USA > New York > Chautauqua County > Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Chautauqua County, New York : with a historical sketch of the county > Part 20
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Witt Fuller was born in Massachusetts and married Deborah Garfield, by whom he had eight children: Persis, Betsey, Lucy, Laura, Walden, Nathan, Arad and Amos. He re- moved to Vermont, where he died in 1809 or 1810. Amos Fuller was born in Vermont, but in 1833 lie emigrated to Chautauqua county and settled in the town of Poland, where he lived until his death, which occurred September 27, 1879, aged eighty-one years. By occupation he was a lumberman and farmer, in politics a whig and republican, and was a member of the Meth-
odist church, but before his death lie became a Universalist. Amos Fuller married Charity Roberts and had six children, two sons and four daughters, of whom Arad is the oldest. The daughters died when young, and the other son, Danford D., went to Iowa and afterwards to Dakota, where he died in 1885.
Arad Fuller was educated in the early public schools and began life as a lumberman, subse- quently purchasing a small farm in Poland, to which he added until his death, when he owned about six hundred acres of land. He early de- voted his attention to raising fine stock, and brought some fine blood to Chautauqua county. A clipping from a Jamestown paper, published at the time of his death, April 11, 1887, says : "All these years Arad Fuller has been one of the representative men of southern Chautauqua, full of ambition, possessed of great industry, and loving his work he has lived for a purpose and filled it well. He was a great lover of fine stock and always spent his money freely in any in-, vestments that tended to elevate and develop the same.
" Chautauquans owe much of their celebrated stock, to-day, to the good judgment exercised in the past by Arad Fuller.
"It is proper here to say that no man was better or more favorably known to this commun- ity than Mr. Fuller. He was genial and always glad to meet his fellow-citizens, they, in return, ever had for him a warm and cordial reception.
" He will be greatly missed. His counsel and advice will no more encourage his friends, but his memory will remain, and in future years, as now, many of us will recall the grandeur, the integrity and the association of Arad Fuller."
Arad Fuller married Malvina Bill, on March 4, 1846. She was a daughter of Norton B. and Cementha (Ransoni) Bill. The father of Mrs. Fuller was a native of New England, and came to this county from Oneida county, N. Y., in 1830, and located in Poland, where he followed farming until his death, in 1871. Mrs. Fuller
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was the second child of a family of seven. Mr. eounty, where he died in his ninety-second and Mrs. Fuller had three children : Sophia, ycar. William Livingston married Sarah Tracy, who was born in Conneetieut, and was twelve years old when Benediet Arnold betrayed New London. married John Ely, a farmer living in Kennedy, Poland town, this county ; Martha A., at home ; and Frank, who wedded Elizabeth Phillips, of Villanova, and lives in South Dayton, Catta- raugus county.
Politically he was a republican, a kind friend and a devoted husband and father.
JOHN JAY LIVINGSTON is a venerable and dignified old gentleman of James- town, who was familiar with the use of the compass, tripod and chain for more than half a century. He is a son of William and Sarah (Tracy) Livingston, and came into the world at Hebron, Washington county, N. Y., on October 19th, 1798. His grandfather, John Livingston, was a native of Monaghan, Ireland, and from there came to America, locating in Saratoga eounty, New York, where he lived three years, and during this period subjeet's father, William Livingston, was born, the scene of his birth overlooking the now renowned, but then un- known, historical battle ground where General Burgoyne, the haughty Briton, was compelled to acknowledge defeat and surrendered his sword and entire army. The elder Livingston moved to Salem, Washington county, N. Y., while subject's father was a toddling infant. His wife was a Miss Boyd, who bore her hus- bend a family of six sons and one daughter. Two of the former, Franeis and John, served in the Continental army and were present at the surrender of Burgoyne. William Living- ston was born in 1768, and early in manhood, or soon after the close of the war, he studied medicine and was a practicing physician for about fifty years. He was a republican in poli- tics, and represented Washington county in the State Legislature four terms. Later he went to Essex county, this State. About 1830 he re- moved to Chautauqua county, residing at Hart- field for a few years ; then returned to Essex
John Jay Livingston was born and edueated in Washington county, and then went to Essex county, where he remained until 1830, and then he came to Chautauqua county and stayed two years. In 1832 he went to Venango county, Pennsylvania. Eight years later the county was divided and Clarion county was crected from the detached portion. Mr. Livingston was a citizen of that eounty, the town being called Shippenville, for fifty-eight years. He was a student of languages, and attained a wonderful proficiency in French and German, and was also well informed on general subjects, particularly mathematics, and observing the de- mand for proficient surveyors, he took up the study of that profession and followed it more or less since 1832 until 1883. After his eigh- tieth birthday he performed field work with transit and chain for twenty-seven consecutive days. He was married first to Mary Ball, and for his second wife he took Maria Rice, of Washington county, New York. By that union he had seven children, four of whom yet live : James B. is a physician at West Middle- sex, Pennsylvania ; William R. lives at Silver Lake, Minnesota, and is a farmer. He served four years in the 10th regiment Pennsylvania Reserves, and was wounded in battle; Mary married I. G. Lacey, a lumberman at Warren, Pennsylvania ; and Harriet E., still unmarried. John Jay Livingston, for his third wife, mar- ried Elizabeth J. Whitehill. Her father was a native and citizen of Centre eounty, Pennsyl- vania, until late in life, when he moved up into Clarion eounty, and was a blacksmith by trade. He died at the latter place. Mr. and Mrs. Livingston lived happily together during more than thirty-eight years, until June 7th, 1886, when the latter died. She had one child, a son,
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Alfred T., who is now a practicing physician at Jamestown, New York. He married Catherine Packer, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Al- fred T. Livingston was born in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, and educated at the Jamestown academy and Allegheny college. He then studied medicine with his half-brother, Dr. James B. Livingston, and then attended the medical department of the University of Buf- falo, after graduating at which he began the practice of medicine in that city in 1873, but staid there less than a year before he was ap- pointed assistant physician of the State Insane Asylum at Utica, where he remained for five years. After this he went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and established a home-hospital for the treatment of mental disorders, which he conducted for eight years and then he came to Jamestown, where he is now established.
John Jay Livingston is one of the oldest citi- zens of western New York, and his virtuous and upright life has gained lim the confidence and respect of all his acquaintances. He is now living at the home of his son Alfred, with whom he has resided for seven years. Rapidly approaching his ninety-third year, he realizes that his time upon earth is short at the longest, but he is at peace with his Maker and worships Him in the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Livingston has been a member since 1833.
W ILLIAM M. NEWTON. Many of our most brilliant men are cut down in the prime of life, seemingly because the physical man is too weak to sustain the mental strain under which it labors. William M. Newton was of this class. His early life was passed with toil and hard study to attain an eminence which he finally reached. His maturer years were marked by close application, that his client's interests should not suffer, and he had the confidence of those who employed his talent, and the respect and consideration of his brother
barristers, even though they were opposed to him at the bar, because he disdained subterfuge and petty advantages. William M. Newton was a son of Jolin and Sally (Loomer) Newton, and was born in Norwich, New York, October 30, 1827, and died at Jamestown April 11, 1887, aged fifty-nine years and six months. His father, John Newton, went to Busti town in 1832 and settled as a farmer, and died a num- ber of years ago.
William M. Newton early gave evidence of a bright mind, which developed rapidly as he ap- proached manhood, but his parents were strug- gling to maintain a family of five children, and the young man got naught but such advantages as the common schools afforded. He early de- termined to master the law for his life profes- sion, and his studies were directed to attain this end. Various labor was performed to secure means, and he spent the winters teaching school, principally in Chautauqua county.
On June 3, 1848, he married Prudence Bar- ber, a daughter of Elihu Barber, an old resident and farmer of Poland, who served as a drum- mer boy in the war of 1812. He had two children : Agnes, who married Ed. D. Warren ; and Otis J., who wedded Mary E. Wilcox, and has two children, Burt and Maud. Mrs. New- ton was of great assistance to her young husband in his studies. Instead of being a burden to him, she was the bright star which led him on- ward, and Mr. Newton, in later years, gave her great credit for his attainment in legal study.
In 1850 he entered the office of Madison Burnell, of Jamestown, who was one of the most prominent lawyers of western New York. His practice was extensive, and the young stu- dent had excellent opportunities for practice in the justices court long before his admission to the bar. After spending two years with Mr. Burnell, he attended the law school at Ballston Spa, Saratoga county, this State, where he rapidly improved in legal knowledge and style of oratory. Naturally gifted with an eloquence
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which swept away all doubt, he soon acquired a reputation for effective advocacy. He was admitted to practice in all the courts of the State carly in 1853, and on the 5th of Decem- ber, following year, he formed a partnership with the Hon. C. R. Lockwood, of Jamestown, which continued only a year, when Mr. Newton went to Waterloo, Black Hawk county, Iowa, where he remained about seven years, and was elected district attorney. During the sixties he returned to Jamestown and followed his profes- sion with great success until his death, which occurred in 1887. Mr. Newton's death cast a gloom on the legal fraternity of Chautauqua county. Probably, excepting his family, none missed him so completely as his brother lawyers, who were wont to listen to his eloquence and wit. Politically, Mr. Newton was originally a democrat, but being of large ideas he saw the fallacy of parties and expressed himself as a rigid adherent of no party. His integrity of purpose and regard for the people, induced him to act for the maintenance of right." "To his conscience, there were inconsistencies in the prevalent teaching of orthodox religionists, which he regarded as inconsistent with divine goodness, and from a sense of duty, although not allying himself to any particular denomina- tion, he advocated the more liberal sentiment of the time." " He regarded superstition and bigotry as relics of darkest ages, which should succumb to the purer light and higher educa- tion of the present." He was devoted to his family, to his friends and to his profession, and although nearly sixty years of age, was still a young man, for age cannot be numbered by years. He is survived by his wife, one son and a daughter, Agnes,-Mrs. Warren.
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Ed. D. Warren was a journalist of extraor- dinary ability. He was born in Trenton, Onei- da county, N. Y., July 1, 1849, was educated at Jamestown academy and learned the printer's trade. He then took up editorial work and was soou recognized as a brilliant writer and
a successful journalist. The Jamestown, and Springfield, Mass., papers were well acquainted with him and prized the products of his pen. The Union of the last named city was his home for ten years. He then went to Concord, N. H., and took charge of the Blade. It was there that he did the best work of his life. In 1884 he returned to Springfield and in the fall of 1888, assumed the editorship of the Paper World, a monthly publication devoted to the news of periodicals and paper production, which position he held until a few weeks before his death when exhausted vitality compelled him to relinquish his pen and surrender his desk. He died at Boston, Massachusetts, March 9, 1890, leaving a young wife in sorrow. His health had never been rugged. For years he had been a sufferer and many days were spent at work by force of will only. His employers respected, and fellow employees admired him for the de- termination not to give up, which though un- spoken was displayed, and it was only when completely exhausted that he quit.
Ed. D. Warren was a republican, a member of De Soto lodge, No. 155, I. O. O. F., and an active Christian worker in Sabbath-school and church. His wife is now living at her home, on Lake View avenue, Jamestown.
H ON. ALBERT B. SHELDON, one of the leading representatives of business, politi- cal and social life of central Chautauqua county, is a son of Franklin and Eliza (Brigham) Sheldon, was born in the town of Westfield, this county, on April 7, 1842. The parents of our subject came from Pawlet, Vermont, and reached this county about 1830. Franklin Sheldon settled in the town of Westfield and began to farm and deal in cattle, which he has followed to a greater or less extent until within the past few years. He is now eighty-two years of age, and for many years was assessor in the town of Westfield, and he filled the office in a most commendable manner.
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Albert B. Sheldon was born and reared on a farm, and received his education at the district schools. Although the facilities for securing an education were far inferior to those of the present day, before he had reached the age of twenty-one he was the possessor of a teacher's State certificate of proficiency, and it is doubtful if there is another parallel instance. At fifteen years of age he began to teach and followed the profession during the winter seasons for ten years. The summers were passed in the pur- chase and sale of stock, from the proceeds of which he accumulated considerable money. In 1863 he became a produce dealer, and although now interested in many other matters, he still is identified as a drover. Butter and cheese form a large part of his annual business, and he is one of the very few who have made it a success. Between forty and fifty thousand dollars worth of these staple commodities pass through his hands yearly. In 1881 he was elected to the State legislature, and was re-elected the following year, and served as chairman of the committee on agriculture. Mr. Sheldon was supervisor of the town of Sherman for three years, and is now vice-president of the State Bank of Sherman, that was organized in Feb- ruary, 1890, and of which Enoch Sperry is president. The towns of Sherman, Kiantone, Westfield and Chautauqua, and the city of Jamestown, contain valuable real estate that belongs to him. He also has large real estate interests at Buffalo.
Hon. A. B. Sheldon has a fine house at Sher- man, in which he takes much comfort and pleasure. In 1872 he married Maria Slocum, a lady from Frewsburgh, this county, and they had one child, which unfortunately died. He is a hard worker and pays close attention to business for nine months each year, but during the cold winter months he takes a vacation for amusement, rest and pleasure. Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon have traveled very extensively both in Europe and America, and are well informed
regarding the manners and customs of foreign countries, and the current news of American politics and the affairs of State and nation come to them daily through the medium of periodicals published at Buffalo.
F1 RANK S. WHEELER, a member of the Chautauqua county bar, is a son of Silas and Maria (Camp) Wheeler, and was born in the town of Ellington, Chautauqua county, New York, December 16, 1864.
His great-grandfather, Seth Wheeler, was born in New Hampshire, in which State he lived during his life time ; he was a farmer by occupation. Moses Wheeler (grandfather) was born in New Hampshire, but removed to El- lington, Chautauqua county, New York, in 1824 or 1825. He was a farmer by occupa- tion, and a whig in politics until the disruption of that party, when he joined the republican ranks. When the Free Will Baptist church of Ellington was organized in 1824, Moses Wheeler was one of the eight original mem- bers. He had four children, two sons, Albert and Silas, and two daughters, Emily and Mary Jane. One of his sons, Silas Wheeler (father), was born in the town of Ellington in 1834, and is a prosperous farmer of the town of Poland, owning about three hundred acres of land in the towns of Ellington and Poland. He is a republican, and always votes that ticket. In 1862 he married Maria Camp, daughter of William and Eliza Camp, of the town of Po- land. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler have had one child, Frank S. Wheeler. William Camp, Mrs. Wheeler's father, was born in Onondaga county, New York, and removed to Chautauqua county about 1831, and settled in the town of Poland. He is a farmer by occupation, and a republican. He married Eliza Wheelock, daughter of Eliab Wheelock, of the town of Poland. Mr. and Mrs. Camp had three chil- dren : Maria, Julia and Martha.
Frank S. Wheeler received his education in
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the public schools of the town of Ellington, in the Ellington academy and the Chamberlain institute at Randolph, Cattaraugus county, from which latter institution he was graduated in 1883. In the fall of 1884 he began the study of law, reading first with Theodore Case, of Ellington, and with Bootey, Fowler & Weeks, of Jamestown, and then attended the law school at Albany, from which he was-graduated in 1887, and was admitted to the bar as attorney and counsellor of the State in 1887, since which time he has been actively engaged in the prae- tiee of his profession, first at Ellington, but since July, 1890, at Jamestown, where- he has decided to make his permanent home.
He votes the Republican ticket, but avoids all political complications. During the Harrison campaign he unfortunately lost his left leg by the bursting of a eannon. He is a member of Lodge 97, A. O. U. W., of Ellington, and I. O. O. F., No. 522, of Kennedy.
R EVEREND CHARLES EDWARD SMITH, D.D., pastor of the First Baptist church of Fredonia, is of New Eng- land birth and parentage. He is a son of Philip and Roby (Simmons) Smith, and was born in Fall River, Bristol county, Massaehu- setts, January 22d, 1835. His grandfather, Edward Smith, was born at Newport, Newport county, Rhode Island, in 1770, and was a farmer by oceupation. One of the beaches on the sea-coast ncar Newport is named Smith's Beach in honor of his ancestors, who settled there when they came from England. He moved to Massachusetts in,1822, and settled in Fall River, and there lived a retired life, being of a theological turn of mind and an acute reasoner. He died in 1834, in his sixty-fourth year. Brown Simmons, the maternal grand- father of Rev. C. E. Smith, was born in Somerset, Bristol county, Massachusetts, where he spent his whole life in the occupation of a farmer. In religion he was a member of the then spent a year at Fulton, Oswego county,
Baptist church. His aneestors were English people, who reaelied Massachusetts not long after the " Mayflower." Brown Simmons was married to Huldah Brown in 1776, and for that reason was exeused from serving as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. By this marriage there were seven children, two sons and five daughters. The father of these chil- dren died in 1838, and the mother in 1848, in her ninety-third year. Philip Smith (father) was born in Newport, Newport county, Rhode Island, in 1804, and worked on the farm until he was eighteen years old. Being ingenious to an unusual degree, and to develop this gift, he went to Fall River, Massachusetts, served three years' apprenticeship in a machine-shop, event- ually became a contractor for building cotton-mill machinery, and continued in this business the remainder of his life. In religion he was a member and deaeon of the First Baptist church of Fall River, of high moral character, and very highly respected. Politieally he was a member of the so-called Liberty party. Philip Smith was married (1828) to Roby Simmons, and had three children, two sons and a daughter : Philip B., born in 1830, and died at the age of twenty-three years; Roby M., born in 1832, and died in 1834; and Charles Edward.
C. E. Smith graduated from the Fall River (Massachusetts) High school in 1856, then went to the university of Rochester, New York, where he graduated in 1860, and then entered the Rochester Theological Seminary, graduating therefrom in 1863. He was licensed to preach by the church the night after he left home for college, and that summer had been assistant editor of the Fall River News. His first pas- toral charge was in Pawtucket, Providence county, Rhode Island, where he was ordained in August, 1863, as pastor of the first Baptist church. In 1868 he became pastor in Cinein- nati, Ohio, which pastorate he was compelled to resign in 1870 on account of ill-health. He
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this State, where he was assistant engineer on the Erie canal, at the same time being active pastor of the church there. From 1871 to 1875 he was pastor of Calvary Baptist church in New Haven, Connecticut, a large church with a seating capacity of twelve hundred. In the latter year he camne to Syracuse, this State, where he was pastor of the First Baptist church for six years, when he was again forced to resign on account of ill health. While recuperating, he wrote and published the book known as " The Baptism in Fire." In 1885 he came to Fredonia as pastor of the Baptist church, where he has since resided and occupied that pulpit. This church was organized October 8th, 1808, and is believed to be the second church organ- ized in the county, and the present brick edifice was built in 1853. Rev. Mr. Smith has just published another book entitled, "The World Lighted," a study of the Apocalypse.
On June 16, 1891, the University of Roches- ter, N. Y., conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity, a title which he is well qualified to sustain with dignity.
Rev. C. E. Smith was married February 17th, 1864, to Catherine A. Kimball, a daughter of Morris and Louisa C. Kimball, of Fulton, New York, her father being a civil engineer all his life on the Erie canal. By this marriage there is one daughter, who is married to Dr. Nelson G. Richmond, a prosperous physician of Fredonia.
ISAAC A. SAXTON. Within the last half- century several citizens of Chautauqua county have been very successful in the gold- fields of the Pacific slope and prominent in the founding and early progress of some of the leading cities of the great west. Among these was the late Isaac A. Saxton, of Fredonia. He was a son of Major Isaac and Lucy (Chapin) Saxton and was born in Oneida county, New York, June 24, 1818. Major Isaac Saxton re- moved with his family from Oneida county to near Brocton, in the town of Portland, where
he afterwards died. He married Lucy Chapin, who was a descendant of the Massachusetts family of that name.
Isaac A. Saxton, after completing his academic course, was engaged for a short time in teaching in Kentucky, where he received one thousand dollars per year and was furnished a negro page to attend him. After returning from Kentucky he entered Hamilton college, from which he was graduated at the close of his senior year. He then went to Shreveport, Louisiana, and was in business for some time, after which he became a resident of New Orleans, but his place of business burned soon after its establishment. To repair his loss, he sought the then new dis- covered gold-fields of California, where numer- ous ventures in locating and developing gold territory were successful, although at various times he met with reverses and had his residence and business buildings burned. Returning from California to Chautauqua county, he read medi- cine for a short time, but then abandoned all idea of that profession and applied himself to the study of law at Fredonia in order to fully fit himself for a business career as well as for a professional life. He was admitted to the Chau- tauqua county bar and did a large amount of real estate and other business during his life. At an early day in the history of Chicago he had strong faith in the future development of that then mere town. He invested largely in Chicago real estate, which advanced rapidly in value, as he had anticipated, and yielded him a wonderful increase of profit on his investments. He purchased western lands which became val- uable and had various other profitable business interests in this county and in the western States, besides forty acres of land within seven miles of the heart of the city of Chicago. He accumu- lated a fortune of large proportions by his un- ceasing activity, unwearied energy and successful investments. While cool, calculating and con- servative, while heeding carefully boom and lull in business, yet he was far-seeing and able to
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