learned the carpenter trade and
worked at it in the early part of his life, but
the latter part of his career was devoted en
tirely to farming. He was a Methodist and
an official in the church for a great many
years. He was a stanch Whig and Republi
can, and was always interested in the welfare
of his party. His wife, Wealthy, daughter
of William Demmin, a gunsmith ol Unadilla,
Otsego County, bore him seven children, as
follows: Catherine, deceased, wife of Byron

Upton, a shoemaker of Mt. Upton ; Caroline,
deceased, wife of Benjamin Peck, cabinet
maker and undertaker of Rockwell's Mills ;
Clark, a farmer of the same place ; Clarissa,
deceased, wife of George Bowen, a farmer of
Norwich ; Caldwell, a retired farmer of Mt.
Upton; C. Y., our subject; and Cordelia,
wife of Joseph Morris of Mt. Upton.
C. Y. Chamberlain received his early train
ing on the farm, and attended the district
schools in his youth. He succeeded his
father as owner of the homestead, where he
has 500 acres of fine farm land under a high
state of cultivation. He lived on this farm
until a few years ago, when he bought a fine
residence in the village of Rockwell's Mills,
where he has since resided. He has been
most successful as a general farmer, and is
one of the most highly respected residents
of the county.
Mr. Chamberlain chose as his life partner
Elizabeth Talcott, whose father was a farmer
of the town of Guilford. Their nuptials were
celebrated July 4, 1852, and three children
were born to them, namely : Ruby A., de
ceased, the wife of Harvey A. Truesdell of
Mt. Upton ; Calvin, a farmer now residing on
the homestead, married Eva Hoag, daughter
of Milton Hoag, a farmer of Norwich, and
has two children, Ruby and Mildred ; and
Jennie, who became the wife of Frederick
Winsor, a farmer of the town of Guilford,
and bore him one child, Earl. Mr. and Mrs.
Chamberlain are earnest and consistent mem
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in
which organization our subject is a steward.
ITe is a stalwart Republican, and has filled a
number of the town offices.

5*4

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

JB

R. F. E. ROPER is a leading phy
sician of the village of Norwich,
where he has very successfully en
gaged in the duties that pertain to his pro
fession since July, 1896, having received his
diploma in 1888 from the Homeopathic
Hospital College of Cleveland, Ohio. His
boyhood days were spent in Danby, N. Y.,
afterwards attending the high school at
Ithaca, and leading the usual lite of a young
lad full of youthful spirit. Having acquired
a liking for the medical profession in his
younger days, and having directed his
studies in that direction, it seemed the natural
thing to our subject's friends that he should
have fully decided upon a physician's career,
and perfected himself toward that end, and
that his skill and learning should be so
widely recognized as of the best. He was
born in Tompkins County, N. Y., January
20, 1864, and is a son of Luther and Maria
(Egbert) Roper.
Luther Roper was reared and educated in
his native county, and has followed farming
there all his active life. ITe is one of those
gentlemen to whom the growing population
of Tompkins County can point with pride as
being a self-made man, for what he has of
this world's goods has been accumulated
through his own indomitable energy and per
severance, and not as the recipient of any
legacy. His school privileges were quite
limited, and what he acquired in the district
school has since been supplemented by prac
tical information gained in the school of
experience. The life of Mr. Roper has been
that of a farmer, and his younger years were
passed on the homestead, assisting his father

in his labors. He is a stanch adherent of
the Republican party, the furtherance of
whose principles he believes to be for the
best good of the community and the country
at large. He is a member in good standing
of the Presbyterian Church. He was united
in marriage with Maria Egbert, and they
reared three children: Dr. F. E.; William E.,
also a prominent physician; and Mary Eliza
beth, deceased, the wife of De Witt Burg-
hardt. Mrs. Roper was called to her well
earned rest in 1879.
Dr. F. E. Roper received his mental train
ing in the Ithaca High School. When he at
tained his majority he entered the Homeo
pathic Flospital College of Cleveland, Ohio,
and graduated from that institution in March,
1888. He then followed his chosen occupa
tion in the village of Deposit, N. Y., for
three years, and then went to Colorado,
where he was engaged in practice five years.
In July, 1896, he returned to his native state
and settled in the village of Norwich, Che
nango County, where he is practicing his
chosen profession with good success. Fie is
a member of the Masonic Order of Deposit,
N. Y., and also a member of the Woodmen
of the World, of Colorado. He chose for his
life-companion Miss M. Louise Wilcox,
daughter of W. R. Wilcox, the nuptial cere
mony being performed October 20, 1892.
They have one child, Reba Louise. In the
community, although a comparatively young
man, he is highly rated as having extremely
good judgment and an experience which
stands him in good stead in all the varied
duties of life. The Doctor is eminently
social. ITe is a skillful and successful prac-

CHENANGO COUNTY

5i5

titioner, combining firmness and tenderness.
He overflows with kindness and good nature.
His professional attainments are superior,
while toward all Jie manifests a gentlemanly
demeanor that has given him the good-will
and respect of the entire community.

^l^c

EORGE P. RUGG, proprietor of
\f£J_ the steam laundry of Oxford, was
born July 31, 1845, at Carter's Mills, N. Y.
He is a son of Seth and Anna (Hallett) Rugg,
the latter a native of England, her parents
emigrating to this country when she was
eight years of age.
Seth Rugg received his education in the
common schools of Milton, N. Y., and then
learned the trade of a tanner, wdiich he fol
lowed all his life. He owned a large tannery
in Milton and operated it for some time,
when he sold out and moved to Rochester,
N. Y., later to Ithaca, and thence to George
town, N. Y., where he lived in retirement.
In politics he was an active Republican, and
always voted to uphold the principles of his
chosen party. He was united in marriage
with Anna Flallett, daughter of Richard Hal
lett, and they reared the following children,
namely : George P., the subject of this biog
raphy ; Adelbert, who married Mary Hol-
comb of Georgetown, N. Y., and has one
child, Maisie ; Frank S., married Emily Fan-
cett of Munnsville, N. Y.; Charles married
Mary Ryan of Norwich, and has one child,
Bernard ; and Flora, the wife of George
Albro, and the mother of seven children,

who are as follows, — Homer, Charles, Cora,
Ida, Newell, Irene, and one that died in its
infancy. Both Mr. and Mrs. Rugg were ac
tive and consistent members of the Baptist
Church. George P. Rugg passed his boyhood days
in his native village, and in attendance upon
the common school he received a fair educa
tion. He was an ambitious lad and very
eager to get an early start in life, conse
quently he sought a position in a tannery, in
which he worked for several years. He then
engaged in milling, which he found more suit
able, and followed that line of business for
twelve years. He then learned the trade of a
carpenter, which he continued to follow until
1893, when he engaged in his present business
as a laundryman. In politics he is a Repub
lican, and casts his vote in support of Repub
lican candidates. Our subject was united in
matrimony, in 1872, with Emma C. Stewart,
daughter of Robert Stewart, of Georgetown,
N. Y., and their home has been blessed by
the birth of two children, Grace and Ward
L,, deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Rugg are strict adherents to
the principles and doctrines of the Baptist
Church. Mr. Rugg is very successful in his
laundry business and commands a large pat
ronage in the village and surrounding coun
try. In his business dealings, he is distin
guished by his square and honest methods,
and conscientious scruples against taking the
least advantage of anyone with whom he
may chance to have business. He is an
intelligent man, well read and well informed,
and takes a keen interest in local and general
matters.

5i6

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

W. FLETCHER, a prosperous farm
er oi the town of Guilford, is well
known, not only for the successful
manner in which he has managed his farm,
but for his integrity and straightforwardness
in dealing with his fellowmen. He was born
October 2, 1857, and is a son of Joseph and
Susan (Sherwood) Fletcher.
Joseph Fletcher, a native of Connecticut,
came to this county about 1848, settling in
East Guilford. He was a tanner by trade,
but was also quite successful as a farmer.
Religiously, he was a member of the Presby
terian Church. Mr. Fletcher reached the age
of sixty-one years, passing away July 1, 1869.
As a result of his union with Susan Sher
wood, twelve children were born, namely :
William, deceased, a speculator, who resided
at Bainbridge ; Adelia, deceased, married
William Dunlevey of East Guilford ; Ger
trude, who makes her home with her brother,
the subject of this biography ; Emily, de
ceased ; Stephen is a farmer in the town of
Coventry ; Sarah, the wife of Chauncey
Ramsdell, lives in Dunkirk, N. Y.; Maryett,
the wife of H. C. Bedford, of Oneonta, N. Y.;
Georgia, the relict of William Weiler, who
was a farmer of Madison County, N. Y.; O.
W., the subject of this sketch; and Milton,
who is a professor in Unadilla Academy.
O. W. Fletcher received his education in
the common schools of his native town, after
which he devoted his time to tilling the soil.
He started in life with very little means, and
his success forms a striking example of what
industry and determination may accomplish.
He worked hard and managed his affairs
shrewdly, and in 1894 he was able to buy 287

acres of fine farm land, upon which he has
since resided. He has made many improve
ments since living upon it, and it is now one
of the finest farms in the neighborhood,
being well supplied with neat and substantial
buildings. Mrs. Fletcher's maiden name was Mary
Gilbert, and she is a daughter of John Gil
bert, a late farmer of Gilbertsville, Otsego
County, N. Y. She is a woman of excellent
qualities, and has contributed largely to her
husband's success. Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher
are very fond of children, and as none were
born to bless their home, they adopted a son,
Fred. They are earnest members of the M.
E. Church of Bainbridge, and are liberal in
its support. Believing that liquor is the
curse of our country, Mr. Fletcher became a
stanch supporter of the Prohibition party a
number of years ago, and has proved himself
a valued worker for temperance. He has
performed the labors of a good citizen, and
possesses the esteem and friendship of all his
neighbors.

WEN L. CRUMB, a prominent and
well known citizen of Bainbridge
township, is secretary and treasurer
of the American Separator Co., and manager
and part proprietor of the Bainbridge Ex
press. By his connection with these two im
portant concerns he exerts a wide influence in
the community where he resides, and is much
respected by the best class of citizens
throughout the county. He was born in
Madison County, N. Y., and is the fourth and

CHENANGO COUNTY

5!7

youngest son of Benjamin and Mary Eliza
beth (Maxson) Crumb.
William Crumb, the great-great-grand
father of the present scion, was born in 1696,
in a province of Southern Germany, and
married a young lady of French descent,
who bore the name of Le Face. Upon com
ing to this country they located in Rhode
Island, near Providence, where our subject's
ancestor became one of the leading mer
chants. Their son, Joseph Waite Crumb,
born in Providence, R. I., removed from his
native place in 1796, and took up his resi
dence on a farm in the vicinity of De Ruyter,
Madison County, the remainder of his life
being devoted to agricultural pursuits. He
brought seven sons and one daughter with
him; one of these sons was Hosea Waite
Crumb, grandfather of the subject of this
notice, whose birth occurred in Providence
in 1794, and therefore being only about two
years of age when the family moved into
New York State. Our subject's grandfather
lived near De Ruyter all his life, and com
bined coopering with farming. His wife,
Martha Irish, bore him three children, as fol
lows: Sarah, who died in infancy; Benjamin
Waite the father of our subject ; and Sarah
J., wife of Giles D. Johnson, who still sur
vives her, and lives in Cazenovia, N. Y.
Benjamin Waite Crumb advanced from the
common schools to De Ruyter Institute, then
the leading school in Central New York, and
there acquired a very good equipment for
life's battles. From the time he left school
until his death, which occurred February 10,
1 891, he was engaged exclusively in farming
on the old homestead, and in dealing in and

breeding fine horses. In politics he support
ed the Republican party. His first wife,
Janet Coon, made him the father of two chil
dren — Janet and Phineas B. His second union
was with Mary Elizabeth Maxson, a daughter
ot John Maxson, a direct descendant of the
first white child born in Rhode Island,
who came to the town of Preston, N. Y.,
in middle life, having followed the trade
of a ship carpenter in early life on the
sea coast. Four children resulted from
this union, as follows : Herbert Frank,
who is a resident of the town of Oxford,
and has been town assessor for many years ;
John Maxson, an enterprising and progressive
farmer, residing in Oxford township, who
has been very successfully engaged in dairy
ing for the past few years ; Prof. Fred Waite,
the principal of the Bainbridge High School,
and a director of the American Separator
Co.; and Owen Lovejoy, the subject of this
writing. Owen L. Crumb's early boyhood was
spent on the homestead in Madison County,
near De Ruyter, the slackness of work in the
winter season affording him an opportunity
of securing a district school education. His
natural taste for books led him, at the age of
fifteen years, despite many draw backs, to en
ter De Ruyter Academy, where he proved
himself a willing and apt pupil, strong in his
love ior work and hard study. After he left
school he taught for some time in the schools
of Madison and Onondaga Counties, with
the most flattering results. In 1885, when
about twenty-one years old, he became a
clerk in the store of Charles York at De
Ruyter, where he remained a trusted and

5'8

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

most efficient employee until August, 1892,
when he located in Bainbridge, Chenango
County, and became a bookkeeper for Ho
vey, Clark & Co., which place he has retained
to the present date (1898).
Asa business man Mr. Crumb occupies the
position of secretary and treasurer of the
American Separator Co. of Bainbridge, an
interesting sketch of which appears on an
other page of this work. The Bainbridge
Express is owned by our subject and Charles
C. Hovey, and is a live, enterprising news
paper with a large circulation. It is a week
ly of 10 pages, managed by Mr. Crumb, and
edited by W. Edward Miner. The day of
issue is Friday.
In 1896, Mr. Crumb married Miss Ama
Sturges, daughter of David La Vette and
Lucy (Phillips) Sturges of Columbus town
ship. Mrs. Crumb is a graduate of the State
Normal School at Fredonia, and a teacher of
repute. Our subject is a Republican, and is
a member of the board of education. Mr.
Crumb is prominent in social circles, and
most popular with all who are acquainted
with him. He is a member of the following
societies: Tribe 274, Improved Order of Red
Men ; Lodge No. 552, I. O. O. F.; Lodge No.
167, F. & A. M.; Vallonia Chapter, No. 80;
and Norwich Commandery, No. 46.

iwr°

EORGE WHEELER. This worthy
VJ^J_ resident of Norwich has reached
the calm that comes only after severe and
exhausting efforts, and is now securely placed
in the high estimation of his fellow-towns

men as a man of noble parts and enterprising
habits. He is a son of James and Eliza J.
(Handy) Wheeler, and was born in the town
of New Berlin, December 20, 1848. At that
early day there was little opportunity for
educational advantages, so at a rather youth
ful age Mr. Wheeler began to engage in the
work of an agriculturist. He then followed
the vocation of a carpenter under Sternberg
& Hall, and was with them from 1869 to 1876.
He then established a planing mill and began
the manufacture of step ladders, flower
stands, and different kinds of tables ; he fol
lowed this line of business for a number of
years, when he embarked in the lumber and
shingle business, in which he is now engaged.
James Wheeler, the father of our subject,
received his education in the schools of his
native town, and then followed farming all
his active life. When he came to this county,
the country was dotted here and there, at
wide intervals, by lonely cabins, and Indians
and wild beasts disputed the right to the
occupancy of the forests. It is evident that
the early pioneers seldom allowed themselves
to give way to home-sickness, for if such
had been the case, we would not now behold
such results as they accomplished in the cul
tivation of land and the building up of set
tlements. In politics Mr. Wheeler was a
Democrat, and always voted with his party
honestly and conscientiously whenever the
opportunities presented themselves. He was
married to Eliza J. Handy, and they reared
three children, namely : Delos ; Cyrus ; and
George, the subject of this personal history.
George Wheeler is a conscientious Repub
lican, and is held in high esteem for those

CHARLES SEARS KERSHAW.

CHENANGO COUNTY

521

manly qualities which constitute the worthy
and valued citizen. In 1876 he was elected
trustee of the village, and in March, 1897, he
was elected to the same office for a term of
three years. He is a member and past mas
ter of Norwich Lodge, No. 302, F. & A. M.;
and past high priest of Harmony Chapter,
No. 151, R. A. M. He was one of the char
ter members of Lodge No. 44, Iron Hall, and
is still connected with the lodge. He was
united in matrimony June 17, 1877, with Eva
T. Bosworth, daughter of H. C. Bosworth
of Norwich. Mr. Wheeler is truly a self-
made man. Being thoroughly acquainted
with the conditions that surround the work-
ingman, he is a fair and good master, and no
complaint of unjust dealings is made by
those under him. As a citizen and as a man
he is public spirited, and high minded. He
is an eminent, worthy, and useful member of
society in the locality which he has chosen
as the scene of his life work.

T^iHARLES SEARS KERSHAW, one
I >p of the esteemed citizens of Sherburne
^- s village, and an inventor and manu
facturer, whose portrait we present on the
opposite page, was born in Madison County,
September 18, 1845, and is a son of Thomas
and Abbie F. (Sears) Kershaw, and grandson
of Thomas Kershaw^, Sr.
Thomas Kershaw, Sr., was a native of
England and emigrated to America some
time during the eighteenth century, locating
in the State of Connecticut. He was a wool
carder, and carded the first rolls carded
in the United States. The English wool

manufacturers, being jealous of his new en
terprise, sent to him an infernal machine,
which they thought would kill him when he
opened the box. But, being a little suspi
cious, he opened it under water, thus destroy
ing its efficacy, and frustrating the murder
ous intentions of its senders. Later he
moved to Bennington, Vt., where he re
mained a short time, when he moved to Earl
ville, near the line of Chenango County. He
built a large grist, saw and carding mill and
continued to operate them the rest of his
active life. He also owned a small farm, and
carried on farming successfully. He was
president of the first bank in Chenango
County, which was located at Norwich. He
was the progenitor of a family of eight chil
dren, wdio were as follows : James ; John ;
Thomas; Seth; Marsden ; Robert; Simeon;
and Mary. Mr. Kershaw gave the ground
for the cemetery in Earlville, was the founder
of the Episcopal Church, and contributed
more than any other man at that time toward
the building up of the village.
Thomas Kershaw, the father of our sub
ject, worked in his father's mills and then
opened a mercantile store, which he contin
ued to conduct for the subsequent twenty
years with marked success. When he sold
out he moved to Pompey, Onondaga
County, N. Y., and engaged in farming. At
his death, which occurred at the age of sev
enty-nine years, he left each of his children a
small fortune. He was married to Abbie F.
Sears, daughter of William Sears, and they
were the parents of the following children,
namely : Thomas D., deceased ; Cornelia ;
Charles Sears ; and J. Dwight, all of whom

522

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

became popular and respected citizens in the
different localities where they resided. In
politics he was an old-time Whig, but upon
the organization of the Republican party he
joined its ranks, and remained identified with
that political power until his death.
Charles Sears Kershaw was educated in
the public schools ; starting out in life he
chose the occupation of a farmer, which he
followed in the village of Sherburne for four
years. Selling his farm he moved to the vil
lage, where he engaged in selling sewing
machines for several years ; being a born
mechanic and inventor, he began in a small
way to develop some of his practical ideas,
and from 1875 to 1892 invented seven dif
ferent hay elevators. He is the inventor of
the well-known machine known as Kershaw's
Hand Hoisting and Carrying Car, which he
manufactures, and which has been recog
nized as a standard article. In 1895 he pat
ented Kershaw's Adjustable Chain Link, and
the only practical swivel tackle block used
to-day, also a rope splicer, halter hitch, Ker
shaw's Hammock Safety Lock, and many
other smaller inventions.
The subject ot this biography chose for his
life companion Catherine Walker, daughter
of Elhanan W. and Harriet (Byington)
Walker. Elhanan W. Walker was born in
the village of Sherburne, May 27, 1820, and
was a son of Nicodemus and Elizabeth
(Whiteman) Walker. Nicodemus Walker
was born in Smithfield, R. I., in 1815 ; mov
ing west he followed the trees which had
been marked, and it led him to the village of
Sherburne. He bought and cleared the farm
now owned by Robert Lee, and lived there

until his death occurred, which was at the
age of seventy-seven years. He reared the
following children : William ; Fanny ; El
hanan ; Ann Eliza ; Catherine ; and Caroline.
Elhanan Walker succeeded to the ownership
of the old homestead ; after remaining on it
a few years he s'old it and moved to Utica,
N. Y., where he engaged in the grocery busi
ness. Later he went to Camden, N. Y.,
where he carried on wagon making until
1850, when he returned to Sherburne, and
lived in retirement until the time of his death.
When the D., L. & W. R. R. was built through
the village he began buying lots and building
houses and business blocks. He was part
owner of the opera house which burned. He
passed from this life very suddenly, dying in
his chair March 13, 1897. He was married
October 18, 1841, to Harriett Byington,
daughter of Augustus Byington. She died
in 1887, and on September 30, 1889, he mar
ried Mrs. Sarah Hickok, widow of the late
Harry Hickok of Norwich. By his first
wife the following children were reared,
namely : Catherine ; William H., who re
mains at home ; Helen, who married Leroy
Wilcox of Rome, N. Y. ; Caroline, the wife
of Irving Davis, now deceased ; and Hattie,
who died young. Mr. Walker was a stanch
Republican, and served as poormaster of the
town of Sherburne for many years, and in
several minor offices. He was a prominent
member of the Methodist Church.
Charles Sears Kershaw is a firm supporter
of the Republican party, and upholds his
chosen party both by voice and vote. Re
ligiously, he is a popular and devoted mem
ber of the Episcopal Church.

CHENANGO COUNTY

523

B

E CALVUS ROGERS. The gen
tleman, with whose name we com
mence this narration, is a retired
business man, now living at his home in Nor
wich. He has been enterprising and suc
cessful in his business transactions, and is
now enjoying a competency. He is a
son of Amos and Rachael (Davis) Rogers,
and was born in Groton, N. Y., February
21, 1822.
Amos Rogers was a native of Connecticut;
as a child he moved to the State of Vermont
with his parents, where they remained for a
short time, when they moved to the State of
Massachusetts and settled in Berkshire
County ; he then moved to Groton, N. Y.,
where he carried on a tannery and engaged
in shoemaking, — this was about 1817. In
1835, he sold his establishment and moved to
Cayuga County, N. Y., remaining there
three years, when he returned to Groton,
continuing there until 1847 or 1848, when
he moved to Cortland, where he lived in re
tirement. He passed to the unknown beyond
at the age of seventy-six years. Mrs. Rogers
died in her eighty-eighth year. Mr. Rogers
participated in township and village affairs
with his usual spirit and energy, and on oc
casions when party politics prevailed he
unflinchingly maintained the platform and
principles of the Whig party. He married
Rachael Davis, and they reared a large
family of children, namely : Franklin, born
December 3, 1805; Amos, April 23, 1807;
Elizabeth Mary, deceased ; Lucy Malinda,
deceased; Thomas, October 22, 1812, and a
resident of McGraw, N. Y.; Amasa, Decem
ber 16, 1814; Albert, November 1816; Eliza,

June 7, 1820; De Calvus, subject of this
biography; and Mary, May 17, 1824.
De Calvus Rogers received the very best
educational training which Groton Academy
could afford. He was from boyhood his
father's right-hand man and helper, and re
mained under the parental roof until 1838,
when he went to McGraw, and engaged in
mechanical pursuits for four years. In 1846,
he moved to the village of Norwich and en
gaged in dealing in groceries and provisions.
He was a man of considerable business tact
and energy, and by his straightforward deal
ing he built up a good and lucrative trade, and
each year as the trade increased his business
facilities were enlarged. In January, 1848, he
built the residence where Hon. George W.
Ray resides; selling this residence, in 1853,
he built the one which he now makes his
home. In 1890, Mr. Rogers retired from
active life ; he is a man of great physical
strength and undoubted courage, a true type
of the pioneer class who are rapidly passing
away. Mr. Rogers was joined in marriage with
Diana Aldrich, daughter of Benjamin Aid-
rich of Cortland village. Mr. Rogers was
called upon to mourn the loss of his devoted
wife, May 2, 1854, she dying at the early age
of twenty-nine years. They had a family of
three children: Euclid B., born March 1,
1852, is a Baptist minister of Springfield, 111.,
and married Jennie Ross ; Vesta R., born
August 18, 1853, married Charles Torrey, a
Baptist minister, now deceased ; and Naomi,
twin sister of Vesta R., who died young.
Mr. Rogers chose for his second wife Emily
Edwards, daughter of William Edwards of

524

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Lisle, Broome County, N. Y. Mr. Rogers
was formerly an old time Whig, later a Re
publican, but now is a strong Prohibitionist,
and at all times gives hearty support to the
men and the measures of his party. In religi
ous views, he is an active and devoted mem
ber of the Baptist Church.
Mr. Rogers is one of the men who are
chiefly responsible for the fine showing of
Norwich village of to-day ; from the very
outset he possessed a firm belief in its future
prosperity, and lost no time in assisting in
bringing that good time along with success
in his own business ventures. He is a man
of recognized able business methods, and has
been of invaluable assistance in building up
his adopted village. He is a man possessed
of acute perceptions, and understands value
in realty more thoroughly than many men
with vastly more experience. Combining
thrift and energy, he has made of himself an
admirable business man, a credit to the
county, that was the scene of his commercial
transactions for so many years.

ILLIAM G. PECK, who is the pro
prietor of the leading tailoring es
tablishment in New Berlin, was born in the
town of Pittsfield, Otsego County, N. Y.,
June 9, 1852. He is a son of Alvin and Free-
love (St. John) Peck, and a grandson of Alvin
Peck, Sr.
Alvin Peck, Sr., was a resident of Pitts
field, where he taught school until a few
years previous to his death, and then con
ducted a hotel there. He also had charge of

the stage route between Cooperstown and
Norwich. He was an honest and upright
man and was well and favorably known all
over the county. He was called Home in 1858,
at the age of sixty-five years. His companion
in life was Elizabeth Sisson, by whom he had
a family of eight children, five sons and three
daughters. Alvin Peck, Jr., was born in the town of
Unadilla, January 27, 1829, and received his
education in the common schools. He was
but a lad of fourteen when his father con
ducted the stage route between Norwich
and Cooperstown, and it became the custom
for him to go along to carry the mail. In
1869 he started in the hotel business in
Pecktown, a village named in honor of his
father, who lived there for many years. He
conducted a popular hostelry there for many
years, and in 1881 sold out his business and
moved to New Berlin, where he had charge
of the mail route between New Berlin and
Morris. In 1885, he returned to the town of
Pittsfield, where he has since been engaged
in farming. He has performed all the labors
of a good citizen, and possesses the friend
ship and esteem of his neighbors. In polit
ical belief he is a Republican, and has served
his party and townsmen in a number of
offices. At one time he was postmaster of
Pittsfield, and has been town clerk several
terms, which office. he is now filling. He
was united in marriage with Freelove St.
John, a daughter of Hon. David B. St. John,
who at one time represented the town of Ed
meston in the State Assembly at Albany. As
a result of this union, four children were
born, namely : William G., the subject of this

CHENANGO COUNTY

525

sketch ; Sarah, the wife of James Perkins,
lives in Burlington Flats ; Nellie, who mar
ried Charles Woodard, a farmer of the town
of Pittsfield ; and David B., who lives in
Montana and is an extensive sheep raiser,
keeping a drove of about 2,700 head. Mr.
Peck's second union was with Lovina Sweet,
and they became the parents of one son,
Fred, who lives at Pittsfield.
William G. Peck attended' the public
schools of Edmeston and Pittsfield, after
which he took an advanced course in the
New Berlin Academy. The following eight
years he was engaged in teaching school in
the winters, while the summers were devot
ed to study. In 1877, he began learning the
tailor's trade, and by paying strict attention
to his work, he gained enough experience in
three years' time to go into business on his
own account. He began in a small way in
the village of New Berlin, but owing to the
good quality of the goods and the neat and
stylish garments that came from his estab
lishment, he did an ever-increasing business.
In 1886, he purchased the house and lot,
which was known as the Conkey place, and
one year later erected his present store
building in order to care for his large trade.
In 1888, he made further improvements by
repairing his residence, and now has one of
the finest residences in the village of New
Berlin. He also has one of the largest and
neatest tailoring establishments in the county.
His custom is so large that he is obliged to
keep from six to ten men at work the year
around. These men are all old and experi
enced workmen, and are qualified to turn out
the finest tailor-made clothes. He keeps on

hand a large stock of goods of the latest pat
terns and finest quality.
Mr. Peck was united in the holy bonds
of wedlock with Mary C. Medbury, a
daughter of Charles Medbury of Pittsfield,
July 22, 1878, and one daughter, Frances
Marion, has blessed their union. Since 1877,
our subject has been a faithful worker in the
Episcopal Church of New Berlin, and is now
a vestryman of that organization. Socially,
he is a member of the Phoebus Lodge, No.
82, F. & A. M. ; and of the Hillington Chap
ter, No. 224, R. A. M., of Morris, N. Y. He
is a well educated man, fond of reading, and
is well posted on all current topics and mat
ters of interest to the people. He is a de
servedly popular man, and is entitled to the
respect and esteem in which he is held by his
fellow citizens.

W"

ILLIAM C. MAIN, the largest deal-
in harness, trunks and bags in
Chenango County, who has been in the
harness business longer than any man of
to-day in the village of Norwich, was born in
the above town, July 14, 1832, and is a son of
William F. and Submit (Carpenter) Main,
and grandson of Thomas and Hannah ( Chap
man ) Main.
Thomas Main moved from his native state,
Connecticut, to the State of New York and
located in Chenango County, settling on the
farm now owned by William R. Breed.
Fearing the members of his family would be
come sick with malarial fever, because of
the position of the farm in an undrained

526

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

valley, he decided to move to a more health
ful situation, and accordingly purchased the
farm now owned by J. A. Randle, which was
then covered by a dense forest. He was
married to Hannah Chapman, and they reared
the following children : Hannah ; Thomas ;
Content ; Sophia ; Joseph ; William F.;
Aaron ; and two that died in their infancy.
Thomas Main passed from this earth at the
advanced age of eighty five years. His wife
died aged eighty years.
William F. Main was born in the State ot
Connecticut and was but two years of age
when his father moved the family and house
hold effects to Chenango County with a team
of oxen. His youth was mostly spent in aid
ing his father in the hard toil of clearing the
farm. After attaining his majority he en
gaged in the pursuits of an agriculturist, and
when he had accumulated sufficient funds to
buy a farm of his own, he purchased the one
now owned by Dwight McNitt, and carried
on general farming until 1841, when he sold
the property and bought a farm at Latham's
Corner. He was a hard worker and through
his good management he succeeded in amass
ing a sufficient fortune to enable him to
retire to the village of Norwich to pass life's
twilight in ease. He passed from this life
aged sixty-six years. Mrs. Submit ( Carpen
ter ) Main, who survived her husband eleven
years, was a daughter of Noah Carpenter ;
she presented her husband with five chil
dren, namely : William C, subject of this
narrative ; Emily E., deceased ; Harriet L.,
deceased ; Nelson C, who served in the late
Rebellion, died in Andersonville Prison ; and
Chester W., a resident of North Norwich.

Mr. Main was a strong Republican, and
always gave his unwavering support to the
party of his choice since its organization.
He was a most active and zealous member of
the Universalist Church.
William C. Main holds a prominent posi
tion among the people of Chenango County,
and is especially popular and well thought of
in his township of Norwich, and in the place
of his present residence and the scenes of
many of his labors, Norwich village. He re
ceived his early training in the public schools
of Norwich, and pursued his studies for a
while at Rockwell's Mills. At the age of
fourteen years he entered the harness shop
of his uncle, Chester W. Carpenter, and re
mained there five years, learning the trade of
a harness maker. He followed the trade as a
journeyman until 1850, when he w^ent to De
posit, N. Y., and conducted a shop of his
own ; alter remaining there for two years he
came to the village of Norwich, and in 1854
he succeeded Samuel Weeden in that gentle
man's harness and saddle shop. In 1858 he
purchased the business block in which the
Brennan Hotel is situated, where he con
ducted business until 1874. In 1883 he moved
into the Baker Block, where he conducts the
largest store of the kind in the county. The
salesroom is well stocked with hand-made
harness and bags, and he makes a specialty of
trunks. He employs a large force of men
who are kept constantly busy in order to sup
ply the large demand for leather goods. He
is the owner of a fine residence, located at 201
South Broad Street, which he bought and
furnished himself. He also buys and sells
realty to a large extent. He was joined in

WILL C. MOULTON.

CHENANGO COUNTY

529

matrimony with Martha E. Demander,
daughter of Charles Demander of Deposit,
N. Y., and one child blessed their home, Ada
R. In politics, our subject adheres to the
Democratic party. Socially, he is past mas
ter of Norwich Lodge, No. 302, F. & A. M'.;
member of Harmony Chapter, R. A. M., No.
151; Norwich Commandery, Knight Temp
lars, No. 46. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs.
Main are both active and popular members
of the Episcopal Church.
Mr. Main is a gentleman of intense patriot
ism, and loves well the land of his fathers.
He has ever appreciated to the full his duties
as a citizen and as a native-born American.
In business, he is shrewd, upright and exact.
His social relations are of the pleasantest
nature, and few men stand higher in the esti
mation of his fellow-townsmen than he.
Surrounded by all those elements that make
life worth living, he finds with each succeed
ing day matters of live interest into which he
throws the same energy and activity that
have been of such valued service to him
these many years. In the community no one
is better liked than he or held in higher es
teem, and every whit of the respect accorded
Mr. Main is due and thoroughly deserved.

W-

ILL C. MOULTON is a promi
nent young attorney of the village
of Norwich, who has been engaged in prac
tice there for the last eleven years, during
which time he has built up a large practice,
that rewards him well for his earnest efforts.
He was born in Gilbertsville, Otsego County,

November 15, i860, and is a son of James
Henry and Harriet Hulda (Peck) Moulton.
The family is of Connecticut stock, having
come originally from England. Our subject's
paternal grandfather received a common
school education, and followed the trade of a
shoemaker in Connecticut until he moved to
New York, and located in Otsego County.
His politics were such as were advocated by
the Whig and Republican parties. He reared
a large family of twelve children, four boys
and eight girls.
James Henry Moulton, our subject's father,
was a prominent man for his day and genera
tion. He attended the academy at Gilberts
ville, N. Y., after he had finished his educa
tion in the common schools. Upon leaving
the academy he clerked in a store at Gilberts
ville a number of years, and then engaged in
farming in Otsego County, following that
occupation the remainder of his life. He
was a Republican in his politics, and held
several offices, including those of overseer of
the poor and commissioner of highways of
his town. He was a member of the M. E.
Church, and was a consistent church mem
ber, attending divine service regularly until
the sickness came to him that resulted in his
death in 1866. These were the children that
made up the family : Ella J., the wife of C.
H. Graves; Rose B., who was joined in mar
riage with Dr. R. A. Thompson ; James H.,
deceased ; Lincoln, deceased ; and Will C,
our subject.
The subject of this writing, from the
common schools, advanced to the Mexico
Academy of Otsego County, from which he
graduated as the valedictorian of his class in

53°

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

1883. No time was lost after leaving the
academy in preparing for the legal profes
sion, for he came immediately to Norwich in
1883, and read law in the office of Robert A.
Stanton, and was admitted to the bar in Che
nango County in 1887. Upon Mr. Stanton's
decease, our subject found himself in posses
sion of a great deal of business, for by reason
of that gentleman's death, Mr. Moulton was
appointed as one of the administrators of the
estate. Mr. Moulton practiced alone until
January, 1895, when he formed a partnership
with Ira H. Hyde, a graduate of Cornell
University, the firm establishing their office
in the Cook Building, Norwich. This co
partnership continued about two years, after
which Mr. Moulton purchased the interest of
his partner, and has since conducted the legal
business of the firm alone. From principle,
Mr. Moulton is a decided and aggressive Pro
hibitionist. He was at one time a candidate
for district attorney on the Prohibition ticket,
and has also been spoken of for county judge.
He is conceded to be a young man of very
superior attainments, and there is not the
slightest doubt but that he could fill with
credit either of the above responsible offices.
ITe has, however, kept himself quite aloof
from politics, and is unpledged to any inter
ests save those for the uplifting of society,
and the promulgation of correct standards of
morality. He has taken his stand for tem
perance as a principle and as a political
measure with sanguine hopes for the future,
and confident that wrong and wickedness will
not always prevail. He is an active, work
ing Christian, and is a much valued laborer
in the M. E. Church, where he has been

identified with the work of redemption and up
lifting since becoming a resident of Norwich.
He has been superintendent of the M. E.
Sabbath-school. Mr. Moulton married, in 1886, Miss Ruby
Coon, a daughter of William H. Coon of
Norwich, N. Y., the nuptial ceremony taking
place on November 10. Four children have
become members of their household, namely :
William Connell ; Genevieve Rose ; Harold
Meredith ; and Winnifred May.
We take pleasure in presenting on a page
in proximity to this a portrait of Mr. Moul
ton, who is most highly regarded as a lawyer
of astuteness and legal acumen, with a brill
iant future in prospect.

WORDSWC of Baint

ORTFI B. MATTERSON
bridge enjoys the distinc
tion of being one of the ablest lawyers of
Chenango County, and at present is acting
in the capacity of county district attorney,
having been elected in 1895, for a term of
three years, to succeed himself. He was
born at Edmeston, Otsego County, July 4,
i860, his parents being Menzo D. and Deliah
(Dutton) Matterson.
Abel Matterson, the grandfather, was an
agriculturist residing in Edmeston at the
time of his death. He was a native of Rhode
Island, whence he came to Otsego County,
where he located in Burlington, afterwards
coming to Chenango County. He made
many friends and was an ardent worker in
the ranks of the Whig and later of the Re
publican party, and was chosen as supervisor

CHENANGO COUNTY

53i

in both Otsego and Chenango Counties. He
married Laura Potter, and nine children were
born to them, five boys and four girls. The
four daughters were all taken from their
parents while young, not one being spared to
comfort their declining years. The sons grew
to mature years, with the exception of Isil-
lias, who died at the age of twenty-one ; their
records are as follows : Delos W., a resident
of Columbus, this county, and supervisor of
the town for six consecutive years ; Truman
I., who lives at New Berlin, who also served
several terms as supervisor, beside represent
ing Chenango County in the State Assembly
in 1886 ; Menzo D., the father of Wordsworth
B. Matterson ; and Nelson of Utica, now de
ceased. Menzo D. Matterson was born September
12, 1828, in the town of Columbus, this
county, and there grew to manhood, follow
ing the peaceful employments incident to the
life of an agriculturist. This work he carried
on during the greater portion of his life,
accumulating such a competency that a few
years ago he was enabled to retire from ac
tive work and moved to Edmeston to spend
the remainder of his years. He is a stanch
Republican, and has taken a deep interest in
all matters that have pertained to the welfare
of the party. He led to the altar Deliah Dut
ton, a daughter of John Dutton, a native of
Plainfield, Otsego County, and a farmer and
cabinet-maker by occupation, his last days
being spent in Edmeston, where he quietly
passed away. Mrs. Matterson was born Oc
tober 28, 1829, and is still living to bless
husband and children with her sunshiny smile
and motherly solicitude. Mr. and Mrs. Mat-
25*

terson have but two children, both sons :
Ward G., born June 5, 1854, married Sarah
Wrench, and is a retired farmer living in the
village of New Berlin ; and the gentleman
whose name heads this sketch.
Wordsworth B. Matterson is deserving of
great credit for the manner in which he
has achieved his present eminence in the
legal profession. His early training was re
ceived in the district schools, and was sup
plemented by a course in the New Berlin
Academy and the Brockport State Normal,
graduating from the latter institution in 1881.
For the succeeding two years he taught
school in Chenango County, employing all
his spare time in the study of law in the
office of O. F. Matterson of New Berlin, a
cousin of his father. So well did he apply
himself to his studies that he was able to
graduate from the Albany Law School, May
25, 1883. After graduating he read law with
Smith, Moak & Buchanan of Albany, and
was admitted to the bar November 23, 1883.
The following two years he spent in New
Berlin, and in March, 1886, came to Bain
bridge, where he has since been practicing
his profession with the most flattering suc
cess. Mr. Matterson was united in marriage
December 4, 1884, with Ella M. Butts, a
daughter of Rodolphus J. Butts of New Ber
lin. This union has resulted in the birth of
two children : Laura Lucile, who died at the
age of three months ; and Warren B., born
March 1, 1890. Mrs. Matterson died Febru
ary 12, 1898, aged about forty years.
Mr. Matterson is closely connected with
the most progressive movements which have
for their object the advancement of the pub-

532

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

lie good. He was one of the incorporators
of the American Separator Co., and is also
its legal adviser. He is one of the largest
stockholders of the First National Bank of
Bainbridge. In politics he is a Republican,
and served in 1884 as clerk of the board of
supervisors. In 1889 he was elected to the
office of supervisor of the town of Bainbridge,
and his public labors were endorsed by suc
cessive re-elections in 1890 and 1891 to the
same office. In 1892 he received the nomi
nation of his party for the office of district
attorney, and was elected by a very flattering
majority ; so acceptably did he discharge the
duties of this office, that at the expiration of
his term of office, in 1895, he was again
elected for another three years. He is a
member of the Improved Order of Red Men,
and is a consistent member of the Presbyte
rian Church. In all his dealings with the
public his actions have been prompted by
pure motives and a desire for the general
good. However, in this connection we can
not do better than to copy from the local
papers to show the high place he occu
pies in the county, and the integrity and
honor displayed in the prosecution of the
legal work that falls to him to do.
In the Bainbridge Express, under date of
October 24, 1895, we find the following in
regard to his record as District Attorney:
" The large amount of business transacted
during his term, and his wonderful success in
the trial of criminals, both before the court
and as an advocate before the jury, was fit
tingly approved by the convention, which
renominated him without opposition for a
second term, September 19, 1895. Some of

the most important criminal trials in the his
tory of Chenango County have taken place
during his term ; the most notable of all
being the Tracy murder case, and so well
was this prepared and tried, that Judge
Forbes, in his charge to the jury, used the
following language : ' The great fairness with
which this case has been tried on the part of
the gentlemen who have been connected with
its prosecution has the commendation of the
Court, and I do not see, myself, and I doubt
whether you have been able to discern,
where anything has been left undone that
could have been properly done in the prepa
ration, trial, and submission of the case.
Gentlemen, if you shall continue to dis
charge the solemn duties which the law im
poses upon you in the same careful, con
scientious and honorable manner toward the
people of this state, and toward the defen
dant at the bar, whatever may be the result
of your deliberations, with your determina
tions the people will be satisfied and the
unfortunate defendant must be content.' "
The Bainbridge Republican of November
2, 1895, contains the following eulogy :
" W. B. Matterson. Prominent among the
representative professional men of this
county, we take pride in calling the reader's
attention to W. B. Matterson. Mr. Matter-
son is a gentleman of sterling integrity, as
well as energy and sagacity, and with a thor
ough knowledge of every feature and detail
connected with his profession. His office is
finely equipped, and he has an unusually ex
tensive law library. Mr. Matterson is a
native of Edmeston, Otsego County. At an
early age he applied himself closely to the

CHENANGO COUNTY

533

study of law, and graduated from the Albany
Law School, in 1883, and was admitted to
practice in 1884. He practices in all the
courts of this state, and in the United States
Court. Fie is thoroughly familiar with the
practice of law throughout the United
States, and is one of the ablest lawyers in
this county ; his services are in continual
demand in legal cases of magnitude ; and he
has established a large and substantial busi
ness connection, his clientele representing
some of the leading people throughout the
state. Among the notable cases tried by
Mr. Matterson we will cite the Tracy mur
der case and also the Parker murder case, in
which Mr. Masterson acquitted himself with
distinction and credit. He has been remark
ably successful in bringing his cases to a satis
factory issue. In 1892, Mr. Matterson was
elected District Attorney for this county,
and has just been honored with the same
office for the ensuing three years. Aside
from being a most successful attorney, Mr.
Matterson is also an enterprising gentleman
and is favorably known in social and business
circles, and is altogether a credit to this
community.''

GJ TRI VAN TASSELL, deputy sheriff
ir- A of Chenango County, and a resident
v-^f*"— --j of the village of Oxford, was born
in Preston, March 16, 1842. He is a son of
Parley and Sophia (Daniels) Van Tassell,
both of whom were born in the State of
New York.
Parley Van Tassell was a carpenter by

trade, and followed that occupation in the
town of Preston the greater part of his life.
He was a Republican in politics, but not
an aspirant to office. He married Sophia
Daniels, daughter of Alfred Daniels, and
they reared ten children, namely : Laura
A.; Margaret; Louisa; Lyman W.; Lawson ;
Exana ; Ursula ; William H.; Adaline ; and
Uri, the subject of this sketch. In religious
belief, Mr. and Mrs. Van Tassell were both
members of the Baptist Church.
Uri Van Tassell was educated in the com
mon schools of Preston, and carried on gen
eral farming until the Civil War broke out ;
then being inspired by a patriotic spirit, he
enlisted in the United States service in Co.
K, 10th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Cav., in which he
rendered gallant service for two years and
eleven months. After the close of the war
he returned to the village of Oxford, where
he learned the trade of a wagon maker, which
he followed until 1885. He chose for his life
companion Fannie A. Ingraham, daughter
of Isaac Ingraham of Preston. One child
blessed their home, Lucretia S., who is the
wife of John S. Tracy of Oxford. In relig
ious views, Mr. Van Tassell is an Episco
palian. Politically, he is a stanch Republi
can, and has served as constable for nine
years. He was foreman of the Oxford Fire
Department several years ; during the year
1895, he served as assistant chief, and is now
an honorary member. He was appointed
deputy sheriff of Chenango County by Sheriff
Payne, and has filled the office to the satisfac
tion of the public. Socially, he is a mem
ber of the Edward E. Breed Post, No. 196,
G. A. R., of Oxford. During the time in

534

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

which Mr. Van Tassell has been a resident of
Oxford he has won the confidence of the
people by his honest principles and good
citizenship.

JOSEPH WILLISTON DIXON, a re
tired merchant of Smyrna, N. Y., was
born in the town of- Smyrna, on the
old Dixon farm, now known as Smithdale,
November 17, 1833. He is a son of John
Milton and Mary Ann (Sutphan) Dixon,
grandson of Joseph and Mercy (Raymond)
Dixon, and great-grandson of Archibald
Dixon. Archibald Dixon was born in Pomfret,
Conn.; his father was a native of North
Ireland, of Scotch-Irish descent. Archibald
Dixon was united in marriage with Miss
Miller, and settled in Bethlehem, Conn.,
later removing to Rutland, Vermont.
They reared five boys: Joseph; David;
Thomas ; Jared ; and Luther. Joseph and
David were among those who early offered
their service to their country in its hour of
peril, and took part in one of the most cele
brated battles in the War of American Inde
pendence, which occurred on the 17th of
June, 1775, and which will ever be known as
the battle of Bunker Hill. They were in the
regiment led by Col. Swift. Joseph Dixon
continued to remain in the army, and was
among those who fought so gallantly in the
battle of Yorktown, in 1781, where Corn
wallis was obliged to tender his sword to
General Washington in token of submission.
Joseph received his honorable discharge at

West Point, as a lieutenant. He was born
September 30, 1754, and in 1782 married
Mercy Raymond, and moved to Manchester,
Vt.; later with horses and oxen they made a
long journey across the country and took up
some 300 acres in what was then Sherburne,
now a part of Smyrna township, and in the
locality known as Smithdale. Our subject's
grandfather built a log house on this large
tract of timber, and began to clear his farm.
Later he built a frame house, the one now
standing, which has, however, undergone
many improvements since his time. Joseph
Dixon was very well-to-do, and by unflag
ging, industrious work and skillful manage
ment accumulated a nice fortune. He died
May 18, 1839. Religiously, he was a mem
ber of the Congregational Church. At the
time of his death he was living a retired life
in Smyrna. His children were : Raymond;
Abram ; John Milton, our subject's father ;
Hannah, who married Willian Avery ; Alan
son ; and Williston.
John Milton Dixon, our subject's father,
was born in the town of Smyrna, in 1801, and
while a young man he helped his father clear
the farm, and later bought a part of the orig
inal tract, now owned by Mr. Harrington. In
1836 he moved to Smyrna and bought a home
that is now known as the W. W. Boyington
place. Besides being a farmer he dealt ex
tensively in live stock and was considered
very successful. He married Mary Ann
Sutphan, who was born in Cherry Valley,
N. Y., a daughter of Gilbert Sutphan. To
them were given the following children:
Charles G., deceased ; Mary Jane married
George Hunt ; Rexie V., deceased ; Joseph

CHARLES W. SPURR.

MRS. CERELIA SPURR.

CHENANGO COUNTY.

539

Williston, our subject ; Herbert M., deceased ;
Almenzo K., a resident of Brooklyn, N. Y.;
Mortimer C, a resident of Smyrna; and
Sarah D., who married Erastus Billings, and
now resides in Hamilton, this state. Mr.
Dixon passed from this life at the age of
sixty-five, and his wife followed him to the
unknown beyond the grave in her sixty-sixth
year. Mr. Dixon was a progressive man,
upright and charitable, and was respected
by all.
On February i, 1872, Herbert M. and
Charles G Dixon, brothers of Joseph W.,
organized and opened a general store in the
town of Smyrna, and by honorable dealing
built up a very large trade, that went as high
as $90,000 a year. In 1881 Charles G died,
and the firm was changed to Dixon Bros.,
our subject having become a member, and re
mained the same until 1896, when the store
and business was sold to Edson L. Whitney.
Our subject, Joseph Williston Dixon, at the
age of twenty-one, went to St. Louis, Mo.,
where he entered the dry goods business with
the firm of B. L. Harding & Co. In 1875,
he sold out and returned to his native town,
and became one of the partners in Dixon
Bros.' general store, from which business he
retired in 1896. Our subject is a single man,
and has always taken a great deal of interest
in the welfare of his native town, Smyrna.
He is a stanch Republican, and although
often importuned to accept office, he has
never consented. He is a man of high prin
ciples, and is known by his neighbors and
friends as an honest, upright, Christian man.
This Christian character has been handed
down for generations. The fathers and

mothers have all set splendid examples, and
their labors in support of the religious socie
ties of Smyrna did much for that village and
their individual homes. Mr. Dixon has well
followed the noble lesson taught by his
parents, that no man can succeed without
honor and self-respect.

T^iHARLES W. SPURR. Among the
I jp representative and successful farmers
^»  ^ of Columbus is the gentleman
named above, and it is safe to say that he di
vides with few the honor of being the most
progressive farmer in Chenango County.
He was born on the farm he owns, and on
which he now resides, March 20, 1841. He
is a son of Jefferson and Mercy Ann (Howard)
Spurr, grandson of Nathaniel and Hannah
(Cummings) Spurr, and great-grandson of
Redmond Spurr.
Redmond Spurr accompanied his son
Nathaniel, when the latter came to Colum
bus ; the father lived in his new home, and
died at an advanced age. He is known to
have had three children — Nathaniel, Polly
and Thomas, and there is good reason to be
lieve that he had others, whose names the
editor is unable to give.
Nathaniel Spurr is supposed to have been
born in Cheshire, Mass., as he came to New
York State from that town. In 1795, while
still a single man, he took up a large tract of
land in Chenango County, consisting of 300
acres of timber land. He picked out a pic
turesque spot near the brook which ran
through the farm, and built a log house.

54Q

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Later he built a frame structure, the one in
which Frank J. Spurr now resides. He
cleared his farm and did much to influence
others to come and settle with him, for he was
the pioneer of his section. In 1809 he built
his frame house, the lumber being obtained
by splitting and hewing the timber with an
ax, the only carpenter's tool he possessed,
and although the structure was somewhat
rough in its appearance, it was nevertheless
substantial, and still remains, being an object
lesson of the hardships undergone by the
early residents of the county. He endured
many privations and was an exceedingly hard
worker, chopping much of the wood in his
bare feet, and by the light of the moon. He
was more successful than most of the early
pioneer settlers, not only succeeding in secur
ing for himself and those depending upon
him a comfortable competency, but at the
same time making and maintaining a name
for strict honor and integrity, which was a
valuable heritage to leave to his posterity.
He died in 1857, and his wife passed from this
life in 1847. They reared the following chil
dren: Jefferson and Franklin, twins ; Lewis;
Delia; Calista; and Permelia. He was very
liberal with his neighbors and assisted in all
religious movements. He was familiarly
known as Uncle Nat.
Jefferson Spurr was born in Columbus
township, and assisted his father in clearing
the farm. After his marriage to Mercy Ann
Howard, he bought 60 acres of woodland,
where our subject now resides, and on it
erected a log house near the site of the pres
ent farmhouse ; having paid for the first 60
acres- he kept buying more, until he owned

350 acres. He knew of the hardships with
which his father had to contend, and envied
the success his father enjoyed, and deter
mined to do as well, working much harder
than any of the present generation would
think possible ; his efforts, like those of his
father, were crowned with success. He built
the house in which our subject was born, and
also a large and commodious barn. He set
out fruit trees, which to-day mark his pro
gress, and devoted his full time and strength
to farming. His wife was very energetic,
and contributed largely to the success of her
husband. The early pioneers were exceed
ingly friendly and sociable. A new comer
was always given a hearty welcome. The
houses were generally small, but the hospital
ity of the occupants knew no bounds. To
show the generosity of these people, the fol
lowing incident is related : — Charles Taunt
when a young man came from Boston, Mass.,
and asked for work, and finding him of a
good disposition, and a kind-hearted fellow,
our subject's parents offered him a home, and
with them he ever afterwards lived, and at
his death, which occurred at the age of eighty
years, he was residing with our subject,
Charles W. Spurr. Jefferson Spurr died in
1865, aged sixty-five years. Mrs. Spurr fol
lowed her husband at the age of eighty-two
years. They reared the following children :
Marcia, who died, aged sixteen years ; Frank
J., who is a farmer on his grandfather's old
farm ; Stephen H.; Nathaniel W.; Charles
W., our subject ; Hannah L., who married
Leroy Smith; Angel C, who died young;
and Alice M., who married T. Avery. Polit
ically, Mr. Spurr was originally a Whig, but

CHENANGO COUNTY

54i

later he became a Republican, and from that
time until his death, he was active in his
support of the principles of that party. Fie
was a public-spirited man, and was elected
township supervisor, and assessor, and held
several minor offices. He was a captain in
the old state militia.
Charles W. Spurr, our subject, lived with
his parents until their deaths, and kindly pro
vided for them in their last days. He pur
chased the old homestead of his father, and
has since remodeled and enlarged the build
ings. He has built a handsome basement
barn, 100 x 35, with a 60 foot ell. He owns
300 acres of highly improved land, and has it
well stocked with 50 head of a very choice
grade of blooded Holstein cows, also with a
large flock of sheep, which he raised from
three lambs given him by his grandfather.
Mr. Spurr married Cerelia Holmes, daugh
ter of Charles Holmes, and as a result of this
happy union, two children blessed their
home : Myra A., wife of Dr. Charles W.
Crumb of Utica, N. Y., and the mother of
one child, Homer; and Charles J., who mar
ried Jennie Spurr, and who is at present
assisting his father in operating the farm. In
political affairs, Mr. Spurr is a Republican,
and takes an active interest in local matters,
and has received many expressions of confi
dence from his fellow-citizens, having served
as assessor, filled out two terms as collector,
and held several minor offices. Charles W.
Spurr has been a resident of the county
since 1841, and in that time has made many
acquaintances, who all know him as an hon
est, upright man, who always strives to do
his duty, and fulfills every obligation made

by him. We take great pleasure in present
ing on preceding pages excellent portraits of
Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Spurr, executed
from photographs taken in May, 1898.

ENRY D. WILLCOX, an enterpris
ing and prosperous agriculturist and
dealer in groceries of South Ox
ford, Chenango County, was born in Smith
ville, November 26, 1838. He is a son of
Harrington and Polly (Decker) Willcox, and
a grandson of Harrington Willcox, Sr.
Harrington Willcox, Sr., our subject's
grandfather, was a native of Rhode Island,
and came to this county when it was yet in
its infancy. He bought a tract of 100 acres
of thickly covered timberland, and set about
the difficult task of clearing it. He labored
arduously, and after a time it was in a good
state of cultivation. In connection with
farming, he operated a saw mill and did a
profitable business. All of the old pioneers,
such as Mr. Willcox, are gradually passing
away, but their works do follow them, and
their memories will be held in grateful re
membrance by the coming generations. His
wife was Charity Rathburn, and she was a
worthy companion of this hardy pioneer.
Their union resulted in the birth of eight
children, namely : Paris ; Charles ; Benjamin ;
John ; Philander ; Harrington ; Caroline ; and
Hannah. In religious life, they were Uni-
versalists. Harrington Willcox obtained his mental
training in the common schools of Smithville.

542

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

His entire life was spent in agricultural pur
suits, and he became one of the successful
farmers of the town. He was a very promi
nent man, public-spirited, and one who did
much to advance the interests of the com
munity in which he resided. He formed a
matrimonial alliance with Polly Decker and
four children blessed their home ; they are as
follows: Nathan; Albert; Henry D., whose
name heads these lines ; and Ann. In relig
ious faith and fellowship both he and his wife
were members of the Universalist Church.
In political belief he was a Democrat, and
served for a time as superintendent of the
poor, and filled the office to the .satisfaction
of all.
The Willcox family is one of the oldest and
best known in the county, and Henry D.
Willcox is worthy of the name of his grand
old ancestors. It was in the common schools
of Smithville that he received his intellectual
equipment for life's duties and responsibili
ties. He subsequently engaged in agricul
tural pursuits, and has continued in that
occupation ever since. His farm is situated
near the village of South Oxford, and he is
one of the good substantial citizens of the
community. He has a good farm and con
ducts it strictly by modern and improved
methods. Mr. Willcox is also engaged in the
grocery business, in connection with farming,
a business arrangement that he has continued
for the past twenty-five years.
He was united in marriage with Anvernett
Buckley, daughter of Jacob Buckley, and she
has proven a devoted wife and a true help
meet to him. Religiously, they are members
of the Universalist Church. He has never

very actively participated in politics, though
he has regularly exercised the right of suf
frage, and usually lent his support to the
Democratic ticket.

7-^HARLES HEMENWAY, who made
I S/ an enviable record in the late Civil
^- -^ War as a soldier in the volunteer
ranks, is the popular and well known clerk in
the billiard parlor of C. Frazer of the village
of Oxford. He was born August 6, 1838, in
the village of Norwich, Chenango County,
N. Y., and is a son of John and Abagail
(Hunt) Hemenway.
The paternal grandfather of our subject
was born in the State of Massachusetts,
where he followed farming all his life. Fie
was the father of the following children :
Joseph; Ansel; John, our subject's father;
and Betsey, who married John Haight, a
native of North Norwich. In religious
belief, he was liberal.
John Hemenway was born in the State of
Massachusetts, and received his education in
the common schools of Salem. He enlisted
as a private in the War of 18 12, and received
injuries for which he drew a pension in after
years. After returning from the war he
learned the carpenter's and joiner's trade,
and followed it all his life. He was a public-
spirited man, and was interested in all public
movements. By his first wife, Mr. Hemen
way became the father of two children, De
Calvas and Cordelia. His second wile's
maiden name was Abagail Hunt, and six
children blessed their union, namely : John ;

CHENANGO COUNTY

543

Charles, deceased ; Delos was a soldier of
the 133rd Reg., N. Y. Vol. Inf., and died
after two years' service at Bonnet Carre, La.;
Charles, the subject of this personal history ;
Electa A., deceased ; and Mary, who married
Edward Tucker of Oxford, and became the
parent of two children, Burdett and John.
Mrs. Hemenway was previously married to
a Mr. Green, by whom she had one child,
Henery L. They were liberal in regard to
their views on religious subjects. Mrs.
Hemenway died in 1880, at the age of eighty
years, and her husband survived her two
years, dying at the age of eighty-four years.
Charles Hemenway received his education
in the district schools of Norwich, after
which he learned the carriage ironing trade.
A short time after the Civil War commenced,
he enlisted in Co. H, 114th Reg., N. Y. Vol.
Inf., under the command of Col. Elisha B.
Smith of Norwich. The company took part
in many important battles, and Mr. Piemen-
way participated in all but the last one. He
received a severe wound in the battle of
Winchester, September 19, 1864, and was in
capacitated for further duty for a time. He
served three years, receiving his honorable
discharge in 1865. He was a brave soldier,
eager in the discharge of his duty, and won
favor in the eyes of his superior officers and
the members of the company, who fought by
his side. Upon returning home he again
took up his trade and followed it until 1893.
He then assumed the position of clerk of the
Hotchkiss House, conducted by M. B.
Smith. He remained in that position for
about two years, and in 1895 accepted his
present position as clerk in C. Frazer's bil

liard parlor. He has a large number of
friends in the village, who are fond of hear
ing him relate his war experiences.
He formed a matrimonial alliance with
Caroline Rachel Smith, a daughter of
Jeriah Smith of Preston, and one child has
blessed their union, Cora, who married
Clarence H. Wheeler, has one child, Glenn
R., and resides in Binghamton. In local
politics Mr. Hemenway is independent, and
votes for the man best qualified for the
position. He has served as constable and
excise commissioner. Socially, he is a mem
ber of the Edward E. Breed Post, No. 196,
G. A. R.; also of the Kenotah Tribe, No. 105,
I. O. R. M., of Oxford. He has been for
many years a member of the Oxford Fire
Department, and was chief of the depart
ment two separate terms.

RANK E. COX, proprietor of the
largest department store in the north
western part of the county, who keeps a full
line of drugs, groceries, dry goods, boots,
shoes, clothes, notions, etc., is one of the
enterprising and most energetic business
men of South Otselic, and is a son of Wil
liam S. and Annis (Tallett) Cox, and was
born in the above town, August 9, 1855.
The great-grandfather of our subject, a
native of France, upon emigrating to Amer
ica, settled in Boston, Mass., where he spent
the greater part of his life.
Samuel Cox, grandfather of our subject,
was born in Boston, Mass., where he learned
the trade of a cabinet-maker. In 18 10, he

544

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

moved west with his family, and located in
Plymouth, Chenango County, where he fol
lowed the vocation of an agriculturist. He
was joined in wedlock with Abagail Holden,
a native of Boston, Mass., and of English
origin. To Mr. and Mrs. Cox were born six
children, who were as follows : James H., a
farmer and stone-mason in the village of
Plymouth ; Sidney S., late a farmer and
stone-mason of Plymouth ; Abagail, who died
in her infancy ; William S., the father of our
subject; Martha Ann, widow of the late
Elinas Blair ; and Lucy, who died in child
hood. Mr. and Mrs. Cox were both pop
ular members of the Free Will Baptist
Church. William S. Cox was born in the village of
Plymouth, September 6, 1820, and was edu
cated in the district schools, after which he
learned the trade of a wagonmaker, and fol
lowed that line of business in the village of
Plymouth for a few years, when he was
obliged to give it up owing to his ill health.
He then moved to Otselic, where he pur
chased a small farm and was engaged in the

tilling of the soil until 1886, when he retired
from business, and is still living in the village
of Otselic. In politics Mr. Cox is a firm
believer in the principles of the Republican
party, which he upholds both by ballot and
voice. He was at one time elected overseer
of the poor. He is an active member of the
Baptist Church. Flis first wife, Minerva
Myres, daughter of James Myres, a farmer
of South Otselic, bore him two children,
namely : Orville, who died in infancy ; and
Minerva, widow of the late Merton Tallett.
He chose for his second wife Annis Tallett,

daughter of Henry Tallett, late a farmer in
the town of Otselic. As a result of this union
four children were born to them, namely :
Frank E., subject of this personal history ;
Addie, deceased, wife of Thomas Kenyon;
Fred E., a clerk in the store owned by our
subject ; and Dora L., wife of Charles Bald
win, a successful merchant of Cortland, N. Y.
Frank E. Cox remained under the parental
roof through his boyhood days, attending
the district school of the neighborhood and
assisting his father in his work about the
farm. In 1875 he graduated from Eastman's
Business College, and in January, 1876, he
engaged in the mercantile business in the
village of Stanbro ; as he was still a minor,
the firm was known as W. S. Cox & Son.
Our subject eventually sold out, and in Octo
ber, 1878, moved to the village of South
Otselic, where he conducts a large mercan
tile store ; owing to his straightforward and
honest methods of dealing he built up a large
and enviable trade, and in 1890, in order to
meet the demands of his customers, he was
obliged to build a larger store. He accord
ingly erected a three story block, 30 feet
by 120, in which he conducts one of the
largest and best department stores in Che
nango County. When he engaged in busi
ness he began with empty pockets, but with
a strong will, and being a thrifty, shrewd
business man, and by the exercise of econ
omy, he succeeded in accumulating a small
fortune. Mr. Cox has a stock that invoices
at $20,000.00, while his annual sales amount
to about $40,000.00.
Our subject's first wife was Arabella Peck,
daughter of Frederick Peck of Otselic, their

REVEREND GEORGE S. MAHON,

CHENANGO COUNTY

547

marriage occurring September 17, 1878.
Two children blessed this union : Elora
and Camilla. Mrs. Cox passed from this
earth July 7, 1892, at the age of thirty-three
years. October 17, 1894, our subject was
joined in the bonds of matrimony with
Mamie Young, daughter of Gardner Young,
a prominent citizen of Pharsalia, this county.
Socially, Mr. Cox is a member of the Na
tional Protective Legion. He is a stanch
Republican, proud of his life-long connection
with the Grand Old Party, and has much to
say and to do in the guidance of that party
in his section.

tEVEREND GEORGE S. MAHON,
pastor of St. Joseph's Roman Catho-
_ ? lie Church of Oxford, Chenango
County, N. Y., whose portrait is shown on
the opposite page, was born in Syracuse,
this state, February 1, i860. His parents
were both born and raised in Ireland, com
ing to America about 1848. His father was
Patrick S. Mahon and his mother's maiden
name was Catherine Foley. Their first resi
dence in this country was in New York City,
where Mr. Mahon was employed as engineer,
and later obtained work with the N. Y. C. &
H. R. R. R. He remained with this com
pany but a short time, when he purchased a
farm, upon which he moved, and by his in
dustry and perseverance soon became known
as one of the prosperous and reliable farmers
of his' district. In 1878 he went to Harney
Valley, Oregon, and staked out a claim,
being among the first to settle in that dis

trict when the U. S. Government threw that
section of land open to the public for homes.
In company with his son James and one,
Jacob Groondyke, he purchased and oper
ated a stock ranch, which proved to be a most
successful undertaking, and one that brought
the owners a neat income. He was quite a
prominent man in his locality, and known as
an upright, honorable man, who had the good
will of all. He was a member of the state
militia of New York, and a strong Democrat.
His union with Miss Foley resulted in the
birth of five children, as follows: John;
James ; William ; Katie, deceased ; and
George S., the subject of this biography.
Mr. Mahon's life work ended February 13,
1893, and his wife's some seventeen months
later, July 22, 1894. They were mourned in
death, as they were respected in life, by a
large circle of friends.
Rev. George S. Mahon was ever a devout
Catholic, and in early youth determined to
consecrate his life to the church, and to that
end received a thorough education. He at
tended the academy at Fayetteville, N. Y.
graduating in March, 1878, and at once
entered Niagara University of Suspension
Bridge, N. Y., from which he graduated in
1883, with the degree of A. B. In the fall of
the same year he entered St. Joseph's Pro
vincial Seminary of Troy, N. Y., and was or
dained priest in 1886. The year previous to
this he was honored by receiving the degree
of M. A. from Niagara University. His
first charge was as first assistant of St.
Mary's Church, Oswego, N. Y. He then
was placed in charge at St. Paul's at Whites-
boro, this state, his territory including Hoi-

548

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

land and New Hartford. His stay there of
sixteen months was attended with the most
flattering success. He was then given his
present charge at Oxford, the outlying dis
tricts of his parish including at least half of
Chenango County. He was made pastor of
St. Joseph's Church at Oxford in 1889,
and during his ministrations has proved a
most zealous and wise worker, hesitating at
no hardship or privation that may menace him,
if good to the church be the result. Several
times has his life been imperiled while in the
discharge of his duties, but this only added
to his enthusiasm for his work. He is a
noble, conscientious worker, and has been
the means of accomplishing much good,
both to the parish and to the town, where
he has many admirers among the Protestant
population. His mission at Greene, located
about fourteen miles from Oxford, is in a
most prosperous condition under his minis
trations. He purchased the Episcopal
Church property, part of it being kindly
donated by that society, and has converted
it into use as a church, where regular services
are held. His aim is the strengthening of
the church and the building up of society,
and in this he is warmly seconded by his
entire parish.

($>*%<¦

EORGE WILLIS QUACKEN-
\Jf_X- BUSH, an enterprising and success
ful business man of Oxford, is the proprietor
of a bakery on North Canal Street. He was
born in Weedsport, Cayuga County, N. Y.,

February 24, 1876, and is a son of George
and Ida (Stivers) Quackenbush.
His grandfather was Abraham Quacken
bush, who was a life-long resident of Savan
nah, N. Y., a prominent man in the town and
one of its leading merchants. He was a
dealer in meats and vegetables, and became
well-to-do. He reared four children, who
grew to maturity and became a credit to the
various communities in which they lived.
Their names are as follows : Eugene ; Kath
erine ; Libbie ; and George, the father of
our subject. In religious belief, they were
Baptists. George Quackenbush followed closely in
the footsteps of his sire, and conducted a
meat market at Weedsport, where he was
highly esteemed as one of that town's good
substantial citizens. His wife was formerly
Ida Stivers, a native of New York State, and
a daughter of George Stivers of Weedsport.
This union was blessed by the birth of three
children, namely : George Willis, the sub
ject of this biography; Grace J.; and Alfred
G. Mrs. Quackenbush survives her husband
and still lives at Weedsport, in the midst of
a large circle of friends, who know her as a
kind and loving woman.
George Willis Quackenbush, at a very
early age, became an apprentice to the bak
er's trade, under Charles Remington, a baker
of Weedsport. But he took great care not
to neglect his education, as he attended
school during his spare moments. After re
maining in the bakery there for three years,
he went to Jordan, N. Y., whence after two
years' work he moved to Syracuse, remaining
in that city for two years. He then returned

CHENANGO COUNTY

549

to Jordan, but only stayed a short time,
going from there to Port Byron. February
24, 1897, he came to Oxford, and has since
conducted a bakery on North Canal Street.
Being an ambitious and energetic young man,
he soon placed his business on a paying basis.
In politics he is an active Republican. He is
a young man, but a little past twenty-two
years of age, and has a bright future before
him.

««»>

HILIP L. BARTLE, who is engaged
in operating a fine farm in Oxford
township, was born in Pharsalia,
Chenango County, N. Y , May 25, 1831. He
is descended from one of the very first pi
oneers of Oxford township, and is a son of
Uri and Hannah (Buckley) Bartle.
In or about the year 1791, settlements were
made in and around Oxford, Chenango
County, by John W. Bartle, Peter Burgot,
Benaiah Loomis, John Buckley, and a num
ber of others. John W. and Richard Bartle,
brothers, from whom most if not all the
Bartles in this country are supposed to have
sprung, came from Germany previous to the
Revolution, and settled on the Livingstone
Manor, in Columbia County, N. Y. Richard
Bartle afterwards removed to the West,
where many of his descendants now live.
John W. Bartle -moved to Oxford with his
six sons and one daughter, and, failing by
some wrong-doing of others to secure the
land promised, settled on the west side of
Chenango River at the mouth of Bowman's
Creek, some four miles below Oxford village,
26

on the place owned and occupied by his
great-grandson, Irwin D. Bartle, until the
latter's death ; the property has always been
retained in the possession of the Bartle family.
There the pioneer ancestor kept the first inn
in the town, and there he, his son David, his
grandson West, and his great-grandson Irwin
D. Bartle lived and died. John W. Bartle's
children were as follows : John ; Peter ;
Hendrick ; Philip ; Andrew ; David ; and
Elizabeth. The first of these, John, was a
harness maker by trade, and lived and plied
his vocation in various parts of the town, in
which he also died. He married a lady named
Duffey, by whom he had ten children, and
after her death he joined himself with Lydia
Tuttle, who bore him ten more. Nineteen
children attended his funeral. Peter, Hend
rick, and Philip Bartle, second, third and
fourth sons of the pioneer, settled on Panther
Hill, which derived its name from the fact
that the last panther that ever lived in this
vicinity was killed on it, and which was near
the locality of their father's settlement ; Peter
Bartle took up his residence where Jacob
Buckley afterwards lived; Hendrick, where
Cyrus Crandall now lives; and Philip, where
Lewis Ketchum lives. Peter Bartle, the
grandfather of Philip L., our subject, mar
ried twice. His first wife was Tabitha Loomis,
daughter of Benaiah Loomis, a pioneer set
tler of Oxford. This marriage, which took
place in May, 1795, was the first one con
tracted in the town. Peter Bartle was a sur
veyor, and ran all the township lines in this
part of the State. He was born September
24, 1769, and died in Ohio, March 22, 1831.
By his first wife he had four children : Annis ;

55°

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Uri, our subject's father ; Caroline ; and Lot ;
all are now deceased. He went west soon
after the close of the War of 1812 ; married a
second time and had seven children : Thomp
son C; Anson C; George W.; Mary; Lavina ;
Rhoda; and Peter. Hendrick Bartle, third
son of the pioneer, married Tabitha White,
by whom he had eight children ; both he and
his wife continued to remain residents of the
homestead they settled until their deaths.
Philip Bartle, the fourth son, born in 1772,
married Betsey Loomis, who was born in
1770, a daughter of Benaiah Loomis, and with
his beloved wife he lived in unbroken har
mony for nearly seventy years, " leaving the
legacy of a spotless example." They had no
children. Their home on Panther Hill, where
they lived a great many years, was known
far and wide as a haven of rest for the poor
and needy, and of unbounded hospitality.
Philip Bartle afterwards bought a farm on
the west side of the river, two miles below
Oxford village, where he died October 1,
1 86 1, aged eighty-nine years and five months,
and where his wife also departed mortal
scenes July 28, 1864, aged ninety-four years.
In their log house on the sand bank, near the
Warn burying ground, so known as it was
given by Andrew Warn for burial purposes,
was taught the first school in the town. An
drew Bartle, the fifth son, married and settled
where Charles Wilcox lived at South Oxford;
he afterwards moved with his family to Ju
nius, N. Y., where he and his wife died. The
sixth and youngest son, David Bartle, suc
ceeded to the ownership of the homestead,
where he and his wife died. He married
Rhoda West, by whom he had eight children,

by name : Hannah Maria, who married Ben-
ajah Landers, a resident of Oxford, and died
in July, 1879, having survived her husband a
number of years ; Andrew, who lives in
Pennsylvania ; Newton, a merchant of Una
dilla, N. Y.; Philip, of Union, Broome County;
A. Furman, a resident of Oxford ; Susan,
widow of Nehemiah Smith of Oxford ; Jay,
who lives in Pennsylvania ; and Eliza, wife of
Captain Squire Morehouse of Deposit, N. Y.
Elizabeth, the only daughter of John W.
Bartle, married Henry Gordon, a carpenter
and joiner and cabinet maker, who settled on
the east side of the Chenango River, about a
mile below Oxford, on a farm now owned by
the Lobdell sisters, daughters of the late
Abijah Lobdell, where Mr. Gordon died June
19, 1820, aged forty-nine years. After his
death, his widow moved to Oxford village,
where she died August 2, 1854, aged eighty-
one years.
In French's State Gazetteer it is stated
that the first mills in Oxford township were
erected by Peter Burgot, \y2 miles west of
Oxford village, in 1792. However, this does
not agree with the account given by mem
bers of the Bartle family. Uri Bartle, father
of our subject, and grandson of John W. Bar
tle, the pioneer, left on record the statement
that Burgot built a grist mill in the southern
part of Preston township, on the farm owned
by Martin Quinn ; it was located on Mill
Brook, usually called Widger Brook, from
the Widger family, who settled upon it. This
mill was abandoned by reason of the com
plaints made by the Widgers, because the
water set back and overflowed lands, which
have since been converted into good meadow

CHENANGO COUNTY

551

lands. Uri Bartle was also authority for the
statement that his father, Peter Bartle, built
the first grist mill in Oxford ; it was located
on Bowman's Creek, about a quarter of a
mile below the saw mill on the same stream
owned by Jacob Buckley, who finally owned
the grist mill too. It was abandoned by Mr.
Buckley, because of damages it sustained by
the bursting of. one of the mill stones, which
tore away one side of the mill. It was never
repaired. Peter Bartle married as his first wife Tab-
itha Loomis, who was born in Massachusetts,
June 13, 1780, and died in Tioga County, Pa.,
where she was living with her son-in-law,
Orson Webb, March 2, i860, aged seventy-
nine years, eight months and nineteen days.
Of the children that resulted from this union,
Annis, the eldest, was born in Chenango
County, JST. Y., August 23, 1801, and died in
Tioga County, Pa., aged seventy-one years.
Her husband, Amos Tyler, born in Chenango
County, N. Y., November 17, 1798, died in
Cheney, Spokane County, Wash., where he
was living with his son, John, April 24, 1889,
aged ninety years, five months and seven
days. They lived some twenty years in Che
nango County, N. Y., then moved to Middle
Ridge, Tioga County, Pa. They had six
children, viz. : Ambrosia, who married Clark
L. Willcox, and lived in Tioga County, Pa.,
where she died some forty years ago; Maryett,
now living in Tioga County, Pa., who married
Calvin Dibble, and has one daughter, who
married a Mr. Ford ; Diana died young ; Uri
married Emeline Bartle, daughter of Andrew
Bartle ; Warden married Catherine Orr ; and
John, who went west and married in Spokane

County, Wash. A sketch of Uri Bartle, the
second child of Peter and Tabitha (Loomis)
Bartle, is given elsewhere in this narrative.
Caroline, born in Chenango County, N. Y.,
June 2, 1805, departed this life at the resi
dence of her son-in-law, Daniel Field of Wells-
boro, Tioga County, Pa., in January, 1889, aged
seventy-three years. In Chenango County,
N. Y., October 25, 1823, she was joined in
marriage with Orson Webb, who was born
in Massachusetts, February 27, 1800, and
died at Middle Ridge, Tioga County, Pa.,
February 18, 1878, aged nearly seventy-eight
years. In 1801, James Webb, the father of
Orson, with his family moved into Chenango
County, N. Y. In 1848, Orson Webb, with
his wife and six children, moved from Che
nango County, N. Y., to Tioga County, Pa.,
locating at Middle Ridge, in Delmar town
ship. In all, Orson Webb and his wife Caro
line had eight children, seven of whom were
born in Chenango County. Annis A., the
eldest, born December 26, 1824, died in Steu
ben County, N. Y., January 14, 1883, aged
fifty-eight years ; she married Philip Cook-
Hoag, a blacksmith and farmer, and had
three children, — Elizabeth, Percival, and
Chester, all now living in New Jersey, where
Chester is a partner in a firm that manufac
tures badges extensively. Warden S., born
October 25, 1826, died October 29, 1827.
Wellington W., born September 19, 1828,
died in Wellsboro, Pa., August 24, 1889, aged
almost sixty-one years ; he married a Miss
Catlin, and practiced medicine, having stud
ied with Dr. Packer. Lovisa P., born Sep
tember 19, 1830, married Daniel Field, has a
large family of children, and resides near

552

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Wellsboro, Pa. Tabitha A., born October
17, 1832, married C. C. Wilcox, and lives in
Tioga County, Pa. Lot W., born October
30, 1834, married a Miss Catlin, sister to his
brother's wife ; he has been twice married,
and is now a widower, living near Wells
boro, Pa., where he is engaged in farming.
Ransford B., born June 14, 1838, is married
and lives in Wellsboro, Pa. Artelissa C,
born in Tioga County, Pa., September 30,
1843, married Edwin Wilcox, a farmer, and
lives in Tioga County. When Orson Webb
moved to Pennsylvania, he commenced his
farming operations in the midst of an exten
sive forest, living at first in a rude log house.
He cleared the farm, and raised and educated
his large family. His children, grandchil
dren and great-grandchildren now number
more than seventy persons. His three sons
all took part on the side of the Union in
the War of the Rebellion : the eldest son,
W. W. Webb, M. D., was assistant surgeon in
the 187th Reg. Pa. Vol. Inf.; L. W. Webb
was in the U. S. Navy; while R. B. Webb
was captain of Co. I, 187th Reg. Pa. Vol. Inf.
John Buckley, the grandfather of our sub
ject on the maternal side, followed the varied
occupations of a carpenter, millwright and
farmer ; he settled on the western edge of
Oxford, on the farm afterward occupied by
his son, Jacob, where he died February 28,
1861, aged eighty-nine years. He married
Hannah Decker, who was born in 1778, and
died July 6, 1853, aged seventy-five years,
by whom he had eight children, namely :
Cynthia, born September 12, 1801, and died
in 1891, aged ninety years; Jacob, born Oc
tober 30, 1804, and died October 15, 1884,

aged eighty years; Hannah, the mother of
our subject, born February 6, 1807, and died
March 20, 1889, aged eighty-two years, one
month and fourteen days ; Peter, born No
vember 23, 1809, and died November 8, 1856,
in Tioga County, Pa. ; Mary, born June 10,
1812, and died August 23, 1888, aged seventy-
six years; Rebecca, born June 4, 1815 ; and
Sally Ann, born June 19, 1796, died in 1875.
Cynthia, the oldest child of John Buckley,
married Agustus Bartle, and had ten chil
dren ; they lived and died in Tioga County,
Pa. Jacob, who was a farmer, carpenter and
millwright, married Clarinda Hastings, who
was born February 11, 1807, and died Janu
ary 8, 1895, and they too lived and died on
the homestead in Oxford. They had five
children: Marion L., born March 16, 1837;
William P., October 2, 1838; Almeda M.,
March 6, 1841 ; Alice An vernette, October 20,
1842; and Mary Amna, July 15, 1844. Han
nah, the third child, married Uri Bartle,
April 5, 1826. In the spring of 1833, about
the time that Denison was hung in Norwich
for shooting and killing a man, Uri Bartle
moved with his wife and family from the
town of Pharsalia to the town of McDon
ough, about half a mile north of East Mc
Donough, and there took up his residence on
land purchased by him, where he lived
twenty-one or twenty-two years. He was
six feet one inch in height, not fleshy, but
muscular and strong, and had a good deal of
push, vim and energy. He started out in
life poor, but met with good success, and
added to his real estate possessions until he
owned 200 acres or more of land, well cleared
and well stocked. His father-in-law, John

CHENANGO COUNTY

553

Buckley, and brother-in law, Jacob Buckley,
built a saw mill for him on a brook that ran
through the farm, which mill he ran in con
nection with the farm. He finally sold the
farm to Ransom, his oldest son, and bought
the old tavern stand at East McDonough,
but kept no tavern or public house. He
moved there in the spring of 1855 or 1856,
and made his home there only two or three
years, when he sold the property and bought
a place on Panther Hill, where he lived a few
years and then sold out, and bought a farm
on the west side of the river, on the river
road two miles below Oxford village, where
his uncle, Philip Bartle, and wife died. On
this farm, where the Smithville road branches
off from the river road, he built a new house,
in which he and his wife lived until they died.
She died March 20, 1889, aged eighty two
years, one month and fourteen days, and he
died February 8, 1890, aged eighty-six years,
seven months and twenty-two days. They
raised a family of eight children, an account
of whom is given on a following page. Peter,
the fourth child of John Buckley, was a
farmer and millwright by occupation. He
married Ruth Ann Bartle, born April 5, 181 7,
by whom he had six children, as follows :
John Henry, born June 16, 1839; Byron
Cook, born March 7, 1842, died in January,
1868; Huldah A., born November 19, 1849,
died in January, 1852 ; Jerusha Annette, born
June 24, 1853; Charles Anderson, born June
8, 1857; and Uri, born November 8, 1856.
He lived on Middle Ridge, Tioga County,
Pa., and like his brother Jacob, was a quiet,
industrious, honest and upright man. He
died from injuries received from a fall, that

happened to him when building a mill.
Mary, the fifth child, married, September 28,
1835, David Hull Bixby, a farmer, who was
born August 30, 1809, and died May 8, 1895,
aged eighty-five years ; they had three chil
dren, as follows : Huldah Ann, born Septem
ber 24, 1837, who married John H. Phelps,
June 2, 1863, and bore him seven children, —
Mary B., David W., Guerdon J., Maurice A.,
Bertha M., Agnes G., and Theodore A. ;
Henrietta, born November 9, 1838, who mar
ried Jesse Bartoo, a wagon maker, September
29, 1858, and had four children, — Kneelon H.,
Alfred H., Cora G., and Arthur K. ; and
Helen Gertrude, born April 26, 1850, who
married John E. Wagner, November 5, 1868,
and has one child, Clayton Buckley. Re
becca, the sixth child, who learned the trade
of a tailoress, married Thomas Baldwin,
born July 4, 1805, a farmer, living on the
edge of Oxford village, and had two children :
Mary, who married Charles Bennett, Jr., and
bore him two children, Rebecca and Thomas ;
and Addie, who is unmarried. Sally Ann,
the youngest child, married Eliakim Bixby,
and lived in Elmira, N. Y., where she died.
The eight children of Uri and Hannah
Bartle were all born in Chenango County.
Ransom, the oldest child, was born June 20,
1827, in the town of Oxford, was brought up
on his father's farm, and went to school a few
terms at Oxford Academy. When about
twenty-one years of age, he and his uncle,
David H. Bixby, bought a patent right, the
hydraulic or water ram, for half the State of
Ohio, out of which investment he made
$1,000.00, the most of which he immediately
invested in more territory for the same pat-

554

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

ent, including some of the Southern States.
Much of this territory he never went into,
for the breaking out of the War of the
Rebellion virtually ended the business. He
then bought his father's farm of some 200
acres in McDonough, N. Y., but sold it after
a year's occupancy, and bought a farm of
about 190 acres on Panther Hill in the town
of Oxford. In a few years he moved to In
dependence, Buchanan County, Iowa, where
he now lives. He there went into a drug
store and banking business with his half-
uncle, Thompson C. Bartle, his brother,
Philip L. Bartle, and Charles Pudney as
partners. Hard times made business dull ;
in a few years he bought out his partners,
and still later disposed of the business,
going then into the business of a dealer
in all kinds of agricultural implements and
machinery. At one time he bought about
$100,000.00 worth of various kinds of ma
chines; hard times, together with a grasshop
per raid, that destroyed a great part of the far
mers' crops so that many debts became uncol-
lectable, caused a loss to him of several thou
sand dollars. Now in his old age he is living
in comfortable circumstances, but is not rich.
On February 9, 1853, he married Martha
Newkirk, who was born October 10, 1829, at
Big Prairie, Wayne County, Ohio, by whom
he had four children, as follows: Addie
Lillian, born January 20, 1855, at Big Prairie,
Ohio, married F. L. Harvey, a professor in
an agricultural college in the State of Maine,
and they have five children, three boys and
two girls; Carrie Elvena, born April 29,
1857, on Panther Hill in the town of Oxford,
N. Y.; Florence May, born May 2, 1859, at

Independence, Iowa, died October 1, 1870,
aged eleven years, four months and twenty-
nine days ; and Edgar Ransom, born at Inde
pendence, Iowa, May 6, 1862. Hannah
Loania, the second child of Uri Bartle, was
born April 9, 1829, and died April 15, 1878.
She was married February 1, 1849, to Fran
cis W. Comstock. On May 19, 1861, she
married Clarke L. Willcox, a speculator who
lived in Wellsboro, Tioga County, Pa., by
whom she had two children: Nellie B.,
born September 27, 1862 ; and Louis C, born
May 27, 1870, now a merchant in Wellsboro,
Pa. Philip L. Bartle, the subject of this
sketch, was the third child ; his life narrative
will be given farther on. Rebecca Adelia,
the fourth child, was born in McDonough,
N. Y., October 3, 1834; she was married
February 25, 1855, to Ira Oscar Fish, born
December 28, 1830, and had three children:
Cora May, born May 4, 1858, died Septem
ber 25, 1863, age five years, four months and
twenty-one days ; Oscar Philip, born May
30, 1862, died October 16, 1863, aged one
year, four months and sixteen days ; Rector
Bartle, born October 19, 1864, married
December 25, 1894, Margaret Robb of New
York City, by whom he has two children —
Ronald Bartle, born July 13, 1895 ; and Allen
Hamilton, born May 8, 1897. Peter Francis,
the fifth child, and attorney of Des Moines,
Iowa, was born in McDonough, N. Y.,
March 31, 1837. He married in Des Moines,
Iowa, March 28, 1866, Eliza Bausman, who
was born January 8, 1840, by whom he had
four children, all born in Des Moines, Iowa ;
Bonnie Loania, born July 28, 1867; Ernest
Elwood, February 8, 1870; Ralph S., March

CHENANGO COUNTY

555

20, 1872; and Bessie, born July 23, 1874, died
March 14, 1880, aged five years, seven
months and twenty-one days. Ruth Ann,
the sixth child, born in McDonough, Decem
ber 21, 1840, died August 29, 1892, aged fifty-
one years, eight months and eight days. On
March 22, 1865, she married William P. Buck
ley, a carpenter, who was born October 2,
1838, and they had one child, Jay Burr, born
April 2, 1866. Frances Anvernette, the sev
enth child, born in McDonough, December
22, 1843, married, December 15, 1870, Martin
Church, who was born September 2, 1840, by
whom she had three children: Cora H.,
born February 25, 1882, died young; Ran
som Bartle, born in the town of Oxford,
September 10, 1883; and Ray M., born in
Oxford, July 21, 1888, and died October 8,
1888, aged two months and seventeen days.
Rexford Alvarez, the youngest of the family
of Uri Bartle, was born May 19, 1846, and
died December 26, 1871, aged twenty-five
years, seven months and seven days. He
married, January 1, 1868, Margaret Wessels,
who was born October 15, 1846, by whom he
had two children : Bertha Hannah, born in
Oxford village October 14, 1868, died April
7, 1875, aged six years, five months and
twenty-two days ; Nellie Irene, born in Ox
ford village March 26, 1870, married on April
25, 1891, Oliver C. Taylor, who was born
March 16, 1870, and has one son, Gleason
Bartle, born in Oxford village November 14,
1 89 1. Margaret Bartle, Rexford's widow,
married Alvin Hill, December 25, 1873.
Philip Lot Bartle, our subject, was the
third child born to Uri and Hannah (Buck
ley) Bartle. His birth occurred in the town

of Pharsalia, but his father moved to
McDonough in the spring of 1833, where he
was brought up a farmer's boy ; he ran his
father's farm one year, while his father was
traveling in the Southern States with his
son Ransom, selling the water ram. He
went to school several terms at Oxford
Academy. In the winter of 1851-52 he
taught his first term of school, and it was on
Middle Ridge, in Tioga County, Pa. After
his school closed for the vacation, he went
about a half term to the academy in Wells
boro, Pa., boarding with Dr. Packer, and
doing chores for his board. He went there
because his cousin, Wellington W. Webb,
was there at that time, studying to be a doc
tor. He then returned to Oxford and
McDonough, worked on a farm summers,
went to school falls, and taught school sev
eral winters. He was elected town superin
tendent of schools one year in McDonough,
receiving a greater majority of votes than
any other officer elected on the winning
ticket. He went from Oxford to Ohio in the
fall of 1856. He made a visit with his bro
ther Ransom's wife's folks at Big Prairie,
Wayne County, Ohio, and then went to
Almon Aylsworth's, Ransom's brother-in-
law, place six miles west of Columbus on the
great macadamized road. The next winter
he taught school in a new school house just
finished near Mr. Aylsworth's. The next
spring, in 1857, he went on west to Inde
pendence, Buchanan County, Iowa, where
he stopped with his half-uncle, Thompson C.
Bartle, a man six feet and seven inches in
height, and well proportioned. During the
winters he taught school, and in the summers

556

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

busied himself at various employments.
One summer he was with surveyors on a
railroad that was being built in that vicinity.
ITe taught one summer term of school in a
church building. For a few years he was a
partner in a drug store and banking business,
his interest in which he sold to his brother,
Ransom, and in the spring of 1863 returned
to his father's place, who was then living on
Panther Hill, stopping on the way at Wells
boro, Pa., to visit his sister, Mrs. Clarke L.
Willcox and other relatives living near there.
He had been gone from home for six and a
half years. The winters of 1863-64 and
1864-65 he taught school, and brought to a
conclusion his work as pedagogue, having
taught in all thirteen terms. He bought a
farm of 190 acres of his father, the property
being located on Panther Hill, the estate
formerly owned by his brother Ransom, and
let this farm for one year, ending March 1,
1865, to Lora Ward. On February 22, 1865,
he married Susan Nicholson, who was born
in McDonough, N. Y., September 25, 1836, a
daughter of John and Roby (Steere) Nichol
son. John Nicholson was born in Stonington,
Conn., March 21, 1793, and lived in Mc
Donough most of his life, dying there April
7, 1863, aged seventy years and sixteen days.
He was a Baptist minister. His wife, Roby
Steere, was born January 17, 1798, and died
October 8, 1840, aged forty years, eight
months and twenty-two days. By her he
had ten children : Anna, born February 9,
1815, died March 8, 1868; Israel Palmer,
born January 5, 1817, died July 5, 1878;
Rufus T., born November 13, 1818, deceased;

Julia Ann, born September 6, 18 19, deceased;
Electa, born March ir, 1822, died September
20, 1890; Lucy Ann, born July 22, 1827 ; John
Tracy, born November 4, 1829; Lois Delilah,
born June 22, 1830; William Martin, born
October 29, 1833 ;' and Susan, the wife of our
subject, whose birth has already been chron
icled. On February 8, 1841, John Nicholson
married for his second wife Mrs. Mary
Webb, widow of Sylvester Webb, who died
December 14, 1839, and by her he had three
children, namely : Henry Allen, born August
20, 1842 ; Catherine Elizabeth, born July 16,
1844, died November 16, 1878; and Daniel
Norris, born January 30, 1847. When he
married Mrs. Webb, she already had by her
first marriage two children : Mary Emily,
born December 1, 1835, who became the wife
of Leroy Brown, September 8, 1853; ar>d
Betsy, born September 8, 1837, who married
Windsor Baldwin, January 1, 1861. Anna
Nicholson, the eldest daughter and child of
John, married Edward Calvert. Israel P.
married Maria S. Thompson, and had one
child, Roby Almira. Electa became the wife
of Nathan Lewis, and bore him eight chil
dren : Nathan Davis ; Nancy Ursula ; Nelson
Ray ; Norman Anson ; Hiram Mason ; Mar
tha Ann ; John ; and Mancel. Lucy Ann
married Chauncey Hill, and had two chil
dren; — Helen Maria and Thomas Bird. John
Tracy married Phoebe Thorp, by whom he
had three children : Mary Elizabeth ; Susan
Ida ; and Minnie Belle. Lois S. married
Lewis A. Rathbun, and had eight children, as
follows: Anna Lucetta; Lucy Augusta;
John Ansel; Flora; George; Julia; Jennie;
and Mary Victoria. After the death of her

DELOS L. ATKYNS.

CHENANGO COUNTY

559

husband, she married Rev. L. Dexter Howe,
with whom she is now living, about two
miles east of Smithville Flats. William M.
married Rozilla Lamb, by whom he had four
children: Albert Clarke; George; Lovisa;
and John Ray. They now live in Ketchum-
ville, Tioga County, N. Y. Henry A. mar
ried Maria Wales, by whom he had one son,
Charles Ensign, who is now in the grocery
and milk business in Hyde Park, Mass.
Catherine E., March 28, 1861, married Lewis
N. Simpson, who was born February 11,
1842, and has three children, as follows: Car
rie E., born in McDonough, April 30, 1864;
Lewis Mertalow, born in Preston, N. Y.,
January 10, 1867; and Lottie, born in Nor
wich, N. Y., November 24, 1876, and died
August 26, 1877. Daniel N., a clothier and
furrier of Burlington, Vt., married, October
7, 1873, at Plattsburg, N. Y., Lottie F. Phil
lips, who was born in New York City, July
6, 1854; they have one child, Ida Fray, born
October 21, 1876, in Burlington, Vt.
After our subject's marriage with Susan
Nicholson, he on March 1, 1865, moved on his
farm, which he successfully conducted for
five years, when on account of a lame knee,
caused by a wrench or strain, he leased his
farm to James W. Warn for a year, and
hired for his own use a house of Charles
Stratton for a year. In the summer of that
year (1870) he went to Iowa to visit his
brothers, Ransom at Independence, and
Peter F. at Des Moines, and other acquaint
ances. The next spring, in 1871, he bought
a place in Oxford village, on Buttler Street,
then called New State Street, containing
five acres of land, purchasing it of Warren

Eaton. He moved on the property about
the middle of April, and has lived there ever
since, altogether at this writing a term of
twenty-seven years. He rented his farm to
H. C. Manzer, who remained on it for thir
teen years ; his present renter, John M.
Crumb, is now occupying it for the eleventh
year. The eldest son of our subject, Fred
Wilcox, born on Panther Hill, in the town
of Oxford, N. Y., January 8, 1866, married,
July 6, 1888, Mary Camilla Hovey, who was
born in Guilford, this county, November 2,
1867, by whom he had three children, namely:
Albert Elery, born April 19, 1890, and died
August 28, 1890, aged four months and nine
days; Carrie Bell, born April 7, 1891, died
April 9, 1895, aged four years and two days;
and John Ransom, born May 23, 1896. The
remaining members of the family born to
our subject and wife are as follows : Elmer
Philip, born on Panther Hill, March 24,
[867; Chester Uri, born in Oxford village,
December 2, 1871 ; Cora Hannah, born in
Oxford village, May 23, 1876, died Septem
ber 7, 1877, aged one year, three months and
fifteen days ; Erma Loania, born January 30,
1878 ; and Anna Louise, born January 29,
1880.

JB

ELOS L. ATKYNS, one of Che
nango County's highly esteemed
citizens, and one of her most dis
tinguished attorneys, was born in the town
of Pharsalia, this county, September 30, 1840,
and is a son of William S. and Eunice (Bab-

56o

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

cock) Atkyns, and grandson of Asahel At-
kyns. Joseph Atkyns, who was the father of
Asahel, and who served in the Revolutionary
War, came from Farmington, Conn., his na
tive state, to Chenango County about 1810,
and settled in the town of Smyrna, where he
purchased a large tract of land, and engaged
in farming. His farm was covered with a
dense forest, and with the aid of his three
sons, Joel, Joseph and Asahel, the farm was
cleared, and is to-day one of the thrifty
farms of that town. Asahel Atkyns became
a practical farmer, although the earlier part
of his life was spent in teaching school ; he
aided materially in the securing of the erec
tion of the first Presbyterian Church in Plym
outh village, of which he became a deacon.
He was twice married ; his first wife bore
him five children: Charles D.; Fordyce;
Selma; William S; and Aaron G. As a re
sult of his second marriage, four children
were reared, who were as follows — Mary ;
Sarah; Eliza; and Alvira.
William S. Atkyns, the father of our sub
ject, was born in Farmington, Conn., Decem
ber 8, 1805. He was but a small boy when
his father moved to Chenango County, and
was reared to follow the pursuits of an agri
culturist ; attaining his majority he purchased
a farm in Pharsalia (now owned by Mr. Fair
banks), joining the one owned by his father,
and farmed his property judiciously and
well, and by the exercise of economy saved
his hard earnings, and later purchased the
farm then owned by his father. He was one of
the energetic and progressive farmers of his
day, and was an honor to his chosen vocation.

He was a man who took pride in the maxim
that " His word is as good as his bond." He
married Miss Eunice Babcock, a daughter of
Lodowick Babcock. She was born at Ston
ington, Conn., in April, 181 1, and died in
1889. Mr. Atkyns died in 1883 at the age of
seventy-eight years. Their family consisted
of the following children, only two of whom
are living : George H., deceased, was a
soldier for three years in the late Rebellion
and was a corporal ; Pluma, who died in
1890, was the wife of H. T. Robbins; Delos
L., the subject of this personal history; and
James Carlos, who resides in Pharsalia, and
is an esteemed and prosperous farmer.
Delos L. Atkyns assisted his parents on
the farm, and only had the advantages of a
district school education, and district schools
in those days were not the most perfect in
stitutions. There was nothing then in his
character to indicate the brilliant career
upon which he was about to enter. He was
a plain farmer's boy, good looking, intelli
gent and kind-hearted. Inspired with a
lofty ambition, and conscious of his own
powers, he pursued his studies with indefati
gable industry. He entered the law-office of
Rexford & Kingsley at Norwich, and, after a
short term of study, was admitted to the bar
as an attorney and counselor of the Supreme
Court in 1864. In October of the same year
he moved to Sherburne, where he began the
practice of his profession. His elevation of
character, his untiring industry, his legal ac
quirements, and his skill as an advocate,
gradually attracted attention, and eventually
secured him a large clientage. His office is
well furnished, and has a well selected and

CHENANGO COUNTY

561

valuable library of over 3,000 volumes, the
first half dozen of which were paid for by
chopping wood at thirty cents per cord.
Mr. Atkyns has had many students study
under him and follow his instruction, some
of whom are to-day noted lawyers in various
cities. Some of them are as follows : Robert
A. Kurschbach of New York City; M. Van
Buren of Denver, Col.; Delos D. Jaynes of
Detroit, Mich.; George P. Pudney of Smyrna,
N. Y.; the late Ernest C. Dart of Earlville,
N. Y.; and Bartholomew A. Stack, now a
Catholic priest at Camillus, N. Y. Our sub
ject has assisted in the prosecution of many
murder cases in the county, and, with the ex
ception of one acquittal, there has always
been a conviction in the first or second
degree; he has also assisted in capital cases
in other counties, and to-day has one of
the largest practices of any attorney in Che
nango County. In 1876, Mr. Atkyns was
united in marriage with Mrs. Mary C.
Sholes of La Salle, Illinois, and two children
have blessed their home, namely : Duane L.,
born September 25, 1877, who is a student in
his father's office ; and Paul W., born Au
gust 16, 1880, a student in Sherburne
Academy. Although he has never taken a very active
part in politics, Mr. Atkyns has always voted
with the Republican party. He has several
times refused to accept the nomination for
district attorney of his county, because of
the arduous duties of that office, and the
small compensation paid therefor. For the
past twenty years he has been a member and
secretary of the board of education of Sher
burne Academy, and since 1895 has been

president of the above board. The publish
ers of this volume of biographical records
present a portrait of Mr. Atkyns on a pre
ceding page, in connection with this sketch
of his life.

W"

ILLIAM P. CHAPMAN, of Nor
wich, until recently was proprietor
ot the largest dry goods house in Chenango
County, which was one of the first to be
established in this county. He is now senior
member of The Chapman & Turner Co.,
which now has charge of the old trade, and
is building up a large business in addition.
He is a son of Rev. Charles and Elizabeth H.
(Porter) Chapman, and was born December
23, 1836, in Walton, Delaware County, N. Y.
William Chapman, the grandfather of our
subject, was a native of Saybrook, Conn.,
and served as a captain in the colonial arnry.
He took an active part in many hotly con
tested engagements, chief of which was the
battle of Long Island. His wife's maiden
name was Jones, and they reared eleven
children, the youngest being Rev. Charles,
the father of our subject.
Rev. Charles Chapman was a man of super
ior educational attainments. He was pre
pared for college in the public schools at
Catskill, after which he entered Hamilton
College and took a full four years' course.
After graduating from that institution, he
was prepared for the ministry at the Presby
terian Theological Seminary of Auburn, N.
Y. He was ordained a minister at twenty-
four years of age, and for the following fifty

562

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

years was continuously engaged in minister
ial work. He was a man of pleasing address,
strong in his convictions, fearless in his ex
pression of them, and held the attention of
his congregations at all times. He had a
deep influence over his parishioners, and won
many souls to the Standard of the Cross.
He retired from active life at the age of sev
enty-nine years to pass the remainder of his
career in the peace and quiet of home life.
Four years later his beautiful life was spent
and he passed to his eternal reward. He
was united in marriage with Elizabeth H.
Porter, and the following children blessed
their home : Caroline Elizabeth ; William
P., the subject of this personal history ;
Mary E., the wife of Moreau Newcomb, de
ceased ; Sarah ; and Charles B., who is a
clerk in our subject's store. Mrs. Chapman
was a granddaughter of Levi Hanford, a
soldier of the Revolution, and a great-grand
daughter of Gen. Mead, of Revolutionary
fame. She attained the age of eighty-six
years, and to the last her intellect was not
the least impaired, and she was bright and
active as one many years younger. Benja
min, an older brother of Rev. Charles Chap
man, was born in Saybrook, Conn., and at
an early age came to Norwich and clerked
for Judge Charles York, one of the first
merchants of the village, and a former owner
of the store now conducted by our subject.
After remaining in the employ of Judge
York for a few years, Benjamin Chapman
bought the store and conducted it for fifty
years. He was succeeded by his son Wil
liam FI., who later was associated in business
with our subject. He took as his companion

in life Eliza Hayes, by whom he had the fol
lowing children : Benjamin D., who died in
infancy ; Mary D., who died when aged
about forty-seven years ; Harriett S.; and
William H., who is living a retired life in
New York City.
William P. Chapman received his intellec
tual training for life's battles in the Franklin
Academy, Delaware County, after which he
began clerking in a dry goods store in Mere
dith, N. Y.,' at the age of fourteen. He soon
came to Norwich and clerked for his cousin,
William H. Chapman. Later he became a part
ner in the firm, and in 1880 became the sole
owner. After buying out his partner's inter
est, he enlarged the store and carried double
the amount of stock as formerly. For many
years he carried a line of groceries and ready
made clothing, but later sold the stock in
these departments, and handled dry goods,
carpets, boots and shoes, etc. By his honor
able dealings and prompt attention to busi
ness he established a large trade in the village
and country for many miles around, thus
making it necessary to employ a large num
ber of clerks. In 1898, Mr. Chapman and
his son, R. Curtis, formed a partnership with
J. B. Turner, formerly of the firm of Turner,
Reed & Co., and they expect to occupy new
quarters, a short distance north of the store
where Mr. Chapman formerly conducted
business, by July 1, 1898, and enter upon a
prosperous career as The Chapman & Tur
ner Co.
He formed a' matrimonial alliance with
Mary E. Curtis, a daughter of Roswell and
Polly M. (Hale) Curtis. Roswell Curtis was
a native of Madison County, and came to

Charles Malcolm Adams. Marion B. Adams.
Lewis Sherman Adams, Jr.

CHENANGO COUNTY

565

Norwich when he was a young man. His
trade was that of a tailor, but he later became
one of the largest commission merchants in
the county, shipping produce extensively to
New York City. He also dealt in flour,
feed, and coal, and owned canal boats and a
warehouse. He had two children, namely :
Mary E., the wife of our subject ; and Wil
liam R. As a result of their union, Mr. and
Mrs. Chapman became the parents of three
children, whose records are as follows : Wil
liam P. is a graduate of Cornell University,
and is now practicing law in New York
City ; Mary died in infancy ; and R. Curtis,
a graduate of Cornell University, who is
now a member of The Chapman & Turner
Co., successors to W. P. Chapman, and
dealers in dry goods, carpets, boots and
shoes, and kindred domestic furnishings and
wearing apparel. They are earnest members
of the Congregational Church. Mr. Chap
man is an unswerving Republican, and has
served as trustee and treasurer of the village
of Norwich. He is a public-spirited man
with the interest of the village at heart, and
has done much to make him a popular and
respected citizen.

r^OLONEL MOSES GAYLORD
l\\ BENJAMIN, one of the early resi-
^-__^ dents and merchants of the town of
Bainbridge, Chenango County, became a resi
dent of this section in 1823, and died in Bain
bridge January 18, 1833. He was a man of
excellent parts, enterprising and vigorous in
the prosecution of business, and left an im

press on the township that over half a
century has not obliterated. In religious,
political and social circles he was also a
power, and recognized as such. His birth
occurred in South Egremont, Mass., July
5, 1794-
John Benjamin, Esq., Gentleman, as he
is styled in the early colonial records, was
the first of the family to come to America.
It has been indubitably shown that he be
longed to the " Landed Gentry of England,"
and Burke is authority for it. That writer
also states in his book of the above men
tioned title that the name was originally Bar-
rington or Berryington. He was born in
Wales, in 1 598 ; he left Milford Haven,
Wales, and made the journey to the New
World in the vessel "Lion," with Sir Rich
ard Saltonstall, Gov. Winthrop, and Roger
Williams, and arrived September 16, 1632,
at Boston. John Benjamin, Gent., at once
proceeded with Sir Richard Saltonstall to
Cambridge, founded the year before, where
he built a house, that was burned but a few
years ago. He entered heartily into the life
of the settlement, was made a freeman of the
colony November 6, 1632, and was made the
first bailiff, at that time a position equivalent
to our title of Mayor. He possessed the
largest library in the colony, and was an
intimate friend of Gov. Winthrop. His will
is recorded in probate court in Boston. The
part of Cambridge where he lived has since
been divided and called Watertown. To the
family belongs a coat-of-arms, with insignia
that indicate that some of the family took
part in the Crusades. It was found with the
motto " Poussez en avant " (" Push Forward ")

566

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

in a book, in which it had lain unnoticed for
over a century and a half. It was bestowed
at the battle of Shrewsbury, 1403, for brav
ery in defending Prince Henry in that
bloody conflict with the rebels. Following
is the description : Or, on a saltire quarterly-
pierced sa, five annulets counterchanged ;
Motto, — Poussez en avant ; Crest, — on a
chapeau, a flame of fire, all purple. Gov.
Winthrop writes of him in substance as fol
lows : The house of John Benjamin, Gent.,
(noted above as destroyed by fire) was unsur
passed in elegance and provisions for com
fort by any in the vicinity ; it was the man
sion of intelligence, refinement, religion and
hospitality, visited by the clergy of all de
nominations, and by the literati from far and
near. His wife, Abigail Eddy, was born in
England in 1600, and died May 20, 1687, aged
eighty-seven years. She was a daughter
of Rev. William Eddy, vicar of Cranbook,
County of Kent, St. Dunstan's Church, from
1 589 to 1616. The name Eddy or Eddye was
found in the Dooms-Day Book of England,
showing the ancestry goes back to the time
of William the Conqueror. John Benjamin,
Gent., died in Watertown, June 14, 1645,
aged forty-seven years. Of his eight chil
dren, four were born in Wales and four in
this country.
The fifth and eldest son of the preceding
gentleman, born in this country, was Joseph
Benjamin, who entered upon this life in
Watertown in 1634. On June 10, 1661, he
married Jemima Lombard at Barnstable,
Mass., and then removed to Preston, Conn.,
where he died, leaving seven children and
widow, Sarah, his second wife. Flis oldest

son, Joseph, was born in 1664, and married
Elizabeth Coke of Preston, Conn., August
25, 1698. He died in June, 1738, aged sev
enty-four years. His wife, Elizabeth, sur
vived him a number of years. The next in
the line of descent to our subject was the
eldest son of the preceding, who was also
named Joseph. He was born in 1699, and
married Deborah Clark of Preston, Conn.,
April 3, 1722; Deborah (Clark) Benjamin
died at her son Nathan's house in Egremont,
Mass. Nathan Benjamin, the seventh son of
Joseph Benjamin, named last, was born in
Preston, Conn., April 19, 1737. He was a
private in Ashley's Regiment, Berkshire,
Mass., Militia, and during the Revolutionary
War was called into service at Bennington
and Stillwater. About 1755 he moved to
Egremont, Mass., and obtained the charter
for the town of Mt. Washington, Mass., from
the Massachusetts Legislature, in the year
1774. In 1 76 1 he married his first wife, Abi
gail Dibble, who was born in the year 1741,
and who died September 7, 1772, aged thirty-
one years, receiving interment in Shutt's
Burying Ground, Mt. Washington. He mar
ried for his second wife, in 1774, Hannah
Wells, who survived him, and after his de
cease married Dr. Hopkins of Great Barring-
ton. She died in East Bloomfield, N. Y., and
was buried in the north-east corner of the old
burying ground. Nathan Benjamin died
July 1, 1785, aged forty-nine years, and was
buried in the Cemetery of Egremont, Mass.
Joseph Benjamin, son of Nathan Benjamin,
just mentioned, and father of our subject,
was born at South Egremont, Mass., July 1,
1763, and died May 17, 1803. He married in

CHENANGO COUNTY.

567

Stratford, Conn., Susanna Gaylord, October
12, 1788; she was born May 19, 1766, and sur
vived her husband, being twice married.
Joseph Benjamin served in the War of Inde
pendence, and took part in the suppression
of Shay's Rebellion, attaining by reason of
his eminent services the rank of Major. The
first one of the Gaylords (or Gaillard, as for
merly spelled) to come to America was Wil
liam Gaylord, who emigrated from Devon
shire, England, in 1630, and located in Dor
chester. The first Gaillards came from the
north of France. He signed the first land
grants in Dorchester, and his own grant was
recorded in 1633. He was a Selectman, and
a Representative to General Court in 1638.
He removed to Windsor, Conn., where he
was for forty sessions in the General Assem
bly, and died in 1643.
The subject of this sketch married Sophia
Adelia Chittenden of Guilford, Conn., daugh
ter of Dr. Ambrose and Sylvia (Watrous)
Chittenden, November 20, 1817. He moved
to Unadilla, N. Y., soon after his mar
riage, and went into business with Abial
Williams; in 1823, he became a resident and
merchant of the town of Bainbridge, this
county, engaging in a general mercantile
business with Dexter Newell. His title of
Colonel was gained by his service in the mil
itia in Unadilla and Bainbridge. He was one
of the Episcopal Church founders of Bain
bridge, the first organization of the church
having been made in 1827. Our subject's
wite came from a family of almost as long a
residence in this country as our subject's
own. William Chittenden, who came to this
country in 1639, was from Cranbook, in

Kent, not far from London, Eng. He was a
soldier in the English Army, and reached the
rank of Major. He was a man of superior
ability, and wielded great influence ; he was
Magistrate of the plantation and deputy to
the General Court until his death. His prop
erty, which he selected 240 years ago, is still
in possession of some one of his descendants,
and shows the eye of the old soldier and man
of the world, for it is the most beautiful of
all the Guilford sites. His wife, Joanna
Sheaffe, was descended from the ancient
royal line of Scotland. Sergeant John Chit
tenden, son of the above couple, married
Hannah Fletcher, and their son Joseph mar
ried Mary Kimberly, who bore her husband
a son, Joseph, who married Patience Stone
of Guilford, Conn. Ambrose Chittenden,
son ot Joseph and Patience (Stone) Chitten
den, married Zillah Hall, and their son, Dr.
Ambrose Chittenden, married Sylvia Wat
rous. The last named couple were the par
ents of our subject's wife.
The widowr of our subject married for her
second husband Elisha Bishop, July 18, 1836.
He was born September 18, 1790, and died
in Brooklyn, N. Y., May 8, 1872. They had
one child by this marriage, — Sophia Adelia,
who was born April 5, 1838, and who mar
ried Byron M. De Munn of New York, and
died in 1885, leaving three children. Mrs.
Bishop died in Bainbridge, N. Y., April 16,
1878, aged eighty-two years, four months
and six days.
The children born to our subject and his
wife were as follows : George Gaylord, born
in Unadilla, N. Y., September 21, 1816, now
living in Bainbridge ; Clark Moses, born in

568

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Unadilla, N. Y., September 8, 1823, died in
Wisconsin, February 9, 1867, — he married
Jane Van Duzen, and had these children,
Gaylord, Joseph, Oliver, and Emma Louise ;
Anne Jeanette was born in Bainbridge, N.
Y., May 5, 1828.
Anne Jeanette Benjamin married Edward
Barrows of Dedham, Mass., June 25, 185 1.
He died in Lowell, Mass., February 1, 1881.
When first married, Mr. Barrows was in the
mercantile business in New York City ; he
then removed to New Haven, Conn., where
he went into trade. His next place of resi
dence was Dedham, Mass., where he was
agent for a large woolen mill. He then
removed to Lowell, where he held a similar
position, and was an active, successful busi
ness man. He was an expert in his line, and
was the inventor of a number of mechanical
contrivances that were useful in the manu
facture of woolen fabrics and cloths. He
was a celebrated manufacturer, and built up a
considerable fortune. He was a son of
Thomas Barrows, who was owner of both of
the mills mentioned above, and a first class
cloth manufacturer. To Edward Barrows and
his wife were born four children, as follows :
Josephine Clark, born in New York City,
December 12, 1852, now a resident of Dor
chester, Mass., a suburb of Boston ; Jeannie
Adele, born in New York City, January 8,
1855, and died in Dansville, N. Y., at the
Jackson Sanitarium, October 1, 1894; Sophia
Benjamin, born in New York City, Decem
ber 23, 1856, married Lewis Sherman Adams
in Lowell, Mass., September 26, 1883, ar>d
now lives in Dorchester, Mass.; and Edward,
Jr., who was born in Dedham, Mass., Sep

tember 15, i860, and died in Minneapolis,
Minn., March 26, 1882. Mr. Lewis S. Adams
and his wife, Sophia B., have gathered about
them the following children : Marion B.,
born in Lowell, Mass., December 29, 1884;
Lewis Sherman, Jr., born in Lowell, Mass.,
July 17, 1887 ; and Charles Malcolm, born in
Dorchester, Mass., August 16, 1889. On
page 564 is shown a group picture of the
three children, just named, great-grandchil
dren of the subject of this sketch.

B

R. GEORGE S. WEAVER, who
has been engaged in the practice of
his profession in the village of
McDonough since 1883, has the confidence
of the people, and numbers among his
patients many of the leading citizens of the
community. He is a son of J. Clark and
Diana (Chase) Weaver, and was born in the
town of Pitcher, Chenango County, Novem
ber 30, i860.
His grandfather was Jonathan C. Weaver,
who was a farmer and hotel keeper of the
town of Pharsalia. He was twice married
and was the father of seven children. J.
Clark Weaver, the only son born to his
parents, first saw the light of day at Phar
salia, December 25, 1828. He followed that
most honorable of all callings, farming, for
many years, first in the town of Pitcher, later
in Cincinnatus and still later in the town of
McDonough, Chenango County, where he still
resides. In 1884, he took up his residence in
McDonongh, where he embarked in the hard
ware business, but after a short time returned

CHARLES C. HOVEY.

CHENANGO COUNTY

57i

to his original occupation, that of a farmer.
He is a man of great determination and in
dustry, and his success is mainly due to these
characteristics. He now owns 500 acres of
good farm land, and has one of the most de
sirable farms in the vicinity of McDonough.
He formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss
Diana Chase, daughter of Benjamin Chase,
late a farmer of the town of Pharsalia, and
they became the proud parents of three
children, whose names are as follows : Emma
Jane, the wife of William H. Potter of
Pitcher; Dr. George S., whose name heads
these lines ; and Delia, who died at the age
of thirteen years.
Dr. George S. Weaver was reared on his
father's farm and received his intellectual
training for life's battles in Cincinnatus Acad
emy. At the age of seventeen, he began to
study for the profession of medicine under
the tutelage of Dr. Amasa Quivey, an exper
ienced physician of Cincinnatus. He then
took a three years' course in the Syracuse
Medical College, from which he graduated in
1882. After his graduation, he practiced in a
hospital at Syracuse for one year, and then
came to McDonough and entered upon his
present practice. Being a man of superior
natural ability, and having received a
thorough insight into the intricacies of his
profession, he soon won his way into the con
fidence of the people. He has a large gen
eral practice, which will compare favorably
with any other in the village.
July 8, 1884, he was united in marriage
with Winifred Emerson, a daughter of Var-
anes C. Emerson, a late merchant of McDon
ough, by whom he has two daughters :

Winifred ; and Genevieve. Socially, he is a
member of the Chenango County Medical
Society, and was president of that organiza
tion in 1884. He is also a member of Oxford
Lodge, No. 175. F. & A. M. Religiously, he
is an active worker in the Episcopal Church,
of which he is a trustee. In political belief,
Dr. Weaver is a Democrat, and served as
pension commissioner under Cleveland dur
ing both terms. In 189S, he was elected by
a majority of 88 votes, supervisor of McDon
ough, which is a town, that normally has a
Republican majority of 40. He is of a kind
and genial disposition, and he numbers his
friends by the score.

T^tHARLES C. HOVEY. The business
I jp interests of Bainbridge township,
^»  "' Chenango County, have no more
enterprising representative than the subject
of this sketch, whose connection with the
dairy and creamery interests of his section
places him among the first citizens of the
county. He is a member of the firm of
Hovey, Clark & Co., manufacturers of fancy
butter, wax, and paper sizings, operating the
largest concern of its nature in Central New
York. He is also president of the American
Separator Co., an enterprise inaugurated in
1895 to manufacture and put on the market
the American Cream Separator, an article of
great merit, that is meeting with ready ac
ceptance by enterprising butter makers of
the county. Besides these extensive indus
tries, in whose management Mr. Hovey has
so large a share, The Bainbridge Express, a

572

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

ten page weekly paper of which he is part
proprietor, claims no small portion of his
time and talents. He is a wide-awake, alert,
forceful, and upright business man, in whom
all with whom he has business dealings place
the greatest confidence.
Our subject is a son of William M. and
Lucy Jane (Whiting) Hovey, and was born
October 14, 1854, in the town of Guilford,
about a mile and a half from the village.
He comes of good stock on both sides of the
house, and possesses in his make-up the vir
tues and business talents of ancestors, who
were prominent in their day and generation.
Mr. Hovey's great-grandfather on his
father's side was Moses Hovey, who moved
from Massachusetts to the vicinity of Sidney,
Delaware County, this state. His son, Simon
Hovey, accompanied his parents, but when
he struck out for himself in the sea of life he
came farther west, and settled in the town of
Guilford, where he lived and died a farmer.
William M. Hovey, the father of Charles
C, was born in Guilford, July 23, 1823, and
was reared on his father's farm, obtaining in
his youth a better education than was com
monly the lot of the average boy. After
completing his studies in the academy, he
taught school for a while, and then went
South, where he represented a Memphis
firm as a traveling salesman. Afterwards he
became a salesman on his account. When he
returned to the town of Guilford to live and
to settle down in business, he became an agri
culturist, and was especially successful in his
speculations and dealings in live stock.
During the last fifteen years of his life, he
was a resident of the village of Norwich,

having retired from active life on a comfort
able competency, until his death, which
occurred October 2, 1889. He married Lucy
Jane Whiting, September 20, 1848; she was
a daughter of Erastus B. and Arethusa (Mills)
Whiting. There were three children born to
our subject's parents, as follows : Eugene
Whiting; Franklin B.; and Charles C. The
eldest was born January 28, 1850, and died
when three years of age, January 26, 1853.
Franklin B., born December 20, 1851, died at
the age of eighteen, March 1, 1870, having
been accidentally shot on February 23, 1870,
in Richmond, Va.
Our subject traces his ancestry on his
mother's side to Rev. Samuel Whiting, sec
ond son of John Whiting. Rev. Samuel
Whiting was born in England, November 20,
1597, and was a native of Boston, Lincoln
shire. He graduated from Cambridge Uni
versity, where the efforts of a pious tutor
directed his mind toward religion and a
career in the church. On leaving college he
became a domestic chaplain to Sir Nathaniel
Bacon and Sir Roger Townsend, in which
capacity he served three years. He then
removed to Lynn, in the County of Norfolk,
where he spent another profitable three years
as a colleague of the Rev. Mr. Price. At this
time non-conformity with the Church of Eng
land became more and more common and
widespread over the country, Puritanism
broke out with the result a few years later of
bringing forth such men as Oliver Cromwell
and Fairfax, and Dissenters were to be found
in all classes of society. It was a general
movement. Rev. Mr. Whiting caught the
spirit of the times, and became a Non-Con-

CHENANGO COUNTY

573

formist; complaints were made to the Bishop
of Norfolk of this minister's heterodox teach
ings, and he was prosecuted in the high com
mission courts. Becoming convinced that he
should find no rest thereafter in England, he
came across the water to the Massachusetts
Bay Colony, arriving in Boston, May 26,
1636. He became settled as a pastor in Lynn,
Mass., November 8, 1636. He was twice
married. By his first wife he had three chil
dren, of whom two sons died in England ;
the surviving daughter, Mary, married a Mr.
Wilde, a pioneer settler of New England.
Rev. Mr. Whiting's second wife was a
daughter of the Rt. Hon. Oliver St. John, of
Bradfordshire, England, who was Chief Jus
tice of England during Cromwell's Protector
ate. Four sons and two daughters resulted
from this second marriage, of whom three
sons lived to maturity. This first representa
tive of the Whiting family in America died
December 11, 1697, having completed a cen
tury's existence. His son, Joseph Whiting,
born 1 64 1, graduated from Harvard College,
then in its infancy, and married Sarah Dan
forth, daughter of Deputy-Governor Thomas
Danforth. He was ordained to the ministry
in 1680, and about 1682 moved to Southamp
ton, Long Island, where he settled as a min
ister, and preached until his death, April 7,
1723. One of his sons was Samuel Whiting,
born July 3, 1674, who went to Southampton
with his parents, and reared a family, among
whom was Benjamin Whiting, who married
Rebecca Parmalee, on May 30, 1723, and set
tled in Meriden, Conn. In 1734 Benjamin
Whiting purchased three full rights of land
in Torrington, Conn., most of it being in first

and second divisions. One of his sons was
Deacon John Whiting, who was the great-
great-grandfather of our subject. He was
born November 23, 1726, married Sarah Fos
ter, and settled in Torrington, where he lived
to an advanced age. Jesse Whiting, the son
of the preceding, and great-grandfather of C.
C. Hovey, was born February 4, 1768, and
married Hannah Smith, September 10, 1784.
He removed to Norfolk, Conn., and then to
Guilford, N. Y., in 1810, where he died April
22, 1845. His son, Erastus B. Whiting, was
born in Torrington, and removed to Che
nango County with his father. He married
Arethusa Mills, who came of distinguished
Revolutionary stock, and reared a family, of
which the mother ot our subject was one of
the members.
Charles C. Hovey diligently attended the
select and common schools of Guilford Cen
ter until he was about fifteen years of age,
and then for two years was a student of the
Norwich Academy during the fall and win
ter terms. He then went to Cleveland,
Ohio, where he entered Felton & Bigelow's
Business College in 1871. In the following
spring he entered the employ of the engineer
ing department of the City of Cleveland,
and continued to fill the duties of his position
for four years, when he became a civil engi
neer on the Cuyahoga Valley R. R. On
December 26, 1876, he married Ella F. Den
ham, a daughter of John L. and Elizabeth
Denham, and to this union in the succeeding
years of their married life were born the fol
lowing children : William Whiting, born
August 29, 1878, in Cleveland, Ohio, now
assisting his father in business ; Lucy Eliza-

574

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

beth, born March 6, 1880, in Guilford, who
is attending the Bainbridge High School ;
Charles A., born October 23, 1884; and Ver
non F., born July 21, 1886. Mrs. Hovey died
October 11, 1894. Our subject's second wife,
whom he married December 10, 1895, was
Mary Dell Fletcher, who was born in July,
1863. In the fall of 1878, our subject returned to
Guilford, and took charge of his father's
farms, which he managed from November,
1878, until about 1887, when he removed to
Bainbridge, and became a stockholder and
director of the Gilbert Manufacturing Co.;
in this enterprise he had charge of the ship
ping department until the spring of 1889.
On that date he entered into a partnership
with Fred White, under the firm name of
White & Hovey, and engaged in the man
ufacture of butter, wax, and paper sizings.
The present company is known as Hovey,
Clark & Co., the proprietors being Charles
C. Hovey and Linus R. Clark. The total
receipts of milk for the year 1896 were
9,111,162 lbs., the product of 2,500 cows. In
1896, the company manufactured 190,000 lbs.
paper sizings from the skimmed milk, while
their butter output was 418,000 lbs., of which
about 300,000 lbs. was made into pound
prints and small packages. They also sold
some 63,500 cans of milk and cream. The
year's business, ending December 31, 1897,
exceeded the previous year's by 20 per cent.
The company also operates a farm in Bain
bridge township, in connection with their
creamery. Reade & Comrick, manufactur
ing chemists of New York City, have their
laboratory for the manufacture of invalid's

and baby foods located beside our subject's
factory, and receive from the creamery the
skimmed milk, which they utilize for the
manufacture of their foods. Hovey, Clark
& Co. also have a large cold storage ware
house, commensurate with the nature and
magnitude of their business. Their enter
prise has been of great service in building
up the town, and making farming and stock-
raising profitable.
Mr. Hovey was one of the prime movers
in the organization of the American Separa
tor Co., which was incorporated June 1,
1895, was elected its president, and has since
filled that position. The company is capital
ized at $50,000.00, of which $20,000.00 is pre
ferred stock. Its object is the manufacture
and introduction of the American Cream
Separator, whose merits are fast winning
popular favor, and giving it a standard repu
tation. Wherever it has been exhibited, un
limited praise has been given it ; first honors
were given it in the St. Louis Industrial Ex
position of 1897, and in the Toronto Exposi
tions of 1896 and 1897.
The Bainbridge Express was founded in
1894 by our subject and Owen L. Crumb,
and F. L. Ames, and is now owned by C. C.
Hovey and O. L. Crumb as equal partners.
It is a ten page weekly, published every
Friday. It is neat and attractive in appear
ance, and contains an epitome of the general
news of the day, as well as a full account of
the local happenings of the community.
With its circulation of 1,600 subscribers, it is
a valuable medium as an advertising agency.
In its politics it is independent, but, how
ever, does not allow politics to influence it in

CHENANGO COUNTY

575

matters where the welfare of the community
at large is at stake.
Our subject has taken a prominent part in
the social and political life of Bainbridge,
and at all times may be relied on to advance
the best interests of the town and village.
He is a member of Susquehanna Lodge,
No. 167, F. & A. M.; Vallonia Chapter, No.
80 ; and Norwich Commandery, No. 46, of
Afton. He is also an active member of
Tribe No. 274, of Bainbridge, Improved
Order of Red Men. Politically, he is a Re
publican, and has been trustee of the village
corporation for seven years, a member of the
board of education for a like period, and the
board's secretary for a considerable period,
and was elected supervisor of the town of
Bainbridge for the term 1896-98. He is a
Presbyterian in his religious sympathies, and
is the superintendent of the Sabbath School.
On another page is presented Mr. Hovey 's
portrait.

JB

EYILLO WHITE CORBIN is an
influential and wealthy farmer, who
has spent his entire life near Ben
nettsville, Bainbridge township, and has won
for himself the regard of the entire com
munity by his upright dealings and his strict
integrity in every walk of life. He is a son
of William W. and Eunice Ann (White) Cor
bin, and was born October 8, 1835, on the
farm upon which he still resides.
His grandfather, Sylvester Corbin, was
born in Vermont June 17, 1771, and died at
North Norwich, July 12, 1836. Grandfather
27*

Corbin came to Bainbridge, this county, at
an early day and purchased a large tract of
land almost a mile square, where the greater
part of his life was spent. He was engaged
in the lumber business, and after clearing his
farm he went to North Norwich, where he
built and thereafter operated a saw mill until
he was removed from the scenes of his ac
tivity by death. He was a man of consider
able influence in the neighborhood, and
his judgment was taken as conclusive on
many knotty points. In politics he was a
Democrat, and for a number of years he
served as justice of the peace and supervisor
of the town. He was married to Eunice
White May 2, 1796, and to them wrere born
the following children : Ezra, born February
20, 1797; Richmond, July 18, 1798; Patience,
January 28, 1801 ; William W., February 23,
1803 ; and Squire W., born April 19, 1806.
Mr. Corbin entered upon a second matri
monial alliance August 24, 1833, the lady
with whom he was this time united being
Nancy Hunt.
William W. Corbin was born on the home
stead purchased by his father, which contin
ued to be his home as long as he lived. He
was a farmer and also dealt in lumber, float
ing it down the Delaware River to the Phil
adelphia markets. He bought up extensive
tracts of timber land, which he cleared, sell
ing the cleared land at a good price, and
realizing handsomely on the lumber thus
obtained. In after years he became a gen
eral dealer in cattle and wool, and did a large
business in that line as well as in the lumber
trade. He built two saw mills, which he
operated, one on the homestead, the other at

576

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

North Norwich, and was one of the shrewd,
clearsighted, prosperous men of his time.
He was originally a Democrat, but when that
party took up so many ideas that were en
tirely foreign to his notions of right, he re
gretted that he had ever affiliated with them,
and became, as it were, a charter member of
the Republican party. He served for eight
or ten years as assessor, but was not in any
sense an office seeker, as this was the only
office for which he ever allowed his name to
appear as a candidate. He was a man of
large intellect and a great Bible student.
His conception of the Bible and its lessons
was far in advance of the majority of the
people of the day and age, and his liberal
views and close attendance of the Universal
ist Church was but an outcome of the deep
thought and study he had given to the sub
ject of religion. He was highly esteemed
by all, but most especially was this true in
regard to the poor, to whom he was indeed a
benefactor, and by whom he was regarded
with little short of veneration. He was
united in marriage with Eunice May White,
with whom he lived an ideal life of wedded
happiness until death claimed him, May 24,
1875. The children resulting from this mar
riage were six in number, as follows : Francis
G., born March 24, 1832, and died young ;
Devillo White, the subject of these memoirs ;
William H., born December 16, 1839, and
died young; Chester W., born December 31,
1842 ; Frank Jerome, born April 8, 1849, an<^
died October 27, 1876; and George A., born
March 9, 1852, and died August 31, 1875.
The father of Mrs. Corbin was Dr. Asa
White, one of the most skillful and success

ful practitioners of Chenango County, whose
tragic end was bemoaned by the whole com
munity. He had left Sherburne, this county,
on a prospecting tour through Michigan,
with the intention of purchasing land there
if he found it satisfactory, and was caught in
one of the terrible snow storms that some
times sweep over the Northern States. The
snow was blinding, and the strong wind made
it impossible to see even a few feet in any di
rection, much less to travel and find the way
in a strange country. Dr. White became
bewildered, lost his way, and, after vainly
trying to reach some shelter, was overcome
and lost his life in his struggle with the ele
ments. Devillo White Corbin owns a part of the
paternal acres, on which he has erected
large, commodious buildings, where he lives
and carries on farming, giving a great deal
of attention also to the lumber business, and
to the buying and selling of live stock and
wool. He is known as one of the reliable,
influential men of the county, and is univer
sally respected because of the honorable
methods employed by him in all his transac
tions. He was educated in the common
schools and later attended the Franklin and
Sherburne Academies, being obliged to dis
continue his studies, however, on account of
weak eyes. This was a source of much dis
appointment to him, but he made the most
of his opportunities, and has become pos
sessed of a much more varied knowledge
than is obtained by many who rely more ex
clusively on text-books. While still a young
man the Civil War broke out, and Mr. Cor
bin enlisted in Co. G., 5th Reg. N. Y. Heavy

WILLIAM H. LALLY.

CHENANGO COUNTY

579

Artillery, in November, 1863, and served
about a year, fortunately without receiving a
wound, and without being given a taste of the
horrors of the southern prisons. Politically,
he has always been a Republican, and has
been interested in having good men elected
to office, but has had no desire to hold office
himself, his time being entirely taken up
with his extensive business interests.
Mr. Corbin was married January 20, 1859,
to Emeline L. Mosher, and they are the pa
rents of four children, all of whom are mar
ried and doing well. They are as follows :
Isabelle C, born September 24, 1859, the wife
of Uri Mitchell, a Universalist minister; Jes
sie, born May 16, 1862, married October 18,
1882, C. S. Hynds; Ralph W., born Decem
ber 15, 1865, married Laura Teed, October
28, 1896, and lives with his father; Lizzie,
born October 27, 1867, married, August 16,
1890, Ward Lewis, Jr., of Brooklyn, N. Y.
Mr. Corbin is a pleasant, social gentleman,
holding the most liberal sentiments, and re
taining in a wonderful degree the cheerful
ness and activity of youth. His life is an
example of the success and honorable status
that may be attained by honesty, industry,
and well applied energy.

WL">

ILLIAM H. LALLY, a leading
imberman in the village of Nor
wich, whose portrait is shown on the oppo
site page, is a son of William and Mary
(Hynds) Lally, and was born in Coventry,
N. Y., May 8, 1863.
William Lally, the father of our subject,

was born in the city of Galway, Ireland, in
April, 1 83 1, and emigrated to the United
States in 1854, locating in Chenango County,
N. Y., where he spent the rest of his days in
cultivating the soil. He became a resident
of Guilford in the early part of 1878, and had
lived there but a short time when he passed
from this life, October 7, 1878. Politically,
he was an avowed Democrat, upholding the
principles of that party both by voice and
vote. In religious views he was brought up
as a Catholic, and remained a communicant
of that church all his life. He was united in
wedlock with Mary Hynds, and they reared
eight children, namely : Anna, deceased ;
William H.; Mary, who married C. B.
Grand ; Susie, the wife of C. C. Adams, now
deceased ; Edward A., a prominent lumber
man of Guilford and Norwich ; Agnes, de
ceased ; Martha, who married E. J. Albert ;
and Julia, the wife of J. W. Martin.
William H. Lally received his primary
education in the grade schools of his native
town, and as he grew to manhood he en
gaged in the lumber business at Guilford.
Later he opened a branch office in the vil
lage of Oxford, and as business increased he
opened another office in the village of Nor
wich, and on February 19, 1895, he moved to
the last named place with his family, and has
since made it his home. He operates a saw
mill in the village of New Berlin, and one in
Plymouth. He also has leased a blue stone
quarry in Oxford, N. Y., that supplies New
York City with much of her finest building
stone. In 1896, he built a large and hand
some residence on South Broad Street, one
of the principal streets as well as the most

58o

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

beautiful in the village, and has since lived
there until the present time. His home is an
elegant one, and well bespeaks his tastes.
Politically, he is an ardent Democrat, but in
local elections he always votes for the best
man regardless of party. Socially, he is a
member of the Knights of Columbus, also a
member of the Improved Order of Red Men.
In 1890 he was joined in matrimony with
Luella Nash, and two children have blessed
their happy home, — Harry William, and
Ethel Martha. During the short time Mr.
Lally has been a resident of Norwich, he has
gained a reputation as an honest, upright and
good citizen. He has led an active and ener
getic life, and his enterprising spirit has been
felt in all the movements to advance the busi
ness and social interests of the village.

"ipv AVID SHATTUCK is a resident
I— -j of Haynes, in the town of Nor-
r~^*mS wich, Chenango County, N. Y.
When a lad he attended No. 13 District
School of Norwich, and Oxford Academy,
which was at that time under the manage
ment of Prof. John Abbott. This was con
ceded to be one of the best schools of the
state, and the pupils who were desirous of
learning had no difficulty in obtaining a
good, practical education. Mr. Shattuck's
school days were well employed, and at their
close he returned home and assisted his
father until he became of age. He had been
desirous of engaging in railroad work, as it
had always held a sort of fascination for him,
and, having an opportunity to take a posi

tion with the Illinois Central R. R., he took
advantage of it, and began his career of rail
roading that was carried on for over a
quarter of a century. For two years he was
foreman for a contractor on the Midland R.
R. The O. & W. R. R. then secured his
services as conductor on a passenger train ;
he continued with this road for twenty years,
until 1891, during which time he ran over the
entire line and its branches. Mr. Shattuck
then concluded it was time for him to retire
from the road and take life more easily, and,
after severing his connection with the O. &
W. R. R., with whom he had been so long
engaged, he entered upon the life of a hotel
keeper, conducting most successfully the
Eagle Hotel at Norwich for three years and
six months. Not finding this work con
genial, however, he disposed of the hotel, and
for two years lived a life of leisure. Idleness
did not suit him as well as work, so in 1895
he took up his residence on the farm of 150
acres which he owns, the old Shattuck home
stead, where he is still living. He is a son of
John and Mary (Knapp) Shattuck, and was
born July 26, 1834, in the town of Norwich,
near what are known as the " old mineral
springs." The Shattuck family is German in its
origin ; about two hundred years ago we find
that members of the parent family left their
native country and took up their residence in
England. There they lived and multiplied,
and there the first known ancestor of our
subject, William Shattuck, was born. Hear
ing wonderful stories of the new country
across the ocean, he determined to risk his
fortunes on her shores, so embarked for

CHENANGO COUNTY

58i

America and located in Watertown, Mass.
One of his descendants, David Shattuck,
emigrated to the town ot Norwich, where he
purchased a large estate, now known as the
Shattuck farm, and at once built a log house
for his family and set about clearing the
land for cultivation. He had a family of
three sons ; the first died in infancy ; the
second was Leroy; and the third wa-s John,
the father of our subject. He was inclined
to be favorably disposed toward Democratic
principles. He was possessed of great
energy and determination, and was doing
much to smooth the pathway of those who
were to follow him, when he was cut down
by death while still a young man in years.
John Shattuck was born on the farm, and
during the early part of his life resided
there. After his marriage to Mary Knapp
he engaged in the saw mill business for a
short time, and then gave his attention to
farming. He purchased a farm of 150 acres,
upon which our subject now lives, where he
resided during the rest of his life. He en
gaged in dairying, and had the satisfaction of
knowing that his goods were second to none
on the market, while the Lyon Brook Cheese
Factory, which he established on his farm,
soon won a reputation all over the state for
the superior excellence of its products. It
also carried off the medal and diploma for
the best exhibits of cheese at the Centennial
Exposition at Philadelphia, in 1876. He was
thoroughly posted in all the details of the
dairy business, and was tendered the posi
tion of State Commissioner of the Centen
nial, to represent the United States dairy
business, but declined the honor on account

of poor health. He was a member of the
State Dairy Association, and was also closely
identified with the agricultural interests of
the state, being a member and several times
president of the Chenango Agricultural
Society. He had a wide acquaintance
throughout the state, and was most popular
wherever known. He was one of the con
tractors engaged in the building of the Che
nango Canal, and at one time was superin
tendent of it.
Mr. Shattuck was one of the main pro
moters of the New York and Oswego Mid
land R. R., now known as the New7 York,
Ontario and Western R. R. He was present
at the first meeting when the road was or
ganized, and was offered a directorship, but
declined, giving freely of his time, however,
to aid the interests of the new enterprise.
He spent a couple of years, rendering invalu
able assistance toward the promotion of the
road, securing the right of way for a large
portion and giving eight acres as right of
way through his farm.
Mr. and Mrs. Shattuck had but two chil
dren, David and Mary F. The latter, who is
now deceased, married Dr. Pier, a physician
of Scranton, Pa., who was prothonotary of
the county and generally prominent in polit
ical affairs. Dr. Pier was a native of Oxford,
this county. Mr. Shattuck served as captain
and afterwards as colonel of the state militia,
was a member of the Masonic Order and
also of the I. O. O. F. of Norwich. He was
a man greatly in advance of his day in intel
lectual ideas, high minded and ambitious, with
pronounced Democratic views. His friends
prevailed upon him twice to allow the use of

5«2

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

his name, once for sheriff and once for Mem
ber of Assembly, and he consented, although
there was no prospect of carrying the elec
tion, as their party was decidedly in the
minority. He was a great friend of educa
tion. His own education had been limited as
far as school-book learning went, but he was
a great reader, and, having a retentive mem
ory, he acquired a fund of varied and useful
knowledge which placed him among the
most intelligent and best posted men of his
time and district. However, he felt the draw
back that a lack of early schooling had been
to him, and never let slip an opportunity to
help along the cause of education. He was
a liberal contributor to the churches and to
the Liberal Institute, now known as the
Clinton Liberal Institute. He was an advo
cate of the Universalist Church, and contrib
uted with a liberal hand to the work of that
organization in Oxford. He had a good
command of language, and became quite a
prominent public speaker ; he was frequently
importuned to address public gatherings, and
was a familiar figure on the platform at agri
cultural, political, and other meetings where
his fearlessness and strength of expression,
and his intellectual vigor easily made him the
favorite of the day. He was a public bene
factor, and a most liberal dispenser of hospi
tality in his home.
David Shattuck, our subject, has been
twice married, his first wife being Harriet A.
Noble ; his second wife was Rachel A. Com
stock, a daughter of Abel Comstock, a real
estate dealer of Norwich. Three children
have been born to this union, and Mr. Shat
tuck has spared no expense to educate them

and fit them for honorable and useful posi
tions in life. The eldest, John David, is a
civil engineer, a graduate of Yale, class of
1 891, being one of twelve honor men out of a
class of ninety. He also took the post grad
uate course, and is at present holding the
responsible position of engineer of distribu
tion for the People's Gas & Coke Company
of Buffalo, N. Y. He married Frances
Fitch of Norwich, N. Y. The second child
is Harriet C, a graduate of Vassar, and at
present occupying the position of instructor
in the art department of Oxford Academy.
Edith M., the third and youngest, is still a
student in the Norwich High School. Mr.
Shattuck is a Democrat. He has been the
candidate of his party once for sheriff of the
county, and twice for Member of Assembly.
That he is a very popular man is shown from
the fact that he came within 36 votes
of being elected in a county that had 1,400
Republican majority. This was considered a
most complimentary vote. A few years ago
he was the conductor's candidate for rail
road commissioner, a state office paying a
salary of $8,000.00. The State Board of
Railroad Commissioners consists of three
members, whose duties are to arbitrate any
question that arises concerning the railroads
of the state, and to this office Mr. Shattuck
would undoubtedly have been chosen had it
not been deemed expedient to place the office
with an engineer, with the understanding
that the next encumbent should be chosen
from the ranks of the conductors. He is one
of the most prominent Masons of the state ;
is past high priest of Harmony Chapter, at
Norwich ; past commander of Norwich Com-

CHARLES G. MATHEWSON.

w^^%&

MRS. RACHEL L. MATHEWSON.

CHENANGO COUNTY

587

mandery, No. 46; and has taken all the de
grees from the Blue Lodge to that of Mystic
Shriner and Scottish Rite Mason, being a
member of the Ziyara Temple, at Utica,
N. Y., and also a member of the Grotto, at
Hamilton, of which Ex-Postmaster General,
Gen. James of New York City, was one of
the founders.

T^tHARLES G. MATHEWSON, who
I S< resides on the pleasant family home-
^^> . >-^ stead, in the town of Otselic, is
numbered among the enterprising, well-to-do
farmers, who have contributed so largely to
the growth and substantial prosperity of the
town. He was born in the town of Smyrna,
Chenango County, N. Y., November 18, 1836,
and is a son of George W. and Electa
(Isabel) Mathewson, and a grandson of Joseph
Mathewson. Joseph Mathewson was a na
tive of Connecticut, and located in the town
of Smyrna, Chenango County, N. Y., in
1805, being one of its pioneer settlers. He
was a skillful, clear-sighted, well-informed
farmer and business man, and was quite suc
cessful in speculations. He married Betsy
Allen, a native of Connecticut, and relative
of Ethan Allen, who so gallantly led the
Green Mountain Boys in the Revolutionary
War. They were the parents of nine chil
dren, namely : George W.; Mrs. Louisa
(Hills) ; Charles ; Mrs. D. Melissa (Carry) ;
Gardner ; Mrs. Corena (Howland) ; Mrs. Ju
lia (Tubbs) ; Mrs. Elizabeth (Stratton) ; and
James. All of the above are deceased but
Mrs. Hills.
George W. Mathewson was born in Con

necticut, July 2, 1807, and came to Smyrna
with his father. He learned the trade of a
wagonmaker, and worked at it a short time
in Smyrna, after which he became engaged
in a grist and saw mill. From there he
moved to Beaver Meadows, where he farmed
until 1866, when he bought the place upon
which our subject now lives. It is an excel
lent farm of 178 acres of excellent land, with
good buildings upon it. He married Electa
Isabel, a daughter of Seymour Isabel, a late
farmer of the town of Smyrna, and they be
came the parents of three children, whose
names are as follows : Charles G., our sub
ject ; Andrew, a farmer of the town of Linck
laen, this county ; and Sabina, who makes
her home with Charles G., our subject.
Charles G. Mathewson was reared on a
farm and received his education in the dis
trict schools of Smyrna. After attaining his
majority, he engaged in the grist and sawr
mill business at Smyrna, where he remained
for six or seven years ; he then learned the
trade of a blacksmith, at which trade he
worked for 20 years at different places. He
then engaged in the hotel business at Nor
wich, but only conducted his hostelry for
one year, when he traded it for a farm in the
town of Otselic. About 1883 he returned to
the old homestead, and to the original 178
acres he has added an adjoining tract of 90
acres, and another, close by, of 65 acres.
Like most of the farmers in the vicinity, he
makes a specialty of dairying, and it is car
ried on by the most improved methods. He
is by no means lacking in enterprise, and has
not been slow to adopt modern methods
where it seems best to use them.

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

April 4, 1 86 1, he married Rachel L.
Holmes, a daughter of David Holmes, and
they became the parents of three children :
Jennie, who died in girlhood ; Delos, who
also died in childhood ; and George A., who
is living at home. Mr. Mathewson is quite
prominent in social circles, and for the past
eight years has been treasurer of the South
Otselic Lodge, No. 659, F. & A. M. In po
litical belief, he is a Democrat.
Mr. and Mrs. Mathewson are held in the
very highest esteem in Otselic township, and
have many friends, throughout the county,
who will view with interest their portraits,
which appear on near-by pages, in connection
with the above biographical narrative.

TjpHRAIM LOOMIS is one of the hon-
J  ored residents of Smithville town
ship, and was reared in his native place when
the habitations were few and far between.
He has witnessed great changes, and has
watched the march of improvement and civ
ilization with genuine satisfaction, while at
the same time he has assisted materially in
the development and progress of his county
and community. His birthplace was in
Smithville, Chenango County, November 5,
1836. He is a son of Roman and Christina
(Smith) Loomis, and grandson of Ephraim
Loomis. The Loomis family is of Scotch and Eng
lish origin. The first family of that name
to locate in America settled in the New Ensr-
land States. The grandfather of our sub
ject, Ephraim Loomis, was a farmer in the

town of Torrington, Litchfield County,
Connecticut. Roman Loomis, the father of our subject,
was born in Torrington, Conn., September
4, 1800, and about 1825 came to Smithville,
and later married Christina Smith of Smith
ville, N. Y. He purchased a farm in Smith
ville, where he and his wife lived the rest of
their lives ; it consisted of a small tract of
land, situated two miles north of Smithville
Flats, which property he cleared and then
carried on farming, and as fast as his funds
increased he put his surplus capital into land,
and at the time of his death owned 189 acres,
an estate that ranked among the best farms
in the county. He passed from this life in
1880. He was a true Christian, and a mem
ber of the Baptist Church. Mrs. Christina
(Smith) Loomis was a daughter of Henry
Smith, one of the early settlers of Smithville.
To Mr. and Mrs. Loomis were born the fol
lowing children, namely : Lauren, deceased ;
Ephraim, subject of this personal history ;
Sarah Z., deceased; George; Uriah; Oliver;
Mariah ; and Mary. Lauren Loomis, de
ceased, lived in Minnesota, and during an
Indian uprising he and his wife were com
pelled to flee on horseback, during a hard
rain. They went to Henderson, a neighbor
ing town, where Mr. Loomis died from the
effects of a cold which he received in making
his escape. George Loomis was a success
ful farmer in Smithville Flats, and when he
heard the call for more troops to put down
the Rebellion, he enlisted in the army with
his brother, Ephraim, and remained through
out the war. Uriah Loomis was another of
the Loomis family to make his headquarters

CHENANGO COUNTY

589

in Smithville and to follow the occupation of
an agriculturist : his life history appears on
page 283 of this work. Oliver Loomis was
late a resident of Austin, Minn. Mary
Loomis is the widow of the late H. Skillman
of Smithville.
Ephraim Loomis received his elementary
training in the district schools of his native
town, and remained under the parental roof
until he attained his majority, when he
learned the trade of a carpenter and joiner,
which he followed for fifteen years. He then
bought a shop and followed the vocation of
a cabinet-maker until 1894. In January, 1864,
he accepted a Government position to go to
the south and build bridges. His work was
mainly in the States of Alabama and Tennes
see. On September 5, 1864, he enlisted in
Co. G, 185th Reg., N. Y. Vol. Inf., and was
discharged May 31, 1865. Flis regiment was
in the Army of the Potomac and took part in
all of its engagements ; it was in the thickest
of the battle known as Gravely Run ; was
in the battle of Five Forks, and when the
color bearer was killed the Colonel of the
regiment planted the flag staff in a pile of
sawdust. Our subject also took part in
the final engagement of Appomattox Court
House, which decided the surrender of Gen
eral Lee to Grant; during that fight Lieu
tenant Hiram Clark, a member of our sub
ject's company, was the last man -that was
killed in the Army of the Potomac. Mr.
Loomis is a member of the Col. Banks Post,
G A. R., of Greene, Chenango County.
Mr. Loomis has been twice married ; to
his first wife, Elsie A. Skillman, he was
joined in matrimony in November, 1862, and

they reared two children, Frankie and Elsie,
both of whom died in infancy. Mrs. Loomis
passed away May 31, 1867, at the age of
thirty-five years. September 4, 1871, he
married Cornelia Pease, daughter of Philip
Pease, a farmer of Smithville. Socially, he
is a member of the Eastern Light Lodge, No.
126, F. & A. M. of Greene; and is also a
member of the Greene Chapter No. 10. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Loomis are members of the
Ladies' Order of Easter Star Lodge, No.
135. Mr. Loomis is a full-blooded Republi
can, and earnestly supports his party and its
measures on all occasions. He is a repre
sentative farmer of his township, and is
highly respected among his neighbors for
his uprightness, intelligence and unfailing
courtesy.

B

E WITT C. CASE, one of the act
ive and energetic citizens of Sher
burne, N. Y., now engaged in the
life insurance business, was born in North
Norwich, this county, August 5, 1844. He
is a son of Albert and Sylvia (Randall) Case,
both born in the above town, and grandson
of Cyrus and Gertrude (Titus) Case. Cyrus
Case, who was of Scotch parentage, emi
grated to this country, and settled in the
State of Connecticut. Later he moved to
Chenango County, where he became ac
quainted with Gertrude Titus, whom he later
married. He bought 360 acres of land, where
his grandson, Randall A. Case, now lives,
built a substantial log house, and cleared a

59°

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

good portion of the land and otherwise got
it into shape for cultivation. He also built
the frame structure now standing, and at the
present time used as a storehouse. He was
one of the eminent men of the county, be
cause of his progressive methods of farming.
He retired to the village of North Norwich
and led a private life, dying at the age of
eighty-two. He was married three times.
By his first wife, whose name is not known,
he became the parent of one child, Warren,
now deceased. His second wife was Ger
trude Titus, and as a result of this union four
children were born to them : Chloe ; John W.;
Albert ; and Cyrus. His third wife's maiden
name was Roby Bryant, and they reared five
children: Reuben; Harriet; Russel ; Julia;
and Marcus.
Albert Case, our subject's father, was born
on the homestead, and his first start in life
was when he and his brother, John W.,
bought their father's farm, consisting of 360
acres. Later, Albert bought John's interest,
and immediately began to make many im
provements, building a fine house and a very
large, commodious barn. Mr. Case was very
successful in life, and succeeded in accumulat-
ing-a small fortune. He reared and educated
a very large family, as follows: Gertrude,
who taught school when she was fourteen
years of age ; Roxie L. ; Mary E. ; Sarah ;
Albert ; DeWitt ; Randall A. ; Cryus ; Emily,
who died aged two years ; and Emma L.
Mr. Case passed from this life at the age of
seventy-one years. Mrs. Case died aged
forty-six years. Upon the formation of the
Republican party our subject's father joined
the ranks, and remained with that political

organization until his death. Religiously, he
was a Universalist.
DeWitt C. Case received his primary edu
cation in the district schools, and later attend
ed Norwich Academy. Being the second
youngest son in the family, he remained with
his parents until after his marriage, when he
moved to the town of North Norwich and
opened a grocery store. Besides having the
trade of the village, he supplied the canal
boats with supplies for two years, when he
sold out and bought the old Dick Gorton
farm. He remained upon this farm for eight
years, during which time he made many im
provements, building an entirely new house.
He then traded this farm for 260 acres be
longing to G. Waters of Sherburne, and re
mained upon this estate, engaged in general
farming for five years. He eventually sold
this farm and bought a house in the village
of Sherburne, and for the succeeding seven
years he worked in a sash and blind factory.
He traded his village property for the Hec
tor Ross farm, where he rebuilt and remod
eled the buildings, and carried on farming
until 1896, when he rented the farm for a
term of years. He then moved back to the
village and bought the Dunham House, on
the corner of State and East Streets, which
is considered one of the best locations in the
town. He now devotes himself to life insur
ance, and has represented the Chenango
Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Oxford, N. Y.,
for the past two years, with very successful
results. Mr. Case has been married twice ; to his
first wife, Irene Foot, were born four chil
dren : Harriet L., who married John Howard

SCOTT B, LEWIS.

CHENANGO COUNTY

593

of Sherburne, and who is the mother of one
*. * cHildt Gertrude ; George V., a reporter on
; ' , " the New York Journal, married Jessie Lyon,
'and has'one child, Julia Irene ; Anna V. D.,
who married H. Y. Burlingham ; and Harry
Ev a granite cutter of Utica, N. Y. Mrs.
Case' was forty-four yeais of age at her
death. He was joined" in wedlock the sec
ond time to Louise M. Wheeler of Water
ville, and they have reared two children,
Amy L. ; and Ruth M. Politically, Mr. Case
is a stanch Democrat. He is a member of
the Sherburne Lodge, F.&A. M., No. 444,
. in which he is a devoted worker, and' has
filled many offices. Mr. Case is very liberal
in his religious views. He is an energetic
and thorough business man, and commands
the respect of all who know him.

COTT B. LEWIS, whose portrait
is shown on the opposite .page, is
without question the most widely
known citizen of New- Berlin township, Che
nango County, N. Y. He is.a comparatively
young man, but his life has been crowded
with events of importance, which have fol
lowed one another in close succession. His
fair reputation is known not only throughout'
the entire central part of the Empire State,
but his connection with vital human interests
has given him a state-wide fame. He is a
son of Henry and Eliza (Hall) Lewis, and
was born in the town of Morris, Otsego
County, N. Y, April 14, 1857.
Nathaniel Lewis, grandfather of our sub
ject, came from the State of Massachusetts

in 1800, and located in the town of Morris.
The early part of his life was identified with
the medical circles of Chenango County as a
regular practitioner, but later he turned his
attention toward the tilling of. the soil. He
passed from this life in 1859,- aged eighty
years. ,He was the father of eight children.
"Herfty Lewis5 the father of our subject,
-was born .in the town of M.orris, Otsego
County; N: Y." 18 14, an.d died in the town of
-Butternuts in 1886. The most of his life was
spent on; the" old homestead, where he was
engaged in the pursuits of an agriculturist.
Mr. Lewis, was formerly, an old time Whig,
but upon the organization of the Republican
party, he became identified. with that political
powerjand remained with it until the time
of his death. Religiously, he was a Free Will
Baptist and held many offices in that church.
He was united, in marriage with Eliza Hall,
and they reared nine children.
Scott B. Lewis received his elementary
education in the South New Berlin Union
School, and , at the -age of twenty years he
engaged „ in the mercantile business. He
formed a partnership with Oliver Angell, and
for the first two years the firm name was
Lewis & Angell. He then bought out the
interests of his partner, Mr. Angell, and con
ducted the business alone for the succeeding
thirteen years. In. 1892 he began to specu
late in live stock and produce, and has built
up a very large, successful business.
He formed a matrimonial alliance with
Sarah A. Babcock, daughter of Chancellor
H. Babcock, and thgy were happily wedded
January 2, 1*881. Laura is the only child
that has blessed their union. Mr. Lewis is a

594

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

Republican in politics, with his convictions
as deeply settled and fixed as his father's
ideas of freedom. He believes in true Re
publicanism, not the party spirit which actu
ates men to do the bidding of some self-consti
tuted leader who has no claim on their
support except it is by his own unblushing
audacity or willingness to perform actions
that a true man would be ashamed of. The
kind of Republicanism that Mr. Lewis loves
is the kind whose banner John C. Fremont
dared carry ; that honest " Abe " Lincoln pro
claimed ; that to-day William McKinley rep
resents. To Mr. Lewis's mind a free-born
American's right of suffrage is his dearest
possession. A citizen should vote with a
clear idea behind his ballot of what he wants
that ballot to do. Men, who are leaders,
should have won the right to lead by having
performed actions entitling them to leader
ship. He is in a position to know the cor
rectness of the stand he takes, for his experi
ence in politics has been life-long. He has
been supervisor of New Berlin two terms ;
has been justice of the peace since 1893 ; and
in 1893 he was elected commissioner of high
ways for a term of three years. He is presi
dent and manager of the South New Berlin
Water Co., and was one of the organizers, in
1897; and is treasurer and a director of the
South New Berlin Gas Co., of which he was
one of the chief promoters in 1896. Socially
he is a member of the Phoebus Lodge, No.
82, F. & A. M.; Harmony Chapter, No. 42,
R. A. M.; Norwich Commandery, No. 46,
Knight Templars ; and Winnebago Tribe,
No. 362, I. O. R. M., of New Berlin. Re
ligiously, he is a member of the Methodist

Church of which he is a trustee. The man
ner in which Mr. Lewis has executed the
responsibilities of the trusts that have de
volved upon him proves the genuineness of
his integrity and the justice of the reputa
tion he has earned for energy and executive
ability, as well as probity and unswerving
rectitude.

^VT\ATTHEW BUTLER LUD1NG-
t= I =J TON is a farmer of North Nor-
j4 -*-? \^ wich, Chenango County, and
was one of the first to answer to the call of
his country, cheerfully giving three and
a half of the best years of his life to her
service, and taking part in some of the fiercest
engagements of the Civil War. He was at
one time a prominent instructor of the
county. He is a son of James Stewart and
Volina (Butler) Ludington, and was born
July 15, 1826, at Salisbury, Herkimer
County, N. Y.
Nathaniel Ludington, the grandfather,
who was of Scotch and English ancestry,
lived in Stonington, Conn. He came with
part of his family to this state and settled in
the town of Warren, Herkimer County,
where he owned a farm and conducted a
tavern on the Erie Canal. He was a Henry
Clay Whig. His family consisted of twelve
children: Nathaniel; Harley ; James Stew
art ; William ; Phillip ; Moses ; Eunice ;
Polly ; Patty ; Sally ; Betsy ; and one other.
James Stewart Ludington was born in
Herkimer County, and educated in the dis
trict schools. He was a man of large intel-

CHENANGO COUNTY

595

lect and a strong Anti-Slavery advocate. He
was quite a public speaker, often held de
bates, and in the year when James G. Birney
made his run for the Presidency, Mr. Lud
ington made a canvass of the country, agitat
ing the Anti-Slavery question, and was noted
for the fearlessness and strength of his utter
ances. Apart from his political activity, he
was a prominent member of the Baptist
Church and opposed to secret societies. He
married Volina Butler, and raised a family
of three children, viz: James S., Jr., who
was a graduate of the Albany State Normal
School, and taught several years, subse
quently embarking in the lumber and mer
cantile business, — he first resided in this
county and afterwards in New York City,
where he died ; the second son was Matthew
Butler, our subject ; and the youngest was
Elizabeth Hunt, deceased. The father died
November 13, 1866, at the age of seventy-one
years. Matthew Butler Ludington was a diligent
scholar and received a good education in
the district schools and later in Norwich
Academy. He was most assiduous in his
efforts at self-improvement, and came to be
classed among the foremost instructors of
the county. He was a teacher for twenty
years, until he entered the late war. His
vacations were employed in his brother's
stores at Plymouth and Pitcher, and he after
wards took the management of one of the
stores belonging to his brother, at Columbus
Center, where he remained until 1862. On
October 13, 1862, he was mustered in as First
Lieut, of Co. K., 161st Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf.,
19th Army Corps, Gulf Dept., under Gen.

Banks, and was mustered out at Tallahassee,
Florida, November 12, 1865. They landed
at Baton Rouge and took part in the engage
ments that were fought on the Mississippi
and Red rivers. He was at the battle of
Port Hudson, and at the taking of Mobile.
He was then made quartermaster of the
commissary department stationed at Key
West, Florida, where he remained until
November 12, 1865. He was relieved from
duty and mustered out in November, 1865,
as Captain, having been promoted to that
position March 8, 1865. After returning
home he engaged in farming for a short time,
when he accepted a position as postal
clerk, serving ten years on the Ontario and
Western R. R., seven years of which was
between Norwich and Oswego, and three
years between New York and Oneida. He
continued in the postal service for ten years,
and then once more gave his attention to the
work of farming. He owns a nice little farm
where he lives, which consists of 30 acres,
and a piece of woodland of 5 acres, and is
pleasantly and comfortably situated.
Mr. Ludington married J. Louise An
thony, a daughter of Stephen Anthony, and
to this marriage one child was born, Everett.
Both mother and child were removed to the
better world ; the son in early childhood and
the mother but three years after her mar
riage. Mr. Ludington then once more
entered the matrimonial state, the bride
being Sophia J. Paul, a daughter of Alfred
Paul, a farmer of North Norwich. They
were the parents of seven children : Ella,
Willie, and Cora died in childhood ; the next
two were twins, who died when a tew days of

596

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

age; Charles G., who is in New York City;
and Herbert C, who is an operator and sta
tion agent on the O. and W. R. R. at Central
Square, Oswego County. Herbert C. Lud
ington graduated from the Norwich High
School in 1894, and taught school for several
years. Mr. Ludington is a Republican and
cast his vote for John C. Fremont; his first
vote being for Zachary Taylor. He has held
several town offices ; was town superintend
ent of schools at one time, also served as
town clerk, was supervisor one term, and has
held the office of justice of the peace for the
past twenty years, and is still serving in that
capacity. He was county school commis
sioner for nine years, and assisted in the
organization of the Union High School at
Norwich, and also at Sherburne. He was a
member of the Good Templars Lodge,
when that lodge was in existence, and is an
advocate and liberal supporter of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church. He is an amiable
and accomplished gentleman, with engaging
manners and a kindly nature that treasures
few resentments, and takes pleasure in bene
fiting others.

JB

ELOSS WHEELER, a prominent
and well-to-do farmer of Norwich,
is a son of James and Eliza J.
(Handy) Wheeler, and was born July 4, 1844.
The original ancestor of this family came
from Rhode Island and settled in Madison
County, N. Y.
James Wheeler, the father of our subject,
was born in Clinton, Madison County, and

early in life moved to the town of New Ber
lin, where he followed the vocation of an
agriculturist. Politically, Mr. Wheeler was
always an unswerving Democrat. He was
united in marriage with Eliza J. Handy, and
as a result of this union, three children were
born to them, as follows : Deloss, the sub
ject of this personal history ; Cyrus, a suc
cessful farmer and a resident of the town of
Norwich ; and George, who operates a saw
and planing mill in Norwich, and deals exten-'
sively in lumber.
Deloss Wheeler was thrown entirely upon
his own resources at the early age of seven
years ; self-educated and self-made, he has
shown what a brave and determined spirit
can do in battling for recognition in the
world. The doubts, difficulties and impedi
ments were each in turn overcome, and Mr.
Wheeler stands to-day a representative of
the most enterprising men of the county.
He lived with Thomas E. Lewis, a farmer of
the town of Sherburne, and remained with
him until that gentleman moved to Norwich,
when our subject left his employ, and for
nine years worked on neighboring farms by
the month. He then moved to the town of
Plymouth, and rented a farm of 234 acres,
where he engaged in farming on his own ac
count. After spending eight years upon this
farm he moved to the town of North Nor
wich, where for seven years he followed gen
eral farming. March 1, 1 891, he rented the
present farm for one year, after which he
purchased it. The farm is a part of the old
Barber homestead, and consists of 170 acres
of highly cultivated land. In connection
with farming he runs a dairy, and has his

CHENANGO COUNTY

597

farm .stocked with some thirty head of fine
cattle. Mr. Wheeler married Flora Barber, Feb
ruary 19, 1875. She is a daughter of Benja
min Barber, a native of Rhode Island, and
a successful and enterprising farmer of Nor
wich, who at his death in 1880 left an estate
of 400 acres of land. In political views, Mr.
Wheeler is an avowed Republican. He was
formerly a member of the Good Templars,
and an active worker in the local grange of
the Patrons of Husbandry.

JB

R. JAMES B. NOYES is a man of
prominence in New Berlin, Che
nango County, not only as a phy
sician, but also in political and social circles.
He was born in the village of Norwich, De
cember 19, 1853, and is a son of Thomas J.
and Ellen G. (Hale) Noyes.
The family is of English extraction, and is
one of the oldest in the county. His grand
father was John Noyes, who for many years
owned and lived upon what is now the coun
ty poor farm, in the town of Preston. He
followed that ancient and most honorable of
all callings, farming.
Thomas J. Noyes was born in Preston,
December 3, 181 1, where he was reared on
the farm. There he grew to manhood, and
in 1847 he went to Brockport, and later took
up his residence in Norwich. While in
Brockport he conducted a general merchan
dise store, but upon coming to Norwich he
engaged in the hotel business. He conduct
ed the Midland Hotel for a number of years,

and it was a very popular hostelry. When
it burned down in 1872, he decided not to
rebuild, and has since lived a retired life. In
political affairs, he took an active interest, but
never held office, for he was content to lead
the life of a private citizen. Mr. Noyes was
originally and until recent years a decided
Democrat, but objecting to some of the
planks in the Chicago Platform of 1896, he
is inclined to be independent in his views
and actions. John Noyes, deceased, the un
cle of our subject, was one of the most prom
inent politicians in Central New York, when
the State of New York was divided into four
senatorial districts, South, East, Middle and
West. For five years he represented the
Middle District in the State Senate. Thomas
J. Noyes was united in marriage with Ellen
G. Hale, and they became the parents of
three children, namely : Clara P., who makes
her home in Norwich ; James B., the subject
of these lines ; and Nellie D., whose death
occurred in 1895. Mrs. Noyes passed to her
eternal reward in 1893. Although nearly
eighty-seven years of age, Mr. Noyes enjoys
good health and looks to be a man many
years younger.
Dr. James B. Noyes, after completing his
course in Norwich Academy, was employed
for two years in the drug store of George E.
Hawley of Norwich. In 1872, he began the
study of medicine with Dr. George W.
Avery, remaining with him one year. He
then took a two years' course in Bellevue
Hospital Medical College of New York
City, graduating in March, 1875. He then
located at New Berlin, where he has prac
ticed since. Having graduated from one of

598

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

the best medical schools there is in the coun
try, he is capable of treating the most com
plicated cases, and he soon made a reputation
in the vicinity of New Berlin as a skilled
physician. He has a true sense of profes
sional honor and is always fair in his treat
ment of competitors.
His companion in life is Florence E. Fox, a
daughter of Joseph K. Fox, editor of The
New Berlin Gazette, to whom he was mar
ried April 25, 1883. Two children were born
to them, namely : Grace Edna ; and Henry
F. Dr. Noyes is a member of the Chenango
County Medical Society, and officiated as
president one term ; he also belongs to the
State Medical Association. In politics he is
a Democrat of the old school. He has been
a delegate to county, district and state con
ventions. He has been candidate tor coroner
and Member of Assembly. Dr. Noyes is a
young physician of fine attainments and
thorough culture, and comes of a family
noted for ability and energy, and he is no
exception to the established records of the
family.

(s7rAR(
frX w(

ARON M. LATHROP, one of the
/ealthy, retired business men of
Bennettsville, Bainbridge town
ship, is a son of Levi and Patience (Rowley)
Lathrop, and was born November 1, 1829, in
Unadilla, Otsego County, N. Y. His great
grandfather was a minute-man in the Revo
lutionary War, enlisting from New York and
giving his life in the service of his country
at Saratoga.

Elisha Lathrop, the grandfather, was born
near Albany, but grew to young manhood in
Norwich, Conn. When he was nineteen
years old he came to this state, locating on
Sand Hill Creek, Otsego County, where he
secured a tract of woodland and at once set
about clearing it. When this was accom
plished he had a fine farm of 300 acres, where
he lived and was buried, when dissolution fin
ally occurred at the extreme old age of
ninety-two years. His mother was Susan
nah Gates, a first cousin of General Gates.
Levi Lathrop was born on the paternal
acres in 1793, and was reared and educated
in Otsego County, dying at the age of sixty-
eight. His life was spent in farming and in
working at the trade of a cooper. He owned
a cooper shop and did quite a large business.
He was well posted in the politics of the day,
and voted with the Whig and Republican
parties. Fie was twice married, his first wife
being Patience Rowley, by whom he had
eight sons and four daughters. After her
death he married Phoebe Halbert, and to
them was born one child, a daughter. The
maternal grandfather of Aaron M. Lathrop
was Seth Rowley, a native of the town of
Rowley, situated about forty miles north of
Boston, in Essex County, Mass.; he entered
the Revolutionary War and served through
the entire war as captain. He was a farmer,
and settled at the mouth of Otego Creek,
where he died.
Aaron M. Lathrop received his education
in the common schools, and has since added
to his stock of knowledge continually by
reading and intelligent observation. He is a
great reader, and keeps abreast the times in

CHENANGO COUNTY

599

all matters of importance. When a lad he
learned the trade of a cooper in his father's
shop, where he worked until he reached the
age of twenty-one, when he went to Oxford,
Chenango County, where he went into the
cooperage business on his own account. He
remained there for fifteen years, removing in
1865 to Bennettsville, and working at the
trade there for another twenty years. He
has not been engaged in business since 1885,
having accumulated considerable means,
which enables him to live a life of compara
tive ease. He was one of two persons who
issued the first call which resulted in the or
ganization of the Republican party of Che
nango County ; the other man being Isaac
H. Pendleton. Mr. Lathrop has never been
an aspirant for official honors, for his wish
has been always to see good, responsible men
in office, and he has been modest in having
his name used in connection with public office.
He entered the "Civil War in August, 1863,
as a private in the 146th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf.,
and served until March 15, 1864, taking part
in several engagements ; the most important
were : the battles at Rappahannock Station
in October, 1863; the explosion of the mine
at Richmond ; and the battle of the Wilder
ness. He is a member of the H. H. Beecher
Post, No. 582, G. A. R., and has many excit
ing adventures to relate concerning the time
spent in the service of his country. He is a
stockholder in the First National Bank of
Binghamton, and is an honest, upright gen
tleman. He was married January 1, i86i,to
Mariet Crane, a daughter of Simeon Crane
of Sanford, Broome County, this state. Their
only child, Laura, died in childhood.
28*

HILANDER H. LOOMIS. Among
the notable business men of West
Bainbridge is the enterprising and
respected gentleman whose name heads this
sketch. He was born November 21, 1830, in
the picturesque old house in which he still
resides, and which was purchased by his
father about nine years previous to our sub
ject's birth. He is a son of Philander and
Phoebe (Herrick) Loomis, who were resi
dents of this county for over half a century.
Philander Loomis, our subject's father, was
born in Franklin, Delaware County, N. Y.,
December 10, 1799, and died June 3, 1882.
In 1 82 1 he came to this county and purchased
50 acres of ground, upon which he made his
home, while he carried on his trade, that of a
carpenter and joiner, while at the same time
he cultivated the land, making it one of the
most desirable homes in that locality. He
was a public-spirited man and showed an in
terest in all the local events ; was at one time
captain of a military company, and an enthu
siastic Whig, and later a Republican. He
married Phoebe Herrick, and seven children
were born to them, as follows : Alonzo ;
Samuel; Elizabeth; Philander H. ; Andrew,
who died while young ; Joseph, deceased ;
and Phoebe Ann.
Philander H. Loomis received a good com
mon school education and then started on his
career as a farmer, while during the long,
cold winters he engaged in the lumber busi
ness. This arrangement he continued for sev
eral years, when he discontinued the work
of a lumberman and opened a general store,
which he has operated for the past seven
years. This is operated under the theory

6oo

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

that his customers are deserving of the best
goods and most considerate treatment, and
the large trade he has secured proves the
correctness of his views. At one time he
was connected with a large music house,
having his headquarters here ; for six years
he represented this firm upon the road, be
ing classed among the best traveling sales
men, while his reputation for honest dealing
and high moral character was without a
question. He is one of the most influential
and prominent members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, in which he has held vari
ous offices. Mr. Loomis was married in
March, 1852, to Eleanor Janette Barber, a
daughter of Alonzo N. and Rosanna K.
(Greene) Barber. Her father was born in
the town of Afton, this county, January 11,
1813; her mother was born January 12, 1815,
and died November 6, 1882. Her maternal
grandfather was John K. S. Greene, a resi
dent of New Canaan, Conn., and among the
first settlers in the town of Afton. Mrs.
Loomis was born April 4, 1835, and is the
only one of her family surviving. Mr. and
Mrs. Loomis are the parents of one child, a
daughter, Ellen Ann, born September 6, 1855,
the wife of Charles G. Norton.
Charles G. Norton stands high in the com
munity in which he lives. Born July 31,
185 1, in the town of North Norwich, he re
moved with his parents to Sherburne Falls,
where he grew to manhood, and entered the
large army of men who make their living by
the cultivation of the soil. He became a
first-class farmer, and also learned the trade
of a blacksmith, which he carried on in con
nection with farming. So constantly were

his services required at the forge, that he
gave up farming after coming to Bainbridge,
and devotes his entire time to the work of
his shop. He is connected in some way with
most of the local affairs of Bainbridge, and is
an active politician, working hard for the suc
cess of the Republican party. He is at pres
ent highway commissioner, an office he has
held continuously for five years past; for
three or four years he was poormaster, re
ceiving much commendation for the manner
in which he discharged the duties devolving
upon him. He also served as constable, and
was a member of the Republican County
Committee. He is connected with the Sus
quehanna Lodge, No. 167, F. & A. M.; and is
a member of the Improved Order of Red
Men of Bainbridge. He is an earnest w"orker
in the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which
organization he is a member. He is a son of
John G. and Cecelia (Leonard) Norton, and
a grandson of Miles Norton, a farmer of Sher
burne. Mr. Norton was one of a family of
seven children, as follows : Alice, the wife of
William McMillan, the proprietor of a large
flouring mill in Michigan ; Harriet E., de
ceased, the wife of Nelson Ireland of Bing
hamton; John W., a blacksmith living in
Michigan ; Charles G. ; David L., a farmer
residing in Columbus; Ida, who died in i860;
and Emma, who died March 15, 1861, aged
three years.
John Gilbert Norton, the father of Charles
G. Norton, was a man of admirable nerve
and possessed of great courage. In Novem
ber, 1863, he entered the Civil War as a
member of the Ironside Regiment, and re
ceived a serious wound in one of the battles in

CHENANGO COUNTY

601

which he was engaged. In speaking of this
encounter, one of the prominent papers pays
him this tribute : " Gilbert Norton was a man
of iron frame, slow to move, always good
natured, but with the grit of a bulldog
imaged on his face. He was one of the last
to yield, and this he did not do, although
covered by three Confederate rifles, until,
shielding himself behind a hogshead, he laid
one of the riflemen low. Before he could re
load for the others they rushed upon him
and disarmed him, demanding his surrender.
Even then he refused, and was immediately
knocked down by a clubbed musket, when
one of the enemy, placing a foot upon him,
plunged a bayonet sheer through his body
and into the ground under him. The bay
onet was so rusty that it was only with con
siderable effort that the man wielding it could
withdraw it. He raised it for the second
thrust; then for the first time the old soldier
cried ' enough.' The upraised arm was
stayed, and the desperately wounded man
managed to crawl to a building a short dis
tance away, where the Confederate surgeon
was attending to the wounded, and was
cared for by him. ' You don't stand more
than one chance in one thousand of living,
though,' said the surgeon, when he looked at
him. The wound was in the region of the
small of the back, from side to side. Strange
to say, he did not die, but recovered suffi
ciently to return on crutches to Sherburne,
N. Y., his home, where he finally died of the
wound after carrying it nine years. He
never walked without crutches after that
fearful bayonet thrust."
Mrs. Charles G. Norton was for many

years a prominent music teacher in Bain
bridge, and was a pupil of S. N. Copley of
Bainbridge, and Miss Ida Goodrich of New
York City. At one time she had a class of
25 students, and is considered one of the fin
est musicians in Chenango County. She also
played in the choir at the M. E. Church at
Union Valley for 25 years, and until 1893,
but had to relinquish the position on account
of failing health.

JB

R. CHARLES M. PURDY. This
cultured and learned gentleman,
whose talents and superior natural
ability were given during his long profes
sional career to the relieving of pain, and to
the caring for of those who were brought into
dire straits of sickness by inimical diseases,
was at one time the leading practitioner of
Chenango County, but is now living in retire
ment in the village of Norwich. He is a son
of Judge Smith M. and Prudence (Gates)
Purdy, and was born in the village of Sher
burne, N. Y., August 16, 1824.
Abner Purdy, the grandfather of our sub
ject, came from Westchester County, N. Y.,
to Chenango County, locating near Chenango
Lake, or North Norwich. He took up 300
acres of land, now owned by Isaac Perlee,
upon which he built a log house, and cleared a
large farm. Later he erected good frame build
ings on the place, made other improvements,
and made it one of the most desirable farms
in that section of the country. Prior to com
ing to Chenango County, he owned and
operated the mills at Amenia, N. Y., which

6o2

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

are now owned by the Guernseys. His wife's
maiden name was Fisher, and they reared
the following children : Smith M. ; Abner ;
Daniel ; Hannah, who was married to Steph
en Merritt; Tammy, who married Amnion
Merritt ; Anor, whose husband was a Mr.
Stevens ; Mrs. Saxton ; Mrs. Ferris ; and five
who died in early life. Mr. and Mrs. Purdy
were kind neighbors and good citizens, and
both lived to reach an advanced age. Mrs.
Purdy had almost reached the century mark
when called to her eternal reward.
Judge Smith M. Purdy was one of the
ablest and best known attorneys Chenango
County has ever known. After taking a
thorough course of study in the academy at.
Norwich, he spent some time in the study of
law with Judge Birdsall. He then went to
Sherburne, N. Y., where he practiced for a
short time. Upon returning to Norwich, he
was associated with Abial Cook for one year,
and then was in practice alone. He rapidly
rose before the people, both in his profession
and in the field of politics, to which he was no
stranger. Fie was a man of high attainments
and varied accomplishments. He was a lead
ing factor in the political affairs of the coun
ty, and was made county surrogate by the
Democratic party. ITe was also prevailed
upon to accept the nomination for Congress
man. He was duly elected, and served his
constituents in a manner that won their
hearty plaudits, and added to the honor and
esteem in which he had always been held.
While a judge of the Supreme Court his
health failed and he was forced to retire. He
purchased a small farm known as the Homer
Johnson place, and moved into the country.

When his health was completely restored, he
returned to the village and purchased the
Judge York homestead, where our subject
now lives. For keen judgment, either in
politics or in business, he was unexcelled.
The Chenango County Bank was placed in
his charge, and he successfully directed its
business policy for several years. He was
one of the most popular men of his clay, and
as an adviser was much sought, his counsel
having the pleasant feature about it, that it
could always be relied upon. Being a ready
speaker, and the possessor of a mine of infor
mation, he was never worsted in a political
debate or argument. No social gathering
was so complete as when he was present.
He was extremely active, of a cheery, genial
disposition, and had warm friends by the
hundreds, wherever he was known. He was
united in marriage with Prudence Gates, a
daughter of Newman Gates, and two children
were born to them, Charles M., our subject,
being the only one to reach maturity. Judge
Purdy died in 1870, at the age of seventy-
four years.
Dr. Charles M. Purdy, after completing
his elementary education in the academies at
Oxford and Norwich, studied medicine with
Dr. Baker, and attended the Medical College
at Albany. He was taken sick and obliged
to give up his studies for a time. However,
preferring the profession of medicine to that
of any other vocation, he directed his studies
in that direction so assiduously that he was
enabled to graduate with the class of 1847.
ITe then practiced one year with Dr. Baker
of Norwich, after which he continued alone.
It was not long before his skill as a physician

CHENANGO COUNTY.

603

became known. He rapidly grew in the
confidence of the people, and soon possessed
an enviable reputation. He stands high as a
member of the medical fraternity, and is
highly respected as a man of enterprise, who
has been remarkably successful in his efforts.
Dr. Purdy has lived in retirement since 1890,
and enjoys the prestige he gained by many
years of almost incessant work. His valu
able advice is still sought by many and will
be as long as he is able to give it. He has spent
time and money in fixing up the old home
stead, and is rewarded by having one of the
most beautiful residences in the village.
Dr. Purdy has twice been joined in the
holy bonds of wedlock. His first wife was
formerly Mary Grant, a daughter of Prentice
Grant, and they reared two children : Cath
erine, deceased, who was the wife of Charles
F. Hall, by whom she had one son, Franklin
W.; and Julia, who married Charles Berry, a
reporter and printer of Syracuse, and they
had one son, Ansel P Mrs. Baker died in
1888, at the age of sixty -two years. Our sub
ject's second marriage was with Julia Hall, a
daughter of Warren and Arthusa (Rogers)
Hall. Her grandfather was Warren Hall,
Sr., who was one of the earliest settlers of
the county. He came from Stonington,
Conn., and settled in Pharsalia, where he
farmed and worked at the carpenter trade.
He was united in marriage with Elsie Minor,
and they reared the following children :
Warren ; Charles M. ; William ; Eunice ;
Martha; and Nancy. Warren Hall, the fath
er of Mrs. Purdy, was born in Stonington,
Conn., and after coming to this county became
a dealer in live stock. He was one of the largest

drovers of his day, buying cattle and sheep
and driving them to New York City to mar
ket. He purchased a large farm on West
Hill in the town of Norwich, where his son,
Warren Hall, now lives. He retired several
years before his death, which occurred in
1877. His wife still survives him and is past
eighty-four years of age. His wife's maiden
name was Arthusa Rogers, and she is a
daughter of Eber Rogers. They were the
parents of three children: Charles F.; Julia,
the wife of our subject ; and Warren.
Charles F. Hall, who married our subject's
daughter, Catherine, was born in the town
of Norwich. At an early age he became
manager of the Howe Sewing Machine Co.,
and acted in that capacity for six years. He
then went to Buffalo, N. Y., where he manu
factured the English Leather Sewing Ma
chine for three years. He sold out in 1883,
and located at Norfolk, Va., and became one
of the firm of Walters & Co., operators ot a
large peanut factory, which employed 150
men, and did an annual business of $863,000.
In 1886, he gave up the business and pur
chased the Southern Hotel at Petersburg,
Va. He rebuilt it and made many improve
ments, and now rents it. He then went to
Evansville, Ind., where he built a large pea
nut factory and operated it until 1896, and is
now living a retired life. Dr. Purdy is a
Democrat in his political belief, and votes
uniformly and conscientiously with his party.
Socially, he is a member of the Chenango
County Medical Association. Although his
active career is now closed, his is the satis
faction of looking back over years of useful
ness and thrilling incidents, such as occur

604

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

only when the human life hangs in the bal
ance, and his privilege of being regarded as
a personal benefactor by numberless friends
whom his skill has helped in some way or
other.

LfRANK E. HOLMES, organizer of the
L (s Preferred Mutual Fire Insurance Com
pany, located in the village of New Berlin,
and one of the popular and respected citizens
of that place, holding the position of post
master, was born in the town of Columbus,
this county, October 22, 1863. He is a son of
Isaac and Louisa (Lottridge) Holmes, and
grandson of Gilbert Holmes.
Gilbert Holmes was a son of Isaac Holmes,
a native of Dutchess County, who came to
Columbus in 1802, and was one of the early
pioneer settlers of this county. At that time
the land was wild' and rough, and required
an outlay of incessant labor and energy to fit
it for becoming productive of the commodi
ties necessary for consumption and the mar
kets. From its wild and primitive condition,
he lived to see a prosperous community
grow up around him, and the march of civil
ization not only overtaking him from the
East, but in the course of time passing far
beyond to the West. He was well fitted for
the duties and obligations of a pioneer, for
upon the men who first made settlement in
this wild country depended the extent and
rapidity of its growth and progress. He
industriously labored to improve the farm,
and increased his acreage as time progressed
and his means permitted. The location

proved a fortunate one, and the farm is now
surrounded by other fine farms and all the
evidences of modern thrift and luxury. In
addition to raising cereals, Isaac Holmes
conducted a hotel. Gilbert Holmes came
with his family to Columbus and lived there
all his life. He died in 1846, at the age of
forty-four years, being killed by a falling
tree. He was a distiller by occupation. He
married Nancy Finch, and they reared three
children: Isaac, father of our subject; Mrs.
Arnold, deceased ; and Melle, wife of Henry
Lewis of New Berlin. Mr. Holmes has
three brothers who survive him : Charles,
aged ninety ; Piatt, aged seventy-five ; and
Henry, aged eighty-four years. They possess
strong constitutions, and in their prime were
men of great physical strength and un
doubted courage, true types of that pioneer
class who are rapidly passing away.
Isaac Holmes was born in New Berlin in
1829, but spent most of his life in Columbus,
where he was engaged in working at cooper
ing and farming. He followed coopering for
twenty years, and was considered an excellent
workman, and then took up farming and fol
lowed that line of business until 1873, when
he moved to the village of New Berlin and
lived in retirement. He married Louisa
Lottridge, daughter of William Lottridge,
who was a Baptist minister, but later in
life became a preacher in the Universalist
Church at Columbus. He was also a farmer
and was the father of sixteen children. To
Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were born three chil
dren, namely : J. G. of Norwich, an attor-
ney-at-law and clerk of Chenango County ;
Charles A., a prominent jeweler of New

CHENANGO COUNTY

605

Berlin ; and Frank E., our subject. Mrs.
Holmes died in 1872, aged thirty-six years.
Frank E. Flolmes received his elementary
education in the New Berlin Academy, and
at the age of fifteen he began the study of
music, and in 1881 went to Port Henry,
N. Y., where he was engaged in band and
orchestra work, and furnished music at sum
mer resorts in the Adirondacks for four
seasons. He also clerked in the postoffice.
In 1883 he went to Boston, Mass., and com
pleted his musical education in the New
England Conservatory of Music. While
there he had a position in the leading orches
tra under the leadership of E. N. Catlin, and
upon completing his education, in 1884, he
went to Minneapolis, and in partnership with
T. B. Brooke conducted a band and orches
tra. Brooke is now leader of the famous
Chicago Marine Band. In 1885 Mr. Holmes
moved to Port Henry, N. Y., and superin
tended the Telephone Company. In 1887 he
returned to New Berlin and entered into
partnership with S. L. Morgan under the
firm name of Morgan & Holmes, and engaged
in the fire insurance business, continuing
until 1890, when Mr. Morgan died, and Mr.
Holmes continued alone until July, 1896,
when he sold the agency and organized the
Preferred Mutual Fire Insurance Company,
of which he is secretary ; I. L. Richer, presi
dent ; and A. D- Sprague, treasurer. They
do a- large business in five counties, have
twenty-one agents and have one and a half
million dollars' worth of insurance in force.
Mr. Holmes is an ardent Republican, and
votes to uphold the principles of his chosen
party. In 1898 he was appointed postmaster

of New Berlin without opposition, which
speaks well for his popularity and the high
esteem in which he is held. He is a member
of Phoebus Lodge, No. 82, F. & A. M.; Hil-
lington Chapter, No. 224, R. A. M.; and Nor
wich Commandery, No. 46, Knight Tem
plars. He chose for his life companion Cora A.
Jones, daughter of Fred Jones, and they
were happily married August 13, 1889. Mr.
Holmes is a careful, conscientious and thor
oughly enterprising business man. He is a
pleasant and genial companion, hospitable in
his home and highly esteemed throughout
the community. His reliable work and
straightforward manner of doing business
have attracted to him hosts of friends and
patrons. He occupies an enviable position
in the community, and is fulfilling at all
points the duties of an honest man and good
citizen.

C5ERT EMERSON, proprietor of
the leading general merchandise
store of the village of McDon
ough, Chenango County, N. Y., was born in
that village, March 6, 1872. He is a son of
Varanes C. and Ruth (Morley) Emerson, and
a grandson of Moses S. Emerson.
Moses S. Emerson was a native of Candia,
N. H.; upon coming to this county he located
at McDonough. He was a carpenter and
joiner by trade, but also followed farming in
the summer time. Most of his time, how
ever, was devoted to public business. For
many years he wras a justice of the peace and

6o6

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

a conveyancer ; he was called upon to settle
many estates, which he always did satisfac
torily. In his political belief, he was a radical
Democrat of the Jeffersonian type. He was
a keen, shrewd business man, and during life
accumulated an ample competency. While
on a visit to Candia, N. H., he was taken sick
and died, at the age of fifty-one years. His
companion in life was Eliza Lawton of
McDonough, by whom he had the following
children : Varanes C, the father of our sub
ject ; Herbert, the efficient postmaster of
Oxford ; Elizabeth, the wife of David Ran
dall of Wilkesbarre, Pa.; and Lucinda F.,
who is the wife of J. C. Jones of German.
Varanes C. Emerson was born in the vil
lage of McDonough, July u, 1829. For
thirty-five years he conducted a general mer
chandise store in McDonough. He was a
Democrat and a very prominent man in polit
ical circles. He was justice of the peace for
fifteen years, and at the end of that time re
signed. He was supervisor for ten years, and
served in that capacity during the Civil
War. He was postmaster of the village
during the administration of Andrew John
son, and the first administration of Cleveland,
and was chairman of the board of super
visors during 1883. He was united in mar
riage with Ruth Morley, a daughter of Dr.
Russel W Morley, who was a native of Mas
sachusetts and a surgeon in the War of 181 2.
As a result of this union seven children were
born, namely : Bertrand M., a pharmacist of
Oxford ; Arthur E., a musician of Columbus,
Ohio; Frank H., a traveling salesman for the
Benton Heath Wallpaper Co. of New York
City ; Frederick R., who died at the age of

twenty-one ; Robert, the subject of this per
sonal history ; Genevieve ; and Winifred,
who is the wife of Dr. George S. Weaver,
whose sketch appears on another page. Re
ligiously, he was a member of the Episcopal
Church, and was trustee of the local organi
zation. Socially, he was a member of the
Oxford Lodge, No. 125, F. & A. M. He
passed into the unknown beyond, March 17,
1893, at the age of sixty-four years.
Robert Emerson received his intellectual
training in the common schools of his native
village. As a boy he worked in his father's
store, and it was but natural that he should
also make merchandising his business. He re
mained in the store with his father until his
death, and then conducted it alone under the
name of V. C. Emerson's Son. He carries a
full line of dry goods, groceries, drugs, hats,
caps, shoes, books and stationery. He inher
its much of his father's shrewdness and
business sagacity, and from the manner in
which he conducts his business affairs we
predict a bright and successful future. In
politics he is a Democrat, and during Cleve
land's last term of office was appointed post
master. He is a member and trustee of the
Episcopal Church of McDonough.

W"

ILLIAM R. TIFFANY. It is a
well-established fact that on no one
trade or profession does the welfare and
prosperity of a nation depend, to so great an
extent, as on the great mass of people who
make up the agricultural class. If work in
any other one line of business was suspended

CHENANGO COUNTY

607

for a great length of time, its place could, in a
large measure, be supplied "from the remain
ing industries ; not so the work of the farm
er. Take away the products of the farm, and
where would be the life of all our industries,
great and small? It supplies, if not the com
modity -of barter, at least the strength and
energy to carry on the trade. Show us a
nation of prosperous farmers, and we will
show you a correspondingly prosperous na
tion ; while, on the other hand, take a coun
try whose farmers are laboring under serious
disadvantages, and whose utmost endeavors
are met with disheartening results, and you
will see a country in pitiable financial straits.
It is well that nature protects her children
by supplying a market for their products in
the constant appetites and requirements of
the race, thus sustaining an industry that has
in it the fundamental elements of success.
Among the older farmers of the county
who are devoted to their calling, and have
brought skill to the aid of agricultural art, is
William R. Tiffany, who was born April 29,
1833, in what is now North Norwich, then
included in the town of Norwich, where he
still resides. He was educated in the district
schools of Norwich, now North Norwich,
and has passed his entire life in that town
engaged in the cultivation of the old home
stead upon which he was born. His parents
were Nelson and Esther (Randall) Tiffany,
also life-long citizens of that town.
Humphrey Tiffany, the great-grandfather
of William R. Tiffany, served for a long time
as justice of the peace, being familiarly
known as " Esquire " Tiffany. William Tif
fany, our subject's grandfather, was born in

North Adams, Mass., in 1780, and came to
what is now North Norwich, Chenango
County, with his parents in 1800, where he
bought a large tract of land located in the
woods, and engaged in clearing it for culti
vation. The name of Tiffany is well known
throughout the East, one of his father's
brothers having been a participant of the
famous Boston Tea Party, and his own name
having become celebrated through a suit he
won, known on the statutes as the case of
" Tiffany vs. Peck," which was decided be
fore the Supreme Court, and established a
principle and precedent wdiich are observed
to-day. He was married to Zerviah Brown,
and had a large family of children: Alfred;
Nelson; Lavinda; Richard; Lewis; Albert;
Mary ; Susan ; William Riley ; and several
that died in infancy. He was a man of splen
did physique, measuring six feet in height
and weighing 226 pounds, and being large
and muscular. He operated a saw-mill, and
also farmed, raising large quantities of rye
for distilling. He worked this up in a still
which he owned and operated. He died in
1866, aged eighty-six years. His wife died
at the age of seventy-seven years.
Nelson Tiffany was born in 1808, in the
town of Norwich, where he was educated in
the district schools, afterwards becoming one
of the most extensive and prosperous farm
ers and largest land owners in the county.
He was a Democrat, and held the office of
assessor. He was united in marriage with
Elizabeth Randall, and to them were born
two sons, William R. and Edwin. Mr. Tif
fany died in August, 1869, and his wife in
December, 1865.

6o8

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

William R. Tiffany is one of the largest
farmers in the county, formerly owning 600
acres of land, but recently presenting 200
acres to two of his sons. He takes great in
terest in stock raising, and has bred some
very fine cattle. He has the largest and best
dairy in the town, consisting of 60 cows,
and a large number of young cattle. The
products of his dairy are not to be equalled
in the county, either as to quality or quantity
of milk. He served as supervisor one term,
and as assessor nine consecutive years.
Mr. Tiffany has been twice married ; his
first wife was Ann Genette Bowers. Their
children were: Helen M.; Lillian M.Lan
sing; Charles M.; Nelson M.; Henry M.;
Frank M.; and Esther M. Mrs. Tiffany de
parted this life in December, 1883. His sec
ond marriage was contracted with a most
estimable lady, Mrs. Anna Smith. In her
girlhood she was known as Anna Touey, and
she met and married Mr. Smith, by whom
she had five children : Kiefer ; Floward ;
Maud; Lillian; and Reed. Her father was
John Touey, a citizen of King's Settlement,
and a farmer by occupation. He had seven
children, viz: M. A., who is a contractor of
Boston; Mary 1".; John W., managing editor
of the Shoe and Leather Reporter of New
York City ; T. A., a graduate of West Point,
who received a commission of First Lieut.,
and was stationed at Fort Stanton, New
Mexico, where he died in 1887; Ella became
the wife of J. M. Richmond, deceased, of
Buffalo, N. Y.; Anna, the wife of our subject;
and Charles Homer. Mrs. Tiffany was a
school teacher previous to her marriage, and
is a most agreeable and accomplished woman,

intelligent and pleasant. She is a model
housekeeper, and a kind and faithful wife.
Mr. Tiffany has a multitude of friends
throughout the county who bear witness to
his nobility of character, saying that in every
transaction he is honest, upright, and honor
able to a fault.

WILLIAM H.
perous farr

WHEELER, a pros-
farmer of Oxford, N. Y.,
was born at Plymouth, Chenango County,
N. Y., May 17, 1825. The grandfather,
James Wheeler, a native of Rhode Island,
came to the State of New York in the
early days; he was a Universalist preacher
and gained a great deal of prominence in
religious circles as the expounder of that
doctrine. Universalism at that time was in its
infancy, and it took a man who had the cour
age of his convictions to come out as a be
liever, and publicly proclaim himself as a fol
lower. He was united in marriage with a
Miss Poole, who bore him a large family of
children. James Wheeler, the father of William H.,
was born in Madison County, N. Y., where he
received his education, attending the public
schools for a number of years, and after
ward was a pupil of the high school. When
a young man he moved to Plymouth, Che
nango County, where he engaged in the
hotel business, which continued to engross
his attention several years. The latter part
of his life was spent on a farm, where his last
years were peacefully passed in agricultural
pursuits. He died at the age of fifty-six

CHENANGO COUNTY

609

years, in 1846. He was among the promi
nent men of his day ; was well versed in both
local and national politics ; and held several
offices ; was supervisor, town clerk, justice
of the peace, and for several years served as
collector of taxes. He married Susan Hall,
a daughter of Dr. John Hall, and a native of
Massachusetts. They were the parents of
the following children : Newell ; Eliza ;
James; William H., deceased; William H.,
our subject ; Jeanette, deceased ; Richard ;
John ; Susan ; and two that died in infancy.
While James Wheeler was liberal in his re
ligious views, his wife was a Presbyterian,
and her life was one long exemplification of
true Christian character. She passed away
at eighty-two years of age.
William H. Wheeler was a student of the
common schools of Norwich, and of Oxford
Academy. After leaving school, he worked
by the month in the summer and taught school
during the winters. Although a successful
teacher, he did not find the work suited to
his tastes, and soon purchased a farm in
Pharsalia, N. Y. After living on it a few
years, he disposed of the property and
moved to Oxford, where he purchased his
present farm of 187 acres of valuable land.
He is now engaged in general farming and
stock raising, and owns what is considered
the equal of any, if not the best farm in the
Chenango valley.
He was married in 1856, October 16, by
Rev. M. Stone, to Jane R. Gates, daughter
of Aaron B. Gates of Norwich, N. Y. Their
family is constituted as follows : Ellen, who
married George Barber of Norwich, and has
three children, — Fred W., Stella, and Robert ;

John married Mary Smith of Preston, N. Y.,
by whom he has four children, — Ellen, Maud,
Charles, and John ; Clarence married Cora
Hemenway of Oxford, and has one child,
Glenn Romulus; one child died unnamed.
Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler are members of the
Baptist Church. Mr. Wheeler has ever been
a Republican, and fought for the cause of
freedom during our Civil War. He enlisted
in August, 1862, in Co. D, 44th Reg. N. Y.
Vol. Inf. as a recruit ; he served until the old
members were mustered out, when he was
transferred to Co. D, 146th Reg. N. Y. Vol.
Inf., and served until the close of the war,
when he was mustered out with the rest of
the regiment. He belongs to the Edward E.
Breed Post, No. 196, G. A. R., of Oxford,
takes great interest in all its meetings and
extends the right hand of fellowship to all
old soldiers. Several times have his friends
prevailed upon him to accept of office, and
he has served as town clerk, highway com
missioner, trustee of schools and the like.
He is a kindly, pleasant gentleman, whom it
is a pleasure to meet, and who numbers his
friends by the score.

JB

R. JOHN TAYLOR HAND. We
have the pleasure to present our
readers the biography of the gen
tleman named above, one ot New Berlins
foremost physicians, whose excellent reputa
tion for professional honor and skill has been
acquired through a general practice in Che
nango County, extending from 1881 until the
present time. Dr. Hand possesses that pecul-

6io

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

iar insight into the hidden causes of various
forms of disease wdiich will ever be the
greatest recommendation of a successful
physician. A case once definitely diagnosed
loses much of the dread that surrounds it,
and the mistakes that are occasionally made
by even the best of practitioners result in
variably from incorrect diagnoses. Dr. John
Taylor Hand is a son of Timothy D. and
Almira (Robins) Taylor, and was born in
Smyrna, this county, January 25, 1859.
Timothy D. Taylor, father of our subject,
was a carriage maker in the village of
Smyrna ; when the Civil War broke out he
enlisted as a volunteer in the army to help
put down the rebellion, leaving a wife and
eight children behind. He was a member of
Co. F, 157th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf. He
served but a short time, when he was taken
ill with typhoid fever, and died in the hos
pital at Washington, D. C. He was married
to Almira Robins and as a result of this
union eight children were born to them.
At the age of six years our subject was
adopted by Dr. Stephen M. Hand, a promi
nent physician of Norwich. Fie received a
good school education and attended Nor
wich Academy. He then studied medicine
under Dr. Hand, and later entered the Uni
versity of New York, and graduated in 1881.
He returned to Norwich where he practiced
for two years, and then went to Columbus,
Chenango County, where he remained until
1886, and then located in South New Berlin,
where he remained ten years. In May, 1897,
he took up his residence in New Berlin,
where he has since been engaged in his
chosen profession.

He was joined in the bonds of matrimony,
March 12, 1885, with Corinthia Blackman,
and two children blessed their happy home,
Viola T., and Stephen M., who died aged
five months. fn politics he is. strongly
attached to the Republican party. Although
not an office seeker, in 1893 he was elected
supervisor, and is now serving his second
term, having been re-elected in 1895. He
also was the first health officer of the village
of Norwich under the new law. Socially,
he is a member of Norwich Lodge, No. 302,
F. & A. M.; and holds a membership in
Lodge No. 291, I. O. R. M. Dr. Hand
enjoys the confidence and esteem of his fel
low practitioners, and of a large circle of
patrons, and is considered to be thoroughly
competent to treat any case successfully
which comes up in a general practice.

EUBEN S. BOWE, a retired farm

er of the town of Greene, was born
'' * in Springfield, Mass., October 17,
1826. He is a son of Oliver and Lucy (Far-
nam) Bowe, of whom the former was also a
native of Springfield, Mass. Our subject's
father was a foreman in a factory in a small
factory town (Chicopee), near Springfield ; it
was in this village that he died, May 4, 1831,
when only forty-four years of. age. Socially,
he was a member of the Masonic Fraternity.
He was united in marriage with Lucy Far-
nam, and three children were born to them,
two sons and one daughter, whose names are
as follows : Lyman F., deceased, was a me
chanic, and patented a machine with which

CHENANGO COUNTY

6n

he manufactured shoestrings at Troy, N. Y.;
Reuben S., our subject ; and Louisa, de
ceased, who was the wife of Lemuel Hol-
comb of Granby, Conn. After the death of
her husband, Mrs. Bowe was married to
Chapin Jones, and they moved to the town
of Greene, where he was engaged in agricul--
tural pursuits. As a result of this union,
one child was born, Henry L., who is a vet
erinary surgeon of the town of Greene.
Mrs. Jones departed this life March 10, 1858,
at the age of fifty-two years.
In 1835, when Reuben S. Bowe was but
nine years old, Mr. Jones with his family
moved to Greene. Our subject was brought
up on the farm and received his education in
the district schools. Upon attaining his ma
jority he bought a farm of 160 acres in the
south-eastern part of Greene, with the money
which was left him by his father. He im
proved the farm, and by industrious work
and successful management, he accumulated
considerable wealth. In 1882, he retired and
moved to Lower Page Brook, Chenango
County. February 4, 1847, Mr. Bowe was married
to Lois Marian Osborn, a daughter of Daniel
Osborn, the latter a native of Litchfield,
• Conn., who, when a small boy, came to the
State of New York, and finally settled at
Greene, where he became a respected farm
er. Mr. and Mrs. Bowe are the parents of
three children, namely : Oliver C, a painter,
living at Binghamton, N. Y.; Edwin Leroy,
a merchant of Chenango Forks, N. Y.; Ida
Estella, the wife of Charles W. Page, a farm
er of Greene. Socially, Mr. Bowe has been
a member of the Eastern Light Lodge, No.
29

126, F. & A. M., of Greene, since 1862. Po
litically, he is a Democrat, and has served as
a member of the board of supervisors for two
years ; for six years he was town assessor,
and excise commissioner for three years.
Mr. Bowe is a well-informed and intelligent
man, and has always been one of the useful
members of the community in which he has
resided.

g)i ON. GEORGE W. RAY* There
-^¦j are few men in Chenango County
or indeed in Central New York,
who can lay claim to so extended an ac
quaintance with state and national politics,
or who have seen as much public service, as
the subject of this biography, whose name
appears above. Mr. Ray is now filling out
his sixth term in Congress as a Representa
tive from this district of New York State.
His work at the National Capitol has at
tracted favorable notice from men of all
parties over the country, for his experience
in public life has been such as to ripen every
faculty and show him at his best. As a con
servator of the interests of the great Empire
State, he has proved himself invaluable, and
he bids fair to be continued in office for
many years to come. He is not only an ed
ucated student of practical and theoretical
politics, a polished orator, whose rounded
periods have delighted audiences on many a
commemorative occasion, a ready talker on
any subject and formidable debater, a lover
of literature, and a patriotic statesman, but is
also an able lawyer, whose equal is not to be

6l2

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

found in the county, and whose counsel and
advice in matters of a legal nature are
sought in many adjoining counties. He is a
born worker, and to his tremendous capacity
for continuous applied efforts are added ver
satile talents of a high order. He came by
his ambition honestly, and has pursued his
career in a straightforward way, without
invoking or employing means, that could
have the stigma of " questionable " applied
to them. He is a son of Asher L. Ray, a
prominent citizen of Chenango County.
Asher L. Ray was born in North Stoning
ton, Conn., and came with his father, mother,
brothers and sisters, ox-teams drawing the
household effects, to Pharsalia about 1815,
and settled there. The native forests were
as yet scarcely touched, and the work of
clearing a farm appeared so formidable to
Mr. Ray's father, who did not enjoy very
good health, that he became discouraged
and returned to Stonington, Conn., where he
died when about forty years of age. He
was a soldier in the War of 1 812. His wife
lived to the age of eighty years ; she was
a very active, intelligent woman, and was
loved by all who knew her. The children of
the grandparents of our subject were: Ste
phen A.; Asher L.; Sally; and Phoebe.
Asher L. Ray settled in Otselic township,
where he bought a farm and saw mills, and
founded the homestead, where our subject,
Hon. George W., was born. Asher L. Ray
was very much interested in lumbering, and
also engaged in mercantile trade. He was a
stanch Jacksonian Democrat, and served
twenty-six years as a justice of the peace ;
the part he took in local politics was both

active and aggressive, for he was a leading
politician of his town. He was a colonel in
the old state militia, and contributed largely
to the value of the service. Rather late in
life, he sold his Otselic township property,
and moved to Randallsville, Madison County,
where he quickly identified himself with the
leading men of the town, but was practically
retired from active business. In the latter
place he served some twelve years as a
justice of the peace. His death took place
at the age of eighty-four, His wife, who
was Melissa P. Gray, was called Home to her
reward, when a resident of Randallsville, at
the age of seventy-six years. In their relig
ious views they were Baptists. They reared
a family of eight children, all of whom are
living at this writing. They are as follows:
Mary; Celinda; Charles W.; Eliza; Emily
O.; George W., the subject of this notice ;
John L.; and William W. Mr. Ray was a
gentleman of a refined, intellectual nature,
and nobly performed his part in maintaining
a high standard of morals in the towns
where his life was spent.
Hon. George W. Ray was a student in
Norwich Academy after he had completed
his education in the district schools. His
studies, however, were interrupted by the
war between the North and 'the South. He
enlisted in 1863 in Co. B, 90th Reg. N. Y.
Vol. Inf., and became a clerk for the First
Division of the 19th Army Corps. When the
war was over, and he had received an honor
able discharge, he returned home, and com
pleted his studies in Norwich Academy. In
March, 1866, he became a student of law in
the office of Hon. S. H. Prindle of Norwich,

CHENANGO COUNTY

613

and so earnestly did he apply himself to his
studies, that in 1867 he was admitted to the
bar. For the succeeding year he was associ
ated with* the law firm of Prindle & Knapp,
but ever since then he has practiced
law alone. He proved himself a master of
the art of pleading and in the preparation of
cases, so that it took but very few years to
place him among the best lawyers of the
county, and thus assured him a brilliant and
profitable career.
Mr. Ray's faculty for politics found an
early expression. His rise in public life has
been wonderfully rapid and sure, after he
once made a beginning. In 1881 he was first
elected to represent his district in the 48th
Congress.- "In 1890 he was again returned
to Congress, • and has served continuously
since in the 52nd, 53rd, 54th, and 55th Con
gresses. In commercial circles, his judg
ment and experience have found scope and
exercise upon the numerous boards, with
which he is connected, both as a director and
as attorney. He is pre-eminently a man
of affairs, but has, nevertheless, found time
for the graces and enjoyments of intellectual
life. His marked characteristic is a combi
nation of business sagacity and mental ac
complishments. He has a finely fitted office
in the Follett Law Block, and a law library
of no small dimensions. Many lawyers who
now occupy prominent places in the profes
sion pursued their studies in his office under
his direction.
The subject of this biography married
Miss Mary Johnson Jewett, daughter of
John Jewett, a prominent agriculturist of
Pitcher township, Chenango County, and

has one child, Jewett John, who is reading
law with his father, and preparing for an hon
orable career in the legal profession. Besides
his own home at 317 North Broad Street,
Mr. Ray owns the residences on both sides,
and tenements and building lots in various
localities in the village. He is a charter
member of E. B. Smith Post, No. 83, G. A.
R. Masonic circles know him as a loyal
brother. He is a member of Norwich
Lodge, No. 302, F. & A. M.; Harmony Chap
ter, No. 151, R. A.M.; Norwich Command
ery, No. 46, Knight Templars.

T&REI

REDERICK MITCHELL.* The busy
|_ b city of Norwich has her quota of live,
energetic and persevering business men,
among whom is Fred. Mitchell, who is en
gaged in the drug business. He is a son of
John and Caroline (Foot) Mitchell, and was
born in the village of Norwich September 6,
1844. John Mitchell was a son of Dr. Henry
Mitchell, and grandson of John Mitchell,
from whom the line runs back to Experience
Mitchell, who was of the company of pilgrims
who sought refuge in Holland from religious
persecution ; from there he came to America
in the ship Ann, the third vessel that crossed
the Atlantic with the Pilgrim Fathers, and
settled in Plymouth, Mass. Our subject's
great-grandfather, John Mitchell, married
Elizabeth Sherman, a daughter of Joseph
Sherman, and brother of Roger Sherman,

614

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

who was one of the signers of the Declara
tion of Independence.
Dr. Henry Mitchell was born in Wood
bury, Conn., in 1784, and was graduated
from Yale College in 1804. He then went
to Philadelphia and studied medicine, and in
1806 he qualified to practice ; he then came to
Chenango County and settled at Coventry,
where he remained for a short time, when he
moved to Norwich ; there he practiced his
chosen profession with marked success. The
character of Dr. Mitchell presented the
happy combination of great refinement of
mind and nobleness of character, and the
practical adaptation of the qualities, which
enabled him to carry on his life pursuits with
dignity and honor, at the same time made
him financially successful and a favorite with
the common people. He was never too
proud to listen to a tale of distress, and no
one turned from him without substantial aid
and sympathy. Mentally, morally and phys
ically he was a model man. He will be
affectionately remembered in his community
long after those who knew him most inti
mately have passed away. The death of his
first wife left him a widower with six chil
dren to care for, namely : Charles ; John ;
Jane; Harriet; Mary; and Maria. He then
married Mary (Zellamay) Guernsey, daugh
ter of James Zellamay, and widow of Peter
B. Guernsey, and as a result of this union
several children were born to them. Dr.
Mitchell always took a lively interest in the
politics of the day, and was a man who al
ways was before the public ; he was elected to
the State Assembly, and represented this dis
trict in the National House of Representatives.

John Mitchell, the father of our subject,
was a graduate of Norwich Academy ; start
ing out in life he chose the occupation of a
druggist, in which he prospered and became
well-to-do. In 1863 he erected the Mitchell
Block, which was at that time the finest busi
ness block in Norwich. He purchased the
Col. Perlee house, which he remodeled and
enlarged, and it is now one of the finest
residences in the village, and is owned by his
son, Franklin B., brother of our subject.
Mr. Mitchell was a stanch Democrat, but
unlike his father, he never sought political
distinction. He was united in wedlock with
Caroline Foot, daughter of John Foot, who
was born in Colchester, Conn., in 1788, and
settled in Hamilton, N. Y., where he spent
his remaining days, dying in 1883. Caroline
Foot, the mother of our subject, was born in
Hamilton, N. Y., in 1821, and is still living
and enjoying the best of health. To Mr. and
Mrs. Mitchell were born the following chil
dren : Frederick, the subject of this personal
history ; John W., a prominent doctor of
Providence, R. I.; Franklin B., a retired citi
zen of Norwich; Caroline, the wife of R.
Little of Pasadena, Cal; and Mary, who
married B. Newton of Los Angeles, Cal.
Frederick Mitchell received his primary
education in the public schools of his native
town, and then took a course in Norwich
Academy ; he also attended the Poughkeepsie
Business College, from which he graduated
in 1847. He then found employment in his
father's drug store, and continued to work
for him for fifteen years, when he formed a
partnership with his father, and the business
was then carried on under the name of

ZENAS TARBLE.

CHENANGO COUNTY

6i'

Mitchell & Son. The business continued
under the above name for some years until
our subject took charge of the store, and still
conducts one of the largest drug stores in
the village Mr. Mitchell is a Republican in
his affiliations, and takes a great interest in
the politics of his county. He has served as
supervisor of the village of Norwich several
times, and has also served as treasurer of
Chenango County for two terms. Socially,
he is a member of the I. O. O. F., Lodge No.
205. He formed a matrimonial alliance with
Nellie Peck, daughter of John Peck, and two
children blessed their happy home; they
were as follows : Fred J., who married
Grace Mitchell; and Nettie May, the wife of
John Croll. Mr. Mitchell is a man of recog
nized business methods, and has been of in
valuable assistance in forwarding the growth
of Norwich. Combining thrift and energy,
he has made of himself an admirable busi
ness man. In all his dealings he has been
honest, upright, industrious, frugal and tem
perate, and enjoys the esteem and respect,
which are so justly due him.

;ENAS TARBLE* whose portrait is
shown on the opposite page, is the
popular and efficient sheriff of Che
nango County, and is a man who stands high
in the Republican party and in the estima
tion of his fellow-citizens. He was born in
the village of Sanford, Broome County, N.
Y., February 25, 1841, and is a son of Hiram
and Louise S. (Aplington) Tarble.
Thomas Tarble, the grandfather of our sub

ject, was of pure New England stock, and is
thought to have been born in the State of
Connecticut ; at an early age he came to
Bainbridge, N. Y., locating in the southern
portion, which is now the town of Afton.
He followed the occupation of a farmer there
the remainder of his life. He was united in
the holy bonds of wedlock with a Miss Buck,
and they reared a family of four children,
one of whom was Hiram, the father of our
subject. Hiram Tarble was the youngest child born
to his parents, and received a good common
schooling in Bainbridge. He turned his at
tention to the cultivation of the soil, and
followed that occupation all of his life in
Sanford, Broome County, where he owned a
valuable farm. Politically, he was a follower
of the Democratic party, and was called to
serve in a number of minor offices in that
township. In religious belief, he was in
clined to be liberal. He was united in mat
rimonial bonds with Louise S. Aplington,
and the following issue resulted from their
union : Eunice, who married Isaac Hall of
Afton ; Polly, the wife of C. B. Yeaple of Af
ton ; Harriet, deceased ; Adelaide, the wife
of Philetus Shaw of Afton ; Mercy, who
married John Waterman of Colesville, N. Y.;
and Zenas, the gentleman whose name ap
pears at the head of these lines. Mr. Tarble
closed his eyes in final sleep in December,
1878, aged sixty-eight years; his wife died
December 1, 1874, at the advanced age of
seventy years.
Zenas Tarble was educated in the com
mon schools of Sanford, and soon after
reaching man's esate he enlisted in the army,

29*

6i8

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

August 12, 1862, in Co. E, 114th Reg., N. Y.
Vol. Inf., and faithfully served until the close
of the war. He participated in many im
portant engagements, among which were
those at Port Bisland, Port Hudson, Sabin
Pass. Having received his honorable dis
charge, he returned to Sanford, where he
lived a short time and then removed to
Afton, where he engaged in mercantile
business with good results for a period
of twenty years. At the expiration of that
time, he disposed of his business, and has
since looked after his farming property,
which he owns in Broome County, although
he is living in the village of Norwich. He
is a man who is extremely popular with all
classes of people, and has been called upon
to serve in an official capacity a number of
times. When he received the nomination for
sheriff, in 1898, the people — not only of his
own party, but also those of the opposition —
joined to support him, and he was elected by
a safe majority. He is filling that office to
the entire satisfaction of his constituents, and
has gained a large number of friends, who
join in wishing him continued success.
He formed a matrimonial alliance in
November, 1867, with Mary F. Chaffee, a
daughter of Ebenezer and Phila Chaffee of
Afton, and a woman who has many friends,
who love her for her many virtues. They
are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church of Norwich. Socially, Mr. Tarble is
quite as prominent as in business life, and is a
member of the following societies : Afton
Lodge, No. 360, F. & A. M.; Vallonia Chap
ter, No. 80, R. A. M.; and Post No. 12, G.
A. R., of Afton, of which he is past com

mander and quartermaster. As a Mason he
is past master and past high priest, and has
held nearly all the official chairs of the blue
lodge.

f@5o

EORGE E. HAWLEY,* a veteran
\m_I_ of the late Civil War and a leading
druggist of South New Berlin, was born in
the town of Morris, Otsego County, N. Y.,
February 28, 1844. He is a son of George
and Cordelia (Houk) Hawley, and a grand
son of Silas Hawley.
Silas Hawley was born in the State of Con
necticut, where he passed his boyhood days,
and then moved to Morris. He was one of the
prosperous farmers of the community and was
one of its most respected citizens. In 1840
he moved to Wisconsin, where he spent the
remainder of his days, dying in 1856. His
wife's maiden name was Stillman, and their
union was blessed by the following children :
Alonzo ; Stillman ; Myron ; Emerson ; George,
the father of our subject; Henry; Mary A.;
and Angeline.
George Hawley was born in Connecticut,
and with his father came to Morris, where
he resided until 1844. He then went to Bay
City, Wis., where he successfully operated a
flour and feed mill for many years. He then
moved to North Dakota, but, not liking his
new home, soon returned to Wisconsin, and
located at Oshkosh. His attentions were
devoted to agricultural pursuits, and he lived
there until the time of his death, in 1895, at
the age of eighty years. He was originally
a Whig and later was a Republican, being

CHENANGO COUNTY

619

quite prominent as a politician. He repre
sented Waushara County in the Wisconsin
State Senate for two terms, and also was a
member of the State Assembly one term.
While in Dakota he was elected state super
intendent of public instruction. He was an
active and enterprising man, and made many
friends in the various communities in which
he lived, who esteemed him as a man of
great worth and influence. He was bound in
the holy bonds of wedlock three times. His
first wife was Cordelia Houk, a daughter of
Ephraim Houk, who resided in Morris until
1861 and then moved to South New Berlin.
Mr. Houk was a farmer by occupation, but
after taking up his residence in South New
Berlin, he conducted a general merchandise
store. He died in 1875, at the ripe old age
of eighty years. Politically, he was a Demo
crat and was justice of the peace for many
years. His companion in life was Orelia
Taylor, a daughter of Nathan Taylor, who
was a very prominent man and one of the
earliest settlers of South New Berlin. Mr.
Houk was a merchant and also took an active
part in political affairs, serving as county
judge for many years. He was captain of a
company which he organized, and served
through the War of 18 12. He was the foun
der and a leading member of the Baptist
Church of South New Berlin. He owned a
large farm, which included all the lower part
of the village of South New Berlin, a por
tion of which is the farm upon which the
subject now lives. The deed of this land
has passed in a direct line down to our sub
ject, and is now in his possession. As a result
of their union Mr. and Mrs. Hawley became

the parents of one son, George E., in whom
the interest of this sketch centers. Soon
after the birth of her son Mrs. Hawley
passed into the unknown beyond, in 1844, at
the age of twenty-three years. Our subject's
second union was with Mrs. Jackson, widow
of Andrew Jackson, and two children were
born to them, namely : Jay, a hardware mer
chant of Manchester, Iowa; and Fred, the
proprietor of a hotel at Bay City, Wis. Mr.
Hawley was again united in marriage, his
third wife being Belle Spencer, a native of
Wisconsin, and they were the parents of the
following children : Charles, a resident of
Oshkosh ; Bert, who also lives at Oshkosh ;
Ray ; and Mary, deceased.
After his mother's death George E. Haw
ley was reared by his grandfather, Ephraim
Houk. He attended the academies of Nor
wich and Oxford, and received a good pre
paratory education for college. At this time
the Civil War began and he relinquished all
idea of attending college, in order to do
battle for his country. He enlisted at Nor
wich in 1862 in Co. B, 114th Reg., N. Y. Vol.
Inf., and was appointed regimental commis
sary and later acted as quartermaster. He
was at Bisland, Port Hudson, Sabin Cross-
Roads, and many other important skirmishes.
He returned home in 1864, having received
his honorable discharge. He spent the year
1865 in the West and then returned to Southi
New Berlin, where he clerked in the store of
C. B. Babcock. After clerking for one year
he engaged in the general merchandise busi
ness in partnership with a Mr. Brett, under
the firm name of Brett & Hawley. In 1869
he disposed of his interests to his partner

620

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

and moved to the village of Norwich, where
he purchased a drug store. He conducted it
for seven years and then sold out and
returned to South New Berlin, where he
engaged in the same line of business for a
like period. He then sold out to J. V.
Simonds, and went to Halstead, Pa., where he
conducted a drug store under the firm name
of Lamb & Hawley. He remained there for
two years, and was doing a large and paying
business, but was obliged to retire on
account of poor health. After spending two
years in retirement in the village of South
New Berlin, he opened his present store in
that village. Besides a complete line of
drugs he carries a good line of books, sta
tionery and fancy goods. His store is neat
and orderly in appearance, and the utmost
care is taken in the filling of prescriptions.
He is one of those genial and good-natured
persons with whom it is always a pleasure to
trade, and since he has resided in New Berlin
he has made many friends, who respect and
esteem him. He was united in marriage
with Agnes A. Harrington, of South New
Berlin, in 1866. In politics he is a Republican
and takes an active interest in political affairs.
Although often importuned to accept office
he never would consent; he was elected to
the office of justice of the peace, but refused
to qualify. He was president of the board of
education for seven years, and did all within
his power to advance the interests of edu
cation. Socially, he is a member of Jack
son Post, No. 489, G. A. R., of South New
Berlin, of which he is a prominent member,
having filled the office of charter commander
four successive terms. He is a member of

the Norwich Lodge and also of the Chapter
and Commandery, and has taken the Twenty-
eighth Scottish Rite Degree. He is likewise
a member of the Mt. Upton Lodge of the
A. O. U. W.

UGUSTUS T. ENGLAND.* Figur
ing conspicuously as a leading and
representative business house in
Afton is the establishment conducted by the
gentleman whose name heads these lines.
He has been engaged in general merchandis
ing in the village of Afton for the past fifteen
years, and his thorough understanding of the
wants of his many customers, and his advan
tages in buying the goods in his different
lines, makes his place a desirable one at
which to make a purchase. Mr. England
was born in Delhi, Delaware County, N. Y.,
February 1, 1855, and is a son of Henry and
Elizabeth (Barnes) England.
Our subject's great-grandfather was Thom
as England, who was born in England and
lived there all his life. He was the father
of Henry England, the grandfather of our
subject, who was born at Stratford-on-Avon,
in 1804. He was united in marriage, in 1833,
with Mary Knapp, also a native of that place,
and immediately thereafter they sailed for
America. They settled in Dutchess County,
N. Y., and after remaining there three years,
moved to Delhi, where he has since resided.
Prior to his coming to this country, he
learned the trade of manufacturing woolen
goods, and after moving to Delhi he was em
ployed by the Penfields to do that line of

CHENANGO COUNTY

621

work. He soon after set up in business him
self, and for the subsequent twelve years was
engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods.
He then conducted a general merchandise
store in Delhi, and carried it on successfully
for almost a half century, when he retired,
and is now enjoying the fruits of a laborious
past. He is the progenitor of three children,
namely : Henry J., the father of our subject ;
Emeline, the relict of Rev. Thomas Corder,
who is now living with her father at Delhi ;
and Lieut.-Col. Thomas L., deceased. Thom
as L. England was the organizer of Co. I,
49th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf. ; he went out in
1 861 as Captain, was promoted to the posi
tion of Lieut. -Colonel of the regiment, and in
the battle of Petersburg gave his life for his
country. Our subject's grandfather is a
member of the Methodist Church, and has
held many of the offices of that organization.
He is sincere in his convictions, forms his
opinions with deliberation, and adheres to
them with manly courage and fidelity.
Henry J. England was born in Dutchess
County, N. Y., and was employed, during his
younger days, in the store of his father. He
later engaged in that line of business on his
own account, and conducted a store in Delhi
until j 870. In that year he was appointed to
the head of the Department of Patent Attor
neys, at Washington, D. C. For four years
he served in that capacity in a manner that
was entirely satisfactory to all concerned.
Since 1874, he has been a patent attorney,
and does a large and paying business. In the
winter he resides in Washington, and in the
summer makes his home at Falls Church,
Fairfax County, Va. In 1863, he enlisted in

Co. D, 144th Reg., N. Y. Vol. Inf., and served
throughout the remainder of the war. He
was a brave and valiant soldier, and can
justly feel proud of his military record. He
married Elizabeth Barnes, a daughter of
Thomas Barnes, who came to America in
1833. He was a native of England, and upon
coming to this country located at Stamford,
Delaware County, N. Y., where he manufac
tured brick as a means of earning a compe
tence, and followed that occupation all of his
life. He died in 1865, at the age of sixty -five
years. As a result of their union, Mr. and
Mrs. England became the parents of the fol
lowing children : Charles; Augustus T., who
is the subject of this personal history ; Mary,
who is the wife of Dr. Charles W. Watkins,
who was formerly a broker and is now a
practicing physician in Washington ; Eliza,
who married James Jester, a patent attorney
of Washington ; and Jessie, who is an expert
stenographer and typewriter, who is now
clerk to the Assistant Secretary of State.
Mr. England is a stanch Republican, and a
zealous supporter of the principles of the
party. Augustus T. England received a good
academic training in the Delhi Academy.
Leaving school at the age of eighteen, he
learned the trade of a tinsmith and continued
in that occupation for four years. He then
entered the mercantile business with his
grandfather under the firm name, H. & A. T.
England, and after a period of eight years,
he came to Afton, where he has since been
engaged in that line of business. His estab
lishment is not only the oldest in this vicin
ity, but in point of stock carried and business

622

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

transacted is the largest. The store is cen
trally located, admirably arranged, and heav
ily stocked with a most comprehensive line
of dry goods, ladies' and men's furnishings,
staple and fancy groceries, and a large var
iety of the best and most reliable manufac
tures of boots and shoes, carpets, wall paper
and house furnishings.
Mr. England was joined in Hymen's bonds
with Jennie Covert of Meredith, Delaware
County, in 1882, and one son, Harry, was
born to bless their union. Our subject
was raised under Republican influences, but
he is a man who has sound reasons of his
own for belonging to that party. Like his
father, he has extremely good judgment as
to men and affairs, and his influence is thor
oughly appreciated by those who are his
associates in directing the interests of the
party in his section. During his active busi
ness life, he has found time to represent his
fellow-citizens at many county conventions,
and also to the last four state conventions.
He is a public-spirited man, and has always
identified himself with any measure which has
had for its ultimate factor the advancement
of Afton, and is looked upon as a progressive
citizen, and held in high esteem by the whole
community.

(^|-OHN R. GLOVER,* reading clerk of
the New York State Assembly, and
a prominent lawyer of the village of
Oxford, has been active in politics in Che
nango County for many years, in fact since
he was a boy, and has held many a position

of responsibility and trust. He was born in
Oxford, July 28, 1856, where he has always
resided, except when sessions of the Legisla
ture demand his presence in Albany, where
his proficiency as reading clerk is recognized
by all. He is a son of James W. and Sarah A.
(Perkins) Glover, and a grandson of James
A. Glover.
The grandfather of our subject was one of
Chenango County's pioneer settlers ; he was
born in Plainfield, Conn., in 1793, and came
to Oxford in 1802, in which town he lived
and labored at his trade of tool maker and
blacksmith until his death, May 23, 1875.
He was a mechanic of exceptional skill, and
conducted the blacksmith shop, where the
well-known David Maydole, who made a
world-wide reputation with his hammers,
served his apprenticeship ; Mr. Glover was
also legally constituted guardian of the
young apprentice lad, when the indenture
papers were drawn up by the late Governor
Tracy. Mr. Glover was a trustee of Oxford
Academy, was prominently identified with
the growth of the village, and accumulated
considerable property. He married Anna
Bradley, like him a native of the Nutmeg
State, and they became the parents of three
children, who were as follows : Ursula A.,
who married William Van Wagenen of Ox
ford, by whom she had the following chil
dren,— Jane R., James C, and Mary E.; Ann-
vernette, the wife of William G. Knapp of
New Berlin, this county ; and James W., our
subject's father. The members of the family
were originally Presbyterians in their relig
ious attachments, but later they became
devout members of the Episcopal Church.

CHENANGO COUNTY

623

James W. Glover was born in Oxford,
August 22, 1822, and received his education
in the public schools and in Oxford Academy;
at the age of eighteen he entered the office
ot Henry R. Mygatt for the study of law.
His instructor could not have been better
chosen, for Mr. Mygatt was then the best
lawyer in the county, and no one since his
day in Oxford has equaled him as an equity
lawyer. Mr. Glover was admitted to the bar
in 1843, and Temained m active practice from
that time until seven years before his death,
when feebleness and a severe affliction com
pelled him to retire ; all of this period was
spent in Oxford except a few months when
he was associated with George Rathbun of
Auburn. He achieved a splendid reputation
as a lawyer of eminent ability, and became
known throughout the Empire State in con
nection with some important cases, that at
tracted much public notice. He was retained
as counsel for the defense in the celebrated
case of Youmans vs. Thompson. James G
Thompson of Norwich had been seated in
the State Senate by a majority of one vote,
and his right to the seat was contested by the
opposing candidate, William Youmans of
Delhi. A great part of the summer was con
sumed by the Senate Committee on Privi
leges and Elections in taking evidence. The
result was a victory for Mr. Glover and his
client. He was at one time a Democrat, but
changed his politics, when the Republican
party was organized, and ever afterward was
a most stanch supporter of Republican party
principles and men. He had a great con
tempt for party deserters, and his language
was apt to be more strong than polite when

attacking their mugwumpery. He was no
office seeker, yet served as a supervisor for a
term, and accepted the postmastership of
Oxford, more for the recognition thus given
to his party services than for any other
reason. He was a great friend and benefac
tor of Oxford Academy, and was for twenty-
five years secretary of the board of trustees,
and five years president of the same body.
He was a zealous worker for the best inter
ests of Oxford, and could be depended upon
in any emergency to give of his time and
means for the support of beneficent enter
prises. He was a most loyal supporter of
the Episcopal Church, and served for over
twenty years as a vestryman, and was a war
den for a still longer period, being senior
warden at the time of his death. He married
Sarah A. Perkins, daughter of Erastus Per
kins of Oxford, and there were born to them
two children: Erastus P., deceased, and John
R., the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Glover
passed away November 14, 1892, and our
subject's father lingered until November 21,
1896, when he, too, joined those gathered on
the other shore.
John R. Glover, in whom the interest of
this biographical notice centers, was educat
ed in Oxford Academy, and studied law in
his father's office, being admitted to the bar
in 1880; he continued in practice with his
father, and upon that gentleman's death he
assumed the business. He is most active as
a Republican worker, and believes thorough
ly in party organization ; his services have
been recognized in a number of ways. He
has been a member of the Republican County
Committee for several years, acting as its

624

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

secretary and treasurer. He was clerk of
the board of supervisors for a number of
terms, and has been justice of the peace for
six years. In 1894 he was appointed to his
present position as reading clerk of the New
York State Assembly. He is a member of
the Niagara Hose Co., and has been chief of
the Oxford Fire Department for many years.
Mr. Glover was joined in marriage May
19, 1880, with Lillie Henstock of Montrose,
Pa., and has two children to make the home
happy: James W. and Anna H. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Glover are highly esteemed mem
bers of the Episcopal Church of Oxford, and
interest themselves in all the good work for
warded by the society. Socially, our subject
is a member of the Improved Order of Red
Men. He is an intelligent, well-read man,
and stands high in the regard of every good
citizen of Oxford.

fWTo

EORGE W. LAWRENCE,* mem-
VJ£J_ ber of the firm of Burr & Lawrence,
dealers in furniture, and leading undertakers,
is one of the popular and respected citizens
of Norwich, and was born in Cleveland, Ohio,
March 23, 1855. He is a son of George W.
and Martha J. (Balland) Lawrence, and
grandson of Joseph Lawrence.
Joseph Lawrence was born in the State of
Connecticut, and was a stock drover by occu
pation. Later he came to Jefferson County,
N. Y., and carried on the same business with
good success. He was always a sincere Re
publican, and was ever in the front ranks,
championing the cause which he believed

and knew to be right. He was the progenitor
of a family of seven children — five sons and
two daughters. He passed from this life in
1879. George W. Lawrence, Sr., was born in
1837 in the State of Connecticut, and received
his early training in the common schools of
his native town. Starting out in life, he
chose the meat and provision business, in
which he was very successful, following that
line of business for twenty years in the vil
lage of Watertown, Jefferson County, N. Y.
He also conducted a furniture store at the
same place. Discontinuing the meat and fur
niture business, he moved to the State of Cal
ifornia and settled in San Diego, where he is
now engaged in dealing in real estate, which
is his principal business ; he is also interested
to some extent in ranching. Mr. Lawrence
is a Republican of no uncertain or wavering
type. He takes an active interest in Ma
sonry, of which order he is a member. He
was joined in the bonds of matrimony with
Martha J. Balland, and three children were
born to them : Susie, the wife of John Black-
iner ; George W., who head these lines ; and
Jennie M., who was joined in marriage with
George P. Sikes.
George W. Lawrence, our subject, was
given the best educational advantages the
early schools could afford, and in his boy
hood days profited largely by being closely
associated with his father. At first he took
up the upholstering business, and later joined
his father in the meat and provision business ;
he remained with his father for nearly five
years, and then went west for a short time.
Returning to his native state, he Jocated in

CHENANGO COUNTY

625

Homer, Cortland County, and worked for
F. E. Williams, proprietor of a large furniture
store. Remaining in the above establish
ment until 1891, he then came to Norwich
and bought out the firm of Cary & Sons,
undertakers and dealers in furniture. Con
ducting the business alone until 1895, he then
bought a half interest in the store of L. A.
Burr, and the business has been carried on
under the firm name of Burr & Lawrence.
They have the largest store of the kind in
the county, and the prosperity of the estab
lishment is solely due to the ability and in
tegrity of its proprietors.
Mr. Lawrence formed a matrimonial alli
ance, November 21, 1876, with Mattie Doug
lass of Syracuse, N. Y. In politics, Mr,
Lawrence is a firm Republican, and does
all he can in a legitimate way to advance the
interests of his party. Few men have taken
a deeper interest in the different orders than
Mr. Lawrence. His zeal knows no flagging,
and his interest is abiding. He is a member
and the present master of Norwich Lodge,
F. & A. M., No. 302 ; Harmony Chapter, No.
151; Norwich Commandery, No. 46, of which
he is junior warden ; and Ziyara Temple,
Mystic Shrine of Utica. He is also a mem
ber of the Veiled Prophets of Hamilton ;
and the I. O. O. F., Norwich Lodge, No. 305.
Mr. Lawrence is truly a self-made man.
Being thoroughly acquainted with the con
ditions that surround the workingmen, he is
a fair and good master, and no complaint is
made by those under him of injustice. As a
citizen and as a man he is public-spirited and
high-minded. The respect in which he is
held shows the influence which he wields

personally. He is a good neighbor and a
stanch friend. Combining thrift and energy,
he has made for himself an admirable busi
ness record, and his dealings manifest an in
terest in his patrons' affairs as well as in his
own profit. He is an eminent, worthy, and
useful member of society in the locality
which he has chosen as the scene of his life-
work.

I ESTER D. SMITH* is a recent acqui
sition to the village of Norwich, but
¦—^ is, nevertheless, known throughout
the entire county, having been for a number
of years a prosperous farmer of the town of
Plymouth, where he took an active part in
all agricultural matters and in politics. His
parents were Seymour and Sopha (Harwick)
Smith, and the place of his birth was in the
town of Litchfield, Herkimer County, N. Y.,
July 27, 1859.
The family were Connecticut Yankees, the
grandfather, Lester Smith, pulling loose from
home influences when a young man and
coming to Herkimer County, this state, to
make for himself a home. There he pur
chased land and devoted his time to its care
and cultivation, adding each year to the
profits of the previous years, until he was
possessed of considerable means and 200
acres of farm land. In politics he was a Re
publican, and in religion a Presbyterian. He
was twice married ; his first wife was Belin
da Underwood, the grandmother of our sub
ject, and to them but one child, Seymour,
was born. The next marriage resulted in

626

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

the birth of two children, Mary and Hannah,
both dead. The grandfather almost attained
the century mark, being ninety-six years old
when he died.
Seymour Smith was born in Herkimer
County, and spent his life there in farming.
Having secured sufficient means by his agri
cultural labors to retire from active business,
he is now living at Frankfort, that county.
His wife was Sopha Harwick, an estimable
lady, who died at the age of forty-four, leav
ing three children, Lester D., Charles and
Melvin. Lester D. Smith received his educational
training in the Whitestown Seminary and
Eastman's Business College, graduating from
the latter institution, when in his twentieth
year, in 1879. The following three years
were spent in farming in Herkimer County ;
then, thinking to find a more desirable loca
tion, he came to Chenango County and pur
chased a farm of 200 acres, which he has
worked since 1886. This property is situated
in the town of Plymouth, and is among the
best estates in that section, part of it being
used for general farming and the balance
for dairy purposes, of which our subject
makes a specialty. He is a progressive man,
adopting the latest methods where it facili
tates his work, and also doing more or less in
the way of experimental farming, which has
proved of benefit to the surrounding farmers.
He has recently erected a neat residence in
the village of Norwich, where he now lives,
although he still retains his farm, and it is
his intention to continue in its management.
Mr. Smith was married in December, 1882,
to Eva Burgess, by whom he had one child,

Sopha. Being left a widower, he again took
to himself a wife in December, 1890, the lady
being Mary Ross, whose father, Ely J. Ross,
was a farmer of South Plymouth. Two chil
dren, Ruth and Lester, were the fruits of
this union. Mr. Smith has shown great in
terest in the success of the Republican party,
and has done his full share toward its suc
cess, being an indefatigable worker in the
cause. He is now serving his third term as
chairman of the board of supervisors, and his
tenth term as a member of that board from
the town of Plymouth. He is a member of
Lodge No. 165, I. O. O. F., and also of Nor
wich Lodge, No. 205, F. & A. M. He was
for five years, from 1889 to 1894, president of
the Chenango County Agricultural Society,
and for two years was a director of that soci
ety. When the Chenango County Farmers'
Club was in existence, he was a member and
president of the club. He commands the
full respect and confidence of the people by
reason of the probity of his official acts, while
in private life he is a most amiable and ac
complished gentleman, with engaging man
ners and strong friendships.

( 3^E()RGE H. FAUSETT,* proprietor
\f£J_ of a sale and exchange stable, and
one of the hustling and energetic business
men of Norwich, was born July 6, 1836, in
the above town. He is a son of Nathan and
Malinda (Hunt) Fausett, and grandson of
Nathan Fausett.
Nathan Fausett, who was a native of
Rhode Island, after attaining his majority,

CHENANGO COUNTY

627

moved west to the State of New York and
settled in Smyrna, this county, where he en
gaged in the pursuits of an agriculturist.
He was one of the early pioneer settlers of
this county ; soon the time will come when
they will live only in the memory of their
descendants ; the work of their hands will
continue as a monument to their deeds, and
to the trials and struggles through which
they passed in developing Chenango County
from a wrld, uncultivated tract of land to the
rick and productive agricultural position
which it occupies to-day in comparison with
her sister counties of the state. They must
not he forgotten, and it is through just such
works as this Book of Biographies that
their memories will be perpetuated. In pol
itics he cast his vote with the Whig party.
He was the father of four children — three
sons and one daughter.
Nathan Fausett, father of our subject, was
born in the State of Rhode Island, and was
reared and educated in his native place. He
accompanied his father to the State of New
York, where he engaged in farming for a
short time. He then began to make linseed
oil, also to manufacture brick, which he fol
lowed in the town of Norwich for the subse-
quent twenty years. The bricks being of
excellent quality, they soon found a ready
market and were always in demand. Though
it was a profitable business, it was not suited
to his tastes, and he accordingly took up his
former occupation as an agriculturist, and
continued the same for a short time, when he
moved to Cazenovia, Madison County, N. Y.
After a residence there of five years, he
moved to Eaton, the same county, and for

two years he was engaged in the hotel busi
ness. Disposing of his hotel, he was then in
terested in the grocery business until the
time of his death. In politics he was identi
fied with the Republican party. He was
joined in wedlock with Malinda Hunt, and
reared a family of five children, namely :
Alonzo ; George H., whose name heads these
lines; William, who died while in the army ;
John, deceased ; and Lewis. Mr. Fausett
passed from this life at the age of seventy-
nine years. Mrs. Fausett passed to the un
known beyond at the advanced age of ninety-
three years.
George H. Fausett received his education
in the district schools of his native town ; re
maining under the parental roof until he had
attained his majority, he then set out in life
for himself, following the vocation of *a farm
er in the town of Norwich. Remaining
there for six years, he then operated a cheese
and butter factory for five years, He also
operated a cheese and butter factory in the
town of Plymouth for five years. He was
joined in marriage, May 19, 1857, with Eliza
beth Holmes, daughter of Nelson Holmes of
Norwich. Politically, he is a strong Repub
lican, and heartily endorses the principles of
that organization. He was elected trustee
of the village, and served as street commis
sioner for a term of three years. After the
expiration of the term of his office he opened
up a sale and exchange stable, and has met
with great success owing to his being a
good judge of horses. He is also a veterin
arian and surgeon, and being an excellent
horseman is frequently called upon to break
valuable colts. He is a member of the Ma-

628

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

sonic Order, Norwich Lodge, No. 302, and
is also a member of the I. O. O. F., and has
passed all the chairs in the Order. His bus
iness career has been marked with naught
except straightforward and honorable deal
ing with all, and upon his past record there
is no blot which will cause him in his declin
ing years to be ashamed to meet his fellow
men ; indeed he is one of the highest respect
ed and honored citizens, not only of the com
munity in which he lives, but of Chenango
County.

/^TrESSE FETTIS,* superintendent of the
Norwich Silk Mills, is a man who
thoroughly understands the business
with which he is connected, and in conse
quence thereof is meeting with great success.
He is a son of Jesse and Eleanor (Eason)
Fettis, and was born in September, 1871, in
the city of New York.
Jesse Fettis, the father of our subject, was
reared and educated in the public schools of
New York City, and upon leaving school he
secured employment in the silk mills of that
city, and followed that line of business for
twenty-five years, until the time of his death.
When rumors of war began to be heard in
the land, and- when the call was issued for
troops to preserve the Union, he laid aside
his personal interests and plans for the future,
and enlisted as a soldier, being assigned to
the 8th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf., with which he
remained until the close of the war. He was
about the youngest member in the regiment,
and showed great pluck when in battle, and

never knew thought of danger. In politics
he was a firm believer in the Republican
party. He was married to Eleanor Eason,
and they reared and educated a family of
four children, namely: Stephen Stuart;
Arthur G. ; Jesse, the subject of this biog
raphy ; and Orella, all of whom are much
respected in the various vicinities in which
they reside.
Jesse Fettis, our subject, completed a high
school education in his native city, and
passed a successful examination to enter col
lege. He decided upon a business career, and
entered the office of a cloak store, where he
remained for eighteen months. He then en
tered the Union Silk Mill of New Jersey,
where he remained a year and a half in the
office, after which he removed to the village
of Norwich in 1890, and assumed the du
ties of bookkeeper and cashier for the Nor
wich Silk Manufacturing Co. In 1895 he
was made superintendent of the mills, a posi
tion he now occupies. Under his supervision
the business is becoming more profitable
every day, and is bringing to the proprietors
the reward of well-directed and energetic
toil. He was one of the directors of the
Young Men's Christian Association of Nor
wich. He chose for his life companion
Mabel Root, and they were happily married
June 6, 1893. One child has blessed their
home : M. Dorothy. With his wife he holds
a membership in the Methodist Church,
where they are esteemed, efficient and valued
workers. Politically, our subject is a Repub
lican, and is thoroughly interested in the suc
cess of his party. He is a promising young
citizen, and has obtained a fine start in life,

CHENANGO COUNTY

629

and by his honorable dealing and upright
ness of character has secured the good will
and esteem of his neighbors and acquaintan
ces. He is rapidly becoming one of the pil
lars of his community, and in the near future
will be numbered among its most solid and
substantial citizens.

-OHN DE WITT WELCH,* a promi
nent farmer and stock raiser of the
town of Greene, Chenango County,
was born in Preston, this county, June 8,
1835. He is a son of Martin and Honoria
(Murphy) Welch. Martin Welch was born in
Wales, where he was educated for the priest
hood. He came to America about 1824.
After traveling quite extensively over the
continent he finally located at Albany, N. Y.,
where he filled a clerical position in the em
ploy of Gen. Scuyler. During his residence
there he was united in marriage with Hon
oria Murphy, a daughter of John and Cath
erine (McDowell) Murphy. Her paternal
ancestors were of Irish extraction, and her
maternal ancestors originally came from
" Bonnie Scotland." After moving to Pres
ton, in 1828, he engaged in farming and stock
raising; he also speculated considerably. He
was very successful in all his business ven
tures and accumulated much wealth, only to
lose most of it by going security for men
whom he had trusted. He was of a kind and
generous disposition and lived a true Chris
tian life. He was always willing to help his
fellow-men, who had not managed their af
fairs as well as he, and most of his wealth
30

was spent in that manner. In religious belief,
he was a Catholic. He took and active inter
est in politics, and was a member of the
Democratic party. As a result of their union
Mr. and Mrs. Martin Welch became the
parents of seven children, whose records are
as follows: Edward is a farmer, living in
Broome County, N. Y. ; Catherine, deceased,
was the wife of Michael Griffin, a resident of
Preston ; John De Witt, the subject of these
lines ; Margaret, deceased, married Francis
Quinn, of Turbin ; Bridget, the wife of Ed
ward Hogan, who lives at McDonough ; and
Elizabeth, deceased, who married John Gal-
lahis, of Binghamton. Mr. Welch's long life
of usefulness came to an end, November 28,
1875, when in his seventieth year.
John De Witt Welch was born and reared
on the farm, receiving his education in the
district schools. He then took up that most
honorable of all callings, farming, and has
been engaged in that occupation ever since,
He lived in the town of Preston until 1883,
when he moved to Greene, and in 1890 pur
chased and moved upon the farm, where he
now lives. It is a small farm, but located 1%
miles south of the village; what it lacks in
size it makes up in its fine state of cultivation.
Mr. Welch takes great pride in his blooded
stock, and has some of the finest Jerseys in
the county. In early life he dealt extensively
in live stock, but owing to a spell of sickness,
which left him a cripple, he was obliged to
give up the business.
On October 23, 1862, he formed a matri
monial alliance with Margaret Carr, a daugh
ter of John Carr, of Herkimer County, N. Y.,
and three children were born to make their

630

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES

home happy. They are as follows: Ella,
whose bright young life went out, just prior
to her graduation from Oxford Academy ;
Annie, who is living at home with her par
ents ; and Mary, who received a thorough
education and is now a private instructor in
New York City ; she is a graduate of the
Greene and Franklin Academies, and of the
State Normal School, at Albany. Mrs.
Welch is a kind and loving mother and a
true helpmeet to her husband. They are
faithful members of the Catholic Church. In
politics, he is an ardent supporter of the
principles advocated by the Democratic
party.

2LEWELLYN MORGAN,* general
foreman of the Northern and Middle-
— " town Division of the N. Y. O. & W.
R. R., is a son of William E. and Mary (Jones)
Morgan, and was born October 25, 1866, at
Scranton, Pa.
Evans Morgan, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was born in Wales and came to this
country about 1850; he settled in Scranton,
Pa., and followed mining as an occupation.
During the time in which Mr. Morgan lived
in Wales he conducted an inn, and was also
engaged in farming. At the time of his
death he was leading the life of a retired
citizen at Scranton. In politics he was a
Republican. He was the father of six chil
dren, five sons and one daughter.
William E. Morgan was born in Wales in
January, 1839. He came to this country

with his parents, and immediately fitted him
self for the pulpit, becoming a minister of
the M. E. Church. He received much of his
education in Wales. He is a Republican in
politics. He was united in marriage with
Mary Jones, and they reared a family of six
children : Maggie, wife of Daniel Evans ;
Morgan ; Evans, deceased ; Llewellyn, our
subject; Benjamin and Jennie, deceased.
The subject of these lines received a com
mon school education and then learned the
trade of a machinist in the D., L. & W. R. R.
Shops, remaining there for four years. Fie
then attended Prof. Roney's private school
in Scranton two years, and next followed his
trade as a machinist in the Richmond Loco
motive Works of Richmond, Va., and re
mained there until 1890, when he removed
to Middletown and accepted a position as
foreman on the N. Y. O. & W R. R. He
filled this position until October 1, 1896, when
through his good management of his former
position, he was promoted to the position of
general foreman of the Northern and Mid
dletown Division of the above railroad, and
is located in NorwJch, Chenango County.
He is a stanch Republican in politics, and
is a member of the Methodist Church. He
is a prominent member of the Masonic Order,
Hoffman Lodge, No. AA2, of Middletown,
N. Y., and of the Loyal Knights of America,
Keystone Lodge, No. 77, of Scranton, Pa.
Mr. Morgan chose for his life companion
Sadie Kedney, daughter of Andrew Kedney,
and they were happily married August 31,
1892. One child has blessed their home,
Livia, born August 24, 1894.

INDEX

Biographical

Adams, Addison Dudley .
Adatns, Charles G.
Albee, John M 
American- Separator Co., The
Andrews, Lucius C, M. D.
Atkyns, Delos L 
Aylsworth, George

B

421 323 156
367340 559
401

Babcock, Chancellor H.

"5

Baker, T. Spencer .

103

Baldwin, Arthur P.

106

Barber, Danief ....

253

Barnard, Frederick Eugene .

41

95

Barr, H D 

104

Bartle, Newton D.

481

Bartle, Philip L.

549

Beatty, Harrison L.

53

Bell, Oscar G. .

170

Benedict, Hobert A.

339

Benjamin, Col. Moses Gaylord

565

Bennett, Henry C . .

345

Berry, Erastus J.

443

Berry, James L.

143

Bixby, Joel J.

273

Blair, Dr. Louis P. . . .

346

Borden, H. J. . . . .

287

Botsford; Marcus D.
Bowe, Reuben S.
Bradley, Daniel D.
Breed, Horace P. .
Breese, William-
Brewster Brothers
Bristol, Daniel S.
Brooks, George W.
Brooks, Dr. Leroy J. .
Brooks, Ransom D.
Brown, J. Henry
Brown, William A.
Bryan, George M. .
Buckley, William P. .
Bullis, Edgar S., M D.
Burlingham, Holland Y.
Bush, Hon. Joseph
Butts, Ransom

Campbell, Burr C.
Carpenter, Daniel A.
Carpenter, Lewis E.
Carr, Henry G
Carrier, Charles L.
Case, DeWitt C.
Chamberlain, C. Y
Chapman, Mrs. Anna
Chapman, William P.
Chase, L. & L. E.

PAGE 212610 507 173
294239391 70
413 246
422 337III
386
498 44
161
210

174 37
237 158
362 589512
305 561 43

Church, Devillo Corbin
Clark, Henry A.
Clarke, Francis G.
Clinton, Charles
Clinton, Eugene
Coe, George B. .
Comstock, Abel
Conroy, Daniel
Corbin, Chester W.
Corbin, Devillo White
Cowles, Floyd H. .
Cox, Frank E
Crumb, Dr. DeWitt .
Crumb, Prof. Fred Waite
Crumb, Owen L
Curtis, John H.
Cushman, Daniel B

Dalrymple, Isaac
Daniels Edward
Darby, Rev. Chauncey
Dixon, Joseph Williston
Dixson, Dr. Lewis E. .
Douglas, George, M. D.

Eddy, Augustus S.
Edwards, Franklin

PAGE 67
433 135
404 88
218' 123
465
429 575
317543 30
483 516
2343^5

494 491 71
534
412 133

175
186

634

INDEX

PAGE

PAGE

PAGE

Elliott, Edward Julian

467

Hart, Rev. John A.

. 478

L

Emerson, Robert
605
Hartigan, W. C
. 116
Lally, William H.
• • • 579
England, Augustus T.
620
Haven, George A. .
¦ 325
Latham, C H. .
. 265
English, William W.
• 437
618
Lathrop, Aaron M.
598
Ensign, Eneas L., M. D. .
167
Hayes, Philetus A , M. D.
370
Lawrence, George W. .
624
Evans, Ansel
387
Hazard. Alvin C, M. D.
35
Lee, Dwight Morgan, M.
d. . : 164
Hemenway, Charles
• 542
Lewis, Scott B. .
• • 593
Herrick, Melvin E.
. 251
Loomis, Prof. Charles R.
• 454
Herrick, Ransom M. . . .
303
Loomis Ephraim .
588
F
Hickok, Elihu
• 50
Loomis, Philander H. .
• 599
Hill, Marshall G. .
193
Loomis, Uriah .
. . . 283
Fausetl, George H. ...
626
Holmes, Charles
384
Ludington, Matthew Butl
er . 594
Fettis, Jesse .
628
Holmes, Daniel M
55
Lyon, Edward
. 182
Finigan, Michael
298
Holmes, Frank E.
604
Lyon, William W. .
• 38
Fish, M. Hoffman, D. D. S. .
• 253
Holmes, Henry
225
Fish, Dr. Winfield Scott
486
Hopson, William H.
. 226
Fisher, J. N. . . .
497
Horton, Clark Lawrence.
17
Fletcher, 0. W. . . .
516
Hovey, Charles C.
57i
M
Follett, Hon. David Lyman
342
Hovey, H. Fred
¦ 398
Fox, Joseph K.
501
Humphrey, Charles J.
191
Mahon, Reverend George
S 547
Fredenberg, De Witt
419
Hunt, Jesse
91
Main, William C.
• • 525
Franklin, H. B. . . .
466
Martin, Cyrus B.
• 340
Fuller, Charles A. . . .
176
Mathewson, Charles G.
• ¦ 587
I
Matterson, Hon. Truman
I 380
Matterson, Wordsworth B
¦ 53o
Ireland, Harvey
• 136
Maydole, David
11
G
Ives, L. A. . .
201
Merritt, Charles Henry
75
Gates, Henry A.
Gladding, Judge Albert F.
Ives, Ransom M
144
492
Miller, John E.
• 33i
• M7
207
Ives, Rufus S ....
Miller, Robert E , M. D.
Mitchell, Frank B.
. 231
5°3
Glover, John R.
622
Mitchell, Frederick
613
Greene, Arthur
223
Greene, Bradford G
5"
Moore, Edward S. .
56
Griswold, Harry V. R.
118
J
Morgan, Llewellyn
. 630
Guernsey, Colonel William B
229
Jenks, William F.
29
Moulton, Will C.
• 529
Guile, James L.
495
Jipson, James A.
262
Munson, George A.
¦ ¦ 44i
Guy, Henry S. . ...
297
Johnson, Daniel
310
Myers, Grant H.
. . 168
Johnson, Dr. Leonard M.
425
Mygatt, William . .
496
Juliand, Hon. Frederick
393
H
Juliand, Joseph E. .
96
Halstead, Henry J.
259
N
Hand, Dr. John Taylor
. 609
K
Newcomb, William E.
• 105
Hard, John B. .
63
Newman, Charles .
Harrington, Alonzo D.
450
Keough, Charles E.
. 366
Newton, H. H. . .
64
Harrington, Benjamin F.
- 347
Kershaw, Charles Sears
¦ 52t
Newton, William
197
Harrington, George N.
203
Kidder, Eliot Joslyn
276
Nickerson, James H. .
. . 288
Harrington, Reade E. .
. 127
Knickerbocker, Curtis E. .
409
Noyes, Dr. James B.
• • 597
INDEX

635

O'Brien, John H.
Owen, Dr. Ira C.
Oxford Times, The

Packard, Joseph E.
Packer, William H.
Parker, Amaziah Deloss
Parsons, Henry G. .
Payne, Adelbert D
Payne, Albert J.
Peck, William G. . .
Perrine, Rev. George B
Phelps, Aimer H. .
Phelps, Elisha
Phelps, Dr. R. H. . .
Powers, Alanson W.
Powers, Lucius B. .
Pratt, Joshua
Purdy, Dr. Charles M
Putnam, Mrs. Ellen M.

Quackenbush, George Willis
Quinn, Frank J. ...

R

446 273313

3°9 149
209 261 84
275 524 77
427 192 150
383 185121
601 109

548 184

Ray, Hon. George W. .

. 611

Read, Benjamin B.

• 505

Reynolds, Whitford M.

¦ 245

Richer, Irving L. . .

81

Roberts, George C.

420

Robinson, Samuel Metcalf

61

Rockwell, Allen

129

Rogers, De Calvus

• 523

Rogers, Samuel A.

. 406

Roper, Dr F. E.

¦ 514

Ross, Alexander

403

Rugg, George P. . .

• 515

Sage, George H.
Sage, Henry W.
Sage, William H. .
Saley, Herman S. .
Sanders, J. A.
Sanford, Charles H.
Schorn, F. Joe .
Scott, Warren L.
Searles, Thomas Emery
Selfe, John
Shattuck, David
Shepard, Jesse H. .
Shepardson, John W. .
Sherman, John J.
Sherwood, Isaac S.
Sholes, Mary A.
Skinner, George Irving, Esq
Slater, Augustus W. .
Smeader, Otto
Smith, Lester D.
Smith, Stillman S. . . .
Spaulding, James K.
Spencer, Eugene M.
Spencer, Marshall D.
Spooner, Dr Frederick O
Sprague, George L
Spurr, Charles W. .
Stack, Edmund J. . . .
Sternberg, Henry .
Stewart, William B.
Stockwell, Mrs. Linda M.
Storrs, Hon Hiram Eleazer
Stover, William E. .
Sullivan, Michael H.
Sullivan, William H.
Sweet, Fred A. ...

141
473352
468 4'7 377
445 181 87
3«5 580
247
443 351 183
328
474 375 49
625 92
232378266290 189
539
463428
471 334 25
435 506 47
333

Tarble, Zenas
Taylor, David Lewis, M. D.
Terry, Kinyon

617
485 153

Tew, Harry 
Thornton, Charles H.
Tiffany, George A. . .
Tiffany, Dr. Thomas Jerome
Tiffany, William B. . . .
Tillotson, Joseph
Truesdell, Hon Harvey A
Tucker, Hiram H.
Tuttle, Almon Lee
Tyler, Colonel .

418 270
204
318
606 178 82
449461453

Van Tassell, Uri
Van Valkenburgh, Joseph D.
Van Woert, Delos .

533
354
477

w
Wadsworth, William M.
Warren, Elisha M. .
Weaver, Dr George S.
Webb, Clark L 
Welch, John De Witt
Westcott, James H., M. D.
Wetmore, James K
Wheeler, Deloss
Wheeler, George
Wheeler, William H. . .
Whitmore, Hon. George B.
Whitney, Edson L
Wightman, Benjamin E .
Wildman, William J.
Willard, George H. . .
Willard R. Charles . .
Willcox, George W., M. D.
Willcox, Henry D. . . .
Willcox, Stephen K.
Williams, George O., M D
Willsey, Isaac H.
Winter, Henry .

361"5 568124
629 279
359 596
518
608 21
455 130162
293
2'5356 541
280 326
338 319

portraits.

PAGE

PAGE

PAGE

Adams, Charles G.

322

Greene, Mrs Harriet E, .

221

Putnam, Mrs. Ellen M. . .

. 108

Adams, Marion B., Lewis Sher

Greene, Bradford G
510
Reynolds, Whitford M. . .
• 244
man, Jr., and Charles Malcolm
564
Guernsey, Colonel William B.
228
Richer, Irving L.
80
Atkyns, Delos L . . .
558
Halstead, Henry J.
258
Robinson, Samuel M.
• 58
Aylsworth. George
400
Harrington, Reade E.
126
Robinson, Mrs. Sarah A.
59
Baker, T. Spencer .
102
Hazard, Alvin C , M D.
34
Sage, George H. .
138
Barnard, Frederick Eugene
40
Herrick, Hiram W.
301
Sage, Mrs Harriet E .
139
Barr, Caleb B.
94
Herrick, Melvin E,
250
Sanders, J. A.. ...
416
Bartle, Newton D
480
Herrick, Ransom M.
300
Scott, Warren L.
. 180
Beatty, Harrison L.
52
Hovey, Charles C. . .
• 570
Searles, Thomas Emery
. 86
Bennett, Henry C.
344
Jenks, William F.
28
Sherman, John J. .
• 350
Bixby, Joel J.
272
Johnson, Dr. Leonard M
424
Slater, Augustus W.
372
Borden, H. J.
286
Kershaw, Charles Sears
. 520
Slater, Mrs. L. Jane
373
Breed, Horace P.
172
Knickerbocker, Curtis E
408
Sprague, George L.
. 188
Bristol, S. Agnes
390
Lally, William H
578
Spurr, Charles W.
536
Brown, William A
33&
Latham, C. H
. 264
Spurr, Mrs. Cerelia
¦ 537
Bush, Hon. Joseph
160
Lewis, Scott B .
• 592
Stewart, William B.
• 470
Carpenter, Lewis E. . . .
236
Mahon, Rev George S.
¦ 546
Sullivan, William H
. 46
Church, Devillo Corbin
66
Mathewson, Charles G.
584
Tarble. Zenas .
. 616
Clark, Henry A.
432
Mathewson, Mrs. Rachel L
585
Terry, Kinyon .
152
Cowles, Floyd H. .
316
Maydole, David
10
Tucker, Hiram H. .
448
Cushman, Daniel B. . .
364
Merritt, Charles Henry
74
Tuttle, Almon Lee
458
Daniels, Edward
490
Miller, John E
330
Tuttle, Phebe Maryett
• 459
Douglas, George, M. D
132
Moulton, Will C.
528
Warren, Elisha M. ...
• "4
Ensign, Eneas L , M. D.
166
Munson, George A
440
Westcott, James H., M. D. .
. 278
500
Newton, William
196
Wetmore, James K.
35S
Gates, Henry A.
146
Packard, Joseph E.
. 308
Whitmore, Hon. George B.
20
Gladding, Judge Albert F.
206
Powers, Alanson W. .
382
Willard, George H.
292
Greene, Arthur
220
Pratt, Joshua
120
Willard, Oliver H.
214
Qr