USA > New York > Schoharie County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Schenectady, Schoharie and Green counties, New York > Part 11
USA > New York > Schenectady County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Schenectady, Schoharie and Green counties, New York > Part 11
USA > New York > Greene County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Schenectady, Schoharie and Green counties, New York > Part 11
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He married March 20, 1840, Celinda Dib- ble, daughter of Noah and Abigail (Crippen) Dibble. Her paternal grandparents were Dan- iel and Lois (Pomeroy) Dibble, the grand- mother the daughter of Daniel Pomeroy, a Revolutionary soldier. The parents of Ce- linda Dibble had ten children, three of whom survive, namely: Jane, born in 1820; Abi- gail, born in 1822; and Amanda, born in
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1826. Noah Dibble, who served as a soldier of the War of 1812, was a carpenter in Mid- dleburg, and well known throughout this sec- tion as a builder of saw-mills, which he made a specialty. He died at the age of seventy-six years. Mrs. Abigail Dibble died on Septen- ber 12. 1869, aged seventy-nine years, six months, and nine days. In religion she was a Baptist. David West, Jr., and his wife, Celinda, were also members of the Baptist church. Of their union but one child was born, Noah D., the special subject of this biography. The mother was born on February 23, 1817, and died May 17, 1893, at the age of seventy-six years.
As mentioned above, Daniel Pomeroy, her grandmother Dibble's father, great-great- grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a soldier of the American Revolution. He was under Washington, and it is related that the General on parting gave him his cane as a keepsake. This cane Daniel Pomeroy gave to his daughter Lois (Mrs. Daniel Dibble), with the request that she should hand it down to her eldest son, Noah Dibble, to be always kept in the Dibble family, held by the eldest son of each succeeding generation. From Noah Dibble the Washington cane passed to his eldest son, Ichabod Dibble, brother of Ce- linda; from Ichabod to his eldest son, Sylves- ter ; and at the death of Sylvester, leaving no son, it came into the possession of his brother, Jesse Dibble, its present owner, who is a cou- sin of Noah Dibble West, the special subject of the present biography.
home farm in Gilboa. At the age of twenty he commenced teaching school, and he was thus employed in his native town for ten terms. He also assisted in the management of the home farm until attaining his majority, when he took possession of a few of its acres, and turned his attention to the culture of bees, an industry in which he had been interested from boyhood. Ten years later he bought his present farm of ten acres, located two miles from the village of Middleburg, on the road to Catskill. Here he has continued his chosen work, from year to year enlarging his opera- tions.
After his parents' death he came into full possession of the old farm of one hundred twenty acres, formerly owned by himself and father together; and since the death of his father he has bought and now owns three ad- joining farms, including in all four hundred acres. All this land, then covered by a dense forest, was once the property of his grand- father, David West.
In his five bee yards Mr. West has five hun- dred swarms of bees, which produce annually from eight to ten tons of honey. This he sells in the leading cities of New York and New England at the highest market price. He has made a special study throughout his life of bees and their habits, and in his efforts to obtain the best results from bee-keeping at the least possi- ble cost he has invented and patented a spiral wire queen-cell protector and a spiral wire queen-cage, which have proved of great value. Although these inventions have been before the
Noah D. West grew to manhood on the i public but a little more than seven years, they
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are in demand throughout the United States, in Canada, in England - in fact, in all parts of the world; and he is carrying on a very substan- tial business as the sole manufacturer of these articles. For three successive years he was chosen, and paid, to act as judge on the differ- ent races of bees and of honey, bee appliances and bee literature, at the New England fairs held at Albany, on which occasions a large va- riety of apiarian goods was displayed and large premiums awarded. On July 11, 1899, he received the appointment of bee inspector for the State of New York.
He is a Republican and a Prohibitionist in politics and an active member of the Method- ist Episcopal church, in which he has been class leader, a teacher, and the superintendent of its Sunday-school.
Mr. West married June 23, 1867, Sarah A. Ilaskin. She is a daughter of Joshua Haskin and a grand-daughter of Moses and Hanah (llait) Haskin, natives of Dutchess County. Her grandparents were pioncer settlers of Broome, N. Y. They reared fifteen children, one of whom is yet living, Joshua. The grandmother was a Quaker in her religious be- lief. Joshua Haskin was engaged in farming in Broome until 1871, when he removed to the town of Maine, Broome County, where he has a fine farm of one hundred acres. Formerly a Democrat in politics, he has been identified with the Republican party since the Rebell- ion. He has served as Assessor and as Over- seer of the Poor. He married Deborah A. Ilughson, daughter of Nicholas and Charlotte (Duncan) Hughson, formerly of Broome, but
later of Norwich, Chenango County. Mr. and Mrs. Hughson had ten children, of whom four are living, namely : Deborah A., now Mrs. Haskin; Hiram Hughson; Jane, wife of John DeMoney; and Charlotte, wife of Charles M. Markel. Of the seven children born to Joshua Ilaskin and his wife these five are living : Sarah A., now Mrs. West; Edwin S. ; Gros- venor; Alice E., wife of Dr. Dudley; and Iliram A. All except Mrs. West reside in Broome County, and all, with their parents, are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. and Mrs. West have eight children ; namely, Orman, Ruth A., Edwin H., Elma A., David J., Alice C., Charles D., and Hat- tie D. The four younger are still in school. Orman M., a graduate of Middleburgh Acad- emy and Union College, was formerly a school teacher, was graduated at the Drew Theologi- cal Seminary, and is now preaching in Port Colden, N.J. He married Dora Dorman, and they have one son, Dorman. Ruth married Delos H. Gridley, formerly a teacher, farmer, and bee-keeper, later a student at Drew Theo- logical Seminary, now preaching at Speeds- ville, N. Y. They have one son, Vernon J. Mrs. Gridley was vice-president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union at Madison, N. J. Edwin H. West married Sophia M. Shafer. He was in his carlier years a farmer, interested in bee culture, also a teacher; and after his graduation from the Middleburg High School he was for a time a clerk in Schenectady, a position which he resigned to become a member of the police
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force in New York City. Elma A., formerly a teacher in the public schools, is the wife of Elmer B. Wood, of Broome, and has one son, Howard C. Mrs. West is a member of the W. C. T. U. ; and she and all of her children are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church and of the Sunday-school, in which all the elder children have been teachers.
OHN M. CONOVER, a descendant of an old Dutch family of repute and a representative farmer of Duanesburg, Schenectady County, N. Y., was born in Glen, Montgomery County, this State, December 26, 1839, son of George W. and Sarah M. (Rad- ley) Conover. The father was born in Flor- ida, N. Y., in 1812, and the mother was born in the same town in 1818. The name was originally Van Couwenhoven, and was short- ened to its present form prior to the birth of the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch. Its bearers were prominent among the early Dutch families, and contemporaneous with the Van Rensselaers, Van Beekmans, and other Knickerbockers. The immigrant pro- genitor was one Wolfret Garretson Van Cou- wenhoven, who came from Amersfoort, in the province of Utrecht, in 1630, and settled in Rensselaerwyck. He was employed by the Van Rensselaers as superintendent of farms for six years; and in June, 1636, he with others purchased a large tract of land at the western end of Long Island. His sons were : Gerrit, Jacob, Derrick, Peter, and John.
Cornelius V. Couwenhoven, the great-great-
grandfather of Mr. Conover of Duanesburg, was born in 1710, and died in 1804. lle had seven children; namely, John, William, Peter, Jacob, Jane, Abraham, and Isaac, the great-grandfather. Isaac Conover was born February 11, 1759. He served as a soldier in the Continental army during the Revolution- ary War, and died September 21, 1845, leav- ing several children, among others Marcus, the grandfather, who was born in New Jersey, Oc- tober 11, 1786. Marcus Conover was an early settler in Florida, N. Y., where he engaged in farming, and was a leading resident of that town. His last days were spent in Illinois, and he died in June, 1844. He married Sarah L. Schuyler, who was born February 19, 1794, and died in June, 1845.
George W. Conover, son of Marcus, was reared in Florida, N. Y., and received his business training as clerk for his uncle, John J. Schulyer. Later he was admitted to part- nership, and for several years the firm carried on a general store in Amsterdam, N. Y. Re- linquishing business on account of failing health, he took a protracted journey by team with Funis I. Van Derveer, through Pennsyl- vania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, passing through Chicago when it was but a village, and driving as far West as the Mississippi River. He returned to his native State in the same manner, much benefitted in health, and, resuming mercantile business in Auriesville, Montgomery County, he remained there until 1850. Selling his store, he invested in real estate both in this State and the West, and, purchasing in 1859 the farm in Duanesburg,
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which his son now owns, he devoted the rest of his active period to agricultural pursuits. In politics he originally acted with the Whigs, and with the majority of that element he went into the ranks of the Republican party at its formation. George W. Conover died in 1894. On March 13, 1839, he married Sarah M. Radley, daughter of John P. and Anna (Clay- ton) Radley, of Florida, N. Y. Her grand- father, Philip Radley, was an early settler in that town, and he lived to reach a good old age. The Radley farm was inherited by John P. Radley, who occupied it until his death, which occurred November 27, 1862, his wife having died March 22, 1855. Mrs. Sarah Conover is still living, and resides at the homestead near the Scotch church. She reared but one son, John M., the subject of this sketch.
John M. Conover was reared and educated in Glen. At the age of twenty-one he became associated with his father in carrying on the home farm, and after his father's death the farm fell to his possession. It is one of the best pieces of agricultural property in the neighborhood. He grows all kinds of grain, cuts a large quantity of hay annually, raises some excellent cattle and horses, and displays good judgment in all his undertakings. His residence and outbuildings are exceedingly desirable.
On October 5, 1864, Mr. Conover married for his first wife Anna B. Van Vechten, who was born in Florida, N. Y., December 6, 1845. She died March 12, 1884, leaving three children, namely : Archie R., born Sep-
tember 23, 1866; Mabel, born May 13, 1874; and Edna, born May 20, 1877. Archie R. Conover, who was graduated from Union Col- lege in 1889, is now a lawyer in Amsterdam. lle married Jessie Dougall, and has one daugh- ter, Marion. Mabel is the wife of the Rev. F. W. McKee, pastor of the historic Scotch (or United Presbyterian) Church, Florida, N. Y. ; and Edna is unmarried. On March 25, 1890, Mr. Conover married for his second wife Mary E. Smeallie, who was born in Princetown, N. Y., February 19, 1846, daughter of John and Jane (Milmine) Smeallie, the former of whom was a native of that place. Both par- ents were born in 1816.
Politically, Mr. Conover is a Republican. He has inherited many of the sterling charac- teristics of his race, whose thrifty and indus- trious habits made possible the development of the vast resources and wealth for which the Empire State has long been noted, and he has every reason to be proud of his origin. Ile is a member of the United Presbyterian Church of Florida, N. Y.
HOMAS J. KILMER, M. D., the well- known physician of Schoharie, N. Y., was born in Cobleskill, this county, November 22, 1833, son of Daniel and Maria (Shaffer) Kilmer. He is of German extraction, and a representative of the third generation of his family in this country, being the grandson of John I. Kilmer, a native of Germany, who settled in Cobleskill as a pioneer.
John 1. Kilmer acquired a tract of land con-
T. J. KILMER.
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taining five hundred acres, a considerable por- tion of which he cleared for agricultural pur- poses. Commencing his farm life in a log house, he later built a frame dwelling near the village of Barnerville; and through energy and perseverance he became one of the most prosperous farmers of Schoharie County in his day. Possessing intellectual powers of a high order, which had been developed by a good education, he became the owner of a large library, and fostered his desire for knowledge by continued reading. Being of a religious turn of mind, he united with the Lutheran church, and for years was one of its most ac- tive members. He lived to be ninety years old. He had a family of six children.
Daniel Kilmer, the Doctor's father, was a lifelong resident of Cobleskill; and, succeed- ing to the ownership of some three hundred acres of the homestead property, he became successful as a general farmer. He was pro- gressive as well as energetic, and not only kept up with the times in the way of agricultural improvements, but aided in developing his neighborhood by the erection of buildings. His ability and sound judgment necessarily made him an influential factor in public affairs, and he rendered efficient service to the town as Supervisor for some time. He died at the age of fifty years. His wife, Maria, was a daughter of John I. Shaffer, who at one time owned the land which is now occupied by the village of Cobleskill. She became the mother of thirteen children, of whom eleven are living, namely: Augustus; Josiah ; Mar- garet, wife of Elijah Griffin; Daniel A. ;
Thomas J., the subject of this sketch; An- drew G. ; Sylvester A. ; Chauncey C. ; Jonas M. ; Aurelia, who married Napoleon Pal- matier ; and Delia, wife of David I. Boock - all of whom reside in this State. Mrs. Maria S. Kilmer lived to be eighty-three years old. The parents were members of the Lutheran church.
Thomas J. Kilmer acquired a common-school education in his native town, and subsequently taught two terms of school in Cobleskill. He assisted in carrying on the home farm for a time prior to entering upon his medical studies, which were begun at Port Crane under his brother's direction. He was graduated from the Eclectic Medical College, New York City, in 1874, and was afterward associated with his brother some seven years, at the expi- ration of which he came to Schoharie, where he practised successfully until 1888. Estab- lishing the Kilmer Sanitarium, he continued in charge of that institution until failing health caused him to withdraw from its man- agement in 1893. His success at the sanita- rium, where patients are received from every part of the State, has given him a wide repu- tation as a skilful physician. Besides attend- ing to his private practice, which is the larg- est in town, he prepares several effective remedies which have a large sale.
In 1854 Dr. Kilmer was united in marriage with Elmina Palmitier, a native of this town, daughter of John H. Palmitier. Dr. and Mrs. Kilmer have had four children - Josiah, Ira P., Julia S, and Herbert. The last-named is no longer living. Josiah and Julia S. reside
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at home with their parents. Ira P. married Joan Nethaway, and has two children - Strat- ton and Mina. Herbert, who was a railroad man, left a widow and four children - Ardah, Noah, Josiah, and Herbert.
Dr. Kilmer is a member of the Schoharie and Delaware County Eclectic Medical So- ciety, of which for three years he has been a censor. He likewise belongs to the Masonic order. lle was formerly a Deacon and a class leader of the Methodist Episcopal church at Port Crane, and the family are members of the same religious denomination in Schoharie.
AMAN P. PETTINGILL, of the firm of Malcolm & Co., woollen manufac- turers, Catskill, N. Y., was born in Florida, Montgomery County, this State, on September 25, 1847, his parents being David and Jeannette (McNee) Pettingill. His father's family is of English descent.
David Pettingill, who was born and reared in the Mohawk Valley, was one of the original promoters of the Erie Canal, and rode on the first boat that passed over the waters of the canal after its completion. He carried on farming to some extent, and also was engaged in mercantile business in Amsterdam. He spent his last years in Amsterdam, his death occurring there at the age of seventy-three. His wife, Jeannette, was one ot a family of ten children. She was born in Schenectady County, this State. Her father. James Mc- Nee, was a native of Glasgow, Scotland. Im- migrating to this country, he lived for a time
in Schenectady County, and later in Montgom- ery County. He died in Montgomery County at eighty eight years of age. His wife, whose maiden name was Maxwell, was of Scottish descent. David and Jeannette (McNee) Pet- tingill had eight children, namely: Agnes; Mary A., who is now Mrs. Millmine; Will- iam; Peter; Ella, who is now Mrs. Hager- man; Haman; Louisa, now Mrs. Millmine; and Anna. The mother of these children died at the age of sixty-three. Both she and her husband were members of the Presbyterian church.
Haman Pettingill attended the public schools until he was eighteen years of age, when he began learning the machinist's trade. Ile subsequently worked at his trade as a jour- neyman in Amsterdam, and later in West Al- bany at the locomotive works, and after that was seven years a knitter in the knitting-mill at Amsterdam. In 1882 he became a partner of Joseph Malcolm, a sketch of whom may be found in this work. The two men carried on a woollen-mill in Amsterdam for a time, and then removed to Catskill, the present company being formed. Mr. Pettingill has charge of the machinery, which has all the latest im- provements. The firm manufacture men's, women's, and children's underwear, every piece produced bearing their special trade- mark. This mark is known to all experienced buyers as belonging only to a good class of garments. About a hundred and seventy hands are employed.
Mr. Pettingill has been twice married. The maiden name of his first wife, who was
STEPHEN L. MAHAM.
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born in New York, was Margaret Morehead. They were married in 1877, and she died at the age of thirty-one. His present wife, whose maiden name was Isabel Lusk, was born in Coxsackie, being the daughter of Gilbert and Elizabeth Lusk. Mr. Lusk was for many years one of the well-known merchants of Cox- sackie, and later of Catskill. Of the second union one child has been born, Charlotte.
Mr. Pettingill is a member of Catskill Lodge of Masons, No. 468. In politics be is a Republican. He is a member and trustee of the Presbyterian church, and Mrs. Pettingill is a communicant of the Episcopal church.
21 ON. STEPHEN L. MAYHAM, of Schoharie, former Presiding Justice of the Supreme Court, General Term, Third Department, and an ex-member of Congress, was born in Blenheim, N. Y., Oc- tober 8, 1826, son of John and Betsey (Fergu- son) Mayham. He represents the third gener- ation of the family founded by his grandfather, Henry Mayham, who emigrated from Ireland in 1790.
Acquiring a tract of four hundred acres of wild land, which embraced the site now occu_ pied by West Troy, N. Y., and the Watervliet Arsenal, Henry Mayham cleared a portion for agricultural purposes and sold the remainder. He died at the age of ninety-three. His wife's family name was Welch.
John Mayham, son of Henry, was a native of West Troy. Locating in Blenheim when a young man, he spent the rest of his life as a
prosperous farmer, his death occurring at the age of sixty-five years. He took an active in- terest in political and religious matters, with- out aspiring to office, although he consented to serve as Supervisor, and faithfully performed the duties of that office for several terms. lle was highly respected by the entire community. His intellectual attainments enabled him as a public speaker forcibly to discuss the impor- tant issues of the day. He married Betsey Ferguson, daughter of John Ferguson. Her father was a native of Scotland. Coming to this country, be settled at Pine Plains and later removed to Delaware County, where he died at an advanced age. John Mayham and his wife were the parents of twelve children, eleven of whom, seven sons and four daugh- ters, grew to maturity. Five sons became professional men. Thomas Mayham, M.D., is now Mayor of Fond du Lac, Wis. ; another son, who was a physician, died in that State; a third was County Judge of Fond du Lac, and is no longer living; Stephen L. is the subject of this sketch; and the youngest son, Banks, who became a noted lawyer in Southern Illi- nois, died suddenly at Murphysboro, 111. The mother lived to be sixty years old.
Stephen L. Mayham grew to manhood in Blenheim. As a youth he assisted in cultivat- ing the home farm when not pursuing his studies, and a local biographer has fittingly said that his education was acquired with a book in one hand and a plough-handle in the other. At the age of eighteen he started in life as a district school teacher. Two years later he entered the law office of Samuel Jack-
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son, who at that time was located in Gilboa, and afterward became Justice of the Supreme Court for the Fourth Judicial District. Ilis legal preparations were completed in the office of Love & Freer, Ithaca, N. Y. ; and after his admission to the bar, in 1848, he began the practice of his profession in Blenheim. His ability as counsellor and attorney rapidly as- serted itself, with the result that he soon found himself in control of a large general law busi- ness. His many qualifications, not the least among which was his personal popularity, made him especially eligible to public office ; and he was not long permitted by his fellow- townsmen to devote his whole time to his pri- vate affairs.
He served as Superintendent of Schools two years and as Supervisor three years; was elected District Attorney in 1859 by a large majority, and held office two years. In the fall of 1862 he was elected to the Assembly. In 1866 he accepted as a forlorn hope the Democratic nomination for State Senator from the Fifteenth District, comprising the counties of Schenectady, Schoharie, and Delaware; and, although realizing his expected defeat, he had the satisfaction of reducing the Republican majority. In 1868 he was elected to the Forty-first Congress in the Congressional dis- trict comprising Albany and Schoharie Counties, and in 1878 was elected Representa- tive to the Forty-fifth Congress from the Thirteenth District, including the counties of Schoharie, Greene, and Ulster. During his first term he served upon the Committees on Private Land Claims and the Expenditures of
the State and Post-office Departments. In the Forty-fifth Congress he was assigned to the Committees on the District of Columbia and State Department Expenditures, and was chair- man of the Subcommittee on Ways and Means. Ilis committee work in both sessions was laborious and efficient, and his record in the national House of Representatives was irreproachable. In 1883 he was elected County Judge and Surrogate of Schoharic County, a position which he held until ap- pointed by Governor Hill to a seat upon the Supreme Bench; and in November, 1887, the people ratified the Governor's choice by elect- ing him for a full term. llis decisions, which are carefully conceived, have been in perfect accord with legal requirements and generally sustained by the Court of Appeals.
Since 1862 the Judge has resided in Schoharie. He was president of the Board of Public Education for eight years, and was the first president of the Schoharie Valley Rail- road Company. Judge Mayham's scholarly attainments and ability as a public speaker have added much to his popularity, which ex- tends far beyond the limits of his own county. Since his retirement from the bench he has been associated with his son Claude at Scho- harie in the active practice of his profession, and is often called upon to act as referee in important cases, his judicial experience having eminently qualified him for such position.
Judge Mayham married Julia Martin, a grand-daughter of General Freegift Patchin, who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Mrs. Mayham died
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in 1895, aged sixty-four years. She was the mother of three sons, F. Matt, Don S., Claude B., and one daughter, Ida L., who is now the wife of George Manschaffer, of this town. F. Matt Mayham was a prominent lawyer. He died in Schobarie in 1889, aged thirty-nine years. Don S. Mayham studied law with his father; and, after serving for a time as clerk of the Surrogate Court, he en- tered the Albany Law School, from which he was graduated in 1888. He was admitted to the bar the same year, and practised with his elder brother until the latter's decease, when he entered into partnership with his younger brother. He was a Democrat in politics, and served as clerk of the State Senate in 1892. He married Mary B. Borst, daughter of Thomas Borst and grand-daughter of Ralph Brewster, a prominent lawyer of this locality in his day. Dying in June, 1896, at the age of thirty-three years, Don S. Mayham left one son, Stephen L. Mayham, second. Claude B. Mayham was born in Schoharie in 1868. His early education was completed at the Schoharie Academy, where he taught for two years, and began the study of law with his brother. He was graduated from Columbia College in the class of 1891, with the degrees of Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Philosophy, and was associated with Don S. Mayham until 1896. For a short time he was in partner- ship with Lyman S. Holmes, of Cobleskill, in Schoharie. While in college he was an all-round athlete and captain of the base- ball team. He was also president of the lead- ing literary society and a member of the Delta
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