Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Delaware County, New York, Part 5

Author: Biographical Review Publishing Company, Boston, pub
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Boston : Biographical Review Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 744

USA > New York > Delaware County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Delaware County, New York > Part 5

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In 1872 he went to Binghamton, N. Y., and engaged in the produce business, which at first he conducted by himself, but afterward was associated with Mr. A. H. Leet, under the firm name of Leet & Taylor. A year and- a half later this connection was dissolved; and Mr. Taylor then went into partnership with Mr. North, the firm being known as North & Taylor, wholesale provision dealers. Their store was on State Street. A year after this Mr. Taylor established the firm of Saun- ders & Taylor, the first prominent house in Binghamton to handle dressed meats. They built a fine refrigerator, or cold storage build- ing, on Prospect Street, near the Erie Rail- road. After doing a large business for four years, Mr. Taylor sold out, in 1887, to Mr. Saunders, and in the same year formed a con- nection with Messrs. Shaw and Eitapene in the provision and wholesale grocery business, at 132-134 State Street, under the firm name of Taylor, Shaw & Co. Later the firm became Taylor & Niven, occupying the same floor as

wholesale dealers in provisions, especially flour, of which they made a specialty. They have a large outside trade, and employ several commercial travellers, their trade in flour being larger than that of any other firm in the city. Their business increased so rapidly that they were soon obliged to double their floor capacity. Mr. Taylor's business expe- rience in Binghamton covered a period of twenty years. It is Mr. Taylor's custom to spend a few months each year upon his large farm of two hundred and twenty-five acres, which is run as a dairy farm, in Franklin, Delaware County.

Mr. Taylor's marriage occurred June 9, 1852, when he was united to Miss Delila Taylor, daughter of Oliver Taylor, of Sidney, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor attend the First Presbyterian Church of Binghamton, of which Mr. Taylor is a member; and it is not too much to say that their influence is ever cheer- fully exerted on behalf of every worthy cause, and that they are ready at all times to aid in furtherance of the public good. They occupy an important place in their community, and enjoy the general respect and good will. Mr. Taylor, like his father before him, was for- merly a Whig. He has been a strong Repub- lican since the organization of that party. He served as Alderman for four years, and is now serving his fourth term as Supervisor, a fact which shows the estimation in which he is held by his fellow-citizens. A well-in- formed, thoughtful man, of quick, clear per- ceptions and sound judgment, he possesses superior business abilities ; and, being public- spirited, he is one to whom his neighbors gladly intrust the management of matters of general concern.

J OSHUA BEERS, proprietor of an ex- cellent farm situated on the river road about three miles from the village of Walton, is numbered among the suc- cessful grain and stock growers of Delaware County. His land, one of the most fertile tracts in this region, has been brought to a good state of cultivation; and the homestead is particularly noticeable on account of the fine set of frame buildings and their general

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air of comfort and plenty. Mr. Beers is a na- tive of this town, having been born February I, 1819, on the homestead property of his father, Benjamin, and his grandfather, Ephraim Beers, a farm about two miles below his present residence.

Ephraim Beers was a Connecticut man by birth, but after his marriage came to Delaware County, following a path marked by blazed trees, and was among the very first to settle in this section of the county. He found the land a wilderness, and, like. all the pioneers, was called upon to undergo the hardships and privations consequent upon life on the fron- tier. He was a blacksmith by trade, and con- tinued that occupation, in connection with farming, after coming here. He took up a tract of land, the one previously mentioned, and cleared a homestead, on which he passed the remainder of his years. He and his wife reared thirteen children.

Benjamin Beers, son of Ephraim, was born on the parental homestead, and, as soon as old enough to wield the spade and hoe, began to assist his father in tilling the soil, from that time being engaged in agricultural pursuits. After the death of his father he took posses- sion of the home farm, which he carried on successfully until his death, at the age of sixty-four years. The maiden name of his wife was Polly Alverson. She was a native of Nova Scotia, and a daughter of Jeremiah Alverson. Six children were born of their union, as follows: William; Joshua; Ezra; Maria, who married Charles Buckbee; Allen; and Antoinette. The mother outlived her husband, and died on the old homestead at the age of seventy-two years. They were people of sterling worth, and Mrs. Beers was a con- sistent member of the Free Will Baptist church.

Joshua, the second son of Benjamin and Polly Beers, was reared as a farmer, and as- sisted his parents in the management and care of the old homestead until twenty-nine years old. Then, having saved some money, and being desirous of enjoying life under his own vine and fig-tree, he bought the farm on which he now resides, and energetically began its improvement. It had been partly cleared; and he has since placed it all in a condition

for pasturage or tillage, and erected a com- fortable set of farm buildings. He is thus now, in the sunset of life, enabled to enjoy the fruits of his earlier years of toil and denial.

In 1848 Mr. Beers was united in marriage to Sarah E. Buckbec, the daughter of Ezekiel and Ruth Buckbee, well-known members of the farming community of Walton. To glad- den their hearts and brighten their home came five children, whose record is as follows : Willis, who married Maggie Telford, of Wal- ton, the daughter of William and Isabella (Ruby) Telford, who are of Scotch descent; Orrin, now deceased; Emily, who became the wife of Albert Barlow, both she and the one child born of their union now deceased; Elsie; Ira, who married Elsie Howard, the daughter of Charles and Juliet (Seward) Howard. Mrs. Beers, who was an active member of the Episcopal church, departed this life in the summer of 1888. The daughter belongs to the same religious de- nomination that her mother did, and in her daily life exemplifies its excellent teachings. Politically, Mr. Beers and his sons arc stanch Democrats, and steadily uphold the principles of that party.

"A" RNOLD S. CARROLL, an enterpris- ing hardware merchant of the village of Hobart, dealing extensively in shelf hardware, stovcs, ranges, fur- naces, and plumbing materials, is also an im- portant factor in the agricultural community, owning a snug farm of ninety-six acres on Rose Brook. He is a native of Delaware County, having been born on December 16, 1853, in Roxbury. That town was also the birthplace of his parents, Samuel B. and Elsie (Travis) Carroll, the former of whom was born on August 21, 1829, and the latter, December 3, 1833.

Enos Carroll was one of the early settlers of Roxbury, and was born in the year 1798. He was a man of unlimited energy, coura- geous and ambitious, and during the many years of his residence in Roxbury was engaged in tilling the soil, being well known as one of its most prosperous agriculturists. Having

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

accomplished a life's work, he quietly closed his eyes on earthly scenes, December II, 1874. Politically, he was a Jeffersonian Dem- ocrat, and in his religious views a decided Baptist. He married Anna Stratton, a native of Roxbury, whose birth was on November 7, 1801. She bore him six children, five of whom grew to maturity. The three now liv- ing are Angeline Hill and John S. Carroll, of Roxbury, and Mrs. Sarah Barlow, of Ho- bart. Mrs. Abbie Squares and Samuel B. Carroll are deceased.

Samuel B. Carroll, son of Enos, grew to man's estate in the town of Roxbury, and, giving his attention from his youth to farm- ing, succeeded his father in the ownership of the old homestead, which he conducted in a most successful manner. Besides adding es- sential improvements, he bought adjacent land, becoming the possessor of one of the largest and most valuable pieces of property in the vicinity. He was noted for his enter- prise and progress, and was an authority in matters pertaining to agriculture. He spent the major part of his life on the old home farm, having moved into the village of Rox- bury but one month prior to his decease, which occurred January 26, 1884, after an active life of fifty-four years. His widow survived him, and is living in their village home. She is a worthy member of the Bap- tist church, and he was also a believer in the doctrines there taught. In politics he was a strong Democrat. They reared four children, as follows: Arnold S .; Adelbert E., a lawyer in New York City; Annie S. ; and Abbie S.

Arnold S., the elder of the two sons of Sam- uel B. and Elsie Carroll, spent his early years in Roxbury, acquiring his elementary educa- tion in the district school, which was further advanced by an academical course. He re- mained at home, assisting on the farm, until 1878, when he purchased an estate of two hundred and thirty-three acres on Rose Brook, in the town of Stamford. For nine years he put in practice the knowledge that he had acquired on the parental homestead, and car- ried on a thriving business in general farming and dairying. Disposing then of that farm, he bought another, a smaller one, also on Rose Brook, which he still owns. It contains

ninety-six acres of very fertile and productive land, well adapted for general farming pur- poses. Being a wide-awake, alert young man, with a keen eye for business, Mr. Carroll took advantage of the opportunity for buying the hardware store of Charles P. Foot, which was offered him in 1888, and has since been promi- nently identified with the mercantile interests of Hobart. His large stock of goods is valued at about three thousand five hundred dollars.

On May 2, 1877, Mr. Carroll was united in marriage with Ella Kaltenbeck, who was born in Delaware County, in the town of Roxbury, May 3, 1857, being a daughter of Fred and Lucy Kaltenbeck. Her father, who in his earlier years was a shoemaker, is now a farmer in Roxbury, where the death of Mrs. Kaltenbeck occurred some years since. On January 29, 1879, was born the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Carroll, who is named Isaac S. Carroll. In politics Mr. Carroll uniformly casts his vote with the Democratic party, and has served satisfactorily as Assessor three years, and is now filling his third term as Town Clerk, having recently been elected to the office for a term of two years. He is lib- eral in his religious views, and his wife is a conscientious member of the Methodist Epis - copal church.

ILLIAM ANDREWS. Who in the town of Walton, Delaware County, N.Y., is not familiar with the pleasant face, gray head, and wrinkled brow of "Uncle Billy," as Mr. William Andrews is affectionately called by old and young? Everybody knows him and loves him - facts not to be wondered at, considering that he is the oldest inhabitant of the place, having been born here on April 20, 1801, and connected with all the interests of the town and its resi- dents ever since that early date.

His father was William Andrews, Sr., of Shrewsbury, Conn., who was born in 1764, and when a young man removed to Dutchess County, New York. Here he married Han- nah Burrhus, a daughter of Silas Burrhus, who died at sea, and was buried on a distant island, his widow afterward marrying Dr. Payne and removing to Dutchess County.

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

After burying one child in Dutchess County, Mr. and Mrs. William Andrews, Sr., in 1793 emigrated, with their three remaining chil- dren, to Delaware County, and here occupied an old log cabin which had been deserted by some former sojourner in the wilderness. Clearing away the forests, they tilled the soil and cultivated their farm, which was situated between the tracts now known as the McGib- bon farms.

They were the parents of twelve children, of whom William, Jr., is the only survivor. A daughter Lucy, wife of George Simmons, died in Indiana, an octogenarian. Burrhus was sixty years old at his death, Thomas was over eighty, and Sallie lived to be about sixty years old. In the little burial-ground on the old farm, which remained in the possession of the family until forty years ago, rests in peace all that is earthly of those worthy pioneers, who labored with undaunted courage and pa- tience, bearing cheerfully all hardships, and founded a home for the generations to come. Mr. Andrews was a lover of sport and a fa- mous hunter, being an adept with fire-arms, and, though at times nervous and tremulous, ncver missing his aim. His brother, John Andrews, attained a celebrity throughout the country, being hung near Seneca Lake for a crime of which he was innocent, as was after- ward proved by the confession of the real culprit.

William Andrews, Jr., the subject of this sketch, was born ninety-three years ago at Eastbrook, five miles from the village of Wal- ton. On March 8, 1837, at Unadilla, N. Y., he married Miss Amanda Rumsey, who was then in her twenty-fourth year. She was the daughter of Ebenezer S. and Chloe (DuBois) Rumsey. Her father, a native of Dutchess County, learned the trade of blacksmith of his stalwart sire, who was a German, and who lived and died in Colchester. The parents of Mrs. Andrews moved to Walton in 1829, and later lived in Steuben County, and finally re- moved to De Kalb County, Illinois, where the father dicd in 1851. His widow then made her home with her son, Elnathan Rumsey, in St. Clair County, Michigan, where she after- ward died in 1872, at the age of seventy-six years, having been the mother of twenty chil-

dren, of whom eighteen grew to maturity. Amanda Rumsey was the eldest of this large family, and was born on July 7, 1813. Her brothers and sisters who are still living are the following: Mary Ann, a maiden lady of Kansas, born in 1819; Annis, born in 1822; Edward, born December 9, 1832; Rachel, widow of John Herrald, of Binghamton, who was born August 13, 1823; Margaret, widow of Elisha Wallen, of Pennsylvania, born Feb- ruary 19, 1828; Ebenezer S., of lowa, born August 30, 1829; James H., who now lives in the South, and was born January 24, 1831; Martha, wife of Amasa Fox, of Chetopa, Kan., born March 11, 1834; Henry H., of New York, who was born on October 22, 1840. One sister, Almina, born December 2, 1843, wife of Clarke Burzett, died December 28, 1892, the mother of eighteen children.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrews mourn the loss of two children : an infant; and a daughter fifty- one years of age, Mary E. Andrews, who died October 10, 1889. The latter was a teacher in Walton for many years, and, although she had never attended any but a district school, proved to be remarkably successful in her vocation. She was the possessor of many ac- complishments, among which painting in oils held a prominent place. The following are the surviving children of Mr. and Mrs. An- drews: Charles, who lives in Elmira, is mar- ried, and is the father of onc son and one daughter; Perry, a contractor in Atlanta, Ga .; Sarah, now the wife of Robert McLaury, and who is the mother of one daughter and one son by her former husband, Edwin Frost; Edward R., who resides in Walton at 28 Union Street, and with whom his aged par- ents now make their home.

Edward R. Andrews was married in 1890 to Annabelle Fravor, who was born in 1871, the daughter of Alonzo and Ella (House) Fravor, farmers of Oswego County. She is the eldest of a family of four: three girls, Annabelle, Myra, and Alwillda; and one boy, Charles -all of whom live at home and are unmarried cxcept Annabelle. Mr. and Mrs. E. R. Andrews have one child, a fine boy, Perry W., who was born on November 14, 1891, in Ohio, where Mr. Andrews was em- ployed in drilling oil and gas wells.

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In politics "Uncle Billy " was a Democrat before the war, but now votes always with the Republican party. He is a truly old-fash- ioned Methodist, loving the old hymns, and singing them even now in a strong, clear voice. Time, of course, has left its stamp upon his brow, and his hearing is somewhat impaired; but his heart is yet young, and he holds his place among his family and friends with a dignity and grace well becoming a man of his age and long experience. Mrs. Amanda R. Williams, though several years her hus- band's junior, is in her eighty-second year, but still possesses all her faculties as per- fectly as she did twenty years ago.

"Uncle Billy" and his wife have lived to- gether for fifty-seven years, a faithful, loving couple, whom all esteem and revere; and they are now drifting hand in hand toward that shining shorc where there is no more parting. What a record is his of long years of useful labor, nearly a century of manly, honest living!

ENRY LEAL was born on January 9, 1855, on the farm on which he now resides, in the town of Meredith. His family is of excellent Scotch ancestry, and was first represented on Ameri- can soil during the later years of last century by his great-grandfather, Alexander Leal, who was born in Scotland, and there reared to farming pursuits. Emigrating when a young man to the United States, Alexander settled in the town of Kortright in this county, where he cleared a good farm, and in the course of timc had it comparatively well im- proved; and there he lived and labored until gathered to his final rest. His wife was born of Scotch parents in the town of Stamford; and she, too, spent her last years on the old homestead, which is now owned by onc of her grandchildren, the house, built probably in 1800, still standing. They reared five chil- dren, all boys; namely, John, Hugh, Alex- ander, Jr., James, and Clark.

John Leal, the eldest son of Alexander, was born in Kortright, near the centre, and lived on the parental homestead, on which he did much pioneer labor, until attaining his free-

dom. He then removed to Stamford, where he carried on a farm for three years, going from there to Delhi, and entering the employ- ment of the old ex-Sheriff, Robert Leal, with whom he remained four years. He then bought the land on Catskill turnpike, near East Meredith, on which his grandson Henry now lives, and, crecting a log house, at once began the establishment of a homestead. The land was then in its primitive condition, pre- senting a spectacle sufficiently wild and deso- late to discourage any one less daring and hopeful than the pioneers of that early day. He labored with diligence and energy, and in due time had cleared a good farm and erected frame buildings, among others being a sub- stantial dwelling-house, which he built in 1838, and which remains in a comparatively good state of preservation. Here he spent the latter part of his life, and died at the age of eighty-six years. His faithful wife, who had courageously shared his trials and priva- tions, also resided here until her death, at the age of seventy-five years. Both were consist- ent members of the United Presbyterian church, of which he was a Trustee. The maiden name of his wife was Martha Mc- Lawry. She was a daughter of Thomas Mc- Lawry, of whom a sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. She bore her husband five children; namely, Nancy, Lydia A., Mary, John R., and Alexander T. John R. served during the late war as a Surgeon in the One Hundred and Forty-fourth New York Volun- teer Infantry, and from the effects of the hard- ships and exposures which he then endured he lost his life.

Alexander T. Lcal, the youngest child of John Lcal, was born on July 29, 1815, in the town of Kortright, and was very young when he came with them to the farm in Meredith, where he has since resided. After the death of his father, he continued the work already begun, and has brought the one hundred and seventy acres of productive land to a fine con- dition, and has erected a handsome house, the estate now ranking as one of the most val- uable in the locality. He engaged in general farming and dairying, keeping about twenty cows, and sending the products of his dairy to the New York and local markets. In 1846 he

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married Margaret Bell, a native of Harpers- field, being one of eight children born to James and Isabella Bell, well-known members of the agricultural community of Harpersfield. Of this pleasant union were born the follow- ing children: John, who was graduated from Yale College, is a teacher of prominence in Plainfield, where he prepares young men for college. Mary I. is the wife of James Smith, a farmer of Davenport Centre. Henry is the subject of this sketch. James, deceased, mar- ried Jennie Hamilton; and they reared one child, Aggie. Hugh, a banker in Nebraska, married Jeanette Gale. Joseph, the youngest, in early manhood fell a victim to consump- tion. He spent four or five years in Denver and other places in Colorado and Western Kansas, vainly seeking relief from lung trouble. At length, realizing that his days on earth were numbered, his only desire was to reach home as soon as possible. With the consent of physicians, he started at midnight on a through train; but at nine o'clock the next morning he had come to the end of life's journey, dying in the arms of his brother. A few days after, his mortal remains were gently laid to rest in the cemetery at Delhi. Mrs. Margaret B. Leal, the mother of these chil- dren, died in April, 1888, leaving behind her a memory which will ever be cherished with love and reverence. She was a devoted mem- ber of the Presbyterian church, in which her husband served as Elder for many years. In politics Mr. Alexander T. Leal is a stanch Republican.

His second son, Henry Leal, received a good common-school education, and is num- bered among the most enterprising agri- culturists of Meredith. The place formerly consisted of two hundred and forty acres, but in the past few years has been sold down to its present size, the remainder being so im- proved by drainage and otherwise as to double its capacity. The work still goes on; for, as the owner well says, "There are many im- provements yet to be made on this farm." When the place came into his hands, the stock consisted of twenty-five head: to-day the barns contain fifty cattle. The large barn now standing was built in the fall of 1889, to replace the one burned in October, 1888; and

the present stock has been gotten together since that date. The business is strictly dairying, and a cream separator has been used the past season. Mr. Leal has been twice married. The maiden name of his first wife was Joanna Murdock. She was a native of Kortright, being the daughter of J. L. Mur- dock, a well-known farmer of that town. She died in 1884, leaving him with two children - Clara Belle and Joanna. Mr. Leal married for his second wife Miss Mary E. Fehrensen, of Hamden. This union has been blessed by the birth of three children - Edward, Ethel, and William. Politically, Mr. Leal affiliates with the Republican party ; and religiously he is a worthy member of the Presbyterian church, of which he was a Trustee for many years, and in which he is now an Elder.

ENRY A. COMBS, one of the lead- ing merchants of Hamden, was born in this town in 1839, and is proud to trace his ancestry to an English army officer of Revolutionary times. His great-grandfather, John Combs, who was born in Devonshire, England, in the middle of the eighteenth century, while yet a youth joined the English army, and was sent to America to fight against the patriots of the new country. Here he remained, and after a while com- pletely lost sight of his parents and all their kindred in the old home. He married in Connecticut, and became the father of six children, namely: Polly, born in 1782, who became the wife of Herman Baer; John, Jr., grandfather of the subject of this sketch, born in 1784; Seth, born in 1786; Anson, born in 1790; Joseph, born in 1794; Electa, born in 1798. All these children married and lived to old age, although the race is now nearly extinct.

John Combs, Jr., married Catherine Bri- sack, of Connecticut, and in 1805 settled on land adjoining his father's farm in Hamden. This land was still new, and covered with pine timber, which was the staple product of this region. Together they cleared some three hundred acres of good farm land; and here John died in 1864, and was buried beside his parents in the old family cemetery. He

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had two daughters and two sons. One of these was Daniel Combs, who died in 1870, and whose daughter, Mrs. Augusta Bush, is the only surviving member of his family.

William E. Combs, the other son of John, and father of the present storekeeper of Ham- den, was born on April 6, 1813. He was reared on the farm where his parents first set- tled, and in his young days helped to clear its broad acres. He attended the district school in the log school-house, and supplemented this limited education by the broader experi- ence of a busy life. In his twenty-second year he married Louise Canfield, of Connecticut, who died at their farm, a mile below the vil- lage, March II, 1885. She was the mother of three sons: Henry A. Combs, born in March, 1839; George, who died at the age of one year; Marshall E., born in 1852, well known in this vicinity as Matt Combs. William E. Combs sold his river farm of one hundred and thirty acres in 1888, and moved to Hamden to be with his sons. He still owns a hill farm of some one hundred and seventy-five acres, in which he takes great de- light. In 1841 Mr. Combs voted for William Henry Harrison, and half a century later for his grandson, Benjamin, first in his success- ful and again in his unsuccessful Presidential campaign. He belongs to no society or church.

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Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Delaware County, New York, Part 5

Author: Biographical Review Publishing Company, Boston, pub Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Boston : Biographical Review Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 744

Author: Biographical Review Publishing Company, Boston, pub
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Boston : Biographical Review Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 744