USA > New York > Chenango County > Oxford > Annals of Oxford, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and early pioneers > Part 4
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TABITHA, born June, 1779, died in 1861; married Peter Bartle.
RUTH, born March 20, 1781, died in 1835 ; married Jedu- than Greene.
DANIEL, born February 14, 1783, died November 18, 1854 ; married Sarah Ten Broeck. Children :
MARIA B., born September 3, 1801, died October 4, 1850; married George Sharp. ALVIRA, born June 3, 1804, died March 21, 1864; married Dan Robinson. LOVICA, born August 28, 1806, married Jeremiah Tillotson. EDWARD, born September 28, 1808, died September 14, 1834; married Philanda Burke. JOHN, born March 2, 1813, died March 6, 1832. WHEATON, born April 11, 1817, died January 22, 1890; married (1) Catherine McGowan; married (2) Mrs. Cynthia McGuire. Children by first wife: Jeremiah T., married Maria Wheeler; Elvira, married Daniel P. Leach. DAN T., born Sep- tember 5, 1816, died in 1896; married Ruth Ann Williamson. Chil- dren: Charles W., Julia, married Oscar Briggs; Henry B., married
Breed. CHARLOTTE, born April 15, 1822; married William - Williamson. POLLY ANN, born May 21, 1824; married Nathan Smith. SARAH ANN, twin to Polly Ann, died in infancy.
JANE, born March 21, 1785, died in girlhood.
AMY, born February 25, 1788, died in 1823; married John Stevens.
NANCY, born May 22, 1790, died in 1846; married Chauncey Hill.
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My name and memory. I leave it to men's charitable speeches, * * * and to the next ages .- BACON.
General Benjamin Hovey.
General Benjamin Hovey, a soldier of the Revolution, came to Oxford in November, 1791, and moved his family into a log house built by him the previous year near the present residence of William M. Miller on Fort Hill, which was also used by him as a land office. It was he who gave our town a name.
Benjamin Hovey was a native of Oxford, Mass., born March 12, 1758, and son of Daniel and Ruth (Tyler) Hovey, of Sutton and Oxford, Mass. Losing his father at an early age, and being the youngest but one of eleven children, with the family left in narrow circumstances, his chance of education was small, which was the regret of his life. At the age of 18, while he was deputy sheriff of Worcester county, which office he held for nearly fourteen years, he married Lydia Haven, daughter of Deacon John Haven of Sutton. He did almost entirely the sheriff's business of that large county in those arduous times which succeeded the Revolution and preceded the Shays insurrection. Pos- sessed of a good constitution, an athletic form, and a strong mind sharpened by ambition, and enterprising, he rode night and day in the discharge of his duties for many years, and retired from the office with credit and honor. In the Shays insurrection, he was an active partisan on the government side and assisted as lieutenant in quelling the rebellion. Soon after this difference was adjusted, his liberality in entertaining the large acquaintance he had
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made in the county drew very hard upon his resources and he was compelled to seek a home in the then unsettled por- tion of this State, where he could support according to his desire a young and increasing family. He first settled on the Susquehanna, four miles west of Wattles' ferry, near the present village of Unadilla, where he continued to re- side till November, 1791, when he removed to Oxford, or upon lot No. 92 in Fayette.
From this time on he was successful in business, prov- ing to be the right man for the new community, and was often referred to as the "father of the settlement." He was intimately acquainted with George Clinton, the first Governor of the State of New York, Melancton Smith, General Lamb, Jonathan Lawrence, General Thomas of Westchester, Colonel Willett, and many other prominent men of that day. In the year 1798 he was a Member of the Legislature, and procured the formation of Chenango county, of which he was one of the Judges. Aaron Burr was a member of the same session and they became in- timately acquainted. General Hovey was also a member of the board of trustees of Oxford Academy for a term of ten years, and during that period was absent but from one recorded meeting. During an absence from home shortly after his removal here, his family preserved life for some days by eating the grain from the ear in an unripe state. Being hospitable and generous beyond what his means would justify, he was unable to amass wealth. He was an expert promoter, but the expense often proved too heavy to ensure success. About the year 1804 he went to Ohio, and in connection with General Wilkinson and Aaron Burr, then vice-president of the United States; and several oth- ers, projected the plan of canaling the Ohio at the falls op- posite Louisville. Some of the prominent men in the country formed a company, and General Hovey was ap- pointed their agent and given extensive control of the
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work. This project indicated valuable advantages but was defeated of its success by Burr's expedition down the Miss- issippi, which created a rupture between Burr and Wilk- inson. General Hovey remained some time in that vicinity and attempted to raise a new company, but his principal patrons had disagreed, disheartening those who remained, and General Hovey, having spent nearly $1,500 in the af- fair, became discouraged and retired to the banks of Lake Erie, where he died in 1811. He had many warm friends throughout the State, and his enemies were those made during his political career.
While a colonel of militia, and during a political cam- paign, he was tried for disobedience of orders by a Federal Court Martial and crushed in spirit; but the trickety of this prejudiced Court Martial was made known to Gov- ernor Clinton, who was much displeased at the affair and at the next Council appointed him a brigadier general.
The children of Benjamin and Lydia (Haven) Hovey were seven, as follows :
ALPHENA, married James Glover, at Oxford, N. Y., in 1795. They probably removed to Auburn, N. Y., and she was the ancestress of the Glovers, Rathbones, Johnsons and Tiffts, of Auburn. Also of the descendants of William Glover of Ottawa, Ill., of the Hauptmans and Gages of East Saginaw, Mich., and of Ex-Governor Gage of Cali- fornia.
RUTH, the wife of Hon. Uri Tracy, and ancestress of the Tracys.
NANCY, married Zalmon Smith of Oxford. They lived in Oxford and kept tavern on the site of the old Brigham tavern where Dr. C. H. Eccleston's house now stands. They afterwards removed to Greene, on the hill east of the vil- lage.
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MARY, married Nathaniel Locke, the father of Charles F. T. Locke, an old time merchant of Oxford. She was the ancestress of the Smiths, of Portsmouth, Ohio.
ALFRED, of Montezuma, Cayuga county, ancestor of the Hoveys, Colvins and others, of Syracuse. He died at Syra- cuse, March 24, 1854, aged 76. He was one of the original Erie canal contractors and assisted in building the canal through the Cayuga marshes, in erecting the acqueduct at Rochester, and in blasting through the mountain ridge at Lockport.
OTIS, a portrait painter, of New York, who probably died unmarried.
SAMUEL, died young.
W HIGS CELEBRATE .- The Whigs of this village and vicinity met at their old headquarters at Brig- ham's hotel on Clinton street, November 16, 1848, to mingle their congratulations over the election of * " Old Zack," and to partake of an oyster supper. The occasion was joyous, the attendance large, and the enthusiasm was brimful and running over. At intervals a deep-mouthed cannon bellowed out the hoarse notes of victory, while shouts and cheers rang out upon the air. Several spirited speeches were made, and the supper ended with the march of a large procession through the streets headed by a band.
* Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States.
J OSEPH COOK came to Oxford from Stockbridge, Mass., in 1807, and was for a time proprietor of a hotel on the west side of the river. He removed to Greene. He had a family of twelve children.
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I love everything that's old. Old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine .- GOLDSMITH.
Indian Antiquities.
Oxford boasts of Indian antiquities and of E these the most interesting was the earth- S Z DITCH work fort in the village, the remains of G W G which were quite noticeable in the early settlement of the town, and were found on a mound which has since been called Fort Hill. The fort was one of the most eastern of the many fortifications in this and the western states, which at one time attracted considerable attention. Nothwithstanding the scientific remarks of Dr. Mitchell, DeWitt Clinton, and others, as to their origin, there is still an uncertainty with nothing but conjecture to guide one. The Oneida Indians had a tradition running seven generations back, but they could not tell who built the fort. From this and other circumstances, it is sup- posed to have been made before the discovery of this country by the Europeans. The fort was on a piece of land containing two and a half acres and was about thirty feet in height. This rise of land lies along the river bank about
fifty rods, and at the southeasterly end the fort was situat- ed, which enclosed about three-fourths of an acre of land which was heavily timbered with beech and maple trees in 1788. Outlines of breastworks from seven to ten feet in thickness were plainly to be seen at an early date. The fort was semi-circular in form like the old diagram above. Its base was toward the river, its curved sides encircled by
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a well defined ditch about four feet in depth, save at the ends, where gaps ten feet wide, were left for entrances.
The antiquity of this fortification is more particularly evident from the fact that on the stump of a large pine tree, whose roots extended under and conforming to the ditch, one hundred and ninety-five circles could be counted proving an origin later than the fort, which was estimated from three hundred to four hundred years. It must have been a formidable place against the bow and arrow, and war club. The situation was pleasant and eligible in every point of view, commanding a beautiful prospect up and down the river, and there was no high land in easy dis- tance to annoy the garrison. Human bones, ancient earth- ern cooking utensils and other relics were found when ex- cavations were made. In October, 1897, while workmen were engaged in trenching the village for the system of water works they uncovered parts of two skeletons. The bones were found at a depth of five feet and were in the highway near the crosswalk west of the Congregational church.
The Oneida Indians had a tradition connecting this fort with a giant chief called Thick Neck, a deadly foe to the Oneidas, who is said to have occupied it. The tradition is that the Antones, supposed to have belonged to the Tus- carora Nation, were the seventh generation from the in- habitants of the fort, among whom was the chief Thick Neck. When the Oneidas came into this vicinity he de- stroyed them, notwithstanding their many attempts to decoy him out of his stronghold. At last they succeeded in getting between him and the fort, when Thick Neck quickly turned, ran down the river to *Warn's pond and secreted himself in the marsh; but was soon discovered
* Now called Lake Warn since the advent of summer cottages.
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and being unable to combat with the enemy, was killed. That no vestige should remain of the terrible chief, who in life was feared and hated, the Oneidas buried the body on the bank, the earth was leveled and leaves placed over the grave, and to this day no sign of his burial place has been found. The remnant of Thick Neck's tribe were adopted by the Oneidas.
Nearly three miles above the village on the west bank of the river is a mound of earth, which in earlier days was one hundred feet in circumference at the base, and ten feet high, and evidently the work of man. At the beginning of the settlement deep excavations were made and large quantities of a substance, supposed to be human bones, and several curious and fancy shaped stones were found, evidently formed by an artistic hand. This discovery led to a careful examination in the vicinity, which failed to find any signs of a fortification. It is supposed the place was the scene of a terrible battle and the mound a recep- tacle for the slain. As a corroborating circumstance, the mound is situated nearly midway between the old fort in this village and the one below Norwich. Its origin and the event it was intended to commemorate will never be known, but it evidently belongs to the same class of an- tiquities with Thick Neck's stronghold on Fort Hill. The builders and those whose memory it was evidently de- signed to perpetuate, like many proud memorials of hu- man ambition, have been obliterated by the hand of time.
On Padgett's brook, four miles below the village, there were in 1850 a succession of twenty-five disunited em- bankments having the appearance of a fortified place. They varied from one to two feet in elevation above the level of the surrounding lands, and supported a growth of aged trees.
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Great of heart, magnanimous, courtly, courageous .- LONGFELLOW.
Tracy Family.
Uri Tracy, eldest son of Daniel and Mary (Johnson) Tracy, was born at Norwich, Conn., February 8, 1764. He graduated at Yale College in 1789 and became a Presby- terian clergyman, and a missionary to the Indians; came to Oxford in 1791 where, on August 28, 1793, he mar- ried, Ruth, daughter of General Benjamin Hovey.
Mr. Tracy was the first principal of Oxford Academy, in the establishment of which he was a prime mover; and at his death was president of the Board of Trustees of that institution. He was first sheriff of the county, his term of office extending from 1798 to 1801.
Under the apportionment of March 31, 1802, the county had four representatives in the Assembly, and in 1803 Mr. Tracy, together with James Green, Joel Thompson and Stephen Hoxie were the members from Chenango. He was member of Congress from 1805-7, and again 1809-13 ; county clerk from 1801 to 1815; also the town's first postmaster, and the office was kept, together with the county clerk's office, in the basement of his residence on what is now Albany street on the lot now occupied by the residence of William Dunn.
He was appointed first judge of Chenango county July 8, 1819, and continued in that office until he was sixty years of age which was the constitutional age limit for holding the same.
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Mrs. Tracy was born in Oxford, Worcester county, Mass., December 8, 1775. She was for thirty years a commun- icant of St. Paul's church, and with her husband was con- firmed by Bishop Hobart in 1816.
Mr. Tracy died at his home in Oxford, July 21, 1838, aged 75 years. The following is an extract from his obit- uary notice published in the Oxford Republican, July 25, 1838 :
All that is estimable in the husband, father, and friend, was possessed by him in an eminent degree. There are few men whose equanimity was so constantly maintained, or whose whole course of conduct seemed to be reg- ulated by such fixedness of principle. He did not aim to excel in any par- ticular line of life, but rather strove to be useful in all, and to that end he directed the best energies of a highly cultivated and well balanced mind.
He was a patron of literature and science, and was identified with the im- provements of the age, and every charitable and public project which prom- ised usefulness, shared equally in his counsel, and in his munificence.
He lived above reproach, and a large circle of friends and acquaintances will long cherish the recollection of his many virtues.
For a short period he was engaged in the Revolutionary struggle, and his love of liberty, and the institutions of his country, manifested through life, show how deeply his mind was imbued with the spirit that animated the patriots of that eventful period.
As a private citizen no man was more universally esteemed, and very few have filled so many important public offices and trusts with equal fidelity; and it may be truly said of him, that he lived and died a philanthropist and a Christian.
Mrs. Tracy died at Oxford, January 31, 1846. Their children, in whose veins the blood of * Lieutenant Thomas
*Lieutenant Tracy rendered conspicuous civil and military service in the early days of the Colony of Connecticut, and was one of the founders of the town of Norwich. He was a direct descendant of the Emperor Charle- magne, the early Dukes and Kings of France and Jerusalem, William the Conquerer and the Dukes of Normandy, the Counts of Flanders, the West Saxon and Saxon Kings of England, and many other royal and noble houses. His paternal ancestor, the Sire de Tracy, was a Norman noble- man, and an officer in the army which invaded England under William of Normandy, A D. 1066.
Lieutenant Tracy, of Norwich, Conn., is the ancestor of the Tracy fam- ily of America, and of all who have descended from them. The descent of the Hon. Uri Tracy of Oxford from Lieut. Thomas Tracy is as follows: Lieut. Thomas, Capt. John, John 2d, John 3d, Daniel, Hon. Uri.
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Tracy of Connecticut was mingled with that of the Wins- lows of Massachusetts, were:
SAMUEL MILES TRACY (eldest son of Hon. Uri) was born in Oxford June 26, 1795; graduated at Hamilton college in 1815, studied law three years with Henry Van Der Lyn, Esq., was admitted in 1818, and in November of that year, he left Oxford for the " far west," traveling on horseback, and reaching Portsmouth, Ohio, he decided to locate there. He grew with the growth of the place until he stood at the head of the bar. He held the office of Prosecuting At- torney for Scioto county for twenty-nine consecutive years. Judge Evans, in his history of Scioto county, says: "He was perhaps the best lawyer who ever practised in Ports- mouth." He aided in building the first Episcopal church in Portsmouth. He was twice married ; had one son and three daughters by his first wife. He died in Portsmouth, December 25, 1856, aged 61.
OTIS J. TRACY, was born in Oxford September 17, 1797, and always resided in the county. Unassuming in his manners, and retiring in his habits, he instinctively shrunk from the strife and turmoil of political life. He was, how- ever, for several successive years Supervisor of Oxford, and discharged the duties of the office with ability and fidelity. While his talents and integrity commanded the respect and esteem of all, the kindly sympathies of his manly heart endeared him to a large circle of friends. Col. Tracy died at Oxford, August 21, 1850, aged 53. He was thrice married. His first wife, Jane D. Hyde, died November 13, 1820, at the age of 19, leaving a son, Joseph O., born May 2, 1820, and who died at Northumberland, Pa. His second wife, Eliza Cushman, died August 19, 1828, leaving two daughters, Jane E., who married Luman B. Fish, and Mary D., who married Dr. William W. Packer. Mr. Tracy then married for his third wife Mar-
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garet Storms. Their children, besides three who died in infancy, were :
ROSWELL S., born 1830, enlisted in 1862 in Co. K, Ioth N. Y. Cav., served three years, and died at Big Flats, N. Y., April 2, 1874. Married Elizabeth Brooks of Oxford, died May 5, 1899. JOHN S., born in 1831; died in Michigan. SARAH SOPHIA, born in 1836; married Charles Everson, and died in Michigan. WILLIAM E., born in 1838; died in Oxford April 4, 1901; married Helen Devoll. Children: John, married Lucretia VanTassell; Jennie, mar- ried John Beckwith; William, unmarried. CHARLES, born in 1840; enlisted in 12th Mass. Regt. and was killed at Antietam, September 17, 1862; unmarried. HENRY H., born 1843; enlisted in 44th N. Y. Regt, was wounded near Richmond, and died January 12, 1897 in Oxford from the result of a runaway accident. Married Mary Delia Brooks. Children: Charles, Frederick F., married Arlette Curtis; Maude, married Joseph Collingwood; Ross.
URI TRACY, JR., was born in Oxford January 24, 1800, and on January 15, 1826, married Persis Packer, daughter of William Packer, Esq., of Preston, N. Y. He spent the whole of his life in the village, and on the estate where he was born. Was engaged some years in merchandizing. He was elected Justice of the Peace six consecutive terms of four years each. He was often the nominee of both political parties, and at such times elected without opposi- ยป tion. His decisions were rarely reversed in the higher courts, and he acquired the name, " the upright magis- trate." He had served nearly the last term, making twenty- four years in office, when he died April 6, 1856, aged 56. His widow survived him but one year and died May 3, 1857, aged 54. The children were :
SUSAN HOSMER, born in Oxford May 4, 1827. Married John H. Morris of Syracuse September 19, 1849, and died in Lock Haven, Pa., August 8, 1861, aged 34. He died in Syracuse August, 1862. They left one daughter, Clara Mae, born at Oxford, November 26, 1850, who married William M. Pursell, of Portsmouth, Ohio, and they had eight children, born in Portsmouth, CHARLES PACKER, born in Oxford December 5, 1829, removed to Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1851, where he became prominent in business and founded the business house of C. P. Tracy & Co., now in its fifty-second year. He mar-
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ried Isabella, daughter of Captain William McClain, and died in Portsmouth, January 16, 1874, aged 45. HENRY READ, born in Oxford, December 9, 1833; removed to Portsmouth, Ohio, in Sep- tember, 1857, and entered the business house of C. P. Tracy & Co. with which he is still connected after forty-eight years. In May, 1864, enlisted in Co. E, 140th Ohio Volunteer Intantry in which he served as Second Lieutenant. Was Director and Vice-President of the Portsmouth National Bank from 1875. Removed to Boston, Mass., in 1886, where he has since resided, unmarried. JOHN BAILEY, born in Oxford, April 12, 1838; removed to Ohio in 1853. Enlisted in May, 1864, in Co. F, 140th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving there- in as Sergeant. Served several terms as Treasurer of the City of Portsmouth and County of Scioto. Married Eliza Brady, and is now living near Portsmouth, having six children (living) and numerous grandchildren.
MARY TRACY, only daughter of Hon. Uri, was born in Oxford, August 17, 1802; married Peter Dickinson who was extensively engaged in the lumber business in Penn- sylvania, with yards in Baltimore. Their home in Oxford was on the corner, the present residence of Dr. J. W. Thorp. They removed to Baltimore, and some years later to Lock Haven, Pa., where she died February 26, 1868. Mr. Dickinson died in Wellsboro, Pa. Their children were : Charles Oscar, born in Oxford, May 4, 1827; was married, and died in Wellsboro, Pa. Peter Tracy, who was born in Oxford, was twice married, had two sons by his first wife and was living in San Francisco, Cal., in 1890.
CHARLES OSCAR TRACY, youngest son of Hon. Uri, was born in Oxford, August 20, 1804. He was educated in Oxford Academy, and studied law with Henry Van Der Lyn, Esq. Removed to Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1826, where he located as a lawyer. He married December 20, 1827, Maria Kinney, daughter of Aaron Kinney, Esq., of Ports- mouth. They had nine children, all born in Portsmouth, where he died October 19, 1855, aged 51. Mr. Tracy left to his native place the example of his virtuous life, and the memory of his honored and unblemished name.
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HIAL TRACY, second son of Daniel and Mary (Johnson) Tracy, was born July 5, 1776, in Norwich, Ct. He mar- ried Susanna Gifford of that place and they removed to Oxford about 1803, locating with his brother Daniel on the Lobdell farm, where his children were born. After the death of his brother, he bought what is now known as the John M. Green farm, where he died Jannary 17, 1842, and his wife May 22, 1857. His nephew Daniel remained on the Lobdell farm. Mr. Tracy was a younger brother of the Hon. Uri Tracy, then settled in Oxford, which no doubt was the reason of his coming to the same town. Mrs. Tracy was sister of Joseph Gifford of Norwich, Ct., who also removed to Oxford. Children :
MELISSA, born in Connecticut ; married Ebenezer Hav- ens, lived at Dix, Schuyler county, and had four children.
ELIZA, born in Connecticut ; married John Green of Ox- ford. Children : Susan Eliza ; married Abner R. Holcomb. John M., married Marie E. Townsend. Mary M., died young. Mai V., died young. Lucy Ann, married Wil- son G. Mowry, lived and died in Steuben county.
SUSAN, born in Connecticut; married Ira R. Main; lived and died in Schuyler county.
SOPHIA, born in Oxford; died August 14, 1869; mar- ried Dyar McCall of Oxford. Child : Olive E., married Benjamin F. Edwards.
DANIEL TRACY 2d, youngest son of Daniel and Mary (Johnson) Tracy, and brother of Hon. Uri Tracy, with his wife and son, Daniel 3d, came from Norwich, Conn., about the year 1803, with his brother Hial and family. They settled a mile and a half south of the village on what was then known as the Gordon farm, now the Lobdell farm. The house was a large one and the two brothers with their families occupied it together, and it was here that most of their children were born. After the death of Daniel and
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