USA > New York > Ontario County > A history of Ontario County, New York and its people, Volume II > Part 32
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50
Mr. Rupert married, June 28, 1893, May, born in Marengo, Wayne county, New York, November 27, 1868, daughter of James M. Budd, who was born in 1847, served during the civil war, was appointed a Sher- man orderly, and near the close of the war was appointed to the rank of major. Children : Marion, born in 1894, died in 1906; Philip D., born in 1897; Donald M., born in 1902; and William P., born in 1904.
SCHNIREL.
The successful building contractor and real estate dealer of this name residing in Geneva, possesses the traditional integrity, thrift and industry
316
ONTARIO COUNTY.
characteristic of the Teutonic race, and these essential elements of sturdy manhood were developed to a high degree by his thoroughly German training. Coming to America a bright and courageous young man, strong and vigorous as the result of a term of service in the German army, he readily adapted himself to the manners, customs and business methods prevailing in this country, and ere long found opportunities which ulti- mately placed him upon the high road to prosperity.
The Schnirel family, originally residing in one of the South German states, was transplanted on the banks of the River Wartha by Daniel Schnirel early in the last century. Born at Rarhl Ruh, South Germany. in 1799, Daniel Schnirel witnessed in his younger days the rapid recov- ery of the Fatherland from the disastrous effects of the Napoleonic wars. Having learned the mason's trade he settled in the ancient city of Posen, now a Prussian fortress of the first rank, and became a prosperous con- tractor, a business which his descendants have followed with success. Jacob Schnirel, son of Daniel, was born at Posen in 1822, and died there in 1876. He was an extensive contractor and was chiefly employed by the German government in the construction of public buildings. He was a man of excellent moral character and a member of the Lutheran church. He married Elizabeth Schilf, who was born at Posen in 1822.
Reinhold A. Schnirel, son of Jacob and Elizabeth ( Schilf) Schnirel, was born in Posen, March 25, 1856. Having completed his education with a special course in the higher branches of study at the public school in his native city, he became associated in business with his father, from whom he derived a thorough knowledge of building construction. After the death of his father in 1876, he was called to the performance of his military duties in the German army, in which he served for three years, and at the time of his discharge in 1879 he was attached to the German Grenadiers No. 8, of Emperor William I. Resuming his former occupa- tion upon leaving the army, he conducted business in Posen on his own account until 1881, when he emigrated to the United States, and shortly after his arrival he settled in Geneva, New York, where he found no difficulty in obtaining employment. In 1886 he established himself as a building contractor in Geneva, where in an unusually short time his work became widely and favorably known for its reliability and excel- lence, and he is still actively engaged in that business, having in the past twenty-five years erected nearly three hundred buildings. He erected upon his own account the first fireproof structure in Geneva, and he is also the builder and the owner of the only office building in the city equipped with an elevator service. Some years ago he turned his attention to the
317
ONTARIO COUNTY.
development of real estate for residential purposes, opening one section of twenty lots, another of twenty-five lots in the western part of the city, and still another on Washington street; and in company with his son, Herman F. Schnirel, has opened one hundred lots on Hamilton Heights. After becoming a citizen of the United States he united with the Repub- lican party and has ever since been active in political affairs, taking a profound interest in the welfare of his adopted city, and has rendered valuable aid in making Geneva one of the most enterprising and pros- perous municipalities in western New York. For two years he repre- sented the first ward on the board of aldermen, and while serving in that body he not only favored the adoption of the city charter, but used his influence in favor of purchasing the water works and the installation of the present sewer system. Upon the organization of the city government under the new charter, he was appointed by Mayor Herendeen a member of the board of public works. He is a member and a trustee of the Ger- man Lutheran Church.
Mr. Schnirel was married in Geneva, June 15, 1882, to Augusta Buchholtz. Children: 1. Herman F., born in Geneva, April 19. 1883 ; studied at Hobart College, Columbia University and Cornell ; is now pro- fessor of languages in Maryville, Tennessee; married Martha Wellman, January 2, 1908, at Geneva, and has one son, Wellman W., born in Gen- eva, August 9, 1910. 2. Lillian, born in Geneva, in 1885: is studying music under the direction of Professor Rose. 3. Ida E., born in Geneva in 1889; pursued course in modern languages at Cornell, graduating in 1909; is now teaching in Maryville, Tennessee. 4. Albert R., born in 1891. died in 1893. 5. Anna G., born September 24, 1895; is now attending the Geneva high school. Mrs. Schnirel's uncle Von O. was the chancellor of the Kingdom of Hanover during the reign of the Blind King.
Mrs. Augusta ( Buchholtz) Schnirel was born in Joseph Ruh, Ger- many, August 27, 1859. Her father, Augustus Buchholtz, was born in the same town, and was a farmer. Her mother was before marriage. Anna Berg. The Buchholtz family came to America in 1871, and settled in Geneva.
SISCO.
Rev. Marvin Sisco, a native of Vermont, was a minister in the Methodist Episcopal church. He preached at Bangor, Franklin county, and in other towns in Central New York. He married Melissa Man-
318
ONTARIO COUNTY.
ning. He died in 1892 at Brandon, Vermont. Children : Mary : Har- rison, died in the service in the civil war; George H .; Cyrenus; Ella. married Frederick Frost; Charles M., mentioned below.
Charles Marcellus, son of Rev. Marvin Sisco, was born in Bangor, Franklin county, New York, April 19, 1845. He received his educa- tion in the public schools and during his boyhood worked on the farm and helped to clear timber land. During the civil war he enlisted in the Ninety-eighth New York Regiment of Volunteer Infantry, but he was under age and his father refused his consent, but afterward he ran away from home and at Essex, Vermont, enlisted in Company G, Eleventh Vermont Regiment, and went to the front. He was wounded at the battle of Cedar creek and taken prisoner, but on the second day was re- taken by the federal forces. At the hospital where he was taken, it was found necessary to amputate his leg. He continued in the service until 1865 when he was mustered out. He went to Malone, New York. and learned the trade of harness maker. From 1868 to 1871 he worked at his trade in Canandaigua, New York, and for two years at Victor. New York. In 1873 he started in business on his own account with a harness shop at Manchester Village, Ontario county. From 1880 to 1884 he worked again at his trade in Victor and then opened a shop at Shortsville, New York, where he has since lived. He has been suc- cessful in business and prominent in public life. In politics he is a Re- publican. In 1897 he was elected overseer of the poor and held that office for eight years. For several years he was a trustee of the in- corporated village and president two years. In 1906 he was appointed postmaster of Shortsville and has held that position to the present time. He is a member of Post 107, Grand Army of the Republic, and was its commander for three years; member of the Maccabees, of which he was record keeper for four years and commander five; member of Parlor Village Lodge, No. 88, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Shortsville, New York. In religion he is liberal. He married. December 10, 1883, Lottie A. Matherson Hulbert. They have one daughter, Maude M., married Charles A. Fiero and they have two sons, Charles Marcellus and John Alonzo Fiero.
O'BRIEN.
Matthew T. O'Brien, president of the village of Phelps. New York, and prominently identified with all the important measures for
@ M Disco
319
ONTARIO COUNTY.
the improvement of that section of the country, traces his ancestry to Ireland, and has been richly endowed with many of the admirable traits of the Irish.
Terrence O'Brien, the father of Matthew T. O'Brien, was born in county Clare, Ireland, and was a very young lad when he came to this country with his parents. For a number of years he was employed on the railroad, and by his thrift and industry acquired a sufficient capi- tal to enable him to purchase a farm in the town of Phelps, New York, where he resided until his death in 1903. He adopted progressive methods in the cultivation of his farm and left it in a very flourishing and prosperous condition. He married Johanna McMahon. Children : Matthew T., see forward; Daniel, deceased; Nellie, married Abraham C. Cappon ; Michael, deceased; Mary ; Joseph, married Anna Hogan.
Matthew T., son of Terrence and Johanna ( McMahon) O'Brien, was born at Clifton Springs, Ontario county, New York, February I, 1859, and was but a few years of age when his parents removed to Phelps, New York, where he was educated in the public schools, study- ing there in the winter months, and working on the homestead farm during the summer. In 1881 he commenced to work for Dr. Thomp- son, remaining with him for a period of three years, when he accepted a position in the Phelps Hotel. He had always taken an active interest in athletic sports, especially the game of baseball, and for some time was engaged as one of the professional ball players of western New York. In the spring of 1888 he opened a small restaurant in Phelps. in association with John F. Dooley, the firm name being O'Brien & Dooley. He sold out his interest in this paying enterprise in 1898 in order to assume the management and ownership of the Phelps Hotel, of which he has made a decided success. He was one of the organizers of the Crothers Hose Company, which name was subsequently changed to that of the Redfield Hook and Ladder Company; was chief of the fire department and is now an exempt fireman. He is a life member of C. O. S. Y. S., filling the office of president in that organization. In political belief he is a staunch Democrat. His interest in the public affairs of the community has been active and beneficial, and he is at the present time ( 1911) president of the village of Phelps, an office which was forced upon him, and in which he has served for three years, consecutively.
Mr. O'Brien married, 1897, Mary, daughter of James Loney, of Phelps. Children : Ruth, Paul, Katherine and Elizabeth.
2.20
ONTARIO COUNTY.
BRAYTON.
The family of Brayton is of French origin, and the name was formerly spelled Breton. There were Bretons from France among the followers of William the Conqueror, and the name first appears in England at the time of his coming. Public records in both England and France have established the fact that the Bretons and Braytons were of the same family.
(I) Francis Brayton, the immigrant ancestor, was born in Eng- land in 1612, and settled in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, where he was received as an inhabitant and propounded for a lot of land in 1643. In 1655 he was freeman ; in 1662-63, commissioner ; in 1669-70-71-79-84, deputy, in 1688, a member of the grand jury. August 10, 1667 he en- listed in a troop of horse; January 6, 1671 he made an agreement with his son-in-law. Joseph Davol, by which the latter in behalf of his daugh- ter, Mary Davol, was to pay her five pounds, at fifteen years of age, said sum to be paid into the hands of his father-in-law, if then living; if Mary Davol died before the age of fifteen, the same sum was to be set apart for the use of Joseph Davol's son Joseph. The daughter Mary was given to the care of her grandfather Francis Brayton during the life of her grandmother or until she was married, and said Francis agreed to pay Mary five pounds at the time of his decease. September I, 1688 Francis Brayton was summoned to appear for selling drink to the Indians on the first day of the week, and having confessed the fact, was fined ten shillings. His wife was Mary -. He died in 1692; his will was dated October 17, 1690, and proved September 5, 1692. In it he mentioned his wife, sons Francis and Stephen, daughters Martha Pearce, Elizabeth Bourne, Sarah Gatchell, grandsons Francis, son of Francis, Preserved and Francis Pearce; granddaughter Mary, wife of James Tallman. Children: Francis, mentioned below ; Mary, married Joseph Davol: Stephen, died 1692, married March 8, 1679, Ann Tall- man; Martha, married John Pearce; Elizabeth, died 1718, married Jared Bourne; Sarah, married Thomas Gatchell.
(II) Francis (2), son of Francis ( 1) Brayton, died January 30, 1718. He married, March 18, 1671, Mary, daughter of Thomas and Mary Fish, died April 4, 1747. He was a freeman, April 30, 1672, and lived in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. His will was proved February 10, 1718, and mentioned wife, sons Thomas, Benjamin and Francis, daugh- ters Mary and Mehitable. The inventory amounted to eight hundred and seventeen pounds sixteen shillings ten pence. Children: Mary,
321
ONTARIO COUNTY.
born January 1, 1676; Thomas, June 14, 1681, mentioned below ; Francis, March 17, 1684; David, October 23, 1686; Mehitable, January 12, 1693; Benjamin, September 8, 1695.
(III) Thomas, son of Francis (2) Brayton, was born June 14, 1681, died in 1728. He married, August 23, 1704, Mary, daughter of Gideon and Mary ( Boomer ) Freeborn, born August 24. 1679. died in 1761. He lived in Portsmouth, and East Greenwich, Rhode Island, and was deputy in the first place, 1719-21, and in the second, 1725-27. His will was proved April 19, 1728, and mentioned his wife Mary, sons Thomas, Gideon and Francis, daughters Mary and Hannah. In his will, besides his property, he disposed of two negro servants. The inventory amounted to nine hundred and thirty-four pounds five shillings six pence. Children : Mary, born July 1, 1708; Hannah, March 28, 1711 ; Thomas, July 21, 1713, mentioned below ; Francis, September 21, 1715; Gideon, January 27, 1718; Francis, March 30, 1721.
(IV) Thomas (2), son of Thomas (1) Brayton, was born at East Greenwich, July 21, 1713. Under his father's will he inherited lands and housings at Portsmouth and a negro boy Pero and he shared in his mother's estate under her will, dated July 27, 1756. He married (first ), January 17, 1732, Mary Phillips, (by Thomas Coggeshall. Esq. ) ; she died at Coventry, December 18, 1771 and he married (sec- ond), apparently July 8, 1772, Amny Colvin. He apparently settled early at Coventry, Rhode Island. Children: Thomas, mentioned be- low : Gideon, died February 28, 1739; Rebecca, born March 16, 1734-35 ; David, May 31, 1737; William, January 24, 1738; Mary, February 24, 1739. These children received bequests in the will of their father's mother.
(V) Thomas (3), son of Thomas (2) Brayton, was born at Coventry, February 17, 1733. He married at Coventry, Deliverance Knight, daughter of Captain Robert and Prudence Knight (by Thomas Matteson, Esq.), April 13, 1752. The birth of two children is re- corded at Coventry and Warwick, Rhode Island. He emigrated from Rhode Island to Clarenden, Vermont (now East Rutland), and pur- chased a hundred acres of land located in the present city of Rutland. but being dispossessed by another claimant to the land, he removed to New York, and settled in the town of Kingsbury, Washington county, in 1775. In 1790, according to the first federal census, he was of Kings- bury and had in his family. four sons over sixteen, one under sixteen, and five females. Children : Mercy, born August 12, 1753: Joseph, March 3, 1757; John, mentioned below ; and five or six other children.
322
ONTARIO COUNTY.
(VI) John, son of Thomas (3) Brayton, was born about 1770-75 and came with his parents to northern New York. He settled in Queens- bury, Washington county, adjoining Kingsbury, where his father lived, and followed farming. He married Mary Harris and they had twelve children.
(VII) Moses Brayton, son of John Brayton, was born in Queens- bury about 1798; he married (first) Hannah Jenkins, (second ) -
The following matter in quotations was written by Rev. J. J. Brayton : "They were both very young and without unnecessary delay began replenishing the earth with another large family." The wife died in 1836 and the father in 1846. Most of his ancestors were Baptists in religion but he was a Methodist. "My father's occupation was that of lumber- man and farmer. I include his religion with his business, because he 'worked at it' strenuously and all the time. He was of the original type of Methodists. I find none of the same kind in these days": Children : I. Elijah, born October 22, 1818, a farmer in Illinois, "a grand soul who, like his namesake, should have been taken to Heaven in a chariot." 2. George, born December 23, 1820, died 1829. 3. Fidelia, born De- cember II, 1822. 4. Henry, born January 19, 1825, a farmer in Illi- nois. 5. John, born February 10, 1827. 6. Rev. Jay J., mentioned be- low. 7. Rev. Orville, born May 26, 1831. 8. Mary C., born October 13, 1833. 9. Dr. Samuel (by second wife), born April 19, 1838. 10. William H., born October 12, 1842, assistant surgeon in the United States Navy during the civil war, and afterward a prominent physician in Buffalo, New York.
(VIII) Rev. Jay J. Brayton, son of Moses Brayton, was born April 29, 1829 "in the midst of the beautiful scenery of the lovely Lake George. Yes, I am now an old man. And yet I cannot but remember that my childhood and even the beautiful world into which I was born were beclouded and embittered by terrible religious beliefs which took too deep a hold in my young heart and mind. However, at a later period I was able to throw them aside and accept a more rational and congenial religious belief. It was a conversion which made all things new-a new Heaven and a new earth. I left the school at Lima to visit my brother Orville who at the age of nineteen was a settled pastor at Portageville and Nunda. I began my ministry at the age of twenty-one in the Universalist church, confessedly without the complete prepara- tion required of the young minister of to day. Although this was at first a handicap, I do not regret it now, since it induced the habit of inde-
323
ONTARIO COUNTY.
pendent thinking, self-reliance and self-training, which have been of great use in a long and successful ministry.
"My parishes have been Clifton Springs, New York; Lawrence, Massachusetts; South Hingham, Massachusetts; Jersey City, New Jer- sey ; Mohawk and Herkimer, New York ; Auburn, New York ; Nunda and Friendship, New York. The people to whom I have ministered have always been generous in the matter of salary and have never given me occasion to ask for payment in full.
"At Clifton Springs in 1853, I married Mary Jane Rockefeller, daugh- ter of the late William Rockefeller. We have lived together fifty-seven years and are agreed that if we had them to live over again we would do just what we did that happy day so many years ago. One child, Willie, was born to us in 1860. He died at the age of sixteen.
"We are living in retirement from public life in our own home near Clifton Springs. More fortunate than many retired ministers, we own a sufficient number of excellent acres to take good care of us while we live. Thanks to our good neighbor and good farmer, Mr. Henry Grimsley, we are relieved from work and worry and business care.
"Well, it is good to live in this beautiful and bountiful world. It is a better world than it was when I came into it. There is more love in it, a profounder sense of universal brotherhood, a more sensitive sympathy between the peoples of the earth, and the religious, forgetting their former antagonisms. have become persuaded that not credo, but amo is the true password between human hearts and the only key well fitted to unlock the pearly gates. The world has been good to me like a good father and mother. I have tried to be good to it. We will part good friends."
WARFIELD.
Richard Warfield, immigrant ancestor, located west of Crowns- ville, Anne Arundel, "in the woods," in 1662. An old Warfield record claims that he settled near Annapolis in 1639, but there was no settlement there at the time, and he was not among the first settlers in 1649. His estate reached back to Round Bay, of the Severn. The rent rolls show that he held, during his life, "Warfield," "Warfield's Right." "Hope," "Increase," "Warfield's Plains," "Warfield's Forest," War- field's Addition," "Brandy," and "Warfield's Range."
He married, 1670, Elinor Browne, heiress of Captain John Browne.
324
ONTARIO COUNTY.
of London, who, with his brother Captain Peregrine Browne, ran two of the best equipped merchant transports between London and Annapo- lis. She inherited "Hope" and "Increase," two adjoining tracts of land, which were taken up by Henry Sewell and transferred by him to John Minter; they were willed by him to his daughter Elizabeth, wife of Henry Winchester, and these two joined in deeding them, in 1673. to Captain John Browne; in 1705. Richard Warfield appeared before the commission to restore the burnt records of 1704, and asked for a record of the history of the transfers.
In 1675 he and his wife Elinor were called as witnesses to the chancery contest over the will of their neighbor, Nicholas Wyatt. In 1689 he signed, as a military officer, the address to King William. In 1696 his name was returned as one of the vestry of St. Ann's church, before the church was completed.
In his old age he began the first westward movement for settle- ment in the unexplored frontier of Howard. He rode thirty miles on horseback to plant the first stake of "Warfield's Range" upon the falls of Middle Patuxent as Savage Factory, running back two miles. Hon. John Dorsey sent out his surveyors from "Hockley" to go beyond Rich- ard Warfield on the north. Among other settlers Thomas Browne. Charles Carroll, of Annapolis, Benjamin Hood, Richard Snowdon, Col- onel Henry Ridgely, and Colonel Edward Dorsey. All these surveys were made before 1700, and a quarter of a century later this whole area was occupied by the sons and grandsons of these pioneer surveyors. In 1704 Richard Warfield's sons and executors resurveyed "Warfield's Range," and increased it to fifteen hundred acres. It extended up to Millersville, and "Warfield's Forest" was near Indian Landing.
Richard Warfield died at an advanced age, in 1703-04, and named in his will made in 1703, John, Richard, Alexander, Benjamin, Mary deceased, Rachel and Elinor. He left two hundred and eighty acres of "Warfield's Range" to Benjamin, and one hundred and fifty to his daughter, Rachel Yates. John and Alexander took up "Venison Park" on the south, and Richard and Benjamin surveyed "Wincopin Neck" and "Warfield's Contrivance" on the north. None of these brothers oc- cupied these ranges. Their sons were the real settlers. Children: I. John, mentioned below. 2. Richard, unmarried. 3. Alexander, was on the committee for extending Annapolis ; some of the land he had from his father is still held by descendants. 4. Benjamin, married Elizabeth, daughter of Captain Richard and Elizabeth (Jones) Duvall, grand- daughter of William Jones, of Anne Arundel county, and Elizabeth
325
ONTARIO COUNTY.
had for a wedding gift seven hundred and eighty acres of Lugg Ox at the forks of the Patuxent. 5. Mary, married, about 1690, Captain John Howard Jr. 6. Rachel, married George Yates, son of George and Mary (Wells) Yates. 7. Elinor, married, in 1704, Caleb Dorsey, of "Hock- ley," and 'lived in the old mansion house, which stood only a few feet from the present location of the railroad, just west of the "Best Gate."
(II) John, son of Richard Warfield, was born about 1670. He was the eldest son and lived upon "Warfield's Plains," the homestead of which stands just opposite Baldwin Memorial church, half-way be- tween Waterbury and Indian Landing. "Warfield's Plains" extended up to Millersville, and "Warfield's Forest" was near the Indian Landing. In 1696 John married Ruth, eldest daughter of John Gaither, of South River. Their sons all located upon the frontier out-posts. John War- field, like his father, spent his life in developing his estate, but died in early manhood in 1718, before completing his surveys and trans- fers. Children: 1. Richard, who as heir at law, deeded lands to his brothers ; married Marion Caldwell and his sons John and Seth located on "Warfield's Range." 2. John, married Rachel, daughter of Joshua and Anne ( Ridgeley ) Dorsey. 3. Benjamin, married Rebeckah Ridge- ley. 4. Alexander, mentioned below. 5. Edward. 6. Philip. 7. Ruth, married Richard Davis. 8. Mary, married Augustine Marriott. 9. Eli- nor, died unmarried.
(III) Alexander, son of John Warfield, was granted about 1725 with brothers John and Benjamin adjoining tracts on "Warfield's Range," five miles north of Laurel, extending from Savage Factory two miles west. John settled on what is known as the Marriott Place on which is the old Warfield burial ground ; Benjamin on an adjoining tract on the north and west ; Alexander on the north and east on what was after- ward the Jerome Berry place, later owned by United States Senator Gorman. Senator Gorman's "Fairview" is part of the original grant to Benjamin, the youngest son of Richard (1). He married Thompsy Worthington. In 1750 he bought land in "Venison Park" on "Warfield's Range" of his cousin, Alexander Warfield. His widow married ( sec- ond ) Francis Simpson, of Frederick county, Maryland. Her son, John Worthington Warfield, bought of Edward Dorsey's heirs the Thomas lot near Dayton. Children of Alexander Warfield: 1. Thomas, a bach- elor, of "Warfield's Range." 2. John Worthington, twin of Brice. 3. Brice, mentioned below. 4. Alexander Jr .. bequeathed a farm to Brice, his brother, to Rachel Burgess, Matilda Simpson, wife of Joshua : Matilda Spurrier and the daughters of his brother John Worthington.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.