USA > New York > Broome County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Broome County, New York. > Part 6
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OHN W. CUTLER, Superintendent of the Lake Ice Company, a well-known and popular citizen of the town of Binghamton, Broome County, N. Y., was born here March 9, 1868. His father, William D. Cutler, and his paternal grandfather, John W. Cutler, Sr., from whom he derived his name, were natives of Dutchess County, New York, and moved to the town of Binghamton when this place was still in its infancy. The grand- father's first purchase of land was what is at present known as the Clonney farm. Later he bought the farm on which the subject of this biographical sketch now resides. Both of these tracts of land were heavily timbered, and were cleared by the purchaser, who laid out the farm and erected the present fine
buildings. Previous to his coming to Bing- hamton he was engaged in the ore business in Dutchess County, which he sold before re- moving from that place.
A self-made man, John W. Cutler, the elder, had embraced every opportunity for furnishing his mind with useful knowledge, and was well versed in all matters of impor- tance of the day. He was especially profi- cient in questions of law, and knew the intri- cacies of legal matters almost as well as a professional. In 1866 he founded the Lake Ice Company, a business which is still carried on by his descendants, and is the largest of its kind in the city of Binghamton, owning buildings having a storage capacity of four- teen thousand tons. Mr. Cutler was a man highly esteemed and popular in the town and city of Binghamton. He was Supervisor of the county for two terms. He married Miss Julia Ann Abel, of Dutchess County, New York, by whom he had four stalwart sons, who became men of note and prominence in the annals of Binghamton. They were as follows: William D., above named, whose wife was Martha Thomas; Philander, who also married a Miss Thomas; George, the celebrated athlete, who married Miss Alice Schoaff, of l'aris, Ill., and on retiring from his profession made his home in Broome County, where he died in February, 1892; Perry E., who resides in Binghamton, and is connected with the ice company.
Mr. Perry E. Cutler married first a Miss Shaw, who died, leaving three children, Arthur W., Edna, and Starr. He married
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second Miss Dell Ostrander. William D. Cutler, at the age of eighteen, went to the West, and worked in a steam mill, where he got his first start in life. He then returned to the homestead, and worked at farming until the establishing of the ice business, when he entered the company, with which he remained until his death, June 1, 1888, at the early age of forty-eight years, leaving a wife and one son, John W. Mrs. William Cutler was originally from Coventry, Chenango County, N. Y., and was the daughter of Wiley Thomas, of that place. She resides with her son.
John W. Cutler, the second of this honor- able name, at first pursued his studies in the district school near his farm-house home, and afterward in the high school of Binghamton, from which he was graduated with distin- guished honors at the age of eighteen. He has been ever since actively engaged in the ice business, serving the company in various capacities, his father's share in its manage- ment having at the time of that parent's death devolved upon him. October 16, 1889, he married Miss Mattie S. Barney, a resident of Chicago, Ill., daughter of James and Mis- souri M. Barney, of that city. One child has been born to this union, Mildred Louise, now about two years of age. Mrs. Cutler is a member of the Christian church. In the ancient craft of Masonry Mr. Cutler takes a hearty interest, being connected with Otsen- ingo Lodge, Binghamton Chapter, and Malta Commandery of this city. He is also a member of the Improved Order of Red Men of Port Dickinson, N. Y. His political princi-
ples are those of the Republican party, which is the party of the entire family, as it has been from the time of his grandfather. He is Commissioner of Highways of Port Dick- inson, having been elected to that office in February, 1892. This young man gives promise of a life of usefulness and rectitude. llis beautiful home is ever hospitably open to his many friends, and he is ably seconded by his accomplished wife in the pleasant duties of giving them a graceful welcome. There is abundant reason to predict for Mr. Cutler a prosperous and happy future, accompanied by the highest esteem of his fellow-citizens.
ON. JOHN A. COLLIER, without whose memoir no biographical his- tory of Broome County would be complete, was born in Litchfield, Conn., No- vember 13, 1787, and counted among his ancestors some of the most distinguished people in the annals of the New England colonies. From his early years he was a close student, and, as he grew to manhood, developed an observant and reflective mind, not only in the study of books, but of men and current events. He was graduated with honors at Yale College, and immediately entered upon the study of law. Admitted to the bar in Troy, N. Y., in 1809, he came to Binghamton in that year, and opened an office for the practice of law. His forensic power was at once recognized. His particular qual- ities of tactful eloquence, wit which scintil- lated without hurting, soon gained for him a
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reputation which was second to that of no lawyer in the State.
Shortly after his arrival in this country Mr. Collier became associated with Daniel LeRoy in his law business, and together they formed a firm which proved formidable to all com- petitors; and in their immense legal business they acquired not only national celebrity, but also a large amount of wealth. Political honors, too, came to Mr. Collier, he being elected in 1818 District Attorney - the first appointment of that kind in Broome County -- and in 1830 was sent to Congress, and was also the first to represent the county there. He was honored with the office of Comptrol- ler of the State, and in many ways served his country with unquestioned ability. These high official positions came to him unsought ; and, although gratifying, no one more clearly realized the emptiness of earthly grandeur than Mr. Collier, and it may not be out of place to quote from a beautiful letter written by him on Thanksgiving Day of 1856 to his family from New York City.
"When I look about me, not with my vision bounded by these walls, but extending it, as it requires no effort to do, over the dis- tance that separates us, what abundant occa- sion have I for humble thanksgiving? The honors of this world - if they are worth an honorable man's ambition - have 1 not had my full share? I received and held various offices in the days of De Witt Clinton, Web- ster, Clay, Calhoun, and other men of those times, when one might be well proud of honors, if they were not purchased - and
mine were not - by self-abasement and grov- elling demagogism, but were unsought, volun- tarily offered and bestowed; and, if the offices were of no very high rank, they were cer- tainly respectable, and their various duties ful- filled at least without reproach. Others may have higher aspirations, but it is sufficient for me that I desire no more. If I had my full measure of such distinctions, so that my am- bition and desires are satisfied, there surely is cause of thanksgiving in this. Distinction in an honorable profession I have held; but I have earned it, too, by a long life of laborious industry.
"If I pause here, then, having received the unbought honors of the world with abundant . personal comforts, never knowing hunger or want, holding a high rank in my profession, enjoying a long life of perfect health, pos- sessed of a reasonable share of this world's goods, 'have I not great and abundant cause for thanksgiving in being so much blessed and favored above the average of my fellow- ยท men ? "
Mr. Collier was married three times. IIis first wife was Miss Barbara Doty, who was born April 1, 1790, and to whom he was mar- ried in 1810. To this marriage were born four children, namely: Frances, born in : ISI1; Julia, born in 1813; Henry M., in 1815; and James, in 1821. Julia married Lewis Morris, and died in 1874, leaving one daughter, Helen Elizabeth, wife of Burton M. Babcock, of Binghamton, N.Y. Mrs. Bab- cock died in 1886; and her husband and two children, Charles and Harriet, survive her.
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Henry M. married Miss Sarah Jane Pierce, August 21, 1838. She was born in Pough- keepsie, Dutchess County, and was one of ten children born to Marinus and Jane Pierce. Henry Collier died in 1863, and his wife in 1884. Their three children were: Frances, Mrs. Norman Phelps; Jennie, wife of Captain Laurel L. Olmsted; and Ella Stuart, unmar- ried. James, the fourth child, died, leav- ing one daughter, Isabella. After the death of his first wife the Hon. John A. Collier married a Miss Shepherd, of Utica, N.Y .; but she died only six months later. Mr. Collier next married Miss Elizabeth Morris, of Morris, who survives him, and now resides in the city of Rochester, N.Y., with her daughter, Mrs. Helen Stuyvesant Wright, the widow of the late Thomas Wright. This gentleman was a partner of Daniel S. Dick- inson, and one of the brightest and most brilliant of the younger generation of lawyers of that day. Mr. and Mrs. Wright were the parents of three children; namely, John A., Mary, and Thomas.
In 1835 Mr. Collier purchased about four- teen thousand acres of land known as "Watt's Patent," for which he paid the sum of ten thousand dollars. This was situated between Binghamton and Colesville. Previous to this, in 1823, he, with eight other gentlemen, bought the Barzillai Gray place of some fifty acres. On the portion of this land which fell to his lot Mr. Collier in 1837 built the elegant mansion which he called Ingle- side. This residence, although now fallen into decay, still bears the marks of its former
grandeur, and is filled with historic memories to the older generation of Binghamton, who enjoyed its lavish hospitality, which was shared by many of the most distinguished statesmen and celebrities of the country. Here, in the city where he was respected and admired, Mr. Collier spent his last days in the company of his beloved wife, children, and grandchildren, and in the midst of friends and neighbors of many years, till -
" Like a shadow thrown Softly and sweetly from a passing cloud, Death fell upon him."
Mr. Collier was a genial, kindly gentleman, of rare charm of manner, a thorough exponent of the old school of gentle courtesy, now fast disappearing in this practical age of utili- tarian pursuits. Universally mourned, the highest honors were paid to him as his mortal remains were borne to their last resting-place in beautiful Spring Forest Cemetery, not only by his fellow-members of the bar, but by the best citizens of Binghamton, who were conscious that they had lost a tower of strength for the good of their city and county. An "old line " Whig of the Webster and Clay principles, he followed the fortunes of his party until it was merged into the new Re- publican organization. He then, until his death in 1873, was a warm and devoted Dem- ocrat, which he considered the party necessary to the welfare and glory of his country. He held to universal toleration and liberty of re- ligious opinion, and, while not a professed member of any church, looked on everything
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in nature as holy and consecrated because of its coming from the hand of God.
EV. MARTIN A. DUNHAM, Great Chief of Records of the Improved Order of Red Men for the State of New York, was born in Broome County, New York, February 22, 1857, son of Lewis and Lydia (Fuller) Dunham. The father was born in Dutchess County, New York, and went with his father to Broome County in 1831, when but eleven years of age. The mother was a native of Tompkins County, New York, a daughter of Alvin Fuller, a well-known resident of that place. Lewis passed his boyhood days on his father's farm, and was reared to agricultural pursuits, get- ting his education during the few winter months in which the school was in session. 1Ie continued farming until 1873, when he moved to Whitney's Point, N. Y., and en- gaged in a mercantile business, which he still conducts. Mr. Dunham takes considerable" interest in local public affairs, and has repre- sented his town in various official positions. A member of the Methodist Episcopal church for more than half a century, he has wielded a potent influence on the moral and religious character of his village; and no man has a higher reputation in the community. To Mr. and Mrs. Dunham were born six children, of whom only two survive, namely: Edwin, a resident of Whitney's Point; and Martin A., the subject of this sketch. The father of Lewis was John Dunham, who migrated from
Dutchess County to the town of Barker, N. Y., about the year 1820, where he pur- chased a tract of land covered with timber, and, erecting a humble cottage, cleared and cultivated a farm, remaining there until his death.
Martin A. Dunham learned his early les- . sons in the public schools of Whitney's Point, and later attended the academy at that place. For a while after leaving school he remained at home, assisting his father in the store and familiarizing himself with general business details. But the desire of his life was for something higher than commercial pursuits, and much of his time was spent in reading and study preparatory to another field of labor. He believed himself divinely called to preach the gospel of Christ; and, being inspired by this thought, no discourage- ment or opposition could change his resolu- tion. In 1882 he joined the Wyoming Conference of the Methodist Episcopal church as a minister of the gospel, having received a license to preach. His first charge was at Exeter, Otsego County, N. Y .; and from there he was sent to Schuyler's Lake in the same county, where he was stationed for three years. He came thence to Chenango Forks, Broome County, N. Y., where after one. year of ministerial labor his health failed, and he was compelled to resign his pulpit. Al- though a man of large physique, weighing about four hundred pounds, and with every appearance of robust health, study and con- finement seemed slowly undermining his con- stitution; and a change of occupation became
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an absolute necessity. It was no small trial for him to abandon his chosen work; but he submitted to the inevitable, and engaged in secular affairs, going first to Whitney's Point, where for one year he was in partnership with his brother in a meat market, in 1887 moving to Binghamton, where he opened a similar market on Front Street. He was thus em- ployed for a few years, and, when he sold out the business, assumed the management of the Parlor City Laundry, which has since passed into other hands. He still retains his connection with the Official Board of the Methodist church by virtue of his position as a local preacher, and often acts as pulpit sup- ply to the churches of the vicinity. At pres- ent Mr. Dunham is entirely engaged in looking after the interests of the Improved Order of Red Men of the State of New York, holding one of the most important offices in the organization, that of Great Chief of Rec- ords, this trust requiring his constant atten- tion. ' He was for two years the representa- tive to the Great Council of the United States of this order, and in the discharge of his duties has always manifested the utmost de- votion and loyalty to the various tribes of the Red Men.
Several years ago Mr. Dunham married Miss Jennie Young, daughter of Henry Young, of the town of Triangle, Broome County. Having never received the blessing of children of their own, Mr. and Mrs. Dun- ham have still felt the instinct of parental love, and in their benevolence have adopted two nieces of Mrs. Dunham, on whom they
lavish a wealth of loving care. A man of spotless integrity, modest and unassuming, no one in Binghamton is more deservedly re- spected than Mr. Dunham, G. C. R. Genial and most amiable in manner, he takes jokes good-naturedly, often by a witty repartee turns the laugh on the other party. His por- trait here presented will be appreciated by all who are numbered among his acquaintances.
1 RA CORBETT, Postmaster at Corbetts- ville, Broome County, N.Y., and an extensive dealer in lumber in the town of Conklin, is a grandson of Robert Corbett, who settled in New Milford, Pa., about the year 1796, and there bought a tract of one thousand acres of land. He was also one of the earliest hotel-keepers, or tavern men, in that part of the country, and was widely known. Unfortunately, through the dishon- esty of a partner in whom he trusted, he lost a great deal of his property. IIe spent his last days in Corbettsville, which had been so called in honor of the family; was seventy years old at the time of his death.
The parents of the subject of this biography were Cooper and Cornelia (Bayless) Corbett. The father was born in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, and the mother in New Jersey. Cooper Corbett was a prominent lumberman and an extensive land-owner, possessing about two thousand four hundred acres. He died in the city of Binghamton, N. Y., at eighty-six years of age, and his wife at seventy-two I years. They reared a family of twelve chil-
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dren, of whom six are now living,. namely : Ira, the eldest; Sewell, residing in Virginia; Emma, Mrs. Sheldon, in the city of Auburn, N. Y .; Cornelia, wife of Erastus Ross, banker, of Binghamton; Anna, Mrs. Van Slyke, of Madison, Wis .; Mary, Mrs. Barnes, living in Binghamton. The mother was a Presbyterian ; and the father was a Methodist in religion and a Republican in his politics, holding various offices.
Ira Corbett grew up in the town of Conk- lin, and was educated in the district schools of that place and at Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. When yet a small boy, he did a man's work, assisted his father greatly in his lumbering and farming. Everything was wild and primitive in these parts in those early days, from the deer-stalking in the for- est to the log cabin which made his home and the rude implements with which he tilled the soil. No fashionable tailor measured him for his clothes; but only the deft fingers of his mother modelled the garments, after having spun, carded, and woven the stuff of which they were made. Even the foot-wear of the family was made by a travelling Crispin, who twice a year journeyed through the country and plied his craft at the homes of his cus- tomers. Binghamton had not yet received its proper name from the wealthy Philadelphia land-owner, and was only a little hamlet situ- ated at the confluence of the two rivers, and called in the quaint phraseology of the day, "Chenang P'int." Mr. Corbett has for many years conducted the business of lumbering on an extensive scale in the town of Conklin.
As many as eighty men and their teams have been employed by him at one time, and some of his lumber dealings have amounted to nearly thirty thousand dollars a sale. Be- sides this he has been in the mercantile business for twenty years, and for the same length of time has been Postmaster at his sta- tion. He has not been without his misfort- unes and losses, having suffered heavily by 1 fire several times.
When Ira Corbett was twenty-three years of age, he married Miss Juliet Bowes, of Great Bend, Susquehanna County, Pa., her father, Joseph Bowes, being one of the first settlers and a merchant of the Bend. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Corbett consist of eight chil- dren, as follows: Marshall J., who is in busi- ness in New York City; Mrs. Ellen Porter and Adelaide, wife of John Bayless, residents in Binghamton; Mrs. Anna Reese, living in West Virginia; Melvin I., attorney in Scran- ton, Pa .; William, in Corbettsville, N. Y .; Mrs. Mary Thomas, in Passaic, N.J .; Robert, in California.
Not only in point of longest residence, but in reputation and integrity, Mr. Corbett stands among the foremost men in his vicin- ity. He took an active interest in the late war, and furnished money to help in carry -* ing it on. He has led a very busy life, and has now practically retired from mercantile affairs. Ile owns a comfortable home and about three hundred acres of land, and is en- joying the fruits of his early industrious habits. Mr. Corbett is a sturdy Republican, and is deeply interested in local public affairs
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and in general politics. Mr. and Mrs. Cor- bett are earnest and active members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
AMES W. MANIER, President of the Susquehanna Valley Bank and of the Binghamton Gas & Electric Light Company, since 1879, and Treasurer of the L. Bolles Hoe & Tool Company for nearly fifteen years, was born in Dutchess County, New York, May 19, 1840. Ilis parents were Alexander and Mary A. (Cookingham) Manier. The family moved to Broome County, New York, in 1854, buying land west of the city of Binghamton, N.Y., and there engaging in farming. The ancestors of Mr. Manier emigrated from Holland to New York State. in its early settlement.
In the country school of the neighborhood, and subsequently in the public schools of Binghamton, James W. Manier received his early mental training, and acquired the knowl- edge fitting him to enter on a business course of life. He gave proof of his patriotism and bravery by enlisting, on June 1, 1861, in Company HI, Twenty-third New York Volun- teer Infantry, for the defence of his country's flag. At first he was enrolled in State ser- vice, but in a short time was sent to the Army of the Potomac, where his regiment was successively under the command of Generals Mcclellan, McDowell, Pope, Hooker, and Meade, and participated in the battles of sec- ond Bull Run, Antietam, South Mountain, and Fredericksburg. Having enlisted for two
years, he was honorably discharged in June of 1863, and returned to the city of Binghamton, where in June of 1864 he entered the Susque- hanna Valley Bank, in which he has since been engaged. Mr. Manier was also a Direc- tor of the Court Street East and West End Railway at the time of its organization. The business interests of the Susquehanna Valley Bank are the nearest to his heart, and under his able management its prosperity and growth have been truly wonderful. A sketch of its early history will not be amiss in this notice, as it is considered one of the strongest and most conservative financial institutions in the State.
The Susquehanna Valley Bank of Bingham- ton, N.Y., a State banking institution, was chartered in 1855, and therefore has a record of thirty-nine years behind it. It has always been regarded as one of the best managed and leading banks of the State, an estimate which is justified by the historical fact that it has never yet passed a dividend. The first offi- cers of the bank were: Sherman D. Phelps, President ; Henry Mather, Vice - President ; R. W. Freeman, Cashier. In 1884 Mr. James W. Manier, who had been connected with the bank since 1864, and had been Cash- ier since 1868, was elected President. This office he has ever since continued to hold, dis- charging its duties with ability and integrity. A man of clear and decided views and emi- nently sound judgment, he is regarded as an authority upon everything relating to financial affairs and business matters in general. It is interesting to mention that at the preliminary
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meeting of the bank held November 25, 1854, the following Board of Directors, most of whom have passed away, were elected. The names were Sherman D. Phelps, Henry S. Ilitchcock, Hazard Lewis, S. T. Scranton, Barzillai Marvin, Giles W. Hotchkiss, James Munsell, Henry Mather, William E. Taylor, Charles Mckinney, Augustus Morgan, Will- iam M. Ely, and Martin Stone. The original stockholders of this bank were: Sherman D. Phelps, Henry S. Hitchcock, William E. Tay- lor, James Munsell, Martin Stone, Barzillai Marvin, Augustus Morgan, Benjamin N. Loomis, Ransom Balcom, Richard Ely, Solo- mon Aldrich, Virgil Whitney, Hiram M. Meyer, Isaac L. Bartlett, Townsend G. Gardi- ner, Joseph Carman, Ira Scoffield, Albert Way, Charles Mckinney, William M. Ely, Elijah Castle, Oliver Ely, Luther Jenison, Julius Edwards, Addison McKee, Covell Case, William Harris, Giles W. Hotchkiss, Lewis Seymour, Freeman Moore, Gregory & Smith. Of the thirty-two persons above named, only Benjamin N. Loomis, William E. Taylor, Solomon Aldrich, William Harris, and Elijah Castle survive. Sherman D. Phelps, the first President, held the office continuously until his death in November 13, 1878. From 1879 to June, 1884, Egbert A. Clark was President; and his successor, as above mentioned, was James W. Manier, who has held the office since that date.
In February of 1890 the Hon. Orlow W. Chapman, late Solicitor-General of the United States, who was a resident of Binghamton, and Vice-President of this bank, died. At a
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