USA > New York > Schoharie County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Schenectady, Schoharie and Green counties, New York > Part 4
USA > New York > Schenectady County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Schenectady, Schoharie and Green counties, New York > Part 4
USA > New York > Greene County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Schenectady, Schoharie and Green counties, New York > Part 4
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The Doctor has always been a great reader and an independent thinker, accustomed to rea- son out things, as he says, for himself, even the deep questions of life. His religious opin- ions arc liberal. Many kindly acts in the way of charity can be traced directly to him, and he is highly respected by the entire community.
EDWARD YOUNG, one of Middle- burg's literary men and the editor of the Middleburg Gasette, is a native of Prattsville, Greene County. He was born on January 6, 1848. His elementary education was obtained in the public schools, and subse- quently he attended Roxbury Seminary, from which he was graduated. As editor of the Gasette he exercises a strong influence in moulding public opinion and in placing before the townspeople information which keeps them in touch with the most progressive thought of the day. The editorial columns of his paper are marked by vigorous and positive expression of opinion on all questions of national or local moment, as well as by cool and conservative criticism and level-headed judgment. He does considerable writing for other publications.
Thoroughly interested in the welfare of the
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town and believing that she needs the services of her best citizens in public life, he has freely given time and effort to serve her in many ways. For two years he was Town Clerk, and for twelve consecutive years, beginning in 1881, he was village Clerk. In 1889 he rep- resented Schoharie County in the Assembly. He was one of the most ardent workers in se- curing the incorporation of the village, and
also of the water company. Of the last named he is now one of the directors. He is a stock- holder in the First National Bank, and since 1892 has been treasurer of Middleburg Acad- emy. He is also a member of the Board of Education. In politics Mr. Young is a most loyal Democrat, and his party has chosen him as delegate to State and county conventions, and as a member of the county committee.
On November 15, 1893, Mr. Young was united in marriage with Inez Bouck, of Cones- ville, a daughter of James A. Bouck. He is a prominent Odd Fellow, and is at the present time District Deputy Grand Patriarch for the Schoharie district. Canton Young, of Scho- harie, of which he is a member, is named for him. -
YRUS SHOWERS, civil engineer, contractor, and builder, of Tanners- ville, N. Y., was born in this town, November 9, 1859, son of Isaac and Merilla A. (Loomis) Showers. He is of the sixth generation of his family in America, the line being traced back through Isaac, Japhet, Mi- chael, John, to the emigrant progenitor, who came from Holland and settled in New Jersey,
there spending the rest of his life. A more extended account of his ancestors will be found in a sketch of Isaac Showers, which appears elsewhere in the REVIEW.
Isaac Showers, Cyrus Showers's father, was born in Hunter in 1827, and spent his youth on farms in this locality. He later engaged in civil engineering, which he followed quite ex- tensively, and became one of the largest resi- dent land-owners in this section. He is now living in retirement. His wife, Merilla, was a daughter of Alvin J. and Harriet (Palmer) Loomis, of Windham. She became the mother of eight children, four of whom are living; namely, Cyrus, Emma, Henry W., and George Harding Showers. Emma married Edward Osborn, and resides in California. Henry W. is attending the Albany Law School. George Harding Showers is studying civil engineering at the Troy Polytechnic Institute. The others were: Jennie, who married Stephen Vining, of Windham, and died at the age of forty-one; Elmer, who died at thirteen; Isaac, who died young; and Irving, who died at the age of four years. The parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Cyrus Showers was educated in the common schools of Tannersville, and resided on the home farm of three hundred acres, of which he took entire charge at the age of eighteen. He kept fifty cows, made butter for the local mar- ket, and supplied Hotel Kaaterskill with milk for some years. At the age of twenty-five he went to Onteora Park to assist in building the cottages, and was made its superintendent. He later built a large number of houses, com-
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pleting contracts amounting to one hundred thousand dollars in four years. He also built his present dwelling, and continues to follow the business of a civil engineer, displaying a marked ability for that profession. Ile at one time engaged in mercantile business for a short period. Politically, he is a Republican. Ap- pointed Deputy Sheriff in 1888, he served until 1891 and again from 1894 to 1898. He was an Assessor two terms and a member of the county committee for several years. He has been secretary of the village Board of Trustees ever since its establishment, and is also a member of the Board of Health.
In 1883 Mr. Showers was joined in mar- riage with Lillie E. Ford, who was born in Lexington in 1863, daughter of Charles L. and Harriet (Humphrey) Ford. Her father and grandfather were both natives of Jewett; and Charles L. Ford, who at one time carried on a farm and kept a boarding-house in Lexington, moved to Tannersville, where he was similarly engaged, and still spends his summers in that village. Mrs. Showers's mother was a native of Lexington, daughter of the Rev. Eli B. and Emily (Cline) Humphrey, the former of whom was a well-known Baptist minister, and died at the age of eighty. Her grandparents had a family of twelve children, nine of whom are living, among them Hiram, Horace, Sabrina, Lucina, Susan, Harriet, Ophelia, Eudocia. The others were: Amasa, Mary, and Eliza- beth. Charles L. and Harriet Ford are the parents of two children: Lillie, who is now Mrs. Showers; and Jennie E., who married Dr. Robert L. Graham, of Brooklyn, N. Y.
Mr. Showers is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a steward and trustee, and he served upon the building committee which erected the new church edifice. Mrs. Showers united with the church at the age of fifteen. She is a mem- ber of the choir, and was organist for eight years.
R ICHITMYER HUBBELL, M.D., an able physician and prominent citizen of Jefferson, N. Y., was born in Gil- boa, Schoharie County, N. Y., February 2, 1843, son of Jacob Richtmyer and Harriet (Pierce) Hubbell. The name Hubbell, which originated in Wales, is said to have been de- rived from Hubba, a Danish chief who camped upon a hill. It passed through several changes, including Hubbashill and Hubhill, before the present form of spelling was adopted.
Richard Hubbell, the immigrant ancestor, of whom the Doctor is a descendant in the eighth generation, was born in Wales in 1627. He arrived in New England in 1645, and in 1647 he took the oath of allegiance to the New Haven Colonial government. In 1664 he moved to Fairfield County, Connecticut, and in 1685 became one of the original proprietors of Fairfield township. He died October 23, 1699, and his remains were interred in Strat- ford burying-ground, now included within the limits of the city of Bridgeport. Richard Hubbell was three times married, and was the father of fifteen children. From him the line of descent is traced directly, through Samuel,
RICHTMYER HUBBELL.
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Nathan, Peter (first), Peter (second), Matthias, and Jacob R., to Dr. Richtmyer Hubbell, the subject of this sketch.
Peter Hubbell, second, the Doctor's great- grandfather, who married Sally Hurlburt, re- moved with his family from Connecticut to Schoharie County early in the present century. His brother-in-law, Joseph Hurlburt, built the first store in the village of Gilboa, and resided on what is known as the Dr. Fanning farm.
Matthias Hubbell, Dr. Hubbell's grand- father, accompanied his parents from Connect- icut when a boy, and during his active years he was Justice of the Peace and followed gen- eral farming in the towns of Gilboa and Blen- heim. He married for his first wife Sophia Richtmyer, who was of German ancestry. The grandparents were buried in the old cem- etery in Gilboa village.
Jacob Richtmyer Hubbell, Dr. Hubbell's father, was a lifelong resident of this county. He died in Sharon Springs, N. Y., November 11, 1896, aged just seventy-six years, and was buried in Jefferson. His wife, Harriet, was a daughter of Benona and Betsey (Davis) Pierce, of North Blenheim. Her father was a de- scendant of Captain Michael Pierce, who came over from England about 1645, settled at Scit- uate, Mass., in 1647, and was killed in a fight with Indians in King Philip's War in March, 1676, while commanding his company. This is the line of ancestry : Captain Michael, ' Ephraim,? Ephraim, 3 Mial,4 Job,5 Job,6 and Benona,7 father of Mrs. Hubbell. Benona Pierce was born in 1781, a son of Job Pierce, Jr., of Rehoboth, Mass., and died in 1855.
His wife, Mrs. Betsey D. Pierce, born in May, 1789, died in September, 1881.
Jacob R. and Harriet (Pierce) Hubbell were the parents of six children, namely : Richt- myer, the subject of this sketch; Charles B., a furniture dealer and undertaker in Jefferson ; Hiram P., a physician of Stamford, Delaware County ; Elizabeth, wife of J. Perry Champlin, of Ruth, Schoharie County; Sophia, who mar- ried J. E. Preston, of Sharon Springs; and Fred E. Hubbell, who died September 23, 1892, aged about thirty years.
Richtmyer Hubbell acquired his early edu- cation in the district schools and at the acad- emy in Roxbury, Delaware County, which he attended one term. At the age of sixteen he began teaching during the winter season, his summers being devoted to agriculture; and, having taught schools in Gilboa, Blenheim, and Eminence, he in 1863 began the study of medicine under the direction of the late Dr. A. A. Wood. In the fall of that year he ac- companied his preceptor to Wisconsin, where he resumed teaching for a time at Almond, Wis., and also continued his studies with Dr. Wood and Dr. Guernsey, of Almond, Wis. In 1864 he enlisted as a Corporal in Company M, First Wisconsin Heavy Artillery, of which he was shortly afterward appointed clerk, and he served until the close of the Civil War. Re- turning to Schoharie County after his dis- charge, he subsequently entered the Philadel- phia University of Medicine and Surgery, from which he was graduated February 21, 1866. Borrowing the money to purchase a team and medical outfit, he began the
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practice of his profession in Harpersfield, Delaware County, N. Y. For the succeeding eleven years his practice, which covered a wide circuit, extending into two adjoining counties, kept him constantly driving from place to place through all kinds of weather. While residing in Harpersfield he served four terms as Town Clerk and three terms as Su- pervisor. On December 25, 1876, Dr. Hub- bell sold his practice, together with his real estate in Harpersfield, to his brother, Hiram P., and removed to Jefferson, where he almost immediately acquired prominence as a skilful physician and surgeon. Although his practice is large and his time exceedingly valuable, he has never been known to neglect the worthy poor, believing, as he does, that life and health are as dear to them as to those who are more fortunate; and, as he himself declares, if they are unable to pay him in dollars and cents, they have more than liquidated his claim upon them by their genuine gratitude.
Hle has frequently held the offices of presi- dent and secretary of the Eclectic Medical So- cicty of the Susquehannah District, comprising the counties of Schoharie, Delaware, and Ot- sego, and during his professional career he has directed the preparatory studies of five stu- dents, four of them becoming skilful medical practitioners and one a successful druggist. Two of the five are now deceased. In 1880 he established the Jefferson Banking House, which he carried on for two years; and, when the present bank at Stamford, N. Y., was founded, he was requested to become its president, but his professional duties prevented him from ac-
cepting the office. ITis hearty co-operation is always to be depended upon in forwarding all measures calculated to be of benefit to the town. He was active in securing the present water-works system, together with a public fountain, the Jefferson Co-operative Creamery, and so forth; and he is using his influence for the establishment of a union free school, with academic advantages. He is actively en- gaged in general farming, raises Jersey cattle, and owns about two thousand acres of agri- cultural property.
On April 29, 1866, Dr. Hubbell married for his first wife Amelia S. Decker, of Gilboa, daughter of Jacob Decker and a sister of William H. Decker, Supervisor of that town. She died January 19, 1889, leaving four chil- dren - Frank J., Hattie A., Benona R., and Grace Greenwood. Frank J. is a prosperous farmer of Jefferson, and Hattie A. is the wife of Charles E. Nichols, an attorney of this town. The other children reside at home. On August 27, 1890, the Doctor married for his second wife Miss Rose E. Decker, his first wife's sister. Of this union there is one son, Fred D., born July 3, 1893.
Politically, Dr. Hubbell is a Republican, a protectionist, and a firm believer in gold as a monetary standard. He belongs to the Meth- odist Episcopal church, and has been a mem- ber since he was sixteen years old.
EORGE LASHER, a prosperous farmer of Duanesburg, N. Y., and an ex-member of the State Assembly, was born in
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this town, September 20, 1834, son of James M. and Marion (Kennedy) Lasher. The father's birth took place July 4, IS11, in a Jog house on the Lasher farm. This farm was cleared from the wilderness by the paternal grandfather, George Lasher, who was a native of Dutchess County, and came here in the year 1800. A sturdy, persevering man, he suc- ceeded in overcoming the many difficulties of a pioneer's life; and he resided here until his death, which occurred August 15, 1846. He married Helen McMillan, a native of Glasgow, Scotland. In politics he voted with the Whig party. He was an active member of the Dutch Reformed church.
James M. Lasher, the father, succeeded to the ownership of the farm, which he still holds; and for many years he cultivated it energeti- ally. Moving to Mariaville in 1862, he was engaged in mercantile business and the manu- facture of lumber here in company with his son George until his retirement in 1880, since which time the store and saw-mill have been leased. Politically, he acts with the Republi- can party. For many years he has been an Elder of the Presbyterian church. Marion, his wife, who was born in Milton, Saratoga County, July 5, 1812, died on July 20, 1888. She was the mother of five children, namely : Anna A., who married the Rev. James W. Johnston, and died in North Carolina in 1886; Mary Helen; George, the subject of this sketch ; John Kennedy, of Yonkers; and Will- iam M. Lasher, of New York City.
George Lasher began his education in the common schools, and completed his studies
with a commercial course at Eastman's Busi- ness College, Poughkeepsie. At the age of twenty-one he became associated in business with his father, under the firm name of Lasher & Son, and since the retirement of the elder Lasher he has had full charge of the property, including the management of the farm, which contains two hundred acres. Mr. George Lasher is unmarried.
Since becoming a voter he has manifested a keen interest in local public affairs, and his ability displayed in various official capacities has proved beneficial to the community. He served as Justice of the Peace for several years, was Supervisor three years, and was a member of the Assembly in 1881. He is particularly interested in educational matters. In politics he is a Republican. He and his father occupy a handsome residence located upon the shores of a beautiful lake. They are highly respected members of the community. Mr. Lasher is an Elder of the Presbyterian church.
ILBERT OSBORN BRUCE, M.D., a well-known practising physician of the town of Seward, N. Y., has been located in the village of Hyndsville for nearly twoscore years, and with one exception is the oldest- established practitioner in Schoharie County. He was born in the neighboring town of Sum- mit, December 6, 1839, a son of the Rev. Samuel and Theodosia (Harrington) Bruce.
Samuel Bruce, Sr., father of the Rev. Sam- uel, was born and reared in Scotland, and he
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lived there until after his marriage. Coming then to America with his bride, formerly a Miss Armstrong, he became a pioneer settler of Oneida County, New York, where he took up a tract of wild land, cleared a space, and erected the log house in which he made his home during his remaining days. With untir- ing energy and true heroism he labored to re- claim a farm from the primeval forest, and his efforts were well rewarded. He passed to the life beyond at the age of sixty-five years; but his wife survived him many years, attaining the age of ninety- five.
The Rev. Samuel Bruce was one of a family of three children. Ile was brought up at the old homestead, and received his early education in the pioneer schools of his district. Pos- sessing great mental ability, he continued to add to his store of knowledge by judicious reading and studying, and for several years was employed as a teacher. He afterward settled on a farm in Summit, where he carried on general farming for some time. He also preached at Schoharie and elsewhere in this county. He was ordained as a minister of the Lutheran church, and subsequently followed his vocation in Otsego County, settling at South Worcester, where he died at the age of seventy-two years. His wife, whose maiden name was Theodosia Harrington, was a daugh- ter of William Harrington. She survived him, passing away at the venerable age of fourscore and ten years. Of their eight children seven are now living, namely : Samuel W. ; James; Elbert O .; Richard; Eli, who occupies the old homestead; Lavinia, wife of Oliver Mow-
brany; and Martha, wife of Sylvester Smith, of Oneonta. Lucy Jane is deceased.
Elbert O. Bruce left home when a lad of ten years to become a pupil in the New York Con- ference Seminary, which he attended until it was burned, four years later. He subsequently read medicine with Dr. George H. Leonard, and in 1859 was graduated from the Castleton Medical College at Castleton, Vt. Returning then to East Worcester, Otsego County, Dr. Bruce assisted his former instructor, Dr. Leon- ard, a few months, and then came to Hynds- ville, where he has since remained, a trusted physician and an esteemed citizen. During this time he has seen Hyndsville developed from a small hamlet of three or four houses to a flourishing village, and in its advancement and welfare he has been an important factor. He has built up an extensive practice, his ride extending twenty miles in either direction from the village; and from his first day of practice until the present date he has kept abreast with the times in regard to the progress made in the science of medicine. Through the leading medical journals he keeps informed of the new diseases and their treatments, and of the newer methods employed in curing old-time diseases of all kinds.
Dr. Bruce is a charter member of the Scho- harie County Medical Society, of which he has been president three years and secretary five years, also having held all the other offices. Beforet his body of his professional brethren the Doctor is frequently called upon to read papers; and he has likewise contributed arti- cles on different topics, including diphtheria
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and typhoid fever, to the Medical World. He is also a member of the New York State Med- ical Society, and has been a delegate three years. In politics he is a sound Democrat. He has served as Town Clerk six years; was Super- visor in 1869 and 1870; has been a member of the School Committee several years; and from 1885 until 1889, under President Cleveland's administration, he served as Postmaster. Dur- ing that time he was nominated as candidate for member of Assembly, but being Postmaster he was obliged to withdraw his name. He is a prominent Mason, belonging to Cobleskill Lodge, F. & A. M., No. 394, and to Cobleskill Chapter, R. A. M., No. 229. Ile is a member of the Methodist church, of which he is a trus- tee, and for many years has been connected with its Sunday-school.
Dr. Bruce was married June 21, 1857, to Miss Cynthia Brown, the only child of Perley Brown, who was for many years a prominent man and the leading merchant of Summit. Dr. and Mrs. Brown have an adopted son, Bertie, now a pupil in the Cobleskill High School.
LA OBERT SELDEN, M.D., a leading physician of Catskill, N. Y., residing at 271 Main Street, was born in Shanesville, Ohio, on August 21, 1847, his parents being Dr. Orrin G. and Catherine (Hall) Selden. His grandfather, Robert Sel- den, was a Scotchman, by occupation a miller. He came to this country when his son Orrin was seven years of age, and, settling in Massachu- setts, worked at farming there during the re-
mainder of his life. The maiden name of his wife was Balfour.
Orrin Selden was brought up on a farm, and followed agricultural pursuits until he became of age. His education was received in the common schools and in the academy at Haver- hill. While still a young man he went to Ohio, where he taught school for some time. He subsequently studied medicine, and prac- tised in Ohio and Wisconsin. He settled in Catskill in 1877, and here he resided until his death in 1894, one of the leading practitioners of this vicinity. His wife, Catherine, was born in Winsted, Conn. She was the daugh- ter of Reuben Hall, a shoemaker by trade, who espoused the cause of the black man and early allied himself with the anti-slavery party. He went South, and started a school and Sunday- school for negroes at Fayetteville, but was burned out, losing all his property. He then removed to Pennsylvania and later to Ohio, where he died at the age of eighty. Orrin G. Selden and his wife were the parents of three children, of whom there are living Rob- ert and Mary. Mrs. Selden died at the age of fifty-two. She was brought up a Methodist, but after her marriage she joined the Presbyte- rian church, of which her husband was a mem- ber.
Robert Selden spent his early life in Ohio. He read medicine with his father, and then took a course at the Charity Hospital Medical College, of Cleveland, from which he was grad- uated in 1870. He began practice at Shanes- ville with his father, and continued there after the latter removed to Wisconsin. Subse-
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quently the father and son were associated in practice here until the death of the father. Dr. Robert Selden has been here since 1882. He has a very large practice and one that is constantly increasing. Ilis patients are to be found not only in the village, but in all the outlying districts.
Dr. Selden was married in 1880 to Charlotte E. Gardiner, daughter of William H. Gardiner. She was born in Whitesboro, N. Y., where her father was a physician. Later he went to Ohio. While there he received an appoint- ment as post surgeon for the army at Nash- ville, and while engaged in the discharge of the duties of that position he was attacked with cholera, which proved fatal. His wife, Emily Hull, bore him six children, of whom the living are: Mrs. Buss, of Cleveland; Mrs. Selden; and Emily H. Dr. and Mrs. Selden have two daughters - Catherine E. and Fan- nie, both of whom are attending school.
The Doctor is a member of the New York Medical Association, and has been its vice- president ; also a member of the Greene County Medical Society, of which he has been presi- dent. Ile has read numerous valuable papers on medical subjects before both organizations. He has been a Mason since 1870. He holds membership in Catskill Lodge, No. 468, F. & A. M., of which he is a trustee and a Past Master; in Catskill Royal Arch Chapter, No. 285, of which he is a charter member and present High Priest; in Lafayette Comman- dery, K. T., of Hudson, of which he is Past Commander; in Mystic Shrine, Cypress Temple, of Albany; in the Fraternal Union of
Anointed High Priests, which includes the high- est officers from the various Royal Arch Chap- ters of the State; and in the Association of Templar Knights Commanders. He is medi- cal examiner for a number of the largest insur- ance companies and for the A. O. U. W., of which he is a member and has been for several years financier. In politics the Doctor is a Democrat. Ile was Town Supervisor for one year. Ilis library, of which he is justly proud, is the largest and finest private library in the county. Dr. and Mrs. Selden are mem- bers of St. Luke Episcopal Church, and he has been for a number of years a vestryman.
OHIN A. NEWELL, of the well-known mercantile firm of Potter & Newell, Main Street, Windham, Greene County, N. Y., was born in Durham, N. Y., on Sep- tember 21, 1829, son of Andrus and Julia (Bushnell) Newell. His paternal grandfather, John Newell, was a native of Southington, Conn., and came to Durham among the early pioneers of that town.
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