USA > New York > Broome County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Broome County, New York. > Part 10
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RANCIS D. GRIDLEY, M.D., a well- known physician of the eclectic school, a resident of Binghamton, N. Y., was born in Guilford, Chenango County, N. Y., October 20, 1833, son of Eli and Mary (Brig-
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ham) Gridley, and grandson of Levi Gridley, who went from Connecticut to that county, his name being in the list of its earliest set- tlers. Eli Gridley received his early educa- tion in the village schools of Chenango County, and when a young man moved to Caton, Steuben County, N.Y., where he remained for a while, and then returned to Oxford, N.Y., to marry Miss Brigham, who was the daughter of David Brigham, a pioneer of that place. After his marriage he went back to Caton, cleared a tract of land, and settled. there as a farmer, the home of the family being at that place from the time the subject of this sketch was three years old. The parents were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and reared their children in that faith. The mother died when her son, Francis D., was but eight years old. The father died in 1891. Two of the Doc- tor's brothers, Charles and Alanson, deceased young. Ile has four brothers - John N., Eli, Ezra, and Henry -- now living, and three married sisters - Clarissa Elizabeth, Mary; and Hattie.
Dr. Gridley received his early education in the common schools of Caton; and, when only fifteen years of age, he was hired out by his father to work for his uncle, Orrin Grid- ley, of Guilford, with whom he remained four years, getting fifty dollars for the first year. By the time his four years' term had expired he had paid a debt of five hundred dollars for his father. Being then nineteen, he worked for one year more for another uncle. ITis health 'then failing, he was obliged to give
up farming, and took the opportunity of attending school at Norwich, N.Y., for two terms. He worked on a farm another sum- mer, this time for himself, and in the autumn of that year began to read medicine in the office of Dr. Hurlburt, at Norwich, N. Y.
This was when he was twenty-two years of age. He remained in the Doctor's office for two years, and then went to Whitney's Point, N.Y., where he began to practise. Eight years afterward he attended lectures at the University of Medicine and Surgery in Phila- delphia, Pa., and was graduated in February of 1866. Returning to Whitney's Point, he stayed there till 1891, having a successful and remunerative practice as a village and country doctor. Ilis health suffering from his arduous duties, especially in the long drives, he removed to Binghamton, where he has been fortunate in securing new patrons, besides retaining many of his former pa- tients.
While living at Whitney's Point, he held the office of School Trustee for twenty years, was President of the Board for three years, was also Trustee of the village for three years, and its President for two years. le has been . Coroner for the northern part of Broome County, New York, for two terms, and still holds the office (January, 1894), having been elected on the ticket of the Republican party, of which he is a warm adherent.
IIe is connected with several medical asso- ciations, including the Central New York Eclectic Society, of which he has been Presi- dent; the New York State Eclectic Society,
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having been its Vice-President; the National Eclectic Society, to which he has belonged since 1871. In the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Whitney's Point, the Im- proved Order of Red Men, Knights of Honor, Royal Templars, and Iron Hall Dr. Gridley holds membership. He has passed the chairs in most of the above-named orders, and has been examining physician of part of them.
Dr. Gridley married Miss Phebe F. Pierce, daughter of Eben Pierce, of Brookfield, Madi- son County, N. Y .; and they have one son and one daughter, Frank J. and Carrie May. The family attend the Tabernacle Methodist Epis- copal Church of Binghamton, and are active and sincere participants in church work. When at Whitney's Point, the Doctor was Trustee of the church and Chairman of its Building Committee; and his usefulness in those capacities, as well as professionally, caused him to be greatly missed when he left the place.
The career of this faithful toiler, his early struggles, his diligent application, and his crowning successes are wholesome lessons to the young men of the present generation, who in luxurious colleges and halls of learning seek to gain the knowledge for which he had to work so hard. llis ambition ennobled his life of toil; for whatever free moment he could command was devoted to study and to the one aim of his life, to be a physician. He is deservedly popular and respected; and the extensive patronage already secured. is proof sufficient of the high reputation he has made in Binghamton, although so short time
a resident. The accompanying portrait of Dr. Gridley is a fine representation of one of the leading physicians of the eclectic school in this part of the State.
AUL, MALLES, a prosperous mer- chant tailor of Binghamton, N. Y., and the present Alderman for the Fourth Ward of this city, is a native of Dant- zig, in the western part of Prussia, where he was born November 14, 1859. a son of Ed- ward and Jane Malles .. The family came to this country in 1873, first settling in Brook- lyn, N. Y., where they remained two years, then in 1875 came to Binghamton, where Edward Malles and his wife still live.
Paul Malles obtained a good education in his native country, and subsequently attended school in Brooklyn, acquiring a knowledge of the English language. His father was a tailor; and Paul, giving his attention to this branch of industry, soon learned the trade, and in 1888 engaged in business for himself at No. 56 Court Street, Binghamton, where he has since remained.
He is an active, progressive citizen, and a good business manager, consequently has built up a fine trade, and has one of the lead- ing merchant tailoring establishments in the city, employing about twelve persons during the busy season of the year. Mr. Malles takes a prominent part in various enterprises and movements for the public good. He is a member of the Binghamton Fire Depart- ment, and has been Foreman and Assistant
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Foreman of Alert Hose Company, No. 2, one of the best companies in the city, and has also been First and Second Assistant Engineer of the Department. Ile was elected by the Republicans an Alderman for the Fourth Ward in February, 1892, and is Chairman of the Committee on Fire Department and Commit- tee on Health. Last year he was on the Committee on Water and Lights and on the Fire Department. As a municipal officer, he has always given satisfaction, and performed the duties assigned him faithfully and well. He is a pronounced Republican in politics, and is an active worker, having for six. or eight terms been on the City and County Com- mittee for his ward.
ARTWELL MORSE, a well-known and highly respected citizen of Bing- hamton, N. Y., has filled the re- sponsible position of Cashier of the City National Bank since 1878. Mr. Morse was born at Eaton, Madison County, N. Y., April 6, 1843, and traces his ancestry in America *back to 1635, when the founder of his branch of the family, Samuel Morse, with his wife Elizabeth and son Joseph, came over from England in the ship "Increase," and settled in the eastern part of Massachusetts, at a place which was incorporated the next year under the name of Dedham, and included the present towns of Medfield, Natick, a part of Sherborn, and several others. Samuel Morse died at Medfield, Mass., in 1654. In 1796 a descendant of Samuel in the sixth genera-
tion, Joseph by name, came to New York, and took up a large tract of land in Madison County, then almost a wilderness, through which he had to cut his road. Ile laid out a farm, and built the first frame house in that vicinity, now the town of Eaton. Joseph Morse married Miss Eunice Bigelow in 1788 at Templeton, Mass; and Ellis, the eldest of their eight children, was the father of Hart- well.
Ellis Morse was six years old when he was brought by his parents to the town of Eaton, where he grew up. The school he attended was taught by Dr. James Pratt ; and the course of study is said to have consisted of the three important branches of reading - especially of the Bible - writing, and spelling ; but, doubt- less, arithmetic was included. In those days domestic life was exceedingly primitive, being characterized by plain but wholesome fare, clothing spun, woven, and fashioned at home, and the work of the farm materially aided by the labors of the children. Ellis . Morse was a general farmer and extensive cattle-dealer, and was a widely active man. lle built the turnpike road from Hamilton to Skaneateles, and also conducted the largest distillery at Eaton, which he continued until 1857. Mr. Morse-was twice married, his first * wife being Miss Lora Ayer, who was born in Connecticut, July 2, 1792, and died at the age of thirty-nine, in 1831. His second wife and the mother of Hartwell was Miss Adeline Bagg, who was a daughter of Dr. Henry Bagg, of Princeton, Mass. Mr. Ellis Morse died in 1869, aged eighty years. Of the eleven chil-
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dren born to Ellis Morse, Hartwell was the youngest. lIe received his education in his native town and at Elmira and Homer Acad- emies. In 1864 he entered the City National Bank of Binghamton, N. Y., at first filling the modest position of corresponding clerk. Ile was soon advanced to that of book-keeper, and then to teller in 1870, and Assistant Cash- ier in 1872, finally reaching his present office of Cashier in 1878, where he has remained fifteen years continuously. For the past twenty-nine years Mr. Morse has given his entire attention to the banking business, and ranks as one of the most experienced and reliable in his profession in the city of Binghamton.
The City National Bank in which he is engaged is a successor of the old Bank of Binghamton, a State bank which was started December 2, 1852. The organizers were: Ammi Doubleday, President; Charles W. Sanford, Vice-President; and William R. Osborn, Cashier. The capital stock was two hundred thousand dollars. They built and occupied in 1856 the building on the corner of Court and Washington Streets, which was then considered as one of the handsomest and most substantial blocks in the city of Bing- hamton. It continued as a State bank until 1865, when it became a national one, and is now known as the City National Bank. Mr. Doubleday, the first President, dying July 23, 1867, Charles W. Sanford was elected to his position; II. S. Griswold, Vice - President ; William R. Osborn still continuing as Cash- ier. In 1878 Mr. Osborn was elected to the
Presidency, and Mr. Morse was appointed Cashier. In 1893 Mr. Harris G. Rodgers became President of the bank, Charles F. Sisson filling the place of Mr. Rodgers as First Vice-President. The capital stock at the bank remains the same as when started, with a surplus of forty thousand dollars. For the past twenty-five years Mr. Morse has taken a deep interest in the excellent and efficient Fire Department of Binghamton, es- pecially in Hook and Ladder Company, No. 1, of which he is Treasurer.
Two of the brothers of Mr. Morse were brave and distinguished soldiers in the late Civil War. They were Henry and Alfred. Henry went into the field as Captain of Com- pany D, New York Volunteer Infantry, Regi- ment One Hundred and Fourteen, was pro- moted to Colonel, and, when the war closed was brevetted Major-General. He was at one time a prominent Judge in Arkansas. IIc died at the old homestead at Eaton, N. Y., June 20, 1874. Alfred was a theological student in Hamilton College, but at the call of his country enlisted in Company D, One lIundred and Fourteenth Regiment, New York Volunteers, and was wounded at the battle of Cedar Creek in October, 1864, and died a month later, at the age of twenty-four.
September 16, 1869, Mr. Hartwell Morse married Miss Kate K. Johnson, daughter of Samuel Johnson, one of the oldest settlers of the city of Binghamton. Four children have been born to them, three sons and one daugh- ter. The daughter died while quite young. The sons are living at home; and two bear
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the family names - namely Walter H. and Ellis G. The second son is named William Osborn. Walter and William are both cleri- cal workers in the City National Bank of Binghamton, the former a teller, the latter correspondence clerk. Ellis G. is in the city high school.
The family reside in a comfortable home at No. 153 Chapin Street, which is the attrac- tive centre of a refined and cultivated circle of friends. They occupy a high social po- sition ; and both in business and church affairs Mr. Morse is regarded with universal respect and esteem. Mr. and Mrs. Morse attend the First Presbyterian Church of Bing- hamton, of which Mrs. Morse is a member. Politically, Mr. Morse is a stanch Republican.
ODNEY C. WOODWARD, a prosper- ous land-owner and farmer, living near the village of Windsor, N. Y., is a descendant, on the maternal side, of the Rev. Ebenezer Knibloe, who came to America nearly a century and a half ago from Scot- land, where he was born in 1729, and settled at Phillips Manor in Putnam County, New York. After remaining there about two years, the Rev. Mr. Knibloe removed to Litchfield County, Connecticut, where he ministered to a large congregation. But those were the times of discontent with the mother country and mutterings of the coming storm, which culminated in the fierce struggle for inde- . pendence, making every man suspicious and watchful of his neighbors' actions. It was
soon remarked that, while the dominie was a good and pious preacher, he did not seem to dislike the British rule as the patriots did; and he consequently fell into disfavor. He gave up preaching then, and lived retired until his death, at the age of fifty-six years, in the year 1785. He had reared four chil- dren.
Abel Woodward, the paternal grandfather of Rodney C., was born in Litchfield County, Connecticut. He was a stanch member of the "old line" Whig party, and was one of the early merchants of Watertown, Conn., living there for some years, and removing in 1798 to the town of Sharon in the same State, where he filled the position of Superintendent of the Poor. A Deacon of the Congregational church 'and a worthy and exemplary Chris- tian, he died March 5, 1849, at the age of seventy - eight years. Of his three sons, David W., Abel C., and George R., the last- named is the only one now living.
David Woodward was born in Litchfield .County, Connecticut, where he carried on through life the occupation of general farming and stock-raising, and was a busy and success- ful man. He owned three handsome farms, and was classed among the most prosperous farmers in his town, in which he filled many of the leading offices, being a Selectman, which is equivalent to Supervisor in this State. In his early days he was a Whig, but joined the Republican ranks on the formation of that party. He married Miss Eliza Knib- loe, who was born in Litchfield County, July 3, 1806. They became the parents of twelve
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children, ten of whom grew up; but only six are now living. They are as follows: Ralph K., residing on the old home farm in Connec- ticut; Roana, widow of C. T. Lovell, of Sharon, Conn .; Rodney C .; Emma, Mrs. L. Gardner, and David W., both living in Kan- sas; and George R., train despatcher of the Erie Railroad at Buffalo, N.Y. The father was born December 28, 1799, and died at his home in Connecticut, April 12, 1860. His wife died in 1849, at the age of forty-three years. They were both earnest, consistent, and faithful members of the Methodist church.
Rodney C. Woodward was born in the town of Sharon, Litchfield County, Conn., July I, 1833; was educated, and grew to manhood at his home there. He followed the course of the district schools, and finished in the higher schools of the place, and until twenty-two . years of age stayed with his father, assisting him, and acquiring practical knowledge and skill in agriculture. After his marriage Mr. . Woodward leased land, and began farming on his own account. In 1856 he removed to Broome County, where he has since resided. HIis first purchase of land was in the town of Windsor, and consisted of one hundred and twenty-five acres. For four years he re- mained there, and then moved to the town of Chenango, where he owned a farm and lived for ten years. Selling that place, he removed to the city of Binghamton, and was there en- gaged in various lines of business for eleven years. In 1883 he returned to Windsor, and has since made his home on a farm adjoining the village. Ile has sold many of the lots 1
from his farm, and is largely interested in real estate besides his farming work.
In 1855 Mr. Woodward was married to Miss Sarah J. Dutcher, a native of Dutchess County, New York, and daughter of Silas and Laura (Booth) Dutcher. They have no chil- dren. Mrs. Woodward's father was a farmer in that county for many years, but spent his last days in the town of Chenango, Broome County. Ile died October 21, 1867, and his wife, February 16, 1869. They were Bap- tists in religious belief, and he belonged to the Republican party. Of their six children, three are now living, namely: Mrs. Mary Everett, of the town of Chenango; Mrs. Woodward; and Charles J., a cabinet-maker, of Williamsport, l'a.
Mr. Woodward is a thorough Republican, bringing his best endeavors to the support of that party. While his wife is a devoted member of the Baptist church, he is liberal in his religious views and faithful to the princi- ples of the Masonic craft, being a member of Binghamton Lodge, No. 177. 1Ie is also connected with the Improved Order of Red Men. Mr. Woodward is a prosperous, influ- ential, and popular man in the county, and has illustrated in his life the value of the thrifty and industrious habits for which the natives of Connecticut are so well known.
HARLES N. HOGG, Chief Engineer of the Binghamton Fire Department, was born in Seneca County, New York, July 7, 1854, a son of David and
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Sophronia (Bancroft) Hogg. His father, who is a dealer in produce, hay, and feed, and is one of the older settlers of this place, was born in Scotland. He came to this country when eleven years old, and settled in Bing- hamton in his early manhood. Sophronia Bancroft, whom he married, was a native of this county.
Charles N. received his education in the public schools of Binghamton, finishing in the high school. Seized by the Western fever while a young man, desiring to make a start in life, he yielded to his desire, and fared forth in that direction. First he went to Hannibal, Mo., thence to Denver, Col., where he engaged in surveying. He devel- oped into a civil engineer of marked ability, and did a large amount of work all through the West; was with the Union Pacific Rail- road survey for its branches in Colorado and Nebraska - so that his Western trip was of considerable advantage to him from an educa- tional point of view. In 1885 he returned to the city of Binghamton, and engaged with Lester & Co. in the shoe trade for one year. About 1886 he entered the freight department of the Erie Railroad, where he held a position which he still retains. "He first became a member of the Binghamton Fire Department in 1872, joining the Crystal Hose Company, which membership he has held for twenty-one years. He was Foreman of that company for three years, then Assistant Engineer for one year, and in February, 1892, was elected Chief Engineer, assuming the duties of the office the following March, since which time
he has had entire supervision of the depart- ment, conducting the same with credit to himself and satisfaction to the people gener- ally. In March of the present year, 1894, he was appointed by the Board of Fire Commis- sioners permanent Chief Engineer.
David Ilogg, the father of Charles N., was born at Ettrick Parish, Scotland, January 4, 1823, a son of Robert and Elizabeth (Oliver) Hogg. Ile comes from a noted ancestry, his father, Robert, being a brother of the poet, James llogg, so widely known as the Ettrick Shepherd. Robert Hogg with his family started for this country in 1833, but he died while on the ocean. The mother of David completed the voyage with the children, and joined two of the older boys at Silver Lake, Pa. The union of Robert Hogg with Eliza- beth Oliver was blessed with many children, namely: William, now in Maine, Broome County, N. Y .; Isabella, wife of William Parsley, of Maine; Samuel, who died in Bing- hamton; James, who died in the town of Union ; Margaret, who married Albert Crane, of Binghamton, and died in 1892; David, the father of the subject of this sketch; Eliza- beth, wife of Daniel Wilson, of Binghamton ; and Robert, of Maine, N.Y. The family moved to Maine, Broome County, in 1838, which place is still called home. David was with the family on the farm during his boy- hood, and subsequently lived with the Hon. John A. Collier for twelve years. He has been engaged in the hay and produce business for the last twenty years, having his office at 141 Conklin Avenue. On February 9, 1849,
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he married Miss Sophronia Bancroft. They have brought up a family of five children, all of whom are living, namely: Anna W., wife of N. J. Rulison, of Rockland, N. Y .; Nellie, wife of F. C. Harding, of Binghamton; Charles N .; Andrew J., of St. Joseph, Mo. ; and Lewis, of New York City. He is a strong temperance man, and has been identi- fied with the Sons of Temperance and the Good Templars.
EE M. CAFFERTY, a public-spirited and popular citizen of Binghamton, N. Y., was born at Union, N. Y., December 12, 1854, son of Charles M. and Caroline A. (Dubois) Cafferty. As far back as the time of his great-grandfather the Caf- ferty family were known as pioneers of Broome County, New York, especially around the town of Union, where they bought im- mense tracts of land. Charles M. was born at Union, and was the son of Josiah Cafferty, who was a lumberman and a pilot, carrying on the business of running rafts down the Sus- quehanna River.
Charles Cafferty removed to Binghamton in 1856, becoming the proprietor of the Che- nango House, on the west side of the Che- mango River, and on the site where the present First Congregational Church of Bing- hamton stands. He remained in the hotel business all his life, being successively pro- prietor of the Exchange Hotel and the Amer- ican Hotel, afterward changed into the Cafferty House, when it was remodelled and
enlarged. Ile was one of the best known hotel - keepers in Southern New York and ' Northern Pennsylvania, and was Supervisor of the town for some terms. He died in 1877. Mrs. Charles Cafferty was a daughter of Lewis Dubois, one of the pioneer families of Vestal, Broome County, N.Y. Iler father was a prominent early settler of the town of Vestal, and a Supervisor for some years.
Lee M. Cafferty was educated in the city schools of Binghamton, and then at Amenia, Dutchess County, N. Y., preparatory school. After that he went into the City National Bank of Binghamton, where he was corre- sponding clerk and book-keeper for eight years. In 1878, shortly after the death of his father, he engaged in the livery business, which had hitherto been carried on by him, the elder Mr. Cafferty having taken it during the late war. The son continued it in the old stable on Water Street, where it had been running for thirty years. In the summer of 1892 the stable was burned, which gave Mr. Cafferty an opportunity to carry out his long- cherished plan of putting up as handsome a . livery as could be found in Southern New York. He built a fine new stable with room for forty-one horses and elevator for carriages. llis barn is one hundred and twenty-two by eighty-four feet, a two-story brick building, and is a model of its kind.
Energetic and deservedly popular, Mr. Lee M. Cafferty is connected with all the promi- nent societies and enterprises of Binghamton. 1Ie is Secretary of the Binghamton Driving Park Association, having worked industri-
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ously for its interests, not only being its Sec- retary, but Treasurer for ten years. He was Supervisor for the Ninth Ward for the term of 1893, and was re-elected in the spring of 1894 for two years. He is a charter member of the Dobson Club, and is a general favorite in all society gatherings. In the fraternal orders he is connected with Otseningo Lodge, A. F. & A. M., Binghamton Chapter, Bing- hamton Consistory, and Malta Commandery.
He is still unmarried, and resides in a pleasant home on Washington Street with his mother, to whom he is a devoted son. His only brother, Lucius D., who has been a resi- dent of Chicago, Ill., for some years, has re- cently received an important appointment in the Binghamton post-office, and will make his residence in this city.
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