Delaware County NY Genealogy and History Site
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Biographical Review - 1895
The Leading Citizens of Delaware County, NY This volume contains Biographical Sketches of The Leading Citizens of Delaware County New York
Biography is the home aspect of history
Biographical Review Publishing Company 1895 OLIVER E. MINER is one of the most industrious and progressive farmers of Andes, Delaware County, N. Y. His paternal grandfather, Jonathan Miner, was a native of England and an early settler of Connecticut, where he was employed as a farmer and miller. He was a Revolutionary soldier, taking part in the battle of Bunker Hill, and having his house destroyed during the war. He died in the State where he was born, at the good old age of ninety-two years. His son, Oliver, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Connecticut in January, 1780, and on January 1, 1800, married Miss Amy Bishop, of the same State, who was born September 14, 1783. Her father, Thomas Bishop, was a native of France, but came with his parents to Connecticut, and fought for his country's freedom at Bunker Hill. He was a successful farmer, and lived to reach his ninety-fifth year. After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Miner they lived for some years in Connecticut, and then removed to this State with their ten children, settling in the town of Andes in 1826. The journey was made in a sloop from New London to New York City, and in the same way from New York to Kingston Point, the rest of the distance to Pine Hill being covered in wagons, the whole journey occupying ten days. Mr. Miner here purchased two hundred acres of woodland, which he cleared, and then built a log house and cultivated his farm. Game animals abounded in this country at that time; and this furnished the greater portion of the food for the pioneer settler and his family, as the market was seldom visited, the distance to it being sixty miles. The nearest mill was at Bovina, where they carried their grist by means of a yoke of oxen and a rude dray which was fashioned from a log of wood and was an extremely primitive contrivance. Oliver Miner was a very industrious man, and lived to see the results of his hard work, his last days being spent in Colchester, where he owned a farm of two hundred acres, which he purchased of William Downs, having sold his other two farms to his son. His death occurred November 10, 1846, and that of his wife July 30, 1876, she being ninety-three years of age. He was a Democrat; and both were devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and were highly respected. They were the parents of fourteen children, ten of whom were born in Connecticut and four in New York. Eleven of their children grew to maturity; and five are now living, namely: Erastus, a farmer in Colchester; Harriet, widow of William Murphy, of Red Oak, Ia.; Almavina, widow of James Lord, a resident of Pennsylvania; Oliver E., the subject of this biography; Lorenzo D., a farmer and carpenter in Colchester. Oliver E. Miner, son of Oliver and Amy (Bishop) Miner, was born in Montville, New London County, Conn., February 3, 1821, but removed with his parents to Andes, where he grew to manhood, and received his education in the schools of the town. Until twenty-two years of age he remained at home, and assisted his father in the care of the farm. Mr. Miner's first purchase was a tract of wild land in Colchester, containing one hundred acres; and here he began to build his log house in the middle of February, when the snow covered the country in deep drifts. He worked on his house by day, and made the shingles by night, moving into his new home in April. For two years he resided there, and then in 1844 exchanged it for his present property, which was at that time a large tract ofÔpurchased land until he was the possessor of eight hundred acres, part of which he sold, but now owns four hundred and eighty acres. Besides his farm in Andes he is the owner of a fine residence in Middletown, where his son is located. He has been an energetic worker, and his remarkable success is due to his ceaseless efforts combined with practical business ability. He is constantly improving his property; and his farm is one of the finest in the town, containing a large dairy, which he carries on in connection with husbandry. Mr. Miner has also engaged quite extensively in the lumber business, having built at different times three saw-mills, one of which is now in operation on his farm. He deals also in bark, the sale of which has enabled him to pay for his valuable property. October 27, 1842, he was married by the Rev. James T. Bouton to Miss Adaline S. Earll, who was born in Andes, a daughter of John and Phoebe (Washburn) Earll, early settlers in New York State. Mr. Miner has been called upon to part with his wife, who died January 7, 1894, aged sixty-nine years. She was the mother of six children, four of whom are now living: Emily, widow of Samuel Davis, residing with her father; Ira E., a farmer in Andes; Colonel E. Miner, of Middletown; Marvin L. Miner, a farmer in his native town. Two children have passed away, namely: an infant; and a son John, aged twenty-two. Mr. Miner is a Democrat and a natural politician, both his grandfathers and his uncle having been United States Senators. He has served as Notary Public, and held many town offices, taking at all times an active part in politics. He is a member of the Delphi Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is well known and justly popular throughout the county, where he is universally respected for his industry, honesty, and practical intelligence.
Roswell Peake, the grandfather of Albert D., married Miss Mary Mason, by whom he had twelve children; namely, Matilda, Maria, Sirissa, Emeline, Sibyl, Julia, Walter C., Ira, Cyrus, Warren L., Augustus, and Eleazer. Matilda Peake married Daniel Patterson, of Hamden, and died at the age of twenty-seven, leaving two sons and one daughter -- James, Roswell, and Harriet. James Patterson married Miss Wakeman, moved to Wayne County, Pennsylvania, and after her death married Miss Stearns. Roswell Patterson married Miss Angeline Woodbeck, of Pennsylvania, and had eight children, four sons and four daughters. Maria Peake married Andrew Andrews of Hamden; and they are the parents of six children -- Joseph, George, Daniel, Harriet, Theodocia, and Adelia. Walter C. Peake married Hannah Tiffany, settling in Hamden; and they had the following children: Ira, Oliver, Andrew, Walter, Lucinda, Jane, Julia, Mary, Celinda, Ellen, and Electa. Sirissa Peake married Caleb Chadwick, of Livingston County, both deceased. They had three children -- Caleb, Walter, and Adelia. Warren L. Peake married Amy Chace, and died at his home in Hamden, leaving four children -- Eleazer, Matilda, George, and Emma. Cyrus Peake married Louisa Wardell; and both died at Hancock, leaving twelve children -- Walter, William, Henry, Cyrus, Marcus, Ursula, Harriet, Abby, Rebecca, Emma, Marcia, Marion. Emmeline Peake married Henry Dart, locating first in Pennsylvania, and later in California, and had the following children: Albert Cyrus, of the firm of Henry Dart & Sons, of Rock Island, Ill.; and William H., Stewart, Roswell, and Augusta, who settled in the West. Sybil Peake married Albert Dart, settled in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, and later in Illinois, reared two children: Frances, who married Frank Morse, of Chicago; and Clayton, now in Minnesota. Eleazer Peake married Miss Mary Holmes, settling in Colchester; and after the death of his wife he moved to Nebraska, where he died. His children were: Augustus, Amy, William, Mary, and Samuel. Julia Peake married Alvin Stearns, and resides at Harford, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. Three children were born to them -- Charles, Albert, and Alice. Ira, the father of Albert D. Peake, the subject of this sketch, was born in Hamden, March 19, 1806, and died in 1885. He married in 1826 Celinda Tiffany, born December 2, 1807. She was the daughter of Samuel and Mary Tiffany, of Massachusetts, and of old New England stock. At the time of Mr. and Mrs. Peake's settlement in Hamden they were in extremely moderate circumstances, and bought at first but a small piece of land. Energetic and enterprising, he added to this until at last he owned over five hundred acres, and became one of the largest and wealthiest farmers in the county. At the time he settled in Hamden his nearest trading-post was on the Hudson River, where he hauled his produce and bought his stores. Mr. Peake was a man of more than ordinary ability. He was a close friend of Henry Clay, voting with the old Whig party, and was one of the first to espouse the Republican cause. He was a strong Abolutionist, and much opposed to the traffic and use of liquor in any form. Ira and Celinda(Tiffany) Peake were the parents of the following children: Anna Eliza Peake, born December 4, 1827, married E. J. Fraser, who settled first at Delhi, and afterward at Hamden, where Mrs. Fraser died. She had seven children -- Mary, Elizabeth A., Celinda, Jennie, Emma, Ebenezer B., and Ella. Frances Peake, born October 14, 1829, married James H. Arbuckle, and settled in California. They had one child who died in infancy. Robert B. Peake, born November 3, 1831, settled first in California, afterward moving to Washington. He married Emma Ladd, by whom he had six children. Warren P. Peake, born July 6, 1833, settled in Nebraska, and is supposed to have been murdered. He married Eunice Bagley, by whom he had three children: Viah and Lillian, both deceased; and Irving, of Russell, Kan. Roswell L. Peake, born June 23, 1835, settled in Hastings, Minn. He married Adelia Robinson, and had the following children:ÔWinfield S., deceased. Martha A. Peake, born September 20, 1837, married Joshua B. Brandt, of Walton, and had four children: Douglas D.; Joshua, deceased; Herschel, deceased; and Albert P.Charlotte Peake, born October 14, 1843, married Daniel Brisack, and died in Walton, leaving one son, Curtis. Albert D. Peake was the fourth son of his parents. His mother, Mrs. Celinda T. Peake died in 1866. Ira Peake married for his second wife Miss Abigail Law, by whom he had five children -- Sheridan, Francis, Arthur, Herbert, and Lillian. Mrs. Abigail Peake died in 1875; and Mr. Peake married for his third wife Miss Pauline Law, by whom he had two children -- Ida and Chester. Albert D. Peake received his preparatory education at the district schools of Hamden, and at the Delhi Academy, and was graduated from Union College, and from the Albany Law School in 1873. In 1870 he was Principal of the high school at Schenectady, and thence went to Delhi, where he embarked in the practice of his profession. Subsequently, in 1874, he came to Walton, and here continued his law practice. Upon the failure of the Walton Novelty Works in 1885, Mr. Peake, in conjunction with J. Q. Barlow, purchased the business, which was conducted on those lines until 1890, when he bought out the interest of Mr. Barlow, and has since been the sole proprietor of the works. He makes a specialty of the manufacture of baby-carriages, which have a world-wide reputation, receiving orders from Australia and many distant parts. Mr. Peake is an extremely busy man, having two branch offices in New York, a halfªinterest in the "New York Carriage Company," and being sole proprietor of the business of Gerbracht & Co. of New York City. Mr. Peake was united in marriage September 10,, 1874, to Miss Martha McLaury, a daughter of Dr. J. S. McLaury, of Walton. Mrs. Peake was born in Walton, March 11, 1851, receiving her education at the Walton High School and the Normal College of New York City. Five children blessed this union, namely: Laurens, born in March, 1875, died March 10, 1875; James McL., born December 29, 1876, now a student at Williams College; Albert D., born August 6, 1878, died at Yonkers in 1881; Evelyn M., born December 6, 1880; and Edwin, born March 3, 1882, who died in infancy. Mrs. Martha Peake died in March 1882; and Mr. Peake married for his second wife, in April 1883, Miss Margaret Thomson, by whom he has one child, Charles N., born July 29, 1889. Mr. Peake's political creed is Republican. He has never sought any office; but his personal popularity was such that he was elected Supervisor of his town and President of the Board of Education. He was chairman of the Building Committee having in charge the errection of the fine school building which now graces the town. Mr. Peake has been an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Walton for many years, and has been deeply interested in the Sunday-school, of which he is superintendent. He also served as President of the Building Committee in the errection of the church. He is a man of rare intelligence and sound judgment, possessing all the qualifications for a large and successful merchant. He is stillÔusefulness in the community of which he is an honored citizen.
John Meyer, the subject of this biography, was educated in Germany; and, after coming here, he served his time as an apprentice to a cabinet-maker in New York City. He followed that occupation for a time, and then moved with his parents to the town of Hancock, where he assisted them in establishing the new home near French Woods. He has increased the farm to two hundred and thirty-three acres, nearly all of which is under cultivation. He married Catherine Bilger, daughter of Peter Bilger, of New York City, a descendant of a German family of that name. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer have had nine children, namely: John; Mary, who died in infancy; Joseph; Charles; George; Frank; Victoria; Catherine; and a second Mary. George, who married Mary Holman, of Brooklyn, and Joseph carry on the home farm, the father having retired from active life. Charles is a lumberman in Delaware County. Catherine, who married Henry Peak, a farmer and proprietor of a saw-mill in the town of Hancock, died in 1893, the mother of ten children-ªVictoria, Anastasia, Leo, Lawrence, Henry, Walter, Lucian, Katie, and two others who died in infancy. Victoria married James Sullivan, of Bethel, Sullivan County, and since her husband's death in 1883 has resided with her father in the town of Hancock. Mary also resides with her father. John, who is a carpenter, and married Miss Near, of Eau Claire, Wis., has a large family. Frank, who married Mary Sullivan, of Bethel, Sullivan County, N.Y., manages a store at Long Eddy, Sullivan County. Mr. and Mrs. John Meyer and their family are members of the Catholic church at French Woods. Mr. Meyer is politically a Democrat, and has held many offices of trust, among them being thatÔfaithfully, always favoring everything which he thought tended toward the improvement and progress of the town.
James Russell, the third of this goodly group, was born in Scotland on June 22, 1790, and was a lad of ten years when he came to this country with his parents. He was educated in the district schools of the locality, and came into possession of the farm at his father's death. He added largely to the estate, and became quite a man of property. He married Margaret Bryce, who was born in Scotland, February 5, 1796, a daughter of Thomas and Janet (Gilmore) Bryce, the former of whom died February 25, 1813, and the latter, a daughter of John Gilmore, July 11, 1829. The other children of her parents were the following: Agnes, born March 19, 1794; Jean, March 24, 1799; Archibald, August 25, 1801; John, January 26, 1803; Elizabeth, February 20, 1805; Matthew, born January 28, 1807; who died in Libby Prison during the Civil War: Mary, September 2, 1809; Thomas G., April 4, 1812. The wife of Mr. Russell shared his religious faith and creed, both being members of the Reformed Presbyterian church. He had no interest in the political situation of his time, and took no part in the national or local issues. His reasons for thus disfranchising himself, as it were, are indicated in the following extract from the Synod's Report on National Reform in 1869: "Because this nation has steadfastly refused any acknowledgement of the authority of God, of his Son, or of his law," and because "A Constitution which ignores the foundations of all political morality cannot be accepted and approved by any Christian people without sin," and because he holds "it to be the duty of every citizen of this nation to maintain an active dissent by refusing to incorporate with a government thus constituted." James Russell died August 4, 1851. His wife Margaret survived him many years, dying January 15, 1873. Twelve children, all sons, wereÔJohn, and Andrew, are now living. The record is as follows: William, born December 19, 1814, died February 2, 1892; Thomas B., born August 9, 1816, died April 18, 1881; James G., born April 21, 1818, died January 1, 1891; an infant, born May 9, 1820, died unnamed; Archibald B., born August 18, 1821, died February 18, 1868; Stephen, born January 26, 1824; John G., born January 16, 1827; an infant, born and died on December 13, 1829; Matthew, born May 31, 1831, died September 27, 1833; David B., born August 19, 1833, died February 28, 1892; Andrew T., born November 9, 1837; Matthew B., born June 17, 1840, died January 14, 1847. Andrew T. Russell worked on his father's farm and hired himself out for several years during his youth, earning one hundred and fiftyªfive dollars for his first year's wages. He also worked at the carpenter's trade one year. He was married January 12, 1865, and bought the farm in the spring of that year. The young woman who linked her fate with his was Miss Eliza Jane McLaury, who was born in the town of Davenport, April 23, 1845, a daughter of George H. and Nancy (Cobine) McLaury. George H. McLaury was a native of Kortright, and Mrs. McLaury of Franklin. They reared a family of seven children: George, a farmer in Iowa: Thomas, who died in the Civil War; David, who lives in Delhi; Mrs. Russell; John, a farmer in South Dakota; Samuel, also in South Dakota; and Mrs. Sarah A. Terrell, wife of Thomas Terrell, a baggage-master in Oneonta, N.Y. Andrew T. Russell has lived at the home of his birth, surrounded by all the ties of association and childhood that make a locality dear. He keeps thirty milch cows, and has one of the best dairies in the county. The new buildings which he has errected have greatly enhanced the value of the property; and the land itself, under intelligent tillage, has been vastly improved. Six children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Russell, namely: James J.K., born November 5, 1865, who married Miss Tina L. Doig, and has one daughter, Florence Pearl; George T., born September 19, 1868; Nettie A., born October 18, 1870; Andrew G., born March 22, 1872; Samuel W., born July 25, 1873, a clerk in Oneonta; Mary Jane Eliza, born December 23, 1875, now at the Normal School of Oneonta. Both Mr. and Mrs. Russell are members of the Reformed Presbyterian church, in which the former has been an Elder for twenty-one years. He is also the superintendent of the Sabbath-school, which latter office he has held for the last five years. Politics seem to have little or no interest for this man, who, for the same reasons stated in regard to his father, serves his country by setting an example of industry, sobriety, and thrift, rather than by taking an active part in State or national affairs.
R.H. Palmer was born in Deposit, September 24, 1840. His father is Fletcher Palmer, the "Squire," a lawyer of ability, who has already spent eighty-three years on this earth. His mother, whose name before marriage was Nancy Peters, was a native of Philadelphia. She died at the age of forty-four years, leaving six children, all of whom are living, namely: R.H., the inspector; Arthur T., who is the Assistant Superintendent of the Union Pacific Railroad, and lives at Kansas City, Mo.; James K. Polk, a passenger conductor on the Erie line, with headquarters at Susquehanna; Smith, the station agent of the Erie Railroad at Hawley, Pa.; John P., a locomotive engineer, with residence at Deposit; Emily, the wife of William Carpenter, a locomotive engineer of the Erie Railroad, living at Binghamton. The father was married a second time, from which union was one daughter, Jessie, who is attending the union school of Deposit. The subject of this sketch was the first-born of these children, and is practically a selfmade man. Having had but limited opportunity in his youth for obtaining an education in the schools, he has made the most of his natural abilities, and has gathered by reading, observation, and intercourse with the world a large fund of useful information. His wide knowledge of material things and acquaintance with men and affairs are worth vastly more to him in actual business than the highest classical lore of the schools would be. He was engaged for a number of years in the fur business in the counties of Broome and Delaware, and next was in the meat trade; and from that he embarked in the coal business, which he has successfully managed for many years. He built his present residence on Laurel Bank Avenue in 1880. He was married in 1871 to Chloe J. Merrill, daughter of Henry and Mary Merrill, of Deposit, both of whom are now deceased. They were excellent people, much respected, and quite active in church work and in all things having a tendency to promote the industrial and moral improvement of the community. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer have one child -- a daughter, Mary. They are members of the Baptist church, and contibute of their means and influence to the support of the gospel of Christ and the dissemination of the principles of religion and morality. Mr. Palmer belongs to the Democratic party, and has served on the Central Committee of Delaware county for the past fifteen years. He has also been a delegate to several Democratic State conventions, and his advice and counsel are much sought in every campaign. He was appointed to his present position by Governor Hill, whodeserves credit for his admirable selection, which seems to meet with universal approval. The integrity and faithfulness of Mr. Palmer are not questioned; and it is unfortunate for the people that inspectors of similar qualifications cannot always be appointed, to the end that there might be more efficient service in this important department. What a happy thing for the country if all the other public offices could be held severally by the fittest men!
His son Frederick was born in Dutchess County in 1816, and he was only fourteen when the family came to Delaware County. He married Anna, the daughter of John Rickert. John Rickert and wife had four girls and two boys. One girl died in babyhood; but John, George, Anna, Emeline, and Helen grew up. After marriage Frederick and Anna Lasher lived two years on the farm of a hundred acres across the road from the homestead at Brush Ridge, in an old log house; but subsequently he erected new buildings. In politics Mr. Lasher was a Republican. His wife died when she was seventy, and he died at sixty-seven. They had fourteen children, briefly named below. Margaret Lasher married Marchant Van Valkenburg, of Halcott, Greene County, and bore three children. Conrad, named for his grandfather Lasher, died at twenty-four. Jane Lasher, deceased, was the wife of Edward Angle, who lives at Brush Ridge. Their fourth and fifth children died young. Philip Lasher, a Delhi farmer, married Jane Townsend, who died, leaving one son, Isaac, two children having died previousIy. John Lasher married Mary Johnson, is a Middtetown farmer, and has six children. Anna K. Lasher is the wife of Avery Boughton; and they now live at the Mountain Star House, in Halcott, Greene County. Isabella Lasher married Philmore Berger, a Rhinebeck farmer in Dutchess County. Frances Lasher, deceased, married Francis Enist, of Olive, Ulster County, and had a child, no longer living. Of the eleventh child, George Lasher, more will be said hereafter. Albertina Lasher married James Hicks, a blacksmith at Fleischmanns. Henrietta Lasher, deceased, was the wife of Daniel Boughton, a farmer, and had one child. Jeannette Lasher married James Gill, of Margarettville, has three children; and they live at the Bird House. George H. Lasher went to district school, and worked on the home farm till he was thirtv-three years of age. Then he went to Kingston, where he lived awhile, and afterward came to Griffin's Corners. There he bought the old hotel of his uncle, Allen Lasher, remodelled the house, and has now become the principal hotel-keeper in this region. at the same time owning the Brush Ridge homestead of one hundred and twenty-five acres and a house and lot across the creek in Fleischmanns. In 1883 George Lasher married. It is a curious coincidence that grandfather, father, and son should all three marry women with Anna for their first name. Evidently they liked it. Mrs. George Lasher was Anna Crawford, daughter of Dr. Crawford; and they have three children--Herbert, Rose, and Crawford, the latter, of course, bearing his mother's family name. In politics Mr. Lasher is a Republican. Like his progenitors, he is liberal in his religious views. It is fitting that here should be given some idea of the family to which Mrs. Lasher belongs. Dr. W. H. Crawford was born in Delhi, N.Y., on New Year's Day, 1829. His wife, Margaret Amos, was born a year earlier, August 24, 1828. The Doctor's parents were John and Mary Ann (Shaw) Crawford. The grandparents were Robert Crawford and Jeannette Forsyth, and came from Scotland, after they were married, to Schoharie County, where Robert followed his trade as a miller,-but died young, having three children--John, William, and Jeannette Crawford. The widow then married James Brown, of Bovina, and at her death, in 1833, left three children by this second marriage--Andrew, Thomas, and IsabeIle Brown. John Crawford, the Doctor's father, worked on the farm and attended school, like other boys. Starting at last for himself, he went to live in Bovina. He had four children William Henry, Isabella, Robert, Jeannette. John Crawford died young, only thirty-three; but his widow, Mary A. Crawford, lived to be seventy-four. Like their forefathers, they were Presbyterians in religion. William H. Crawford was only eleven when his father died, and had to begin self-support very young; but he worked hard summers, and went to the Delhi Academy in the winter, and was finally able to graduate at the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1854. After a brief practice in Meredith he came to Griffin's Corners, where he obtained a large patronage during eight years. Thence he went to Andes, where he labored to great advantage for thirty-two years - in fact, until his death, at the age of sixty-five. The Doctor was Democratic in politics, and spent a year as Army Surgeon during the Rebellion. His wife died at the age of sixty, leaving three children: Margaret Anna, now Mrs. Lasher; and Mary and Jane, both living in the dear Andes home. The Crawfords, like their family predecessors, belonged to the Presbyterian church ; and in this respect Mrs. Lasher is in sympathy. with her sisters. To both the special subject of this sketch and to his father-in-law might be applied the words of that distinguished literary son of New York, Washington: Irving, -- "It is interesting to notice how some minds seem almost to create themselves, springing up under every disadvantage, and working their solitary but irresistible way through a thousand obstacles."
William M. Adair was educated at the district schools, and made his home with his father until he was twenty-nine, when he purchased a farm of his own adjoining the old homestead, and resided there until 1892, then removed to Davenport, where he now lives, retired from active pursuits. His wife was the daughter of William Black, and was born in Ireland. Her parents had the following named children: William, Robert, Hugh, Mary Jane, Eliza, and Margaret. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Adair are as follows: James; Elizabeth. the wife of J. L. Clark, of New York City; Margaret, the wife of James Henderson; William; Robert; Hugh; Anabelle; John; and Leonard. Hugh Adair was educated in the district schools and Delaware Academy. He taught in the Bloomville village school for three years, and afterward took a course in Coleman's Business College. Upon leaving college he kept books for Mr. Cooper for about four months, and then returned to Davenport. He was elected School Commissioner in September, 1893, for a three years term. He conducts the examination of applicants, and has the appointment of about two hundred and twenty-five teachers in Delaware County, and is eminently fitted for the position, being an able, courteous, and efficient officer. He is a member of the Republican party, and also of the Presbyterian church at Kortright.
Hezekiah Beers, son of Ephraim, was born in Fairfield, Conn., and removed with his parents to Walton when but nine years of age. He early began to work on the farm, and, as soon as he was old enough, also engaged in lumbering, helping to run one of the first rafts ever sent from Walton to Philadelphia. The return journey was made on foot with their purchases strapped to their back and occupied three or four days. Hezekiah Beers married Cynthia Goodrich, daughter of Michael Goodrich, of Walton, and, disposing of his property near the river, purchased a farm on Dunk Hill in North Walton, where he resided for a time, and then sold out, and removed to Otego [sic], Otsego County. He died there at the age of eighty-six years, having been a Democrat throughout his life. His wife passed away one year later, leaving nine children: Eleanor, wife of Morris Gould, a farmer of Bridgeport, Conn.; Clarissa, who married Caleb Gosper, a farmer of Southport, N.Y.; Wakeman, a farmer. in Bolivar, Allegany County; Philo F., a resident of Hancock until his death; Almeda, wife of Darius Dann, a farmer of Walton; Nelson a farmer in Deposit; Edwin H., subject of this sketch; Polly, who married Peter Barlow, a farmer in Walton; and George, who was a civil engineer of St. Louis, and was with General Fremont for a time. He enlisted in the Union army from Illinois, and was Captain of a company, being shot through the heart while leading his men against the rebels during Sherman's march to the sea. Edwin H.Beers attended the district school in his boyhood, and was of much help to his father at home. Having grown to manhood, he worked at farming in Otego [sic], moving to Hancock in February, 186I. For seven years he was night agent at the railway station there, after which he was employed in various pursuits. He later started a wagon-hub factory, which he continued for a number of years, and was very successful. He is now living practically retired from active business, and enjoying the fruits of his earlier labors and the esteem of the community. January 20, 1853, he married Betsey Smith. daughter of Ephraim and Betsey (Kimbell) Smith, of Unadilla, Otsego County, N.Y.: and they have had three children: Emilv. who died in infancy; George E.; and Nettie L., George E., who was born in Otego [sic], July 4, 1860, and educated in Hancock Academv, learned the printer's trade, but entered the furniture business in June. 1890, in which he is still engaged. August 3, 1892, he married Lillian C. Barlow. daughter of Peterr and Abigail J. (Beers) Barlow,. of Beerston. in the town, of Walton. Mr. and Mrs. George E. Beers have one daughter. Ruth G. Beers, born June 2, 1893. Mrs. George E. Beers graduated from the State normal school in Oswego, N.Y., and taught one year in Kansas and later in the East and in Hancock. She is a member of the Baptist and her husband of the Methodist church. He is a Master Mason, A. F. & A.M., No. 52, of Hancock, and is a Republican in politics. Nettie L. Beers was born July 2, 1863, was educated in Hancock Academy, and lived with her parents until her marriage, November 28, 1883, to H. W. Wagner, editor of the Hancock Herald. She is a member of the Methodist church.
Thomas Crary, H. H. Crary's grandfather, was born January 11, 1775. In 1797 he married Polly Holmes, and about that time migrated to Albany County, New York, and from there to Chenango County. In 1800 he settled near the village of Liberty, in what was then the town of Lumberland, in the County of Ulster, but is now in the town of Liberty, in the county of Sullivan. Soon afterward he leased, and subsequently bought, the farm about two miles from the village of Liberty, upon which some members of the family have ever since continued to reside, and which is now occupied bv Mr. Crary's brother George. Thomas Crary represented Sullivan County in the State legislature in the year 1826, and was at one time chosen one of the Associate Judges of his county. Calvert Crary, Horace Crary's father, was born August 11, 1798, and spent his life, which was not in a public way an eventful one, on the homestead near Liberty. A prosperous farmer, the head of a large family, his business and his family fully occupied his time and attention. In March, 1823, he married Eliza Hill. He died at the age of eighty years; and his wife Eliza is still living, at the age of ninety. Six sons and two daughters survive him: Horace H.; J. M. Crary, of Jersey City; Thomas Crary, of Hancock, N.Y.; Mary A., wife of J. N. Young, of Liberty, N.Y.; Denison Crary, of Vestal, N.Y.; George Crary, of Liberty, N.Y.; Jerry Crary, of Sheffield, Pa.; and Mrs. Sarah A. Fisk, of Hancock. The average weight of the six brothers is two hundred and twenty-four pounds, and, their average height six feet and one and one-half inches. The early opportunities of Horace were not great, Sullivan County being yet largely in the backwoods, with only small settlements scattered here and there within its borders. Liberty was a thriving little village. Monticello; was twelve miles distant from Mr. Crary's home; and the nearest point of any importance was Newburg,. more than fifty miles away. Horace attended the district school quite regularly from the time he was five until he became fifteen years of age, and from that time until he was twenty attended the district school in the winter, when there was nothing else with which to busy himself. He had a genius for figures, and early became master of all the intricacies of "Daboll's Arithmetic." As a trophy of his school-days, he still has a book in which all the examples in the arithmetic are worked out in full. He was standing authority on these questions in the school, and was always referred to when the teacher lacked time or inclination to explain. Sullivan Countv at that time abounded in game of all kinds. Wolves and bears were common through the town of Liberty, and deer plentiful. Wolves came out sometimes at night, and killed whole flocks of sheep. Foxes were also numerous; and one winter Mr. Crary broke the monotony of school life by catching twenty-three of them, and a large number of rabbits, trapping in the cold season being both sport and business. He was a fleet-footed lad, and often recalls one fox-chase, after a light snow, when he succeeded in running Reynard down and capturing him. In the summer time he varied working on the farm with cattle droving, speculating, and selling goods by auction at the general trainings. Sometimes in the winter he sold game and poultry in the markets of New York City. At that time he could obtain the privilege of standing in Washington Market during the day and selling his goods, on the payment of a sixpence for his stand. At night he could nail his produce up in a box, and leave it with a watchman, who took charge of it without extra expense. His business of huckstering at the trainings commenced when he was twelve or fourteen years old. One of his early speculations, which is remembered for its disappointment rather than for its profit, was the purchase of a quantity of a quantity of maple sugar in small cakes in the spring, to be sold at the general trainings in the fall. He purchased eight dollars' worth, at an expense of two cents per cake. This, he estimated, would be worth in the fall four cents a cake; and his profit would thus be eight dollars. One day in summer he pried the cover from the box to taste the sugar; and the result was that before training-time the sugar was all gone, and the expected profit of eight dollars resulted in a net loss of eight dollars, or, rather, in an investment of eight dollars for the benefit of his sugar tooth. These sales at general trainings he was accustomed to follow up from day to day, sometimes driving twenty miles after the close of one day's work to be ready to open up business the next day. In 1846 the general trainings ceased; and from that time until 1850 he was engaged in the butcher business and in droving, buying cattle and sheet) in Central New York, and driving them to Sullivan County, and buying horses in Ohio and Canada, and bringing them East, and selling them. In his business transactions he early learned to rely upon him self. His father's name was good in the surrounding country for a considerable amount, and this credit was loaned to Horace by indorsement and otherwise; but the paper was always taken care of by Horace as faithfull), as if it were the indorsement of a stranger. Further than these good offices, he never had any assistance from home or elsewhere. In 1847, in Chenango, Cortland. and some other counties, the farmers, finding no market for their sheep, killed a great many of them for their hide and tallow, The pelt was worth about forty cents, the tallow was tried out, the rounds were salted for use, and the rest fed to the hogs. Thousands were disposed of in this way. About that time Mr. Crary purchased four hundred sheep a few miles from Oxford, at seventy-five cents per head, and was allowed to take his pick of that number from a flock of seven hundred sheep. This incident shows that the change in the times and the additional means of communication have not been altogether to the disadvantage of the Central New York farmer. Another incident related by Mr. Crary gives a good the purchase of a quantity of maple sugar in idea of the varying value or purchasing power of money. On returning from Ohio with a drove of horses, he went ahead to find entertainment for the night. He stopped at a good hotel and the landlord told him he would charge twelve and a half cents each for horses and men, and, as there were twenty-two horses and three boys, he would throw off a shilling, and keep the whole of them, giving the horses hay and oats and the boys supper, lodging, and breakfast, for three dollars. In 1850 Mr. Crary was elected Supervisor of the town of Liberty, and performed the duties of the office for the year. In that year, 1850, he went to Hancock, and, together with Edson Gregory, John Davidge. Alva Gregory, and L. H. Allison, under the firm name of Allison, Gregory & Co., built a tannery on Sand's Creek, about two miles above Hancock village, afterward known as the Allisonville tannery. Soon after the commencement of the enterprise Edson Gregory died. Alva Gregory sold out, and the firm name was changed to Allison, Davidge & Co. The Erie Railway had just been completed, and had opened up the Delaware Valley to the outside world. Crary was now about twenty-six years of age. He felt that the business of his life had opened before him, and took hold of it with a pluck and energy that never flagged or wavered until many years afterward. when the partial loss of his sight called for a halt in the most active efforts of his life. In the woods where the bark was peeled, about the tannery, and everywhere else where the business interests of his firm called him, the effect of his industry, energy, and push was felt; and the business of the firm prospered. In October, 1853, Mr. Crary was married to Polly, Burr, of Liberty. Dame Fortune smiled on Horace Crary at various times during his business life and in many ways, but never brighter or more propitiously titan in the selection of his companion for life. For whatever of success afterward came to him, either in his business life or in his home--and great success did indeed come--his companion is certainly entitled to her fair share of the credit. The home built by Mr. Crary, then at Allisonville, was occupied by him until October, 1885. In October, 1856, John Davidge sold his interest in the firm to Walter-Horton; and the firm was then reorganized, under the name of Allison, Crary & Co., with Mr. Horton as junior partner. Davidge went to Lake Como, Wayne County. Pa., and, together with the new firm of Allison, Crary & Co., built a tannery there, a half-interest in which was owned by the firm at Allisonville. Next year came the panic of 1857. Few men who had anything to do with business matters at that time will ever forget it; and this firm, just beginning to realize from the work of the past five years, without sufficient capital to be independent, and with its indebtedness largely increased by reason of the building of the new tannery at Como, felt the full force of the storm. But these were men to bow before the blast, not break. They were just the men to make the utmost possible out of the means at their command. Despite the shrinkage in values and the general commercial distrust throughout the country, they continued to work on, accomplishing what they could, and hoping for better times in the near future. As if to try their mettle to the utmost, May 10, 1862, just at the beginning of the war, when the business promise of the country was anything but bright, the tanner, together with a large stock of leather and bark, caught from a woods' fire, and was totally destroyed, the insurance covering only about one-third of the loss. To add to the discouragement and further embarrassment of the affairs of the partnership, about this time L. H. Allison became incapacitated for doing business by reason of an attack of some nervous disease, of which he shortly afterward died. But the insurance money was paid, the leather in the vats had been uninjured, some stock left in the out-buildings had been saved, the reputation earned by the firm in the years that were past, their unquestioned integrity, business ability, and perseverance, which had become widely known, won for them friends; and, with the considerate and generous aid of Bullard & Co., of New York, they were enabled to go on with their business. The rapid advance in prices in 1863, growing out of the inflation caused by the war and the war methods of raising money, found them with their tannery full, their business pressed to its utmost capacity, and everything in hand to reap the largest advantage from .the propitious change in the financial condition of the country. They were thoroughly prepared for the change in the tide, and were carried by the flood to a financial success, which, so far as Mr. Crary is concerned, has never since been weakened. In 1864 Mr. Horton sold his interest in the firm to George H. Allison, and the business was then continued under the firm name of Allison & Crary. Walter Horton, when he left the firm at Hancock, after looking about for some time, accompanied his uncle, Webb Horton, of Orange County, New York, to Sheffield, Warren County, Pa., and purchased several thousand acres of real estate in Warren, Forest, and McKean Counties. In 1866 Mr. Crary purchased a one-third interest in these lands; and on November 1, 1866, the firm of Horton. Crary & Co. was organized, to do business at Sheffield, Warren County, Pa. Next year they built the Sheffield tannery, and were actively at work. This venture proved the beginning of a very extensive and successful business, which has since grown to be one of the most prosperous in the State. Mr. Crary's youngest brother Jerry, who had been seriously wounded at the battle of Resaca, Ga., in 1864, and who was now so far recovered as to be able to do some work, was soon afterward admitted into the partnership. He at once took a responsible part in the management of the growing business interest of the firm, and continued to be one of its most active arid trusted members. Horton, Crary & Co. bought a controlling interest in the sole-leather tannery founded at Sheffield by J. F. Schoellkopf, of Buffalo. With this gentleman they formed an independent partnership, under the firm-name of Schoellkopf, Horton & Co. Soon after Horton, Crary & Co. associated themselves with John McNair and C. W. R. Radiker, and built what was called the Tionesta tannery. They also bought the Brookston tannery, situated eight miles from Sheffield, and started under the firm name of the Forest Tanning Company. Later they purchased the Arroyo tannery, at Arroyo, on the Clarion River, Elk County, Pennsylvania. The firm built the Tionesta Valley Railroad, which opened up connection with the Pittsburg & Western Railroad. Later the firm bought the Cherry Grove & Garfield Railroad, and controlled and operated about seventy-five miles of roads and switches, of special service to its own business in moving lumber and bark, and of great value to the region through which it runs for transporting passengers as well as freight. In 1875, upon the death of Mr. McNair, his interest in the business was sold to Messrs. Isaac Horton, George Horton, and George Dickenson. In 1886 Mr. Dickenson sold out his interest to James H. Horton and Lane B. Schofield. In 1875 H. H. Crary, William H. Garrett, James Horton. and Edson Davidge, under the firm name of Crary, Garrett. Horton & Co., built a tannery at Westfield, Tioga County, Pa. William H. Garrett died in November, 1876. The firm was soon after reorganized under the firm name of H. H. Crary & Co., Walter Horton. of Sheffield, taking an interest. In 1881 H. H. Crary & Co., associated with Messrs. W. G. Garrett and L. R. Johnson, built the Harrison Valley tannery at Harrison Valley. Pa. taking the firm name of Walter Horton & Co. Horton, Crary & Co. started a leather exporting house at 78 Gold Street, New York City; and afterward Horton, Crary & Co., H. H. Crary & Co.; and Walter Horton & Co., under the firm name of Walter Horton & Co., opened a leather house at 107 South Street, Boston, Mass. In 1888 Mr. Crary, in connection with Walter Horton, James Horton, Walter G. Garrett, E. G. Davidge, and L. R. Johnson, purchased the tannery at Salamanca, N.Y., and organized under the firm name of James Horton & Co. To add to the business interests at Sheffield, about 1875 petroleum was found in large quantities upon the premises; and the oil interest became one of the business matters of the firms. About the time of the discovery of oil, natural gas was found in abundance; and all the light and heat necessary for domestic and mechanical purposes about Sheffield and its vicinity have since been furnished by the gas wells located upon the premises. Both oil and gas have added largely to the financial success of the business at Sheffield. In 1873 H. H. Crary, with his brother, Denison Crary, and Amos L. Hall, built the Hancock mills, near Hancock village, Delaware County, N.Y., and run them under the firm name of Crary, Hall & Co. Hall afterward sold out to the other partners, and the firm name then became Denison Crary & Co. In April, 1881, Denison Crary sold out to Denison Fisk, his brother-in-law; and the firm name was changed to Fisk & Crary. Various changed have occurred in the firm at Allisonville. Thomas Crary purchased an interest some years since; and then William A. Hall and W. F. Stimpson became members of the firm. Later Roscoe Crary, Thomas Crary's son, purchased the interest of Denison Crary. The firm subsequently became the owners of the grist-mills at Hancock village, which now for some years have been run, by the same men who operated the tannery, but under the name of Crary, Hall & Co. The business at Allisonville has been for some time conducted under the firm name of Crary Brothers, H. H. Crary retaining an interest in the business through all its changes. Up to the fall of 1876 Mr. Crary was one of the most energetic and active business men in the country. His hand and his head were felt in every business interest with which he was connected. No one stirred earlier, no one worked later. From the years of his boyhood until the day of the Presidential election in 1876, he had scarcely known what it was to b~ sick, and had never known what it was to be incapacitated for business for any length of time. Returning home from a hard day's work at the polls, his eyes, until then seemingly perfect, began to pain him; and before the beginning of the new year he was threatened with blindness. Like a bolt out of a clear sky, this threatened calamity almost unnerved him; but soon the old will got the mastery, and he resolved to make the best of it, as he must, and accomplish what he might be spared to do. Consulting the best oculists in the country, he was informed that he must break loose from his direct and active connection with his business affairs, and that to do so it would be better for him to leave home for a time. After passing the winter of 1877 and 1878 in Florida, in May. 1878, he, together with his wife and his daughter Emma, now the wife of J. C. Young, of Liberty, sailed for Europe, where they spent a considerable part of the year, celebrating the Fourth of July at Interlaken. At Mr. Crary's suggestion the stars and stripes were hoisted above all other flags, and during that anniversary day floated over them all. The next season he made a trip to California, and since then has been quite a traveller. In 1885 he removed to the city of Binghamton, where he continues to reside. He has never fully recovered his sight, and for that reason has been unable to take an active part in the business of the several firms with which he is connected; but he has never ceased to be a counsellor, guide, friend, and organizer. and there has been no time in which his experience, ability, and energy have not been felt in the conduct of the business. In the spring of 1891 Mr. Crary's son Calvert, who is connected with the leather house at 107 South Street. Boston, Roscoe Crary, of Hancock, N.Y., a nephew of H. H. Crary, J. C. Young. of Liberty, N.Y., his son-in-law, and several other parties, purchased about fifteen thousand acres of land in Wyoming and Sullivan Counties, Pennsylvania, with the intent to open up another large tanning and lumber business. While H. H. Crary had no direct interest in this enterprise, yet in the purchase of the property and the planning for the opening up of the business both his counsel and his capital were largely relied upon. In the autumn of 1892 Mr. Crary was associated with nine tanning firms and the milling firm at Hancock. The output of the combined tannery interest was about four thousand sides of sole leather daily, requiring two thousand hides, and using about one hundred thousand cords of bark per year. The firm of Horton, Crary, & Co. had acquired a very large export trade, which in 1888, to Europe alone, comprised twenty-four and three-fourths per cent of all the leather which went out of the port of New York. In the winter and spring of 1893 a great change took place in the tanning business. The greater part of the tanners and leather men agreed to combine their interests, and their various properties were conveyed to several corporations by which the business is to be carried on. Mr. Crary and his associates took an active part in bringing about the change, and all of their properties have been conveyed to these corporations. The direct personal control of the men who had organized and operated these vast business enterprises has ceased, and their influence and power can now only be used and felt as the officers of a corporation. During his business life Mr. Crary has been associated with about twenty-five partners, none of whom have ever become seriously embarrassed or failed to pay their debts. A large number of these partners, including some the the most successful ones, have been young men whose early business training has been under Mr. Crary's direct influence. His success has not been a business success alone, but his influence as a sober, upright, and industrious business man has been felt far and near. Over the young men connected with him in business, in his employ, or associated with himself and family, Mr. Crary's influence for good has been such as few men have been able to exert. The success which he has attained as a business man has unquestionably been to some extent the-result of good fortune; but its real secret is to be found in himself - his superior qualifications for conducting vast enterprises, his keen intelligence, energy, and close application, his combined daring and prudence, his self-reliance and power of organization--these with his strict sense of justice, his honorable methods of dealing. Mr. and Mrs. Crary have had five children born to them, ail of whom are living. The eldest daughter, Mrs. J. C. Young, resides at Liberty, N.Y. The eldest son, Thomas B., and two daughters, Grace and Mary, live with their parents in the city of Binghamton. The other son, Calvert, who prior to the recent change was a member of the firm of Walter Horton & Co., at 107 South Street, Boston, Mass., is still connected with the business there. Mr. Crary and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Their influence and their means have been widely felt in church interests and charities, both at home and abroad; while their home itself is an inspiration and a benediction to all who may be so happy as to fall within the circle of its influence. The excellent steel-engraved portrait of Mr. Crary which accompanies this sketch and adds to its interest will be recognized as the likeness of a man of character and ability, one who has done well by his fellow-men, and whom they delight to honor.
Matthew McLaughry decided to come hither with his entire family, twenty-five persons in all, including children and grandchildren, and with a large number of his friends joined the company known as the Clinton colony. On May 9, 1729, they left their home in Longford; and on the I8th they embarked at Dublin on board the ship named the "George and Ann," the infamous Captain Rymer in command. Setting sail on the 20th, they came round on the north-east coast of Ireland, and on the 24th came to Glen Ann, where Matthew McLaughry and wife, Margaret Parks, on account of the infirmities of age and ill health, decided to abandon the voyage, and with his daughter Sarah and youngest son, Thomas, left the ship, and returned to Longford. Matthew, buying back from his brother-in-law, Matthew Parks, part of his old home, resided there till his death. His family consisted of four sons, Andrew, Matthew, Jr., Joseph, and Thomas, and five daughters, one of whom married a McDowell. After a protracted voyage of nearly five months, land was sighted at Cape Cod, October 4, when the wretched survivors, reduced to almost the last extremity through sickness and starvation, obtained of the captain (a treacherous villain, as they believed permission to land, though their intended destination was Philadelphia. Matthew McDowell, a grandson, who became the ancestor of the McDowell family in Orange County, New York, was the only survivor of the twenty-one members of the family who prosecuted the voyage; and there were in all ninety-six deaths on board that il-fated ship. After spending the winter in Cape Cod, where a number more were added during the winter to the list of the dead, the survivors came on to New York, and obtaining land at and near Little Britain, in Ulster, now Orange County, they settled there in the spring of 1731. Thomas McLaughry, the youngest son of Matthew, married Margaret Swift; and in 1765, thirty-six years after his previous venture, emigrated with his fami!y, including his wife, four sons, Matthew, Richard, Andrew, and Thomas, Jr., and three daughters, Mary Ann (Mrs. Edward Riggs), Agnes (Mrs. John Watson) and Margaret (Mrs. James Savage). After a voyage of two months they arrived in New York on November 13. At this time Edward Riggs, who had married the eldest daughter, Mary Ann, and had crossed the Atlantic a year or two before, was engaged in teaching a classical school in Esopus, where his wife and the rest of his family joined him. Their father, however, and his eldest son, Matthes, on their way up the river stopped off from the sloop at New Windsor, to visit the father's nephew Matthew, named above, and others of his old friends belonging to the Clinton colony. In the spring of 1766, after spending the winter in Esopus, the family went to Little Britain, settling on a farm belonging to John Reid, and the next year removed to a farm near the Wallkill meeting-house, belong to George Monell. In the spring of 1768, having purchased a lot of about one hundred acres of new land on the south side of the Battenkill, near Fitch's Point, in Salem, Washington County, Thomas McLaughry, with his family, left Wallkill on May 17, and after a tedious journey through an almost unbroken wilderness, reached their forest home, where he spent the remaining years of his life, dying about 1772. Andrew McLaughry married Elizabeth and his brother, Thomas, Jr., married her Agnes Harsha. These ladies were daughters of Elder James Harsha, who came from Monaghan, Ireland, to this country in 1764, with the large number of emigrants who accompanied Dr. Thomas Clark, father of Judge Ebenezer Clark, of Argyle. Thomas McLaughry. Jr., settled about 1784 in Kortright, Delaware County, at that time almost unbroken forest. For a part of the distance they were clear the way and make a road such as they could to their isolated and lonely dwelling-place. Few in these days can appreciate the toils and trials of the brave pioneers who made their homes in the wilderness, and here laid the foundations of the comforts and advantages enjoyed by their descendants. The elder McLaughrys did no small part of the in Kortright. Richard and Andrew, two of the other brothers, came on a few years after and the three brothers together, having large families, made up for some time a large part of the population of the town. Thomas and Agnes McLaughry were the parents of the following children: Joseph and James H., of Kortright, the latter born in 1777; John R., born 1779; William H., who died at Harpersfield in 1874, in his ninety-third year; Thomas P., a resident of Kortright; Matthew, born 1790, died in Kortright in 1874; Edward R., born in 1792; Mary, who married Joseph Douglas; Martha, wife of Joseph Leal, who first settled in Kortright, and later at East Meredith, where she died; Sarah, who died in early womanhood. Matthew McLaury, father of Dr. James S. McLaury, of Walton, was educated at the common schools of Kortright, his native town. He was a man of much ability and influence, upright and honorable, holding various official positions which he filled with credit, being a Justice of the Peace many years, and also Deputy Sheriff of the county. He was a Deacon and Elder of the Presbyterian church, and in politics he was a Democrat. He was married in 1814 to Miss Margaret Riggs, daughter of Erod Riggs and Mary A. (Savage) Riggs, of Argyle, Washington County, who was born in 1792. They became the parents of eleven children, the eldest of whom is James S., the subject of this sketch. The second, Thomas S. McLaury, died in infancy. Thomas D., born 1819, married Margaret Louden. Edward R. married Sarah Youngs, and both died in Illinois. William M., a physician in New York, married Miss Margaret King. John N., born in 1833, enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-fourth New York Volunteer Infantry, and died from fever contracted in the service at Hilton Head, S.C., in 1864. Walter T. married Caroline Marvin, and resides at the old homestead at Kortright. Two other sons also died in infancy. Of the daughters, Martha A. died at the age of twenty-eight, and Mary E. married James D. McGillivrae, of Stamford, and died near Bloomville in 1885, at the age of sixty. James S. McLaury obtained his preparatory education chiefly in the common schools of his native town and in select schools - one taught by the Rev. Melancthon B. Williams, the other by the Rev. William McAuley. He also attended the Delaware Academy at Delhi. In 1835 he entered the Union College, where he was graduated in the class of 1838. He began the study of medicine the same year with Dr. Ezra T. Gibbs, of Kortright, and afterward entered the office of Dr. James H. McLaury, of New York City, and while there took a course in the College of Physicians and Surgeons. In 1842 he came to Walton, and formed a partnership with Dr. T. J. Ogden for one year, and was afterward at East Worcester, Otsego County, from June, 1843, until November, 1845, when he returned to Walton, and followed the practice of his profession in this town until 1880, when he retired from active practice and moved to Yonkers, where he lived until his wife's death in 1890, since which time he has resided with his children. Dr. McLaury was married September 5, 1843, to Miss Elizabeth H. Mead, a daughter of Allan and Mary (Smith)_ Mead. By this union six children were born. The eldest, William P., born March 15, 1845, a practising physician in New York City, a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, married Theodora J. Ingersoll, daughter of Dr. Leonard and Julia (Day) Ingersoll. The second son was born and died in 1846. Edward, born June 18, 1854, is a teller in the Chemical National Bank, New York. Maria E., born April 17. 1848, married the Rev. Charles F. Janes, a Presbvterian minister residing at Onondaga Valley. Martha, born in 1850. became the wife of A.D. Peake, and died in 1883. .Sophia G., born April 8, 1852, married Herbert B. Gardner, and lives in Minneapolis. Dr. McLaury was long a member of the Delaware County Medical Society, and has held the office of President and Secretary, and was also a delegate to the State Medical Society. He has also taken an active part in educational matters, having been for several years superintendent of schools in Walton. He was one of the founders of the Walton Academy, and a member of the Board of Trustees. The Doctor was one of the organizers of the Republican party in 1856, but has "latelv chosen," as he says, "to train politically with the slandered Prohibitionists." Dr. McLaury, who has inherited from his Scotch-Irish ancestry both strong and pleasing traits of character, and who has passed many years of his life in the active pursuit of his proession, is a man of interesting personality, genial and companionable, possessed of excellent conversational powers, and is in the full enjoyment of a physical and mental vigor which years have not impaired.
John Chapman was educated and grew to manhood in his native town. Leaving home at the age of nineteen, he went to Merton Hill, where he bought one hundred and forty-two acres of new land, which he cleared, and on which he erected buildings, and established his home. He married Mary: daughter of Matthew and Jean (Campbell) Russell, her father being a prosperous farmer and lumber-man of Colchester. Mr. and Mrs. Russell had a family of ten children. The five now living are Robert, Matthew, John, Elizabeth, and Mary. The five deceased are William, Stephen, Isabella, Jennett, and James. John Chapman is a stanch Republican, and is active in many of the political affairs of the town, in which he has for some time held the position of Constable. For forty-two years he has lived upon the farm which he first purchassed, conducting a large dairy, and also keeping sheep. His farm is situated on the mountain side, and his residence commands a beautiful view of the surrounding country, including hills and mountains twenty and thirty miles away. The place is much admired by visitors.
George Rifenbark. one of the sons of Adam, and father of Stephen J., was a farmer, and pursued his vocation first in his native county, where he remained some years after his marriage, and then successively in Delaware and Wayne Counties, finally, in 1829, removing to Sidney. The farm which he here purchased contained a log house, and had been largely cleared. but was still mostly covered with timber, and some deer still remained in the depths of the forest. Mr. Rifenbark was an energetic pioneer, a man of high moral principles, toiling diligently to, reclaim a farm from the wilderness, and doing his best to uproot noxious practices in the community, and displant seeds of error, being strongly opposed to the use of intoxicating liquor and an active temperance worker. In religion he was a Methodist, and in politics a Jacksonian Democrat. Being early called to part with his wife Catherine, who died when she had scarcely reached middle life, he married again to Mrs. Lucy Rodgers, and died at the age of sixty-three years, survived by his second wife and six of his seven children. Stephen J., the fourth son who is the subject of the present sketch, is the only one of the family now living. His brothers and sisters were: Adam, Peter, Jacob, Polly, Sally, and Catherine. His opportunities for education in the district schools were very meagre, as his help was early, needed on the farm. He gave his time to his father until twenty-one years of age, and after that continued working for him and receiving wages as a hired laborer. Coming into possession of the homestead by paying off the other heirs after his father's death. he continued its management, his step-mother keeping house for him as long as he remained single. Mr. Rifenbark has been twice married. His first wife, Hannah A. Mack, of Harpersfield, with whom he was united September 15, 1850. died April 17, 1863. He was again married, September 18, 1867, to Mary J. Thompson. of New Berlin, N.Y., who was born August 16, 1840, daughter of Asa and Betsy (Adams) Thompson. Her father was born in the town of Butternuts, Otsego County, 1808. He worked at the trade of tanner and shoemaker in Otsego County; and later in Cortland County, where he resided some years, whence he came to Delaware County, and was for several years engaged in farming in Masonville. He went from there to South New Berlin, and finally removed thence to Virginia, and became a landed proprietor in the State. In politics he was a Democrat, and a Baptist in religion. He died in Virginia in 1874. His first wife, Betsy Adams, was born in Cortland County in 1811, and died in 1859, leaving six children, namely: Edward Thompson, who resides in Boston; Frances, Mrs. John Rider, residing in Sidney; Harriet, Mrs. Mason Boult, living in Steuben County, New York; Helen, wife of Phineas Smith, who is employed in the Post-office Department in Washington, D.C.; Mrs.Rifenbark; and Almira, wife of Arthur Payne, of Kingston, Mich. By his second wife he had one daughter, Jennie, wife of Dr. L.E. Dickson of South New Berlin. By his first marriage Mr. Rifenbark had five children., only one of whom, Fred Rifenbark, a farmer in Sidney, who was born in 1857, is now living. By his last marriage he has one daughter, Etta, born June 6, 1873. Mr. Rifenbark owns two farms, one of two hundred acres, which is occupied by his son, and the homestead of ninety-six acres, on which he lives in a commodious, comely residence built by himself. A man of industrious habit and of good, practical sense, he has earned every dollar's worth of his property, and is widely known as a clear-headed and successful farmer, a citizen of integrity, capable, and well fitted to fill the important office to which he has more than once been called - that of Assessor. In politics he is a Democrat. He and his wife are not members of any church, but are liberal in their religious views, and exemplary in their lives, practising human kindness and believing in "love eternal, fixed in God's unchanging will."
Duncan McDonald was the youngest child of the parental household, of which he remained a member until attaining his majority, attending the district school in the winter season, and working on the farm at other times. He subsequently purchased an adjoining farm, on which he and his good wife spent the greater part of their remaining years. They were both members of the Presbyterian church, and were universally respected. They reared the following children: Margery; Angus; John; Dunbar; Gideon; Duncan; Andrew; Nancy, who married John Copley, a farmer of Davenport; Hannah, the wife of Perry Buts, a carriage manufacturer of Davenport; and William. So well did William McDonald in his boyhood improve his opportunities for study in the schools of Fergusonville and at the Franklin Seminary that at the early age of sixteen years he was well fitted for the position of teacher in the district school, an occupation in which he was engaged until twenty years old. In 1855 he made a trip to California, and for ten years thereafter was engaged in mining in that State. The major part of that time was spent in Nevada County, where he took an active part in local affairs, serving for some time as Justice of the Peace. Returning to New York, Mr. McDonald prepared himself for a business career by entering the commercial college in Albany, from which he was graduated after taking the full course of study. Removing to Davenport, he then bought the store of Colonel Goodrich, which he conducted with signal ability and success for many years, gradually increasing the capacity of the store and enlarging the business, his honest methods of dealing and his cordial and friendly ways attracting an extensive patronage. Owing to the invalidism of his wife, Mr. McDonald retired from active business, and has since lived in comparative leisure in the beautiful residence which he built in 1883. He has, however, since dealt to a considerable extent in real estate, buying and selling village property. Mr. McDonald was married in 1868 to Miss Mima Wickham, the daughter of John Wickham, of Harpersfield, a prosperous farmer, and a representative of one of the old Quaker families of that town, his father having been a noted Quaker preacher. On April 2, 1894, Mrs. McDonald, after many years of patient suffering, passed to the higher life, leaving in the hearts of her friends a pleasant memory of her cheerful presence. Mr. McDonald is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, being a Master Mason, and formerly Master of Charlotte River Lodge, No. 593, of Davenport. He is a stanch Republican, and takes an active part in local affairs, having served as Postmaster eighteen years, and as Supervisor four terms. Although not an attendant of any church, he is in sympathy with the religious and moral advancement of his community, and contributes liberally to the support of all the churches.
Elias Butler Howland, son of Phineas, was born in the town of Hamden, and there spent a large part of his life. He remained on the parental homestead until attaining his majority, when he began farming on his own account. He afterward bought land, and engaged in mixed husbandry until his decease. The maiden name of his wife was Fannie Mallory, and to them were born eight children. The date of the birth of Edwin R. Howland, the next in line, was 1830. He was reared on the farm of his grandfather Howland, educated in the district schools of Hamden, and at an early age began life for himself, working on a farm by the month. Having acquired a practical knowledge of agriculture, he rented land and engaged in farming on-shares for a year, then purchased the farm where his son now lives. Prospering in his labors as a tiller of the soil, he bought other land, and erected more commodious and convenient buildings. His farm, three and one-half miles from the village of Walton, contained three hundred acres of fertile land; and in connection with its management he operated a feed-mill and carried on an extensive dairy business. He was called from this life in the midst of his usefulness, dying in 1888, at the age of fifty-eight years. A well-informed man, of sound judgment, he took an active interest in local affairs, and served as Road Commissioner for many years. He married Margaret A. McDonald, the daughter of Archibald R. And Jeanette (Smith) McDonald, the former of whom was killed by being thrown from a wagon one Sunday, while going to church, and the latter dying at the home of his son Roderick. Mr. and Mrs. McDonald reared a family of seven children, as follows: Robert; Catherine; Jane, who married John Henderson; Mary, who married Amos Ensign, and is now deceased; David; Roderick; and Margaret. Of the union of Edwin Howland and Margaret McDonald six children were born, namely: Elias B.; Fanny J.; T. Pollock; Edgar R.; Ella, who died when ten years old; and Owen L. Mrs. Howland is still living, making her home with her daughter in the village of Walton. T. Pollock Howland received a common-school education, and until the death of his father assisted him in the care of the home farm, becoming well versed in agriculture. He has since, with the assistance of his brother Owen, taken the farm, and, assuming its management, has continued the improvements and enlarged its business. He makes a specialty of dairying, keeping about one hundred head of cattle and several horses, cutting sufficient hay for their use. He and his brother are following in the footsteps of their honored sire, and have already acquired a substantial reputation as farmers of signal ability, ever ready to do their part as loyal and worthy citizens. In 1890 Mr. Howland was united in marriage with Lydia Patterson, a daughter of James and Mary (Neale) Patterson; and they are the happy parents of one child, a son, who was born on November 17, 1894. Mrs. Howland's father, formerly a farmer, is now living, retired from the active cares of life, in Walton village. Politically, Mr. Howland takes an intelligent interest in local affairs, and uniformly votes the Republican ticket. He is a regular attendant of the United Presbyterian church, of which his wife is an esteemed member.
William Bramley, father of Henry, was born in England, about the middle of the eighteenth century, and came to American when a boy. He fought in the Revolution, and subsequently received a government pension for his military service. By trade he was a carpenter. His first settlement was in Schoharie County; but a few years after marriage he moved to Delaware County, among the first settlers, and died at an advanced age in the town of Andes. The farm he purchased now belongs to Alonzo Tuttle. Mr. Bramley was politically a Democrat. Having been brought up in the Church of England, he remained faithful to its ritual, and in this country was an adherent of its American daughter, the Episcopal Church. His wife was a native of this State; and her maiden name was Kidney, her father being a sea captain. Their seven children all grew to maturity, though, as might be expected, none are now living. The eldest, Elizabeth Bramley, was born December 4, 1774, only four months before the outbreak of the Revolution; John Bramley was born November 16, 1777; James on November 4, 1779; Henry on November 13, 1782, when the war was nearly over; Gertrude was born November 5, 1787; Jane on January 4, 1786; and Maria, May 4, 1789. Henry Bramley, whose birthplace was in Schoharie County, went to the district school, but was a mere boy when he started out in life for himself, working on a farm by the month. He married Elizabeth Wright, who was born October 17, 1791. By carefully saving what he earned he was able to buy a farm in Andes. This he sold when he was thirty years old. Filled with the venturesome pioneer spirit, he then went to Ohio, the Far West of that day, making the journey with a wagon train; but after five years' experience he returned to New York, which involved a similar trip to the first. This was in 1818, when Mr. Bramley was thirty-six years old. The family then settled on the Bovina land now owned and occupied by the son, S. G. Bramley. Few acres of it were then cleared, and there were few improvements; but Mr. Bramley erected a small frame house with some of the lumber which mostly covered the hundred acres, whereto he soon added eighty more. Like his father, Henry Bramley worked hard and successfully. The nearest market was at the mouth of Catskill Creek; and the grist-mill was at Hobart, on Rose Brook. Of course, the wool-carding, spinning, and weaving were done at home by the women, and everybody wore homespun. As there were twelve children in the family, it requires no stretch of the imagination to make sure that Mrs. Bramley was a hard-working woman, though happily they all grew up to be pillars of strength in the household, and seven are still living. The eldest survivor is the subject of this sketch, John W. Bramley. His sister, Amanda C. Bramley, was born on August 14, 1821, and now lives in Davenport Centre, the widow of William Roberts. The next, Susan Bramley, born August 11, 1826, is the wife of John Coulter, of the same town. Their brother, Charles Bramley, was born February 28, 1829, and is now a farmer in the town of Andes. Miles Bramley was born December 19, 1831, and now resides on his farm in Walton. Alexander Bramley, born December 18, 1834, is a Methodist Episcopal clergyman, now in Lewis County, working under the direction of the New York Conference. Stephen G. Bramley was born April 16, 1838. Mary Ann Bramley, the eldest child, was born January 17, 1810, and died unmarried, March 16, 1886. Her brother, Sylvanus W. Bramley, was born September 16, 1811, and died July 27, 1865. A sister, Phoebe Ann Bramley, was born October 2, 1813, and died April 6, 1877, the widow of Alexander Dean. William Bramley, named for his grandfather, was born February 3, 1816, in Ohio, and died September 28, 1874. James H. Bramley was born February 2, 1824, and lived till the last day of March, 1883. The parents both died on the homestead, which belonged to them by right of conquest in the fight with nature, he on November 22, 1870, and she on March 11, 1879. In religion Mr. Bramley was very liberal. Politically, he was a Whig till the Republican party was formed and he joined its ranks. He was ever a good citizen and a thriving farmer. John W. Bramley grew to manhood on the old place, and attended the district school. Till the age of twenty-seven he stayed at home, and worked hard from earliest boyhood. On January 7, 1847, when nearly thirty years-old, he married Margaret McCune, born in Bovina, February 17, 1825, the daughter of John McCune, a native of New York State, and his wife, Catherine McNaught, a Scotch immigrant. Grandfather Samuel McCune was a pioneer Bovina farmer and blacksmith, who died there in middle life. John McCune died at the age of sixty, but his wife lived to be seventy-seven; and both were members of the Presbyterian church. Mrs. Bramley was the second of their ten children, half of whom are still living. Her brother, Samuel McCune, lives in Jefferson. Jane McCune is now Mrs. Squires, of Nebraska. Sally Ann McCune is Mrs. Miller, and lives on the old homestead. William McCune resides in Bovina Centre. The deceased McCune children are: Mary, John, Gilbert, Nancy, and Marie. About the time of his marriage John W. Bramley bought a farm consisting of one hundred and sixty acres of forest land, which he has since increased to nearly three hundred, and devoted especially to dairy products. Beginning with a dozen Alderney cattle, he has quadrupled their number, and his fullblooded and graded cows average each three hundred pounds of butter annully. He also has a farm in Andes of a hundred and sixteen acres, and devotes himself thoroughly to his work. Whatever he owns is the product of his own indefatigable industry and frugality. Of his eight children four are now living: John G. Bramley, born in 1848, is a lawyer in Jordan, Onondaga County. William Henry Bramley, born in 1850, is a cattle drover and speculator in Delhi. Mary Elizabeth, born in 1852, is the wife of Edward Dean, of Delhi, who is in partnership with his wife's brother William. Frederick H., born in 1856, still lives at home. Catherine Jane Bramley, born in 1857, died at the age of twenty-five. Sarah Cordelia, Charles, and Alexander Bramley all died in infancy. Like his father, Mr. Bramley is a Republican in politics, and a free thinker in religious maters; but his wife belongs to the local Methodist society.
Richard D. W. Kiff was reared to agricultural pursuits, and began his business career as a tiller of the soil, carrying on this occupation in Kortright until 1869, when he came to the village of Delhi. Here he established himself in an entirely different line of business, buying the American House and a large livery stable adjoining, and conducting the business of both several years. Later he purchased an interest in the present business of his son Charles, but continued to manage the hotel until the 1st of January, 1893, when he rented the house, preferring to give his attention to his livery stable and a small farm which he has since bought in the corporation of Delhi. When a young man, he was united in marriage with Calista Ritchmeyer, a native of Gilboa, Greene County, being one of eight children born to Martinus Ritchmeyer, a successful farmer, and an early settler of that locality. Two children have been born of their union: Charles Everett, the subject of this sketch; and M. Louise, who married William Gemmel, of Syracuse. The mother is a woman possessing many Christian virtues, and is a consistent member of the Presbyterian church. The subject of this sketch lived on the farm of his parents in Kortright until seven years old, coming then to Delhi, and thenceforward attending school until old enough to assist his father in the hotel, and during the absence of his father attending to the interests of the house. He continued thus occupied until January 1, 1882, when at twenty years of age he bought an interest with his father in the firm of Gleason & Kiff, Wallace B. Gleason at the same time becoming a purchaser; and the business was carried on under the superintendence of the two fathers for a time. At the death of William Gleason the two young men purchased the interests of Messrs. Gleason, Sr., and Kiff, Sr., and have since met with excellent success in their operations. On October 28, 1891, Mr. Charles E. Kiff wedded Miss Mabel Gilfillan, youngest daughter of James Gilfillan, who was for many years Treasurer of the United States. Mr. Gilfillan is a resident of New York City. In early manhood he married Miss J. E. Thomas, and to them were born four daughters. Politically, Mr. Kiff is a stanch adherent of the Republican party. His many sterling qualities are everywhere recognized; and he is held in high esteem by the citizens of Delhi, and is a prominent member of all social organizations of the town.
John Chichester was the eldest son of Joseph, and was born in the town of Broome on April 13, 1827. He received a common-school education, and engaged in agricultural pursuits until he was twenty-one years of age, when he went to the hotel at Gilboa, and was employed there for three years as clerk. After giving his attention to different lines of business for several years, he bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Gilboa, and four years later sold out, and bought again near Broome. Having occupied the Broome farm five years, he sold it, and bought one of eighty acres in Gilboa. Finally, after a short residence in that place, he purchased the homestead of his wife's family, a farm of one hundred and twenty-six acres, which he has vastly improved, and on which he has built a new house and farm buildings. He keeps a large herd of cattle, and from his dairy supplies much milk for the creamery. Mr. Chichester and Sarah M. Simmonson were married on March 1, 1854. Mrs. Chichester's parents were Tunis R. and Sally (Cook) Simmonson. Tunis Simmonson was born in the town of Roxbury, N. Y., March 16, 1800, and was the son of Cornelius and Christine (Rapelyea) Simmonson. Cornelius was born in New Jersey, and came with his father to Delaware County, where each of the four sons received a farm, that of Cornelius being about three miles from Stamford and near the old Windham turnpike. Here he brought his wife and family, the journey from the old home being made on horseback, and, after clearing the land, built the primitive abode in which he lived to be seventy-eight years old. His wife died at the age of seventy-two. They were both members of the Presbyterian church, and he was a Democrat. They had nine children; namely, Anna, Christopher, Christina, Gerrit, Maria, Elizabeth, Tunis, Lydia, and Schemhern. Tunis received his education at the district school, and in early manhood bought a farm, whereon he lived throughout the remainder of his life. He and his wife were members of the Baptist church, and the parents of eight children -- Eliza, Delia Ann, Sarah, Lucinda, Luman, Augusta, Omar, and William. Mr. and Mrs. John Chichester have four children: Ella A., born July 2, 1858; Irwin D., born June 1, 1860, who married Rhoda Maybee, and is a farmer; William O., born January 18, 1862, who married Susan Wallace, and is a very successful merchant in Stamford; Adelbert J., born May 4, 1865, who married Nettie Young, and is also a merchant in Stamford. The two younger sons established themselves in Stamford in 1890, and by good management have built up a large and successful business. In 1892 they built a four-story structure on Main Street, in which they carry on their trade in general merchandise. Mr. and Mrs. Chichester are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics he is a stanch supporter of the Republican party. He is a man much interested in all that concerns the welfare of his town, and his hand is ever ready to help a friend in need.
Mr. Eels is the scion of an excellent New England family, and the descendant of a respected pioneer of this section of Delaware County, his grandfather, John Eels, having been a native of Connecticut, where he spent the earlier years of his life. He married Anna Mead, a native of the same State; and after the birth of several children they migrated to this State, coming to this county in 1799, prior to the time of public highways, the journey hither being made on horseback. They had some means, and bought a tract of timbered land on Mount Pleasant, and for some little time after their arrival lived in a tent, which was not a sure protection from the wolves which roamed through the woods, as it is related that one of these animals, when making his nightly prowls, thrust his nose under the canvas and stole one of the children's shoes. They reared six sons and two daughters, all of whom, with the exception of one son, Baird, who died when a young man, grew to maturity and married. Mead Eels, the father of the subject of this sketch, and his brother Allen, who died in California, were the last members of their generation of the family. Mead Eels, who was named for his mother's family, was born in New Canaan, Conn., in 1793, and died in Marvin Hollow, two miles from Walton, in 1879, after a long and industrious life of eighty-six years. He retained his mental and physical vigor in a remarkable degree, and the year prior to his death, to show that his hand had not forgotten the skill and cunning of former years, did a good day's work scoring timber. He was an active soldier in the War of 1812, and after his return from the field of battle, in 1813, married Philena Johnson, a native of Vermont, who came here with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dorman Johnson, when she was a little girl. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Eels lived for a few years in Masonville, going thence to Bainbridge, where Mr. Eels engaged in general farming for a time. In 1833 he returned to Walton, resuming agricultural labors, to which he afterward added lumbering, the home being in Marvin Hollow, where the death of Mrs. Eels occurred some five years before that of her husband. They were the parents of six children, namely: Stephen Decatur, of whom a sketch is given elsewhere in this volume; Silvia Ann, who is the widow of Robert N. Berry, and lives in Massachusetts; Hannah, who married George Marvin, and died in Walton in 1893, at the age of seventy years, leaving a son and daughter; Allen Randall, of whom we write; Mary, who is the wife of the Rev. Charles Marvin, and resides in Minnesota; and Julia, who married John M. Lyon, and died in 1878. The parents were active Christian people, and members of the Congregational church, in which the father was an officer for several years. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, having served as Ensign. Allen Randall Eels, the subject of this brief personal record, worked with his father in the saw-mill for a short time after leaving school, and then spent a few years in farm labor. This pursuit he abandoned to learn the painter's trade, working at it for some time with his brother, Stephen Decatur Eels. In 1864 he enlisted in the service of his country as a private in the One Hundred and Forty-fourth New York Volunteer Infantry, and was detailed as drummer in the regiment band, serving until the close of the war. On his return to Walton he resumed his former occupation, and has since been prosperously engaged, having earned a fine reputation for skilful and satisfactory workmanship. He finds constant employment, and is ever ready to put forth his best efforts in behalf of his numberous patrons, who full appreciate his promptness and trustworthiness. The marriage of Mr. Eels to Maria Eels, a distant relative of his, and a daughter of Horace Eels, was celebrated December 8, 1858. Their pleasant wedded life has been cheered by the birth of three children: Frank M. is the wife of J. H. Bates, and has one child, Agnes, a bright little girl of five years. Fred M., a painter and decorator, residing in Binghamton, married Della Demarell. Julia is the wife of Stephen Wollett, of Binghamton, and has one child, a daughter seven years of age, named Edna. Mr. Eels is a firm supporter of the principles promulgated by the Republican party. He takes an active interest in local matters, and has served as Inspector of Elections for many years. He is a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and has been Commander and Officer of the Day.
Dennis Earl, the fifth child named above, was born in Putnam County, and came with his parents to Delaware County. He married Miss Lydia Todd, and settled on a farm at Batavia Kill. They raised a family of four children -- Robert, Wright, Eliza, and David. Mr. Earl was a member of the old-school Baptist church, and died in middle age. His widow survived him for many years, living to be seventy-four years of age. David, the youngest son of Dennis and Lydia Earl, was born at Batavia Kill. He began farming at twenty-two years of age on an estate of one hundred acres in the town of Halcott, Greene County. In 1865 he purchased of Hezekiah Van Valkenburgh and adjoining farm of two hundred acres, which by careful management and judicious expenditure in various improvements became one of the most valuable farms in the neighborhood. He married Amelia A. Faulkner, and had four children, namely: Dennis W., of Griffin's Corners; William; Luther; and Emma J. William married Louisa Valkenburgh. Luther married Ida W. Peck, and, being left a widower, married a second wife, Miss Almeda Low. They live at Halcott, Greene County, and have two children. Emma J. married a Mr. Eli Meed, and has two children. In 1885 David sold the farm in the town of Halcott, and moved to Griffin's Corners, where the residue of his life was spent in the ministry, he being an old-school Baptist, and having been ordained in the year 1880. Dennis W. Earl received a plain education in the district school of Halcott; and, upon arriving at his majority, he began life as a farmer. As seems usually the case with men who follow agricultural pursuits, he married in his youth. The young woman who joined her life and fate with his was Miss Emeline A. Streeter, daughter of Thomas and Sarah A. (Miller) Streeter. Her paternal grandparents, John and Belinda (Betts) Streeter, were among the early settlers of Halcott. They had eight children; namely, Thomas, Levi, Nicholas, Orlando, William, Romain, Alma, and Julia. Thomas Streeter, Mrs. Earl's father, is a most successful farmer in Halcott. As a young man he went to California; and, although he was on the road to success in the "Land of the Golden Gate," he eventually returned to his native State, where he is now living, a useful and prosperous citizen. He is a Democrat, a member of the old-school Baptist church, and holds the office of Overseer of the Poor. He and his wife are the parents of three children, namely: Emeline, Mrs. Earl; Mary E., the wife of G. A. Gordan, now a widow with two children; and Charles M., who lives in Scranton, Pa. Dennis W. Earl, like his father, sought other fields wherein to labor, and, selling out his interests in Halcott, went to Catskill. He remained there for two years, and then returned to Griffin's Corners, and entered mercantile life, in which he has since been engaged. In his last enterprise there is rather a wide field of interests, since he sells, besides general merchandise, drugs, agricultural implements, and patent medicines. In his political proclivities Mr. Earl is a Democrat, and in his religious views is liberal, while not attached to any of the sects or churches. He has earned by an honorable and upright life the respect of his contempories, and has among other offices held that of Justice of the Peace in his native town. His family circle is as yet unbroken, the three sons -- Wright, William, and Herbert D. -- having not yet left the paternal shelter.
In 1813, at the age of thirty-two, Josiah married Mary Davis, a native of Vermont, born in 1787, daughter od Dyer Davis, who came to Otego, Otsego County, when Mary was but thirteen years old. Mr. Davis was a soldier during the entire war of the Revolution, enlisting when he was but sixteen, and going to the front with his father, who afterward received a pension for his services, and died in Ohio, leaving a family of three daughters and four sons. Mrs. Josiah Edwards died in 1869, at the age of eighty-two, having been the mother of five children. One son died at the age of one year. A daughter, Mary, wife of George Jackson, died childless when fifty years of age. Henry S. was the eldest son. Temperance is the widow of Sherman Barnes, of Worcester, Otsego County. Lucretia is the wife of David Beardslee, and with family, lives on the farm of her late brother, Henry S. Josiah Edwards and wife sleep in the old cemetery here. Henry S. Edwards was brought up on his father's farm, attended the district school, and from his tenth year was constantly at work, at thirteen being so strong and rugged that his labor was equal to that of any man on the place. On Christmas, 1839, he was married to Laura M. Beardslee, whose brother David married Lucretia Edwards. Previous to this time, in company with his father he had owned some two hundred acres of new land near this place; and in 1842 they made the first purchase of land here, a lot of eighty-four acres in extent, and costing three thousand and four hundred dollars. He bought and sold much real estate, and at the close of his life owned over three hundred acres of excellent farm land, and had several barns which are models of convenience and improvement. The house in which he resided was built in 1840 by Mr. Abell, of whom he bought the farm; and he rebuilt and added to it until one now finds a fine large farm-house standing on an eminence above the road, surrounded and embowered by beautiful shade-trees which Mr. Edwards took much delight in planting and training. Much attention has been given to the dairy department on this farm, it having been started with six cows and increasing to over fifty, the stock being excellent Durham, Holstein, and Guernseys. Mr. Edwards kept six horses and seventy or eighty head of cattle, fattening yearly twelve to fifteen hogs. The farm is on the west side of the valley through which the Ouleout Creek flows; and the fertile flat land is three-quarters of a mile long. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards had no children born to them; but their hearts have ever been open to the children of others, and no less than five young people have received their schooling at the hands of this benevolent couple. They adopted a daughter, Mariette Baldwin, a very bright girl, who at the age of sixteen became the wife of George L. Williams. She died at an early age, leaving one daughter, Laura, and a son, Arthur O., who taught for a year in the little school-house which for forty years has nestled snugly under the hill near the farm. In this same school-house George L. Williams taught years ago, before his marriage and before his entrance into the ministry, in which profession his son Arthur has followed him. Arthur Williams is a member of Wyoming Conference, and is now attending Drew Theological School. Mr. Edwards always had a care over Laura Beardslee, his youngest sister's child, who is now the wife of Levi Stilson, and who lives on the Edwards farm, which he helps to conduct. Mr. and Mrs. Stilson have two children: Agnes, fourteen years old; and William Henry, nine. Morgan Edwards, adopted son of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, was the son of Sherman Barnes and his wife Temperance Edwards, a sister of Henry. From the time he was fourteen months old until his marriage he lived with his foster-parents, and by them he was educated at the Franklin Institute. He and his wife now live on a farm adjoining the Edwards farm. Mr. Edwards was a Master Mason of twenty years' standing, and in politics a Democrat; and, although in a Republican town, he was never defeated as Supervisor. He was for many years Senior Warden of the Episcopal church, of which his wife is also a communicant; and he assisted greatly toward the building of the church in 1865. He was recognized as one of the foremost citizens of his native town, and was much beloved and respected by his neighbors and friends. His life was full of beneficent hospitality, his large heart being always open to those who were left without the care and protection of their natural guardians. The excellent likeness of Mr. Edwards on another page will serve to perpetuate the memory of the features of this good man, who has left a name that will long be held in honored remembrance.
Their son, Elisha Boyd, was born at Cambridge in 1795, and until 1815 followed the life of a farmer there. He then moved to Franklin, Delaware County, N. Y., making the journey on horseback and in an ox cart, and here leading the life of a sturdy pioneer. In 1818 Elisha Boyd married Patty Remington, of Meredith, whose father served as a Revolutionary soldier for seven years. His constant companion during that time was his pet dog, who, displaying wonderful sagacity, more than once saved his life. At one station on the frontier the sentinels were almost nightly killed while on duty, but the perpetrators of the crime could not be discovered. It soon became difficult to obtain a sentinel from the ranks; but Mr. Remington volunteered for the duty, and, accompanied by his faithful dog, began his solitary walk. Soon the dog began to bark and dig at the roots of a dead tree; and, accordingly, Mr. Remington fired at what appeared to be a black ball among the branches. Down fell the body of the Indian who had waited in ambush to take the life of the man whose victim he himself proved to be. At another time, when on guard, Mr. Reminton saw what he supposed to be a wild hog, but, disliking to needlessly alarm the camp, refrained from firing for a time. At length his dog again became frantic; and, noticing the peculiar gait of the supposed hog, he fired, and, hastening to the spot, discovered that he had killed an Indian, who was cleverly disguised that he might attack the sentinels. At the close of the war Mr. Remington settled in West Meredith, where he engaged extensively in farming and lumbering, and also operated a saw and grist mill, in all of which industries he was eminently successful. Canfield Boyd, son of Elisha and Patty (Remington) Boyd, was born in Franklin, February 28, 1819. His childhood was spent in attending the district school, and working on his father's farm, and he also learned the shoemaker's trade. When about thirty years of age, he purchased the land on which he now resides in Tompkins, which at that time was a desolate wilderness. His first purchase consisted of fifty acres; and, with the assistance of his neighbors, he erected a board house, which he and his wife occupied on the third night after the first tree had been felled for its frame. Martha Neff, whom he married October 6, 1839, was the daughter of Silas and Polly (Watts) Neff, and was born in Butternuts, Otsego County. When about seventeen years of age, she left home to learn the tailor's trade, and sent to work in what is now Morris. At the age of twenty-five she married Mr. Boyd, and, like the faithful wife she was, insisted upon sharing his hardships in the little cabin, comforting and encouraging him and refusing the offers of more comfortable quarters for the first few weeks with her neighbors. At the expiration of eight years Mr. Boyd purchased another fifty acres, and later, in 1882, a frame house, which he now occupies, it being of commodious proportions, and delightfully situated. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd are the parents of four children: Henry L., Thomas W., Gilbert E., and Elbert A. Henry, a blacksmith by trade, married Miss Lydia Smith, of Tompkins; and they have six children now living: Hattie, Edwin, Mary, Willis, Lavina, and Ella; one daughter, Lizzie, having died of diphtheria at the age of seventeen. Thomas, a farmer in Tompkins, married Miss Nellie Mains; and they have four children: Edith, Etta, Lena, and Kenneth. Gilbert E. Boyd, also a Tompkins farmer, married Miss Jemima Mains, a sister of Mrs. Thomas Boyd. Elbert A. works the home farm, and at present has one hundred and twenty-five acres of land in a state of high cultivation, the farm containing two hundred and thirty acres in all. Here are kept fifty head of fine cattle; and a large dairy is operated, the butter from which finds a ready market at an advanced price in the large cities of New York and New Jersey. A large quantity of honey, the product of an extensive apiary, is yearly shipped to market. Elbert A. Boyd married Louisa M. Brown, daughter of Simeon and Lucia (Evarts) Brown; and they have one son, Emory Reed, born in 1884. Mrs. Elbert Boyd's great-grandfather, Collins Brown, came from the Eastern States in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and settled in Masonville, in this county. His wife was Margaret Chapin, a member of one of the oldest New England families. Their son, Collins Brown, Jr., who was born in Masonville, was educated in the district school, and later received an academic training. He was three times married, his first wife being Louisa Griswold, who became the mother of Simeon P. Brown, the father of Mrs. Boyd. His second wife was Mary Neff, and his third Sarah K. Wood, who died at the age of seventy-five. Simeon P. Brown, having received his early education in the district school of Masonville, attended the academy at Franklin, and then entered Madison University, at Hamilton, Madison County, N. Y., where he was graduated from both the classical and theological courses, after which he was ordained as a Baptist minister. His first parish was at Sherman, Pa.; but later he went to Bennettsville, N. Y., where he remained one year. His next call was to Sidney Centre, and from there he came to Cannonsville. In 1864 he enlisted from the town of Sanford in the Sixth New York Heavy Artillery as a private, and served for eleven months. He participated in the battle of Cedar Creek, and October 19, 1864, at Winchester, was shot through the thigh, lying on the field for twenty-four hours before assistance reached him. He died from the effects of his wound six weeks later, faithful to the end, a true patriot, a beloved and loving husband, father, and friend; and his loss was keenly felt, not only by his immediate family, but by all who were fortunate enough to possess his acquaintance. His wife was Lucia E. Evarts, of Coventry, Vt., a daughter of the Rev. M. M. Evarts, a Baptist minister of that town. Mr. Evarts was a descendant of the illustrious family of that name which has given to this country ministers, statesmen, and lawyers of national repute. His wife was Lavina Reed, daughter of Boah Reed, one of the pioneers of Lisle, Broome County, N. Y., who passed the evening of his life in Masonville, dying at the age of eighty years. Mr. and Mrs. Simeon Brown were the parents of three children: Louisa M., who married Elbert A. Boyd; Ernest W.; and Marcus S., a physician at Walton, who died in December, 1892. Mr. Canfield Boyd and his wife are both devoted members of the Cannonsville Baptist church, which organization they joined at the age of seventeen; and they are the acknowledged leaders in all church affairs, Mr. Boyd being a Deacon at the present time. In politics he is and always has been a Republican, a prominent man in all matters concerning the welfare of the town where he resides. His farm is one of the finest in the country, and its excellence is due entirely to his energy, strengthened by the courage and patience of his loving wife. This worthy couple are now drifting down, hand in hand, toward the close of life, looking back upon a past well spent, and forward to a future of everlasting peace.
One of their sons was Hiram Peck, the father of the subject of this sketch. He was born December 22, 1824, and lived at home, working with his father, clearing and improving the land. December 21, 1853, he married Mary, daughter of Isaac and Rhoda (Webster) Mabey. The father, Isaac Mabey, a tanner by trade, was a Whig in politics, and was a soldier of the Revolutionary War. In his youth he worked on Staten Island, and later went to Cairo, Greene County. He died at the age of eighty-eight, in Schoharie County, his wife passing away at the age of eighty-six. They had a family of nine children - George, Alonzo, Stephen, Jeannette, Mary, Isaac, Sarah, Martha, and William Mabey. After his marriage Hiram Peck bought two hundred and thirty acres of mostly new land near the old Windham turnpike, now known as Peck Street. This he cleared, and on it put new buildings. He and his wife and nine children, namely: Munroe, who died at age seven years; Albert, who married Elizabeth Christian; David; Ella; Eda, who died young; Minnie, who was married to J. Cook; Mary; Frank, who lives at home; and John L. Peck. Hiram Peck lived to be fifty-seven years of age. He was a Repulican in politics, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife, who now lives at the old homestead with her son Frank, is also a member of that church. Frank Peck received a good district-school education. He was scarcely fourteen years of age at the time of his father's death, but he soon took charge of the farm. Within the last few years he has bulit a new dwelling-house, remodelled the barns and wagon-house, and greatly improved the farm, now having a dairy that ranks among the best in this vicinty. He has raised some fine "Wilkes breed" horses, and in all matters pertaining to agricultural pursuits shows real progress. He is a staunch Republican, and takes an active interest in politics and town improvements. By taking the responsibility of so large a farm, and carrying it on with such success, he has displayed great ability, and has won well-deserved prosperty.
James Rosa was the son of Benjamin Rosa, who married a Connecticut lady, and removed from Ulster County to Delaware County in 1834. Of the eight children born to them but one is now living - William H. Rosa, an octogenarian, who resides on Beaver Hill. The grandparents of the subject of this sketch were humble farmers in moderate circumstances, living and dying in the Methodist faith, the wife outliving the husband by about ten years. They were buried in the family lot on the farm belonging to Samuel Terry, it being the custom of the times to bury the loved ones near the old homestead instead of selecting a large tract of land for a public cemetery. James Rosa married Polly Brink, of Ulster County, and adopted the occupation of a farmer, moving to Delaware County in 1836, bringing with him a part of his family of eight children, two others having died in infancy. Benjamin, the eldest child, was a volunteer in the One Hundred and Forty-fourth New York Infantry, and died of fever at Folly Island while in the service of his country, in 1864, at the age of thirty-seven years. He left a widow and four children, one of whom, James O. Rosa, in partnership with his uncle William, now carries on an extensive business in general merchandise in Walton. James Rosa died in 1876, at the age of seventy-two years, his wife having been taken away ten years previously by an attack of apoplexy. Of the children whom they left, one daughter resides in Salt Lake City, one in Troy, N.Y., and two in Walton, all having families of their own; while the two sons - Nelson, in the railroad business, and William H. - still live in their homes in Walton. William H. Rosa, the second son of James, was educated in the district school until eighteen years of age, after which he remained at home, working upon the farm and making himself generally useful. On his twenty-eighth birthday, November 11, 1857, he married Miss Delia Sawyer, of Walton, daughter of Milton and Priscilla (Beers) Sawyer; and they have had four children: Edward, who died August 11, 1872, when thirteen years old; Everett, who died on September 17, 1888, aged twenty-four; Milton, who died October 19, 1894; and Althea, a school girl fifteen years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Rosa resided in Tompkins, and later in Masonville, where in 1887 they sold their farm of one hundred acres, and then removed to their new home which Mr. Rosa erected on Williams Street in Walton. In March, 1894, Mr. Rosa embarked in merchantile life with his nephew, opening a two-thousand-dollar stock of general merchandise; and they are now carrying on a thriving and daily increasing business. Although neither of these men has had any experience in trade, with the assistance of the practical young wife of James O. Rosa, Clara Bell Bennett, daughter of Jesse Bennett, they are able to personally conduct all their business, under the name of Rosa & Co. Mr. Rosa is a Prohibitionist from the Republican ranks, and has held several offices in the party whose principles he upholds. Like his grandfather and father, he is a true Methodist, having been converted when but twenty years of age, since which time he has been a prominent helper in the good cause as Sunday-school superintendent and class leader, which latter position he still holds. In this good work he has been materially aided by his faithful wife, who is ever ready to minister to the need of those less fortunate than herself. Mr. Rosa is a man of most estimable character, who has the satisfaction of being thoroughly appreciated by those for whom he has labored so faithfully and so long; and he holds an exalted position in the esteem of the community for whose higher interests he is constantly striving.
Isaac Wilson was married in Dutchess County, and started for Delaware County with horse, wagon, and two cows. The journey was a perilous one, there being no roads like those of the present day, but merely an Indian trail, the loss of which meant bewilderment in dense woods. Great fortitude and a brave heart were needed to overcome the many difficulties in the way; and it was after many of these that Mr. Wilson finally settled on a farm of two hundred acres, now known as Wilson Hollow. A covered wagon was their only dwelling for a season, and their only food game, berries, and milk of one cow, the other having been killed by an accident after arrival. A log house was at length built, which served them far better when the cold storms of winter came; and some grain was raised, not in very large quantities, but enough for their own use. Later, as the times improved, more modern buildings were erected, and a comfortable home made for the family. In the great struggle for American freedom which began in 1775, Mr. Wilson served as an Ensign. Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Wilson had these children, namely; James C., born in 1778; Peter, born in 1780; Addie, born in 1783; Jane, born in 1787; Elizabeth, born in 1793; Eleanor, born in 1798; Andrew, born in 1800; Charles, born in 1803; and Nancy, born in 1806. James C. Wilson was a hard-working, sagacious farmer, and accumulated much property, at one time owning four hundred acres. This he eventually sold to his son Hiram, and, leaving the old home, moved to Downsville, where he died when a very old man, ninety-six years of age. His wife, however died on the farm. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wilson were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics he was a Democrat. They raised a family of ten children - Peter, Hiram, Ephraim J., Isaac, Eleanor, Andrew, George, Rachel, Jeanette, and Jerusha. Ephraim J. was the third son of J. C. Wilson, and spent his childhood and youth on the home farm, assisting his father in the work, and attending the district school in its season. Later he engaged in lumbering in connection with his farm work; and, when he had saved eight hundred dollars from his earnings, he bought from Lawrence Carr fifty acres of land known as the George Dann farm. He then sought for himself a partner in life, and married Eliza, daughter of William and Sarah Young, and one of a family of nine children -- Samuel, Enoch, Charles, Elizabeth, Sylvia, Ann Eliza, Cornelia, Sarah, and Mary. William Young was a farmer in a neighboring town, and met his death by an accident in a saw-mill. Mrs. Young died on the farm. After his marriage Ephraim J. Wilson engaged very extensively in the lumber business, sending the lumber down the river to the Philadelphia market, where it brought a good price. He reared a family of eight children, namely: Estella, born July 16, 1845, died August 5, 1852; Augustus, born March 8, 1847, died November 10, 1851; Helen, born December 19, 1849, married in October, 1890, to Joseph Boileau, a farmer and carpenter; William H., the subject of this sketch; Eugene Chester, born November 13, 1853, a conductor, who married in 1874 Mary A. Signor; Herman A., born October 17, 1861, a farmer, who married Belle White; Sarah A., born June 2, 1864, married to James C. Loos, a farmer; George E., born in 1869, who married Ann Eliza Jennings. Both Mr. and Mrs. Ephraim J. Wilson were members of the Methodist Episcopal church; and he was a good Democrat until the day of his death, October 23, 1873. William H. Wilson was born on the old homestead upon which he now resides, and received his early education at the district schools of the town, afterward attending the Walton Academy for one term. As a young man he was a very good scholar; and for eleven terms he taught school, but finally gave this up, and devoted himself to farming and lumbering. July 3, 1873, he married Hannah M., daughter of James and Lois (Lindsley) Holley, the father being a farmer with a family of two children. His son, William Holley, married Jennie Hull, and lives at Cleaver, on Loomis Brook. Lois, the wife of James Holley, died in 1854; and James then married Elizabeth Moore, with whom he resides in Walton. Mr. and Mrs. William H. Wilson have had seven children, as follows: Frank H., born February 16, 1874; Walter H., born November 18, 1875; James E., born June 19, 1877; Melvin A., born May 11, 1879, who died May 9, 1881; Earl H., born August 10, 1885; and Herman and Sherman, born June 2, 1888. In 1887 Mr. Wilson bought the old homestead, and since that time has increased it so that he now owns three hundred and forty acres. He has erected one of the finest barns in the surrounding country, it being three stories high, with all modern conveniences, and accommodations for over forty head of cattle. Here he keeps a fine stock of graded Guernseys, having one registered Guernsey at the head, making his probably the most select and best dairy in the town of Colchester. He also has many fine work horses, and keeps a few of the Cotswold sheep. In his various undertakings Mr. Wilson has shown marked ability, close application, and perseverance, all of which have brought him success and the respect of his fellow-citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Downsville, and he is a Democrat in politics.
Duncan M. Leonard, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in 1837, in the town of Roxbury, where his boyhood was spent. He was graduated at the Castleton Medical College in Vermont, and soon after taking his degree came to Broome Centre, where he is still established as a physician. His first wife was Vashtie McHench, who was born in Broome Centre, Schoharie County, in 1828. They reared a family of four children, all of whom are living. The eldest, Emma R. Leonard, of Bloomville, Delaware County, was born October 12, 1860. Frances A., wife of Frank B. Mackey, of Cobleskill, Schoharie County, was born in 1863. Ursula J., the wife of Dr. Christopher S. Best, of Middleburg, Schoharie County, was born in April, 1866. Their mother died June 4, 1877, at the age of forty-nine. In January, 1879. Dr. Leonard married Emma J. McHench, a sister of his first wife. Dr. Duncan Leonard is one of the leading men of his profession in this part of the country, and has led a life of exceptional usefulness. He has been President of the Schoharie County Medical Society, and nearly a half-hundred students have graduated under his instruction. He is a member of the regular Baptist church, and in politics is independent. Though he started in life in debt for his education and for the horse and saddlebags with which he made his daily rounds among his patients, he is to-day one of the wealthy men of his town, and is the owner of eight hundred acres of land. Rutson Rudolph Leonard, fourth and youngest child of Dr. Duncan M. Leonard, grew to manhood in Broome Centre, the town of Gilboa, Schoharie County. He first attended the district school, and then the normal select school in Broome Centre. Then he spent one year as a student at each of the following named institutions: Stamford Seminary, Starkey Seminary and College, Hartwick Seminary. After leaving Hartwick Seminary, he began the study of medicine at the New York University Medical College, where he was graduated in March, 1890. He also studied for a time in the medical department of the University of Vermont, spending in all nine years as a medical student. In July, 1890, he came to Bloomville, and established himself as a physician and druggist. October 12, 1893, he married Jessie A. Henderson, daughter of James and Nancy (McNeilly) Henderson, born in Kortright, May 3, 1866. Her grandparents were George and Eliza (Smith) Henderson, both born in this country. George Henderson was an early settler in the town of Kortright, where he owned and tilled a farm of about one hundred and fifty acres. He was a worthy, industrious man, a member of the United Presbyterian church. In politics he was a Democrat. Of their children, twelve in all, five are still living namely: Robert Henderson, in Kansas; William and Samuel Henderson, in Kortright; Harvey Henderson, in Kansas; and Anna, the wife of Robert Rice, of Harpersfield. The father died on his farm at seventy years of age. His wife departed this life when about sixty-eight. Their son James, the father of Mrs. Leonard, was born in Kortright, June 4, 1822, and grew to manhood on his father's farm. He improved his opportunities at the district school so well that he became a teacher. After spending several years as a schoolmaster, he became a farmer and stock dealer, in which line he was very successful. September 12, 1853, he married Nancy McNeilly, a daughter of Andrew and Eliza (Morrow) McNeilly, born in Down County, Ireland, February 5, 1830. Andrew McNeilly came to America with his family in 1841, and settled as a farmer in the town of Harpersfield, in Delaware County. Here he remained fifteen years. Then he sold his farm, and moved to Kortright, where his last years were spent at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Henderson. It was not until the great age of eighty-nine was reached that he departed this life; but his wife had been taken many years before, when about fifty-two. Mr. McNeilly was an Elder in the Presbyterian church, and his wife was a member of the same religious organization. Seven of their children are still living. Their entire famliy consisted of nine boys and girls, namely: Mrs. William Hazlett, of East Meredith; Mrs. Andrew Gibson, of Davenport; Mrs. James Rowland, of West Kortright; Mrs. Michael SexSmith, of Kortright Centre; Mrs. Henry SexSmith, deceased, late of Walton; Mrs. Henderson; Adam McNeilly, of California; Mrs. John Wilsey, of Iowa; and William McNeilly, who met with an accident which proved fatal, when he was thirteen years old. Mr. Henderson's residence was known as "the White House," because it was the first so painted in Kortright. Mr. Henderson bought his first land in the town of Kortright, where at the time of his death he possessed five hundred acres, and had at one time owned eight hundred. In 1874 he moved to the farm where his last days were spent; and his death took place November 29, 1890, when he was about sixty-eight. He was a man of great energy and industry, and very successful in business. He was a member of the Presbyterian church at West Kortright, of which his wife is also a communicant. In politics he was a Republican. The home farm, consisting of three hundred acres, is still carried on in the most successful manner by his widow. She has a fine dairy, where the best of butter is made, and keeps a herd of thirty graded cattle. In all respects her farm is in excellent condition, and her home is most comfortable and attractive. Mr. Henderson was the father of ten children, nine of whom are still living. William Henderson , now in Iowa, was the only child of the first marriage, his mother being Nancy Harkness, who lived but a short time. Andrew Henderson died at one year of age. Andrew M. Hendreson lives at North Kortright. Emma E. is the wife of Howard Mitchell, of East Meredith. George Henderson is in Colorado. John Henderson lives in East Meredith. Jessie M. Henderson is in Kortright. C. Irving Henderson and M.Florence Henderson lives at home. Dr. Rutson Rudolph Leonard and his wife now live in the village of Bloomville, his inherited and acquired skill as a physician bringing him a very large practice. He is the proprietor of a drug store, where a full line of drugs are constantly in stock. He owns a business block, erected in the fall of 1892, which contains three stories besides his own, also two halls- Leonard Hall, for public meetings, and a larger hall for dancing, measuring thirty by forty-five feet, the only halls in the village.Dr. Leonard, through liberal in his religious views, leans toward the doctrines of the Baptist church, his wife being a member of the Presbyterian church. Politically, he is a member of the Masonic Lodge, No. 630, of Gilboa, an Odd Fellow in the Delaware Valley Lodge, No. 612, of Bloomville, and also belongs to the Royal Encampment of Oneonda, No. 112. He has been the Noble Grand of the Lodgge, and was one of its originators and charter members. He is a most valuable member of the Delaware and Schoharie County Medical Societies. Though still a young man, Dr. Leonard's prominence abd success are already so marked the a brilliant career is predicted for him.
Samuel Palmerton, a son of Sylvenus, was born in Ballston, and reared to a life of agriculture and lumbering. On the death of his father he succeeded to the ownership of the old home, which he enlarged by the purchase of more land. He has also erected some substantial buildings and otherwise improved the place. He married Miss Lydia Kelsey, daughter of Rosewell and Hannah [Smith] Kelsey; and she became the mother of six children. One son, Harvey, died at the age of eleven; the others, Sarah A., Ellen F.,George W., Rosewell K., and Capitola, are all living. Rosewell K. Palmerton was born in that part of the town of Tompkins which is now included in Deposit, Delaware County, August 13, 1857, and received his early education at the district schools of the village. At the age of seventeen he began to teach, and for five winter terms taught in the schools near his home, assisting his father on the farm during the summer and attending the Deposit Academy in the spring and fall. In 1877 he accepted the position of clerk in Studevant's drug store in Deposit, and began the study of medicine with Doctors Studevant and Radiker, entering the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Baltimore, Md., in 1879. He was graduated from this institution on March 1, 1881, and began practice in Cannonsville, where he has remained since that time, being remarkably successful in his profession, and having an extensive and constantly increasing practice. In 1879 Doctor Palmerton married Miss Jenny Wilson, who was born in Bennettsville, Chenango County, a daughter of Merton and Olive [Bennett] Wilson; and they have one son, Abel B. Palmerton. The Doctor is an active Democrat, and was appointed Postmaster of Cannonsville in 1893. Doctor Palmerton is a conscientious, intelligent man, an unwearying laborer in his profession, thoroughly deserving hios prosperity.
James Fraser, like his father before him, was reared to agricultural pursuits, remaining on the homestead until of age, after which he went to work on a farm by the month, so continuing until his marriage, when he rented a farm for nine years. He afterward purchased the farm where his son Peter now resides, and here lived for twenty years, when he sold the property to his son, and purchased the adjoining farm. Mr Fraser married Mary Arbuckle, a daughter of Robert and Sally [McGregor] Arbuckle; and of this union there were nine children, seven of whom lived to maturity; namely, Peter; Robert A., a lawyer of Delhi; Mary; Ella; Sheldon; Wallace; and Augusta. Peter Fraser was educated at the district school, and assisted on the home farm until he was twenty-two years of age, when his father gave him one hundred acres of timbered land, which he partially cleared. He later purchased the farm where he resides from his father, and is now the owner of four hundred and fifty acres of the best farming land in the county. He devotes much time to keeping graded Jersey cattle, having seventy-two cows, and makes a fine line of butter, which finds a ready sale. Mr. Fraser was married at the age of twenty-two to Miss Elizabeth Hogg, a daughter of William and Margaret [Curry] Hogg, natives of Scotland, but residents of this vicinity for over forty years. Mr and Mrs. Hogg have three children; Elizabeth, Frank, and Margaret. Mr. and Mrs. Fraser are the parents of five children-Clara, Bessie, Willaim, Harry, and Jessie. Two of the daughters received their education at Delhi Academy. Mr. Fraser is a Republician in politics, and has served his time acceptably as Assessor. He is emphatically a self-made man, is progressive in his views, and works his farm on thoroughly practical lines, factors which doubtless conduce to his present prosperity. Mrs. Fraser is a member of the First Presbyterian Church, the family attending the same place of worship.
Henry W. Clark attended the district school in his boyhood, and later began business life in Guilford, where he remained for eight years. He then entered the Engineer Corps of the New York & Oswego Midland Railroad, being employed by that company for five years as assistant engineer, having charge of two divisions. In 1872 he entered the employ of the Erie Railroad, where he remained for about a year, and then accepted a position with the D. & H. C. Co. Railroad as yardmaster at Sidney, later being called to the office of ticket clerk of the place. For ten years he faithfully performed his duties in that capacity, and was then made station agent, which position he has held since that time, giving complete satisfaction to the company as well as to the patrons of the road. October 14,1872, Mr. Clark married Miss Ella D. Clark, who, though of the same name, was no relation to him. Mrs. Clark was born in DeRuther, N.Y., daughter of R. F. and Clarissa [Lansing] Clark; and she is the mother of one child, William W. Clark, a school-boy of fourteen. The family are constant attendants of the Congregational church, of which they are highly respected members. They reside in their delightful home at No. 5 River Street, which Mr. Clark erected in 1890, and where his mother is one of the family circle. Mr. Clark is a consistent Republican. He was President of the village in 1893, is a Director of the Sidney National Bank, President of the Sidney Water Company, and foreman of the Phelps Hose Company. In all the positions of trust and responsibility which he has held and now occupies, he has ever exhibited a manly, noble character, firm in principle, cheerful in disposition, courteous and modest in bearing; and his long connection with the company by which he is now employed testifies to the regard and confidence in which he is held by his superiors as well as subordinates in office.
Robert, the son of the emigrant, and the original of this sketch, grew up at Bovina, the town of his birth, and was educated in the common schools of the neighborhood. He began his business life as a farmer, owning a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, to which he afterward added one hundred and twenty acres more. This farm, which was a dairy farm, he sold after a time, and came to Downsville, where he purchased a small estate on the outskirts of the village. This tract of land belonged formerly to the old Downs estate, and Mr. Liddle's spacious mansion faces the old homestead of the Downs family. Besides a fine breed of cows, he owns a goodly number of sheep, and has bred some of the finest horses in the county. For grazing purposes his farm is especially adapted. At Twenty-three he married Catherine McGregor, the daughter of John and Jane McGregor, who lived in Andes. The wife's father owned a farm on the State road.Of the McGregor family there are nine--Daniel, Mary, Catherine, Alexander, Nancy, Jane, Margaret, Isabella, and John. The parents are both dead. To Robert and Catherine Liddle seven children were born; Jane in 1845, is the wife of George K. Gladstone, and has six children. Margaret is the widow of George Gladstone. Mary is the wife of the Hon. Beyson Bruce, a member of the legislature of Iowa: and they have a family of seven children. Thomas C. married Miss Carrie Garrison. Agnes is the wife of Mr. E. Shaver, and the mother of four children. Isabella married Myers Hitt, and has four children. Elizabeth is the wife of Edward Allen. Mr. Liddle, being left a widower, took to himself a second wife, marrying Miss Angenette Shaver, a daughter of Peter Shaver. The one child of this marriage grew up and married Mr. O.B. Purdy, a gentleman of Downsville. Again Mr. Liddle was a widower, his wife Angenette dying in 1864. His third wife was Miss Harriet Beates, a daughter of Robert and Mary [Wilson] Beates, who bore him eight sons and daughters, who birth came in this order; Emma A., Katharine B., Edna May, Leila, Nellie; Robert Beates and Edith, twins; and Augustus Dwight. The Hon. Robert Beates, the father of Mrs. Liddle, was of Scotch origin, being the son of James Beates, whose father came from Scotland, and settled on a farm at Delhi, where he passed the remaining years of his life. Mr. and Mrs. Robert are both members of the Presbyterian church; and their children, which have been like the "quiver full of arrows" in his household, have been brought up in the admonition of the lord. The father is an adherent of the Republician party, and has been Overseer of the Poor for a year.
Mr. Hoyt comes of honored New England ancestry, his grandparents, Amasa and Elizabeth [Seymour] Hoyt, having been natives of Connecticut. They removed to this section of New York about the time of the settlement of the North family, coming with a pair of oxen and a two-wheeled cart as far as the head of the west branch of the Delaware River, thence down the river in a flat-boat to the village of Walton. Instead of taking up land on the fertile flats, they went to Dunk Hill, where they bought two hundred acres of heavily wooded land, from which they improved a good farm, he having one hundred and sixty acres of it cleared before his death, which occurred just prior to 1870. His good wife survived him nearly eight years; and their bodies are now resting side by side in the old family burying-ground on the home farm. Three of their family of children were born after they came to this county. They were devout Christians, very strict in religious observances; and he served a large part of his life as a Deacon of the Church. Gabriel A. Hoyt was reared to the occupation of his parents, and after his marriage bought a farm on the turnpike, where he carried on general agriculture for some thirty years. Then, being afficted with rheumatism, he removed to the village of Walton, where he lived retired from active pursuits about seven years before relived from his sufferings by the hand of death. His marriage with Delia Guild, the sister of Truman Guild, was celebrated in the village of Walton in 1830; and of the five sons and three daughters born to them all are living except one son, Sherman, who was a volunteer in the late Rebellion. He enlisted in Company B, One hundred and Forty-forth New York Infantry, and after three months service died of typhoid fever. His remains were brought to Walton, and interred in the cemetery. The seven children now living are; Edgar P.,Charles P., Augusta, Hannah, Arthur, Seymour, and Elizabeth. Edgar is the subject of this sketch. Charles P. Hoyt, junior-member of the large wholesale and retail dry-goods firm of Turland & Hoyt, in Philadelphia, left home at the early age of nine years, on board a raft, with a horse, en-route to Elwood, N.J., where he was to make his home with his uncle Griswold, who had married a sister of his mother. He remained there five years, going thence to Philadelphia, where he worked for two years, at the jeweller's trade. Being strongly imbued with Christian principles, he became an active worker in religious circles, and while there formed the acquaintance of Hattie Turland, the daughter of a merchant. The acquaintance thus began, ripening into love, culminated in their happy marriage. Augusta, the widow of Dr. H.E.Ogden, resides in Walton. Hannah, the wife of Ransom Evans, lives in Oneonta. Arthur, who married Emma Fanchen, lives in Walton. Seymour, a hardware clerk in Walton, married Miss Lily Miller. Elizabeth, the wife of Johm A. Woodburn, lives in Delhi. Edgar P. Hoyt grew to man's estate on the home farm, and acquired a good education on the district school and the village academy. At the age of fifteen years he began working at the harness-maker's trade with his uncle, E. Guild, serving a four year apprenticeship as a journeyman. He soon after established himself in Walton, at his present place of business, where for more than thirty years he has been industriously and profitably engaged, being the leading man in his line of work in this vicinity. On October 19, 1964, Mr Hoyt was united in wedlock with Miss Jennie Wright, a daughter of Malcom and Margaret [Shaw] Wright. Two children, Hattie and Sherman, came to brighten their home. Hattie married John A. Heckroth, who is of German ancestry; and they are the parents of one child, Clarence. Sherman, a harness-maker, working with his father, married Mary A. Jamieson; and they have one child, Walter, a fine boy of two years. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt rented a house for a few years, but subsequently built the pleasant residence at No 161 Delaware Street, which is now the home of their son Sherman, while they occupy a most comfortable home at No. 3 Bruce Street. Mr. Hoyt is an active, public-spirited man, ever ready and willing to do his utmost to advance the interests of his community, and has served as village Trustee He was born and reared to the principles of the Republician party, and from them has never departed. He is quite prominent in Masonic circles, being a Master Mason and Senior Master of Ceremonies in his lodge.
In 1888, when about thirty years old, Samuel Korn was married to Clara First. She also was born in Germany, and came to America at about the same time her husband came. They have four children. The eldest, Marcus Korn, was born in 1889, Severn Korn in 1891, Leo Korn in 1893, and Nita Korn in September, 1894. Patient, painstaking, perservering, attentive to detail, Mr. korn ia a systematic, though-going man of business. He is an exceedingly useful and respected member of the community, and in politics belongs to the Republician party. His portraits, which accompanies this brief bit of biography, has the air of a man who is accustomed boldly to "look forward, and not back" and calls to mind this sentence of the great poet of his native land, Schiller,-- "Whoever fails to turn aside the ills of life by prudent forethought must submit to fulfil the course of destiny."
James Ballantine was born in Scotland in 1826, and like his father and grandfather, was reared to the life of a shepherd, taking charge of a flock when seventeen years of age. He , however, received an excellent education. In March, 1860, he married Miss Catherine Whyte, who was born in Andes, Delaware County, a daughter of William and Elizabeth [Darling] Whyte. Mr. and Mrs. Whyte were both natives of Perth, Scotland, and were married about sixty years age, after coming to this country. They were the parents of six children, three sons and three daughters. One son, James, died when sixteen years of age. Three of the children are still living; Margaret, who is the wife of James Darling, of Andes; William D., who has been for thirty years a farmer and fruit-grower in California; and Catherine, Mrs. Ballantine. Mrs. Whyte died in 1873, at the age of sixty-three years, her husband dying in February 1893, aged eighty-four. Mr. Whyte was a Republician, and served as Assessor. He was a successful farmer, and greatly interested in all educational matters, giving his children the best instruction that could be obtained. His daughters became teachers. Both Mr. and Mrs. Whyte were earnest members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. and Mrs. Ballantine have been blessed with seven children: Elizabeth; John W., a minister of Winfield, Ia., who was graduated from Delaware Academy, and later from the Theological Seminary, and was ordained in the fall of 1892, being recently settled in his present position; Agnes, a successful teacher; James, a farmer; Christina; Robert; and Jennie. All have been well educated, and are highly intellectual. Mr. Ballantine has a fine farm of one hundred and eighty acres, upon which he keeps over thirty grade cows, making choise butter, which he ships to market. His pleasant home was erected in 1887, the valley where it is situated being known as Chamber's Hollow, though which a beautiful, clear brook flows, abounding in the speckled trout dear to the heart of the fisherman. In 1870 a large barn was built, fifty-six by forty feet, with a wing thirty-six by twenty. Mr. Ballantine is a stanch Republician, and has held many offices of responsibility and trust in the town, among them being those of Highway Commissioner and Collector. He is held in the highest regard by his many friends, and respected for his superior intellect and noble, manly character.
One by one the sons and daughters married and moved away from the homestead excapt Elijah Churchill, who to please hid mother, bought out the other heirs, and devoted himself to agricultural improvements. For a man of his position and pursuits he was exceeding fond of study, and so steadfastly improved his limited means and opportunities for education that he was able to teach school during the long winters. His decision of character and dignified bearing made him a leader in the community, and he was chosen Captain of the militia company, an organization required by the State in those days for defence in time of war. In religious affairs he exerted a great influence, and took an active part in the organization of the Presbyterian church of Stamford. The society elected him to the office of Deacon, which title followed him through life. On May 12. 1830, he was united in marriage with Sarah Benedict, a daughter of Ezra Benedict, one of the early settlers in the town of Andes. A more amiable and devoted wife never adorned a home. She possessed in rare degree the qualities of a true wife and mother,and the sweetness of her life permeated the entire household. The effect of her wise training and benign influence on the life and character of the subject of this sketch cannot be measured. She still survives, at the advanced age of eighty-five, retaining vigor of mind and body with the charming manner of her youthful days. Around the hospitable board of Elijah Churchill and his wife grew seven children, by name Calvin, Epenetus, Sarah, Stephen, Elijah, Frances, Esther, and Vesta Churchill. Their father was born on February 3, 1797; and he died March 24, 1878, a little over fourscore. Deacon Churchill was beloved by his family as a model husband and father, and was honored and respected by all who knew him for his uprightness and a life fragrant with good deeds. As a Man of broad and liberal ideas he was deeply interested in the education of his children, and was one of the first subscribers towand a fund for the establishment of an academic school in Stamford. Stephen, the subject of our sketch, was the youngest son, and named for his grandfather Churchill. His education began at the Stamford Seminary, and he finished his academic course of study under Dr. Kerr, of Cooperstown. In 1865, aged twenty-four, Mr. Churchill became a teacher in the Stamford Seminary , then under the direction of the Rev. John Wilde, taking charge of the department of mathematics. The next year he bought the school building, and became principal as well as proprietor of the institution. Under former management the school had been only fairly prosperous; but as the result of Professor Churchill's assiduous labor and executive ability, the seminary entered upon an era of prosperity never before attained. In 1869 the accommodations for students were enlarged by the erection of a new building. From the excellent classical department of the school young men were sent yearly to the best collages in the land. Believing it to be to his pecuniary advantage, in 1873 Professor Churchill sold two of his buildings, retaining the ladies's hall as his residence. Not yet satified with his scholastic attainments, he entered the Sheffield Scientific Department of Yale College with a view to medical study thereafter; and in our centennial year he was graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. He began practice in Scranton, Pa., in 1876; but a fondness for his native hills impelled him to return the next year to Stamford, where he has since been a highly successful practitioner. But not in the field of professional life alone has Dr. Churchill directed his engery. In various enterprises he has been uniformly successful, displaying much business sagacity and ability as a financier. In 1883 he erected Churchill Hall. which was the pioneer summer hotel in Stamford. This business has been exceedingly prosperous, and Stamford today is one of the most popular resorts in the Catskills. Four times he has enlarged his hotel, until it has reached its present massive proportions, and accommodates more than three hundred guests. He is also the owner of one of the largest and most valuable farms in the county. The accumulation of his wealth has been the result of his unaided efforts. Dr. Churchill has been an indefatigable worker for the development of Stamford. On his return to Stamford from college he found the seminary had closed its doors, and no academic school in existence. With his former zeal in educational affairs he urged upon the people the establishment of a union free school. This project met with an opposition in the community that was pronounced and bitter; but Dr. Churchill, after two years of persistent work for the success of the measure, aided by other public-spirited men, so influenced public opinion that a victory was won, and Stamford Seminary was re-established. He was elected Chairman of the Board of Education, which position he has held almost continuously for thirteen years. In the organization of the Judson Library Association, the Stamford Water Company, the Electric Light Company, Athletic Association, Telephone Exchange, and all other village improvements, he has been the leading spirit. In 1891 he proposed the construction of a system of sewerage, which he thought was demanded by the sanitary condition of the growing town. This was strenuously opposed by the conservative portion of the community, but Dr. Churchill's perseverance won its customary triumph. By conversation, newspaper articles, and personal appeals to the voters, he so enlightened the people on the health question that in 1893 the work was begun and the sewers were completed. There is no better sewerage system in the State, and today the inhabitants recognize the great service of the Doctor in leading their thoughts and votes in this direction. His keen perception, accurate judgment, wonderful force of character, and extraordinary intelligence have won for him the high position he occupies in commercial and public affairs. Truly has it been said:- "Instead of saying that man is the creature of circumstances, it would be nearer the mark to say that man is the architect of circumstances. It is character which builds an existence out of circumstances. Our strength is measured by our plastic power. From the same material one man builds palaces, another hovels, one warehouses, another villas."
James Ballard, son of Peleg and grandfather of George E. Ballard, was born in Putnam County, and was nine years old when his father came to Roxbury. At the age of thirteen years he entered the employ of John T. More, at Moresville, in whose service he remained only one year, with but poor remuneration for his labor, and then went home and took hold of the farm interests, cleaning more land and helping to improve the place, to which he added land until the farm comprised about one hundred and eighty acres. The country was still primitive. He used to buy the flour for the family and carry it a distance of twelve miles on his back over a mountainous road, steep and dangerous on either side. After a while he married, settled down, and bought the farm for his own, erected several frame buildings; and about the year 1842 he put up the present fine large house. The wife of James Ballard was Miss Mary Stratton, a daughter of Samuel Stratton, who was the first settler at Stratton Falls. Mr. Stratton took some land in that neighborhood, laid out a farm, and so cleared up and beautified the locality about the Falls that it became a noted resort for tourists and pleasure-seekers. Mr. and Mrs. James Ballard brought up seven children; Jonathan, Benjamin, John T., Jessie, Elizabeth, Louiza, and Polly Ann. James Ballard lived to be eighty-eight years old. Politically, he was an old-fashioned Whig; and he and his wife were both members of the old-school Baptish church in Roxbury. John T., son of James Ballard and father of George E. Ballard, was born March 7, 1809, at the old home. He grew to manhood there, attended the district school; and, when fifty years of age, he took the farm from his father by usual sale, and built several barns, and added more land to his father's one hundred and eighty acres, making two hundred acres in all. He has since owned different farms, comprising about seven hundred acres. To show the privations of those who locate their homes in undeveloped parts of the country, Mr. George E. Ballard relates that his father, John T. Ballard, never wore a shoe till he was eleven years old, and that his father made the first shoes worn in the neighborhood. Mr. John T. Ballard and his wife are now living a retired life, and both retain excellent health. Mr. Ballard is a Republican; and both are members of the old-school Baptist church of Roxbury, as were their parents. John T. Ballard married Miss Peace Scudder, daughter of O. Smith Scudder, whose wife was before her marriage Miss Sarah Chase. The children of John T. Ballard and his wife were two: Smith S.; and George E., whose name heads the present sketch. Smith S. Ballard was born at the old homestead, February 3, 1850. He attended the district school, and then began work on his father's farm. When he was thirty-six years old, he married Miss Estelle Stewart, daughter of Augustus and Margaret [Ballard] Stewart, who live in the town of Hardenburg, Ulster County. Mr. Stewart was a well known farmer of that locality, and lived to be about sixty years old. His wife is still living at Hardenburg. They had five children-Sarah, Martin, Estelle, Ernest, and George. Mr Stewart was a son of Abijah Stewart, one of the early settlers, and was a Democrat in poltitcs. After his marriage Mr. Smith Ballard bought two hundred acres of land adjoining the homestead, and has resided on this place until recently, keeping twenty five cows, his dairy constituting his principal industry. Having leased his farm, he now has his residence elsewhere in the neighborhood. Mr. Smith S. Ballard is a Republican in politics. George E. Ballard, second son of John T. Ballard, continues to reside on the old homestead farm, which he bought in 1886. It is located on the west side of Batavia Kill, about four miles from Roxbury. On this flourishing estate he makes a specialty of dairy productions, keeping a herd of thirty cows, chiefly graded Jerseys, and furnishes choice qualities of dairy produce for shipment and for local trade. He and his wife, whose maiden name was Katie Morse, have two children, namely; Smith W. Ballard and John F. Mrs Ballard's parents, Ira and Antoinette [Simmons] Morse, reside at Batavia Kill. Mr. George E. Ballard is a Republican in ploitics, and both himself and wife are members of the Roxbury Baptist church. It is interesting to note , in these days of unrest, the appreciation manifested by both brothers, Smith S. and George E. Ballard, of the aim and intention of their father and grandfather before their time. To respect their career by continuing to improve the land they pre-empted so many years before, and to establish homes which should perpetuate their arduous labors and preserve them from oblivion-this has been an accomplishment so far. Withstanding any enticements to locate elsewhere, or to follow some other occupation than that of their father, they have set an example worthy of record and imitation. |
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