USA > New York > Delaware County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Delaware County, New York > Part 45
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102
Benjamin Hathaway was born in Tompkins, February 22, 1810, and received his education in the schools of this town, at the same time assisting his father on the farm and in the
316
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
lumber business. Upon reaching his major- ity, he purchased land near the old home and began life for himself, adopting his father's occupations of farming and lumbering. For thirty years after this he was a pilot on the Delaware River. About the year 1850 he made himself possessor of the farm where he now resides, which at one time contained nearly seven hundred acres, and at present embraces within its limits four hundred and thirty-five acres.
When but nineteen years of age, Mr. Hatha- way married Elizabeth Case, of Tompkins, a daughter of Phineas and Nancy (Leonard) Case; but she passed away when fifty years old, leaving the following children: Harriet ; Lydia; Jennie; Amasa J .; Robert and Ed- win, now deceased. His second marriage was with Sibyl E. Blake, a native of Che- nango County, and a daughter of Ithuel Blake; and she became the mother of one child, John M. Hathaway.
Mr. and Mrs. Hathaway are earnest, active members of the Presbyterian church, in which organization their influence for good is uni- versally felt. Mr. Hathaway was an anti- slavery man and coworker with Gerrit Smith; and he now votes with the Prohibition party, a firm supporter of its platform, and an ardent laborer for the cause of temperance. During his long residence in the town of Tompkins Mr. Hathaway has been most fortunate in making many warm friends, whose companion- ship is one of the chief comforts of his declin- ing years. He is an upright, public-spirited man; and the great respect in which he is held by all gives testimony of his strong and noble character.
ENRY RICE. Among the agricultu- rists of this county who have at- tained financial success is the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this sketch. He is the owner of a fine farm, and is known as one of the most progressive and energetic farmers in these parts and a thorough master of his chosen calling. He was born in the town of Har- persfield, Delaware County, November 9, 1831, son of Samuel Rice, who was a native
of this county, Stamford being, it is thought, the town of his birth.
Mr. Rice is of Irish descent, his grand- father, Henry A. Rice, having been born and reared in the Emerald Isle. Emigrating from there to the United States, he settled in this county, buying a tract of wooded land in the town of Stamford. He cleared a portion of his purchase, then removed to Harpersfield, where he bought a partly improved farm, made a home for his wife and family, and there lived until his death. Samuel Rice was the fourth in number of the five children of the emigrant. A large part of his early life was spent in Harpersfield, where he assisted his parents in tilling the soil and improving their farm. On becoming of age, he bought a portion of the old homestead, and there con- ducted the general work of a farm. He died at the early age of thirty-nine years. He married Ann Smith, a native of Schenectady, and the daughter of David Smith. Her father was one of the first settlers of Scotch Moun- tain, where he and his wife spent many years engaged in the pioneer labor of clearing a farm.
Henry was the only child of Samuel and Ann (Smith) Rice, and was but six years old when he was deprived of a father's care. Mrs. Ann S. Rice, surviving her husband a full half-century, spent the latter part of her life at the home of her son, where she died in 1893, at the ripe old age of eighty-eight years. She was a sincere member of the First Presbyterian Church, to which her husband also belonged, he being a Covenanter. After the death of his father, Henry found a home with an uncle in the town of Delhi, with whom he lived several years, receiving excel- lent care. He had good educational advan- tages, attending the district school and the village academy, and for many seasons there- after was engaged in teaching. Later he pur- chased a farm in Delhi, which he conducted for eight years, and then, selling it at a good advantage, bought land on Hollister Hill, where he resided fourteen years, profitably employed in tilling the soil. Finally, dis- posing of that farm, he bought the one which he now occupies, containing one hundred and fifty acres of rich and productive land, lying
4
317
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
in a beautiful locality on the river road. Having steadily applied himself to its im- provement, he now has the land in an excel- lent state of cultivation, well stocked and well equipped in every respect; and on this valuable homestead he is carrying on an ex- tensive dairy business, keeping about twenty- five head of superior Jersey grade cows, and making a fine quality of butter, which he sells in the New York markets.
Mr. Rice was united in marriage in 1855 to Margaret Arbuckle, the daughter of Nathaniel and Agnes (Blair) Arbuckle, who were among the oldest and most prominent residents of Delhi. Mr. and Mrs. Rice have three chil- dren, two sons and a daughter. Samuel S., the elder son, is foreman in a lumber yard in Newark, N.J. Mary, the daughter, married Andrew C. Strangeway, a farmer of Meredith. Charles, the younger son, who resides on the home farm, assisting in its management, mar- ried Emma, daughter of William Tuttle; and they have one child, Albert. In politics Mr. Rice ardently advocates the principles of the Republican party, and takes an active part in the local campaigns of that organization. He has served his town acceptably as Assessor for four years. Both he and his wife are influen- tial members of the First Presbyterian Church of Delhi, where he has filled the position of Trustee for several years, and in the Sunday- school connected with it has been one of its most efficient teachers.
A" MBROSE B. MOORE, a veteran of the late war and a resident of Tomp- kins, was born in this town, No- vember 10, 1841, the son of Asa and Rachel (Warner) Moore. Asa Moore was the son of Zebulon Moore, who, it is thought, was born in New England, and came to New York State when a young man, being num- bered among the sturdy pioneers of Broome County. In 1815 he removed to the village of Rensselaer, living there one year only, when he came to Delaware County, settling in the woods at the place now known as Kelsey, on the farm now in possession of his grand- son. This land was covered with growing timber, and wholly uncultivated; and a log
house, which was erected after their arrival, was their only home for a great many years. Zebulon Moore lived to be over eighty years old. His wife, Hannah Hoag, died when eighty-one years old.
Asa Moore was a very young boy when his parents moved to Tompkins; yet he remem- bers the hardships they endured, the journey made on horseback and in covered wagons, and the many years before railroads and canals were introduced to assist in their labors. He helped his father clear the land, and, when old enough, rafted the lumber down the river to Philadelphia, making the return trip for the greater part on foot. In August, 1835, he married Rachel Warner, who was born in Broome County, N. Y., daughter of Moses and Hannah (Grodevant) Warner. By this mar- riage there were nine children, six of whom are now living; namely, Persis M., Ambrose B., Julia A., Allen D., Asa N., and Lu- cinda. Abraham, the eldest son, who served in the Civil War in Company A, One Hun- dred and Forty-fourth New York Volunteer Infantry, died while in the service at Fairfax Seminary, March 6, 1863. Nancy died in August, 1892, aged fifty-four years; and Ar- nold died February, 1893, aged forty-seven.
Ambrose B. Moore during his early years assisted his father in the farm work, attending the district school in its season until in 1862 he enlisted in Company A, One Hun- dred and Forty-fourth New York Volunteer Infantry, and went South with the regiment, which was stationed in Virginia until 1863. From Virginia they went to Morris Island, and while here the company did active service in the siege of Charleston, S.C. In March, 1864, they left the island, and took up a sta- tion in Florida, remaining there until June, when they went to Hilton Head, from which place Mr. Moore received an honorable dis- charge in June, 1865. For a time he made his home in Cannonsville, and afterward man- aged a farm about a mile from there, where he lived a few years, at the end of which time he returned to his old home, and has since car- ried on general farming and dairying. The farm is located in the Sands Creek Valley in the town of Tompkins, is well watered, and has many modern improvements and conveniences.
318
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
In 1859 Mr. Moore married Gracie Van Valkenburg, who was born in Walton, Dela- ware County, the daughter of John Van Val- kenburg. Her father was born in Schoharie County, New York, and spent his last days in Walton. His ancestors were among the early settlers from Holland. Mr. and Mrs. Moore have six children - Nettie A., Kate, Hor- ace V., Isa G., Maude E., and Warner Jay.
For many years Ambrose B. Moore was a Republican ; but he has now taken up the cause of temperance, and labors in the wide field of the Prohibitionists. Both Mr. and Mrs. Moore are members of the Methodist Episco- pal church, and the former is a member of the Plasket Post, Grand Army of the Republic. He commands the respect of his fellow-men as a useful citizen of the republic, one whose patriotism has been tried, and has not been found wanting either in peace or in war.
ON. JOHN S. McNAUGHT, M.D., an experienced and popular physician and druggist of the village of Ho- bart, was born September 5, 1819, at New Kingston, in Middletown, and was the son of Duncan and Elizabeth (Scott) Mc- Naught. John McNaught, the father of Dun- can, was a farmer, and came to America, and took up his abode in the town of Bovina, and resided there during the remaining part of his active life. His early years were not spent in idleness, but on the contrary were sedulously devoted to labor, he being a man of great physical vigor and endurance; and so, when he grew to be old, he was able to live in comfort, a retired farmer in the town of Middletown. Both he and his wife Janet lived to be well advanced in years, he being about eighty years of age when he died. They had eight chil- dren, two of whom are now living, namely : John McNaught, who is over ninety years old, and resides in the town of Kortright; and Janet Shaw, also over ninety years old, who resides at Hamden.
Duncan McNaught was born in Scotland, and came to America when a young man. He settled in the town of Bovina, where he bought one hundred and fifty acres of land, and where he lived the rest of his life, his
death occurring in 1847, at the age of fifty- five. His wife was a native of Bovina, and died at the old home, also aged fifty-five. Duncan McNaught was a Presbyterian, as are most of the Scotch people, and a Whig in politics. They had four children, but two of whom are now living, the subject of this sketch being the eldest. The second son, Robert McNaught, resides in Hobart. The two daughters were Mary A., Mrs. Seymour Wilcox, who died when about forty years old; and Mrs. Isabella Olmstead, who died when thirty-five years of age.
John S. McNaught grew to manhood on the old farm at Bovina, and received more than the ordinary education of the youth of his time. He first attended the district school, then completed the course at Delhi Academy, his preceptor being Seymour Wilcox, of Bo- vina. He afterward taught five terms, which enabled him to complete his education at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, from which institution he was graduated in 1846. Dr. McNaught then went to Hobart, where he started his practice, and has remained until the present day, being one of the leading physicians of the village. In 1880, in connection with his practice, he started a drug store, where he carries a full line of drugs and stationery.
In 1847 he married Helen B. Hoy, of Bo- vina, who was born in Washington County, the daughter of James Hoy. They have a family of two sons and one daughter. One son, Duncan H. McNaught, is married and lives at Hobart. The other, Frank H. Mc- Naught, is a doctor in Denver, Col. Libbie McNaught lives at home.
Mrs. McNaught is a Presbyterian; and the Doctor is a liberal in religious views, and is politically a Republican. He has held sev- eral public offices, having been Supervisor three terms, Railroad Commissioner, and a member of the legislature for one year in 1879. Many minor offices have also been held by him. He is a Mason, belonging to St. An- drew's Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and a member of the Delaware County Medical Society. Dr. McNaught has always shown great inter- est in the welfare of the community in which he lives, and Hobart has no citizen more de-
321
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
serving of honorable mention. His portrait on a preceding page will be recognized and highly appreciated by many friends.
OUIS M. WALSWORTH, senior mem- ber of the firm of Walsworth & Heck- roth, proprietors of a general store, located on the corner of Main and Division Streets, Delhi, N.Y., opposite the Edgerton House, is a liberally educated young man, possessing great native ability. He was born at Dobbs Ferry, N. Y., November 29, 1871.
His father, the Rev. Lyman Walsworth, was a native of Jefferson, N. Y., born in 1821. When he was about eighteen, the family, joining a party of emigrants, removed to Ohio, making the journey with wagons and oxen. He shortly after entered the Theologi- cal Seminary at Oberlin, from which he was graduated with an honorable record. He began his professional career as pastor of a Methodist church at Hillsdale, N.H., where he was located for some time. He afterward labored zealously and efficiently in the State, preaching successively in Newburg, Dobbs Ferry, and Hancock, whence he came to Delhi. His last pastorate was in Sing-Sing, where after forty-five years of faithful service in the ministry he died at the age of sixty- eight years. His wife, Anna Bloom, was a native of Stone Ridge, Ulster County, being the daughter of Isaac Bloom, a life-long resi- dent of that county. She was a member of the Methodist church, retaining a deep inter- est in religious matters until the time of her decease, in September, 1889. Of the eight children born to her six grew to maturity, namely: Cornell M .; Mary, who married James R. Honeywell, a merchant of Delhi; Warren W .; Charles L., who travelled in Egypt and Palestine while pursuing his studies for the ministry, and is now preaching in Stone Ridge, N. Y .; Luella M., who, pos- sessing great musical talent, is devoting her- self to the study of that art in Germany; and Louis M., the subject of this sketch.
Louis M. Walsworth received his primary education in the district schools, afterward entering the Mount Pleasant Military Acad-
emy at Sing-Sing, from which he was grad- uated in 1889. He subsequently attended the Syracuse University two years, coming then to Delhi. On the first of January, 1893, Mr. Walsworth formed a partnership with Mr. Heckroth; and they purchased their present business of J. R. Honeywell, of whom a sketch is given on another page of this bio- graphical work. Here the firm is carrying on an extensive and lucrative trade, having one of the largest and most conveniently arranged stores in the county, and keeping a full stock of dry goods, groceries, crockery, fruit, vege- tables, and other articles of merchandise.
Mr. Walsworth was united in marriage in January, 1893, to Miss Edith M. Whitney, the daughter of Wells R. and Louise (Teller) Whitney. Mr. Whitney is employed in the office of the County Clerk. In politics Mr. Walsworth is a stanch advocate of the princi- ples of the Republican party ; and it may be remarked of him in general that he is a man of quick decision and well-defined views, and fearlessly outspoken on all questions that ap- peal to his judgment.
ALCOLM CALHOUN, a success- ful and progressive farmer in Andes, Delaware County, was born in Dumbartonshire, Scot- land, February 28, 1831, and was the son of Peter Calhoun and his wife, Ellen McAuslan.
l'eter Calhoun, also born in Dumbarton- shire, came to America with his family in 1833, and bought two hundred and nineteen acres of land of G. Raite in Andes, to which he afterward added eighty more. He was a very intelligent and thrifty farmer, a Republi- can in politics and a member of the United Presbyterian church. Mr. Calhoun lived to the unusual age of eighty-five years, and his wife to fourscore. This worthy couple was blessed with a family of ten children, all of whom lived to maturity, and may be thus briefly mentioned: Dr. John Calhoun, now deceased, had one son and a daughter; Peter Calhoun, a farmer in Hamden, married Mary McAuslan, and they have three sons; Mary Calhoun lives in Andes; Jeannette married William Oliver, and died leaving one son;
322
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Archie Calhoun married Allida Rose, has located in Sherman, Chautauqua County, and they have five children ; Ellen married J. H. Smith, lives in Delhi, and they have three sons and two daughters; Malcolm Calhoun, the seventh child, is the subject of this sketch; James Calhoun married Phidelia Rose, and settled in Chautauqua County, and their children are two in number; Daniel Calhoun married Cornelia McHair, and they reside in Bovina, and have six children ; Maggie Calhoun lives in Andes.
Malcolm Calhoun was educated in the common schools. In 1854 he went to Scot- land to visit his grandparents, whom he had left in his infancy. He remained in the land of his birth until 1855, when he returned to America. About this time he married Jane George, daughter of John and Jane (Sinkler) George, of Cabin Hill. Mr. and Mrs. George had a family of six children, two sons and four daughters. He lived to be eighty-five years of age, and she died at threescore and ten. They were members of Cabin Hill Presbyterian Church. Mr. George was a man of ability, and filled a number of public offices, such as Surveyor and Assessor. Malcolm Calhoun came to Bryant's Hollow, and bought of John Whitson a hundred and seventy acres of land, and then of Peter Cal- houn an adjoining farm of a hundred and seventy more. He improved his property, remodelling the buildings which had come into his possession, and making a comfortable and attractive home.
Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Calhoun have brought up a family of five children, two sons and three daughters. George P. Calhoun and James Sinkler Calhoun are both living at home. Helen married John T. Rooney, a farmer, of Lower Andes; and they have one child. Aggie Jane Calhoun and Mary Eliza- beth Calhoun still brighten the home with their presence. Mr. Calhoun is not only a general farmer, but gives especial attention to milk-producing. He has a herd of over thirty beautiful Jerseys, and employs the latest and best inventions in the way of dairy appliances. True to the traditions of his family and the land of his nativity, Mr. Calhoun is a Pres- byterian, a communicant of the United Pres-
byterian church at Andes. He is a good Republican, a worthy citizen, and an enter- prising and successful man, devoted to a use- ful calling.
AHLON MCKINNEY was born in Lackawaxen, Pike County, Pa., November 4, 1838. His great- great-grandfather Mckinney came from Ireland early in the eighteenth century, and settled in Pennsylvania. Mahlon Mc- Kinney, Sr., father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Lackawaxen, and spent his whole life in his native town. He was a millwright and surveyor, which trades he fol- lowed throughout his life. His wife was Catherine Kittle, daughter of Jacob and Mary Kittle, of Port Jervis, Orange County, N. Y., and a descendant of the German pioneer set- tlers of New York State. She was the mother of eight children, namely: Laney, wife of George Youngs, of Berlin, Pa .; Jane M., who was twice married, first to Samuel Smith, and afterward to Smith Wood, of Buckingham, Wayne County, Pa .; Ann Eliza, wife of Hezekiah Wood, of Berlin, Pa .; Nancy, wife of Charles B. Wheeling, Lackawaxen, Pa. ; George; Samuel; Mahlon; and Zenas.
The subject of this sketch passed his early life in his native town as lumberman and con- tractor, and in 1877 came to Delaware County, and moved on to the farm he now occupies in the town of Hancock. He has one hundred and nine acres, more than half of which are under cultivation. His pleasant house and convenient farm buildings and the latest improved machinery for carrying on the place show the thrift and good judgment of the owner. Mr. Mckinney in all his dealings shows himself to be upright and honest, pro- gressive and of good judgment, a man to whom is justly accorded the respect of his fellow-citizens.
Mrs. Mahlon Mckinney, whose name be- fore marriage was Mary E. Daily, is a daugh- ter of the late William Daily, of Tuscan, Sullivan County, N. Y. The father of Will- iam Daily was a veteran and pensioner of the War of 1812, and he lived to be eighty-three years old. His wife, whose maiden name
323
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
was Margaret Fingelder, survived him a number of years, dying at the age of ninety- seven. Mr. and Mrs. McKinney were mar- ried January 31, 1857, at Honesdale, Wayne County, Pa .; and they have had three chil- dren : Mahlon, the eldest, born July 2, 1860, died at the age of one year, eight months, and twenty-eight days; William H., born November 24, 1862, now engaged in business at Long Eddy, married Denas Williams, daughter of Antone Williams, of Hancock, and they have two children, Minnie M. and Mary Louise; Samuel, born November 9, 1865, married Mary O. Boyd, of Tompkins, daughter of Henry Boyd, and grand-daughter of Canfield Boyd, of that town. The Boyds were of Scotch ancestry. They came to Delaware County from the Eastern States, and were among the first settlers of the valley, several of them being soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Samuel works the home farm with his father. He and his wife have had three children, one of whom died in in- fancy. The others are Mahlon Henry, born August 30, 1891, and Ida Mckinney, born December 30, 1894.
ILLIAM AVERY FRY is a re- tired merchant who, after having spent many years of his manhood's prime in the Far South, is now passing the sunset of life in the village of Sidney, where he was born on July 22, 1816. He comes of good stock, and is one of the oldest as well as most widely known and most highly respected residents of this section of Delaware County. The Fry family of England, from whom he is descended, were people of importance and wealth in their native land, and, besides their city home in London, had a handsome country estate in Bristol, where they spent a part of each year. Their coat of arms is preserved by their American descendants, and is em- blazoned with three horses, one bridled, and two running at large, unbridled. An early ancestor, Captain John Fry, is said to have gone to England from Switzerland, under George I., as Captain of the Swiss Guards.
John Fry, Jr., the father of the subject of this biographical sketch, was born in Hart-
ford, Conn., in March, 1792, and died in Delaware County, Iowa, in 1870. He was a son of John Fry, a native of Bristol, England, who was united in marriage to a Miss Avery in Hartford, and there engaged in his occupa- tion of gardener. He accumulated quite a property, all of which he converted into Eng- lish money, as he was a warm advocate of the divine right of kings. Two sons and one daughter were born of his first marriage, namely : John, Jr., the eldest child; William, the second son; and Sarah, who married a Mr. Bradley. After the death of this wife, which occurred in Hartford, he was three times married.
John Fry, Jr., was a farmer by occupation, and also an extensive dealer in lumber. He was at one time very well-to-do, but lost heavily in 1824 by the failure of the Columbia Bank of Baltimore, he having taken the pay for a large stock of lumber in bills of that bank just prior to its failure, and in conse- quence lost the entire amount of the bill. He married Philomela Spencer, who was born and reared in Unadilla, Otsego County, N. Y. Her father, the Rev. Orange Spencer, was a Baptist clergyman, and a veteran of the Revo- lutionary War. Her grandfather, Solomon Spencer, was one of the very early settlers of the town of Unadilla, coming there in 1745, and being for many years a prominent figure among the pioneers of the place. Eleven children were born to John and Philomela Fry, two of whom died in infancy; and, of the three sons and six daughters that grew to mature life, all except one are now living.
William A. Fry was named for his uncle William, above mentioned. At the youthful age of eight years he began to be a self-sup- porting member of the community, entering the service of Judge Samuel Rexford as a chore boy, no doubt forming habits of applica- tion that proved the foundation for his subse- quent prosperity. After becoming of age, he was successfully engaged in mercantile busi- ness in Unadilla Centre until obliged by failing health to abandon it. He removed to Gilbertsville, Butternuts, Otsego County. whence in 1845, in the desire to recuperate his physical vigor, he started for South Amer- ica. He sailed from New York City, March
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.