USA > New York > Broome County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Broome County, New York. > Part 28
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residing in Iowa; Church, a resident of Conklin; George and Frank, living in Iowa; Harriet, Mrs. Charles Gillespie, residing in Binghamton; Fred, who lives at home. Sarah died at the age of forty. Edgar, who served in the late war as a member of Eighty- ninth New York Infantry, Company F, and Darwin, who served in the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh New York Infantry, Company C, are both now deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Bagley still reside on the old home farm, where they have lived together for sixty years. Mrs. Bagley has been a devoted and hard-working helpmeet to her husband in their long period of wedded life. They are both sincere and active workers in the Metho- dist church, and illustrate their faith by their Christian deeds. Mr. Bagley is an adherent of the Republican party, and has served for five years as Postmaster, which position he still holds at Conklin Centre. He has also been Road Commissioner and Poor-master.
OP PRED M. HARDING, the efficient rail- way station agent at Chenango Bridge, was born in Nicholson, Pa., in 1861, and is a son of Lemuel Harding, a coal-dealer of Port Dickinson, who was born in 1830 near Middletown, Orange County, N.Y. His an- cestry were nearly all, so far as known, en- gaged in agriculture. Lemuel Harding, who was the son of an earlier Lemuel, married Hannah E. Hallstead, a daughter of Orin L. and Mary (Rivenburg) Hallstead, from Ben- ton, l'a., and a sister of W. F. Hallstead,
General Manager of the Lackawanna Railway system. From this union of Lemuel Harding and Hannah E. Hallstead there were four children, namely: Fred M., a daughter and a son who died in infancy, and Ogden L., a young man of twenty-one, who lives in Binghamton, where he is a clerk of the Lack- awanna system.
Having attended school most of the time till fifteen years old, being then anxious to make something for himself, Fred M. Hard- ing went to work as telegraph operator at Nicholson, where his father was in business as a general merchant, having been the first to engage in trade at that point. Fred re- mained thus employed for four years, when he was sent to Lisle as the telegrapher for that station. He stayed there about six months, or until October, 1880, and then came to Che- nango Bridge, where he has since been the agent or depot master. On the eighth day of June, 1887, he was married to Jennie Smith, daughter of Robert Smith. She died in Feb- ruary, 1892, when thirty-two years old, leav- ing one little daughter, Jannet, aged four years. Mr. llarding was again married in September, 1893, to Laura Everett, daughter of Newton F. and Mary (Dutcher) Everett. Her parents are both from Connecticut, and are now engaged in farming here.
Mr. Harding belongs to the Improved Order of Red Men, and is one of the Knights of the Mystic Chain. He is a worker in the temperance cause, and can always be found; for there is no milk-and-water expression on this vital question. Very many of the other-
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wise honest and consistent citizens of the United States say that they believe in certain moral principles applicable to the great social questions of the day, and then shirk the re- sponsibility of voting or acting in accordance therewith. The subject of this sketch is not among that number; for he may be found in the ranks working and voting for what he believes right, regardless of the sneers and innuendoes of people who have not the cour- age of their convictions. Religiously, he is l'resbyterian, but worships here with the Methodist church. He is not closely bound by any creed or dogma, believes in religion as taught by the Divine Master. He has been the superintendent of a non-sectarian Sunday-school here, and is a worker in the Christian Endeavor Societies, being with his wife a power for good in the community.
ILLIAM P. HOLBERT is an expe- rienced lumber manufacturer and dealer, having been established in this busi- ness at Equinunk, Pa., as long ago as 1869. 'Ile has lived in Binghamton, N.Y., since 1890, but still retains his interests at Equi- nunk, where he has two mills in operation for getting out hard-wood lumber, which is sold at wholesale at that place. The plant in Binghamton occupies about two acres at the intersection of George and Catherine Streets, with switching facilities on the Delaware & Hudson and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railways.
Mr. Holbert was born at Lackawaxen, Pa.,
January 19, 1852, son of William and Emma (Poole) Holbert. For three generations the family are counted as natives of Lackawaxen. Benjamin Holbert, the great-grandfather of William P., was of an old New England fam- ily, and migrated from Connecticut to Penn- sylvania, settling in Pike County before the Revolutionary War. One of Benjamin's brothers left Connecticut with him at the same time, and settled in Chemung County, New York State. Benjamin bought a large tract of land in what is now Lackawaxen, but which was then a virgin forest, and cleared it for a home and farm. Joseph, son of Benja- min, spent his life there as a farmer. The family were all members of the early Baptist church.
William Holbert, son of Joseph, was born August 12, 1829. lle followed lumbering for his business, going to Wayne County, Pennsylvania, where he made his home in Berlin Township for twelve years, and then at Equinunk for some time, finally returning to his native place, Lackawaxen, where he kept a summer hotel until his death, April 6, 1889, aged fifty-nine years, seven months, and twenty-three days. Ile married a Miss Poole, a native of Connecticut, who died April 26, 1861, leaving a family of seven children, of whom William P. was next to the eldest. The father was a Republican in pol- itics, and was Commissioner for Wayne County three years. He was a strong repre- sentative man of the county, and so pro- nounced in his politics that many times he cast the only Republican ballot in Lacka-
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waxen Township. Mr. Holbert was also largely interested in saw-mills and tanneries.
The subject of this brief biography received an excellent education at the common school of Beach Pond, Pa., and at Monticello Acad- emy, and then, coming to Binghamton, N. Y., took a course in Lowell's Commercial Col- lege. About the year 1869 he entered with his father to assist him in his lumber and tannery 'interests, remaining with him until 1880, when he went into business for himself at Equinunk. Since settling in Binghamton, Mr. ITolbert has built up one of the largest trades in his line in this city, selling to dealers along the line of the different railways and to contractors and builders in the city at retail, but making a specialty of filling large and heavy contracts. To this lumber busi- ness he has added stone, lime, and cements from Rosendale, Portland, and Howe's Cave. HIe handles cut stone, notably the Lake Supe- rior red stone, Amherst blue and buff, War- saw blue, and also the native stone. Among the prominent buildings for which he has fur- nished the stone were the Guild Building at Walton, N. Y., Wilkinson Block, Bingham- ton, and the Danforth Block at Bainbridge. Besides this, all kinds of cut work and flag- ging are done in his establishment, giving employment to from twenty to thirty men, according to the season.
Mr. Holbert was married on August 23, 1876, to Miss Eva Dillon, daughter of John Doyle Dillon, of Equinunk. They are mem- bers of the Tabernacle Methodist Church, and reside at No. 92 Oak Street, Binghamton.
Mr. Holbert is a Republican in politics. It is a pleasure to chronicle the success and prosperity of so valuable a citizen to Bing- hamton as Mr. lolbert. Ilis business expe- rience and liberal and enterprising methods have secured for himself and his establish- ment a high position in the esteem of the community.
OLPHUS S. WHITNEY, a farmer of the town of Triangle, has lived on his present place since 1873, and is among those who appreciate the advantages of farm life. lle believes in a home of his own, and is therewith content, having no desire to roam a restless wanderer upon the face of the earth. IIe was born in this vicin- ity in 1833. His father, Dexter Whitney, was born in 1794, and died in 1867. Ilis grandfather, Asa Whitney, a native of New England, married a Miss Jackson. They were among the very first settlers in this part of the country, where they owned two hundred acres of heavily timbered land. Asa Whit- ney died in Ohio at an advanced age, his wife having passed away about six years previ- ously. They brought up four sons and three daughters, none of whom are now living. Dexter Whitney married Eliza Day, a daugh- ter of Abram Day, of Massachusetts, who was also an early settler, coming here about 1800, and whose wife was Anna Brooks, of Massachusetts.
Dolphus S. Whitney is the sixth child and second son of twelve children born to his parents, six of whom are now living, and in ,
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this town of Triangle, namely: Aurelia, wife of Stephen Losee; Annette, wife of George P. Sibley; Dolphus S. ; Joseph B. ; Adelbert R .; and William D. The mother of these children died in 1891, in her eighty-fourth year, universally beloved and mourned by a large circle of friends. Dolphus was brought up on the farm, received a fair education, and was early accustomed to habits of industry.
IIe was married when twenty-one years old to Luraney Crandall, who died October 3, 1868, in her thirty-first year, leaving. two children : Walter D., a book-keeper in Bing- hamton, who is married, and has one daughter, Flora B .; and Birdella E., wife of Frank Ticknor, of Greene, having one son, Walter L. Mr. Whitney was again married to Cor- phelia E. Day, daughter of Seymour S. and Polly (McGilfrey) Day. Her father died April 1, 1894, his seventy-fifth year; and her mother, on June 2. 1894, at the same age. Their last years were spent at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Whitney. They had buried a daughter, Helen, who was the wife of James L. Talbert. The living children of this fam- ily are the following: Corphelia E., Mrs. Whitney; William, now in the Far West; Adella M., wife of C. M. Parker, a travelling man of Binghamton; and Frances, wife of Walter D. Whitney, of Binghamton.
Mr. and Mrs. Dolphus S. Whitney have four children, namely: Lilian L., wife of the Rev. G. Frank Johnson, a Baptist minister of Norwich, N. Y., whose daughter, Evangel Mary, was born April 25, 1894; Arthur D., a student in Binghamton; Howard B., at
home, now sixteen years old; and Nellie I., at home, eight years old. Mr. Whitney has one hundred and eleven acres in the home place, and one hundred and forty acres below the village tenanted. They keep a dairy on both places, having about thirty cows, and also have a fine flock of pure-bred Shropshire sheep. They have an interest in a milk fac- tory which consumes the product of the dairy. Mr. Whitney built his nice house one-half mile north of Triangle in 1872, and enjoys a pleasant home.
EORGE F. O'NEIL, proprietor, and CORNELIUS F. MCCORMICK, editor of the Daily Leader, may well claim, without sacrifice of truth or modesty, that . the instrumentality of this paper in aiding the material advancement of Binghamton's di- versified interests has been by no means insignificant. The Leader was born of no convulsion. It came into existence in re- sponse to a public need, and proceeded at once to fill a fallow field. This need was of a twofold character, embracing the exigen- cies of local journalism and local politics. The citizens of Binghamton and the Demo- cratic party of Binghamton were ready to welcome the fledgling that made its first appearance on the tenth day of September, 1869, under the doubly significant title of the Democratic Leader; and its success was as- sured from the start, not by virtue of its com- ing into existence, but because it made itself felt in the community, and because it never
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failed to meet the highest expectations of its friends and the Binghamton public.
The founder of the Leader was the late Abram W. Carl, who at first established it as a weekly paper, and who lost no time in plac- ing it on a sound business and popular basis. Mr. Carl was a printer by trade and a practi- cal politician ; and his experience had fur- nished him with excellent equipment for the work to which he set his hand. He was a man of the strongest convictions, politically and otherwise; and his natural aggressiveness imparted a decision and a crispness to his edi- torial work that gave it a character and indi- viduality that embodied strength and the quality of readableness. Binghamton had worn municipal honors less than two years when Mr. Carl launched his little argosy on the journalistic sea, and the infant city beneficially felt the generous influence that his paper wielded in its interest. From that time to the present, when Binghamton's com- manding municipal stature is the envy of its sister cities, which it has outstripped in the march of progress, the Leader has always been an important factor in local advancement ; and the business, social, political, and relig- jous interests of the city have profited in great degree from its conservative but pro- gressive policy in dealing with important public questions. Side by side, Binghamton and the Leader, mutually helpful, have faced every obstacle on the upward march, until to-day both can look back upon a creditable past, and feel a glow of pride in the retrospect.
The Democratic Leader had enjoyed more
than eight years of uninterrupted success when its enterprising founder saw in the growing needs of his community a splendid opportunity for the establishment of a suc- cessful daily paper; and, accordingly, on the 25th of April, 1878, appeared the first number of the Binghamton Leader, modestly appealing for public patronage, and meeting a prompt and generous response. There was no change of policy. For Binghamton and the Democratic party had been the watchword of the weekly, and the same watchword met all the requirements of the new venture. The same spirit of progress that had animated the weekly infused itself into the efforts of the publisher of the daily, while the enlarge- ment of its scope and sphere of usefulness gave it additional opportunity for carrying on the good work that had been laid out for it.
And thus for ten years the Leader grew and flourished, until, on the 24th of October, 1888, death laid its enterprising founder low, and the paper fell into new though not less capable hands. The business was conducted under an executor's trust for a few years, until carly in 1893 the Leader plant came into the possession of Mr. George F. O'Neil, the paper's most faithful well-wisher and car- liest financial friend.
It would be surprising if the Leader had not felt the impetus that Mr. O'Neil's extensive business experience enabled him to impart to it, and it has felt it in newness of life .. So that, with all its success in the past, it is now on the threshold of still greater achieve- ment. At this writing the finest and best
,
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appointed press ever fashioned by the hand of man is in process of construction, prepara- tion is making for the introduction of all the modern improvements that constitute the equipment of a leading American newspaper, and every facility for the procurement and dissemination of the news of the day will be a feature of the new departure that Mr. O'Neil is contemplating; that he has, in fact, already set on foot. With the ability, experience, and means at his command, and with his determination to distance all com- petitors in his field, there can be no doubt whatever that Mr. O'Neil will establish the Leader on a basis that will secure for it a place among the leading newspapers of the country. Occupying a wide and rapidly extending fiehl, there is practically no limit to its sphere of operation and usefulness in the future that has been marked out for it.
The editorial department of the Leader is under the supervision of Mr. C. F. MeCor- mick, who has shown special adaptability for the work. Although comparatively young in the business, enjoying a newspaper experience · of less than eight years, he has, by applica- tion and industry, acquired a competent knowledge of the requirements of his posi- tion; and his duties are always creditably dis charged. With a keen appreciation of the amenities of journalism and a judicious com- prehension of the relations that ought to exist between . a newspaper and its readers, he has succeeded in smoothing away many of the asperities that have affected local journalism, and given the Leader an agreeable impress in
tone and style. His associate editor is Mr. Frederick A. Garrett, a young man of most attractive parts and agreeable manner, edu- cated, refined, and assiduous. As a reporter, he easily ranked among the best, most ener- getic, and most conscientious workers in the field of news-gathering; and, having won bis spurs, he stepped easily and gracefully into the editorial position he now adorns. Modest and affable, and with a remarkable capacity for work, he is regarded, deservedly, as one of the most valuable members of the guild in the city of Binghamton. At the head of the reportorial force is Mr. Herman S. South- worth, one of the youngest but at the same time one of the most industrious and reliable news-gatherers in the city. To his brilliant intellectual endowment and marked capabili- ties he adds personal traits of the most attrac- " tive character, and he finds his work greatly aided by the friendliness he so readily in- spires. One of his coworkers is Mr. Zoltan A. Stegmuller, who is an excellent reporter, and who is also possessed of qualities that render him a useful man in the business de- partment. The special work is intrusted to Miss Ethel Plain, a young lady of fine endow- ments and of concentrated devotion to her duties. Her culture and refinement lend a charm to her productions, and her graceful writing is an attractive feature of the Leader's columns.
The telegraphie news service is superin- tended by Mr. Seymour Il. Bierhardt, who is not only an expert manipulator of the key, but also a forceful and graceful commenta-
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tor on current topics. With the facilities that the Leader enjoys in its possession of both the Associated Press and United Press franchises, Mr. Bierhardt is enabled to render valued service in his department; and his work shows to advantage in the Leader's tele- graphic columns.
Mr. John D. McDonald is the foreman of the Leader's composing-room, and the respon- sibilities of that department rest easily on his competent shoulders. The duties of this important position are capably discharged by Mr. McDonald; and, while he is still a very young man, he is old in wisdom and capa- bility, and he is, therefore, one of the most valued attachés of the Leader's force. Mr. John P. O'Hare, the foreman of the press- room, is another young man of exceptional ability; and the work of that department al- ways shows the good effect of his guiding hand. In the job-room Mr. Charles T. Keane is in command. He is also young in years, but he is possessed of the taste and dis- crimination that serve to render his depart- ment attractive to business men and all others desiring first-class job work. A good printer and a careful and accurate estimator, Mr. Keane is a valuable man in his department.
The business concerns of the paper are ably looked after by Mr. Walter D. Whitney, one of the foremost young business men of the city. Mr. Whitney's remarkable capacity for work, his adaptability to his field of labor, and his wonderful grasp of details supply him with an equipment that is rarely found even in the counting-room; and it is not too much
to say that he is regarded throughout the establishment as practically indispensable. An expert accountant, a skilled book-keeper, a graceful penman, an adept at grouping details, a ready calculator, and a courteous gentleman, he is an acquisition of which the Leader is proud, and a man who is without a superior in his line of duty.
The circulation of the Leader is superin- tended by Mr. M. D. Taft, who also super- vises the collection department. Mr. Taft's connection with the office is of long standing, and his services are up to the highest standard.
The Leader occupies the double four-story building at Nos. 167 and 169 Water Street. It is pleasantly and advantageously located, and has plenty of space at command for the accommodation of contemplated improvements and for the great and increasing demands of its business. The paper circulates exten- sively in several counties in Southern New York and Northern Pennsylvania; and its ad- . vertising patronage is unsurpassed among pro- vincial papers, either in quality or in extent. The aim of those in charge is to make it a. clean, wholesome, and reliable family news- paper; and, as such, it is an excellent me- dium as between the advertisers and the general public.
The unvarying policy of the Leader is to seek to retain old friends and to strain after new ones, and with such an object in view all that is necessary is an accurate comprehension of the plans and methods that are best calcu- lated to produce the best results along this line; and, with the intellectual and business,
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forces that unite in making the Leader, there can be little doubt that the great aim of its publishers will be secured in the future, as it has been in the past.
SA B. PARSONS, an esteemed resi- dent of the town of Conklin, a practi- cal farmer, was born January 26, 1817, in the town of Barker, Broome County, N. Y., son of Orlando and Eliza (Beach) Par- sons. The father was born in Massachusetts, and his wife was a native of Broome County. Jacob Parsons, father of Orlando, was a mer- chant of the city of Boston, and was in busi- ness there during the Revolutionary War. A native of England, he was in sympathy with the British government during those years of trouble. Ile moved to Broome County in 1791, when it was mostly a wilderness, and settled in the town of Lisle, owning land which was secured by the "Boston purchase." It was a very large tract that he gained; and he paid but seven cents an acre, the surveying of which cost, in addition, seven cents more per acre. He possessed in .all about four thousand acres in Broome County at one time. Ile reared a family of nine children, who all lived to be quite aged, but are now deceased. Mr. Beach, father of Mrs. Orlando Parsons, was a patriot of the Revolution, shouldering his musket when but seventeen years of age, and serving all during the war. Two of his brothers fell on the battlefield of Bunker Hill.
Orlando Parsons came to this county when
a mere boy of seven years of age, and grew to manhood in the town of Lisle, which is now called Barker. He was a hard-working and successful farmer, following this occupation through life. He came to the town of Conk- lin, and bought the farm where his son Asa now lives. It was all wild land when the purchase was made, and they cut the road which is now used between there and Bing- hamton. The father died here at the age of sixty-two, and his wife when fifty-two. They were members of the Baptist church. They had a family of eight children, of whom three are now living: Asa B., the eldest; Mary, who resides in Binghamton ; and Emily, mar- ried Mr. Bradley, also residing in Bingham- ton. Mr. Parsons always took an active interest in the affairs of his town, and during his life held several offices. He was a coni- missioned officer in the War of 1812, but was not in active service.
In the town of Lisle Asa B. Parsons grew to manhood, and received a good education in the excellent schools of the county. He re- mained at home until his father's death, and then assumed the charge of the farm, a por- tion of which he afterward bought, and still owns. With the exception of the first two years after marriage, which were spent in Binghamton in the furniture business, he has been engaged in general farming and stock- raising all through life. Ile was married when about thirty-five years of age to Miss Margaret J. Lawyer, daughter of Jacob and Magdalene Lawyer. Iler father was a wagon- maker, and carried on the business in the city
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of Binghamton. He died when quite a young man, leaving a family of four children, of whom four are now living, as follows: George and William, of Binghamton, N. Y. ; Mrs. l'arsons and Mrs. Beach, who also reside in that city. Mr. and Mrs. Parsons have three children: Carrie, Mrs. Nelson S. Suydam, William L., and George B., all residing in the city of Binghamton, N. Y.
Mr. Parsons yet gives his personal attention to his flourishing farm. He is one of the representative citizens of the town of Conk- lin, and he and his wife are regarded with the highest respect and esteem by their fellow- townspeople. Mr. Parsons is a member of the Baptist church, and at the national elections votes the Democratic ticket, but in local poli- tics is on the side of the Prohibition party. Mrs. Parsons is a strict member of the P'res- byterian church. A stout, vigorous man for his years, Mr. Parsons bids fair to witness for many years the increasing growth and pros- perity of Broome County. His energy in its interests never lacks, and he is especially . concerned in the cause of temperance. He has served efficiently for some years on the Board of Excise.
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