USA > New York > Delaware County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Delaware County, New York > Part 55
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Rachel married S. A. Wheat, and lives in Franklin. Abner B. married Rachel A. Chambers, and both are deceased.
Mrs. Sylvia E. Foote is a member of the Congregational church, to which her husband also belonged. They lost one son, Albert Loveland Foote, who died unmarried on Janu- ary 3, 1872, in early manhood, aged only twenty-six, having been a farmer and school- master; for the art of teaching seemed to run in the family. Mrs. Foote has two daughters living. Augusta taught school before her marriage, but is now the widow of Marshville Gibbons, of Franklin, and has a boy and three girls. The other daughter, Frances A., who married Austin Jacobs, is an accomplished lady, living with her mother. She has a son eight years old, who lives in Trout Creek. A woman so bereaved as Mrs. Foote can realize the truth of what was said by old Thomas Fuller : -
"The good widow's sorrow is no storm, but a still rain. Commonly it comes to pass that that grief is quickly emptied that streameth out at so large a vent, whilst their tears that but drop will hold running a long time."
Further particulars as to the Foote family may be found in the sketch of Mr. David Foote in this volume.
R. EDWARD C. HUCHINS, den- tist, one of Roxbury's best-known citizens, is descended from an old English family. His grandfather was an English farmer, who came to this country early in its history to try the soil of the "new West." After a long life of profit and usefulness he passed away, and was laid to rest beneath the sod of his adopted country. His wife survived him and lived to the ex- traordinary age of one hundred and four years. At the age of seventy-five she was stricken with blindness, and for nearly thirty years lived shut out from the glories of the outer world, consoled only by the added insight which comes in such cases into the realms of meditation. But, strange to say, just before her death, her sight returned; and she was able once more to read. The closing hours of a day of clouds and darkness were flooded with
sunset glow, a beautiful fulfilment of the prophecy, "At eventide there shall be light."
Stephen C. Huchins, father of the Doctor, was born and grew up in Harpersfield, Dela- ware County, N. Y. His wife, Martha Rice, was a sister of John Rice; and they were grandchildren of Henry and Agnes Harper, who belonged to a noted family of early set- tlers. Henry Harper died at the age of eighty-five years. Stephen C. Huchins lived during much of his life in Otsego County, where he followed the trade of carpenter. His death was a sad and tragic one. When sixty years old, he was run over and killed by the cars at Buffalo, N. Y. Mrs. Martha Huchins survived her husband many years, and died October 17, 1887, at the age of eighty-three, having lived to see her nine children grown up and well settled. Three of these - Samuel, William Henry, and Charles - she sent to the defence of the Union in our late war. William Henry entered the army in 1862, and fought well until the battle of the Wilderness in 1863, when he was taken prisoner and died in captivity. Charles was discharged after the close of the war. Samuel served until 1864. He lost his right arm in battle, and only survived the storm a year or two, dying in 1867.
Edward C. Huchins was born in Davenport, Delaware County, September 29, 1834. He received his early education in the district schools; and, when thirteen years of age, he obtained work upon a farm. He was not a very robust lad, and of course not able to do a man's work; but he earned three dollars a month when he began, and soon raised that to five dollars, large pay for a boy in those days. Thus he spent his youth and young manhood, learning those invaluable lessons which the discipline and hardy toll of farm life impart. After nine years, desiring a change, he moved to Hornellsville. His brother Henry was a prosperous contractor and builder of that town, and Edward went to work with him to learn the carpenter's trade. He followed this occupation until 1851, when he went to Cooperstown, and studied dentistry. After careful preparation at that place, in 1858 he set up for himself in Meredith. He had a good practice there, and stayed four years.
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Finally he came to Roxbury, and on April 2, 1861, opened an office opposite the hotel. Here his courtesy and skill soon won for him the patronage of the surrounding country, and built up a profitable business.
Soon after his arrival Dr. Huchins met Miss Mary McGarry, daughter of Daniel W. McGarry, who was for a long time well known in Roxbury as a tailor. This lady he mar- ried; and they had two children - Minnie and Freddie. Minnie was born December 13, 1864, and married Andrew Hess. She is now living in Roxbury, and has two children. Freddie, a lad of fifteen, lives at home. Mrs. Mary Huchins was a Methodist, and died in that faith, June 19, 1885. The Doctor mar- ried for his second wife Prudence Thorpe, daughter of William and Mary Thorpe, who came from Harpersfield. Mr. Thorpe lived here until his death, at the age of seventy. His wife died when she was sixty-five.
The Doctor still continues his office busi- ness, though he has for the last few years put his money into real estate investments of vari- ous kinds. His first was in a lot of land on which he built a house, and sold it at a good profit. Then he bought a marble business, and, after carrying it on for some time with
success, sold it at an advance. He also bought the estate of Mr. McGarry, his father- in-law, and has remodelled the house and made general improvements so that to-day it is one of Roxbury's finest residences. Dr. and Mrs. Huchins live on Main Street, next to the post-office. They have a young son, Charles E., born September 7, 1889. Dr. Huchins has well won his place in the re- spect and admiration of his fellow-citizens.
RS. HANNAH E. HORTON, widow of Orin O. Horton, whose death occurred on his farm at Horton, Delaware County, No- vember 3, 1886, is a woman of superior intel- ligence, ability, and worth. She was born in the town of Liberty, Sullivan County, in 1838, on the farm of her parents. The birth- place of her father, G. M. L. Hardenburg, was Marbletown, Ulster County, where he He married Mary was reared to maturity.
Fiske, a native of Vermont; and in course of time twelve children were born into their household, of whom four sons and seven daughters grew to years of discretion. All of these are now living except one son, Jonathan Hardenburg, . who died in 1890, aged forty years. Mrs. Hardenburg, who was a most comely and attractive woman, lived but a little past fifty years, passing to the higher life in 1863. Her widowed husband survived her more than a quarter of a century, and died at Cook's Falls in this county, in 1892, of old age, having lived on this earth eighty- seven years. Mrs. Hardenburg was a devoted member of the Presbyterian church, and most of her children have espoused the faith in which they were reared.
Hannah E. Hardenburg Horton, being one of the large family of children born in the farm-house home, was necessarily kept busily employed there most of the time in her girl- hood, a good deal of her attention being given to the care of the younger members of the family. Her parents were in humble circum- stances, unable to give their offspring other educational advantages than afforded by the district schools. She became thoroughly ac- quainted with domestic affairs, and before the time of her marriage fully competent to discharge the duties of a home-maker. On December 12, 1862, she became the wife of Orin O. Horton, a promising young agricult- urist, who was born in the town of Horton in 1834.
David Horton, the father of Orin, was a native of Delaware County, born in the year 1796, a son of John and Sarah (Hagar) Hor- ton. David Horton was twice married, his first wife bearing him but one child, a daugh- ter. His second wife was Hulda Rediker, of Orange County; and of their union eleven children were born, seven sons and four daughters, Orin being the fifth child. His grandfather, John Horton, reared a family of eight children, five sons and three daughters, and, dying in the prime of life, left a good record as a useful and influential citizen and an honest man. His father, the great-grand- father of Orin O. Horton, was William Hor- ton, who will long be remembered as the first Judge of Delaware County. He married Liz-
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zie Covert; and, after spending the larger part of their wedded life in this county, they died at their home in Downsville, and their remains were laid side by side in the rural cemetery of that place.
Orin O. Horton was a brave soldier in the late Civil War, having responded to his coun- try's call for volunteers in 1861, going to the front as Sergeant of Company L, in the Fifty- sixth Regiment of the New York Volunteer Infantry. One year later he was discharged for physical disability, and returned to his home in Horton, where all but three years of his married life were spent. In addition to general farming, Mr. Horton was a dealer in lumber, rafting his lumber down the river to the most desirable markets. At his death he left a farm of one hundred acres; but his widow subsequently removed to the village of Walton to give her younger children better facilities for obtaining an education, and to make a home for her older children. Of the seven children living at the time of Mr. Hor- ton's decease, the youngest was then but one year old; and to the welfare of these sons and daughters Mrs. Horton has faithfully devoted herself. One son, Linford, preceded his father to the silent land, dying at the age of two years. The record of the remaining chil- dren is as follows: Belle, the wife of Will- iam Couch, of Horton, a prosperous merchant, has two children. Fred, a resident of Mid- dletown, Orange County, where he is in the employment of the railway company, has a wife and three sons. Alvin and Elvin, twin brothers, now twenty-three years old, are flag- men on the Midland Railway. H. Millard, a photographer, lives at home. Laura, a young lady of fourteen years, is in school, and has a very good record for scholarship. Orin Ray- mond, now in his ninth year, is an unusually bright and promising student, often excelling his classmates.
UBERT S. SEWELL, a well-known and highly respected lawyer and real estate dealer, residing in the village of Walton, was born at Colchester, Delaware County, N. Y., May 7, 1852, and is the son of Daniel R. and Jane
(Johnson) Sewell. The former was a carpen- ter and builder by trade, and was engaged in the erection of a large number of the houses in Colchester. Later in life he moved from Colchester to Sidney, this county, where he died at the age of seventy-four. Mrs. Sewell was the daughter of Henry Johnson, a native of Ireland. She was born in America, and lived with her parents at Colchester, they set- tling there during its infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were the parents of the following- named family: Barney, John, Henry, Ann, Catherine, Abby, Mary, and Jane. With the exception of Ann and Henry, all are living at the present time. Mr. and Mrs. Sewell had six children; namely, Anna, Tryphenia, Cecil, Maria, Hubert S., and Henry.
Hubert S. Sewell spent his early years in the town of Colchester, where he attended the high school. He then studied law with Mr. W. F. White, and spent one year at the Al- bany Law School. In 1880 he was admitted to the bar at Albany, and began practice at Sidney Centre, where he remained for two years, and then came to Walton, where he does a large and successful business in real estate, besides attending to his law practice.
Mr. Sewell was married in June, 1889, to Miss Ella Bramley, a daughter of Miles Bram- ley, now a resident of Walton. Mr. Sewell is a member of Walton Lodge, No. 559, A. F. & A. M. He was elected Supervisor in 1893, being re-elected in 1894, and has also been Justice of the Peace for eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Sewell attend the Congrega- tional church of Walton. Mr. Sewell is in the prime and vigor of manhood, and has the promise of many years of usefulness in the pursuit of his profession, of which he is a bright and shining light.
OHN M. BLISH, Postmaster at Fleisch- manns, in Middletown, and a large land-owner and dealer in real estate, was born in this town on March I, 1841, son of Simon and Mary (McKeel) Blish. His great-grandfather Blish came from England, and settled permanently in Connecticut.
His grandfather, Silas Blish, was born in
JOHN M. BLISH.
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Connecticut, April 17, 1763, and there mar- ried Hannah Blish, a native of the same State. He came on horseback to Delaware County, and bought fifty acres of wild land. After clearing a small portion of it, and building a log cabin, he returned to Connecticut for his family, and brought them to the new home which he had prepared. This estate is now known as Fleischmanns; and, where Silas Blish looked upon his fields of corn, his great- grandchildren now behold stately residences surrounded by well-kept lawns. Only a few families had then ventured into this region, where the forest primeval still sheltered bears, wolves, panthers, and timid deer. Mr. Blish built his log cabin and barn on land which is now just in front of the John M. Blish house, and is crossed by the Ulster & Delaware Railroad. The children of Silas and Hannah Blish were seven: Katie Blish, born May 18, 1784, married Alpha Townsend, and left five children, only one of whom is living; Nicholas Blish, born September 18, 1789, married Charity Ferguson, and left four children ; John Blish, born August 17, 1792, married Lucy Acklery, and left five children; James Blish, born July 19, 1796, married Esther Croft, and left three children; Asa Blish, born May 19, 1799, married Katherine Kelly, and left six children; Jane Blish, born June 27, 1801, married Trowbridge Mills, and left two children, four having died; Simon Blish, born March 22, 1812, was the father of John M. Silas Blish continued to clear his land and work faithfully in his fields, and, being a progressive man for his time, became prosperous. He was loyal to his country, and served as a soldier in the War of 1812. He lived until the great age of ninety-two years ; but his wife was taken from his side a number of years earlier.
Simon Blish was born on his father's farm, and was educated in the district school. On reaching manhood, he bought a farm near Delhi, and married Mary A., daughter of John and Nancy (Molineux) McKeel. In a short time he sold his newer farm and bought the family homestead. He purchased more land, added to the original farm, cleared away more of the forest, and in place of the log cabin and barn erccted comfortable frame
buildings. He had six children, three of whom lived to grew up. These were: John M. Blish, of Fleischmanns; Katherine Blish, born in 1844, who married George Jones, and is now a widow, living at Fleischmanns; and William Horace Blish, born August 21, 1847, who married Esther Crosby, and is a retired farmer at Griffin's Corners. Simon Blish lived to be sixty-three years old, and his wife died upwards of fifty. He was in politics a Democrat.
John M. Blish was educated in the district school, and early began to work on his father's farm. When a young man, he bought a neigh- boring estate; but he soon sold this property, and returned to his ancestral acres, which he continued to improve. He married for a first wife Jemima Jones, who lived but a short time, and left one child, Willie Blish, who lived to be but seven years old. His second wife was Delia Garrison, daughter of Lewis and Mary (Scudder) Garrison. Mr. Garrison was a blacksmith; but after many years spent in useful activity, being now over eighty years of age, he is enjoying a well-earned rest at his home in Pennsylvania. He is a Demo- crat, and a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife died several years ago. Mrs. Blish has one brother, Charles, and three sisters. Charles Garrison married Charlotte Woolhizer, lives in Illi- nois, and they have one child. Harriet Gar- rison married Frank Pierce, has one child, and they live in Pennsylvania, retired from active business. Libbie Garrison married Frank Miller, a farmer in Pennsylvania, and has four children. Emma Garrison married for her first husband Oliver Ingraham, who died ; and she has since married Ezra Baxter, and lives in Pennsylvania, having one child.
After a time Mr. Blish began to sell off portions of the farm in five and ten acre lots. One of the first sales was to Leopold Blair, of New York City, who built a beautiful resi- dence, laid out tasteful grounds, and then sold the estate to Lewis Fleischmann. The sales have continued; and the work of im- provement has gone on until there are many fine estates bordering on the Ulster & Dela- ware Railroad, on what used to be the old farm. (See sketch headed Carl Herrmann.)
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Mr. Blish has bought several neighboring farms, and now owns over two hundred acres of land. He has remodelled the homestead, converting it into a fine and spacious resi- dence. The model stables contain valuable horses, and the grounds are laid out with taste and elegance. He is general manager for the Fleischmann owners, having charge of their property and directing all movements for im- proving and beautifying their estates, and is a man of much executive ability. He is a Democrat in politics, and his religious views reflect the liberality of his nature and the breadth of his intellect. On a. neighboring page is a portrait of this well-known and en- terprising citizen, who is highly esteemed in the community for his capabilities and worth.
THE HEOPHILUS B. HIGBEE, a success- ful farmer and dairyman of Stamford, is of the sixth generation in direct de- scent from Abram Higbee who is said by tradition to have emigrated from England with two brothers, Charles and John, probably about two hundred years ago, settling in the south-eastern part of the State of New York, and becoming the founders of the Higbee family in these parts. In the course of time their posterity became numerous on Long Island, Manhattan Island, and in Westchester County, being large owners of real estate. Abram was the father of a large family. One of his sons, Anson, the next in the line now being considered, was the father of Edwin, George, William, and Abram Higbee, second. The last named, and also Edwin and Will- iam, served in the Revolutionary War. Abram Higbee, second, married Abigail Dean, and died in the prime of life, leaving her with three small sons, Nathaniel, Will- iam, and Oliver, and one daughter. These children had some half-brothers, one of whom was Jacob Higbee.
Nathaniel Higbee, son of Abram Higbee, second, and his wife Abigail, was born at the home of his parents in Westchester County, New York, on June 15, 1781. He was about eight years old when, in 1789, his widowed mother, who was a woman of strong character and great practical ability, emigrated with
her children to Delaware County, and settled in Stamford, one of its very earliest pioneers. She took up three farms, including about eight hundred acres of land; and here she lived to a good old age. The land in this vicinity was owned in patents; and the in- ducements to settle on it were that it was offered rent free for seven years, and then at one shilling per acre, durable lease. Nathan- iel Higbee went back to Westchester County in his early teens; and there he became ac- quainted with Sarah Brundage, whom he mar- ried. He returned with his wife to Delaware County in 1806, settling on Rose Brook. A sturdy woodsman, weighing over two hundred pounds, he cleared a large farm. He was a Whig in politics, and liberal in religious views. His four children were as follows: Charles B., the father of the subject of this sketch; Thomas Clapp Higbee, a farmer of Stamford, who died when seventy-six years of age; John Sherman Higbee, a merchant in New York City, who died in his eightieth year; Hannah. E., who died aged eighty, the wife of David P. Bailey. Nathaniel Higbee passed away on his farm at the age of ninety- one years, his wife Sarah, who was born June 14, 1781, living to be eighty-nine years old. She was an orthodox Quaker, and was related to the Clapp and Carpenter families.
Charles B. Higbee was born in Westchester County, March 18, 1803, and came to Stam- ford with his parents when but five years of age. Owning a portion of the old homestead, about three hundred and seventy acres of land, he gave his attention to farming, and was one of the most prosperous men, engaged in that occupation at Rose Brook. He was a Repub- lican, and a member of the Methodist Episco- pal church, and died September 27, 1887. His wife, Mary Palmer, was born in Middle- town, March 4, 1806, and died November 12, 1884, the mother of five children, namely : Hiram T., who was born January 29, 1827, and died February 22, 1892, a mechanic and resident of Stamford; Sarah E., born May 28, [829, and a resident of the old homestead; Theophilus B .; Mrs. Hannah J. Weed, born March 27, 1836, now the widow of Hoyt Weed, of Oswego County; Charles S., who was born March 31, 1838, and died in 1865 in California.
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Theophilus Brundage Higbee, son of Charles B. and Mary P. Higbee, was born in Stamford, April 19, 1831. He received his education in the schools of his district, and remained at home, assisting on the farm, until twenty-six years of age. In 1857 he pur- chased the farm which he now occupies, it then containing one hundred and ten acres. To this he has added from time to time by means of his industry and perseverance, and now owns two hundred and eighty-five acres. Here he is engaged in general farming and dairying, keeping twenty head of native cat- tle, and producing superior butter. All the farm buildings have been improved, and are kept in perfect repair; and his residence is one of the most beautiful in the town. It is situated at the head of a branch of Rose Brook, and is furnished with an excellent water system, the water for which is brought from a never-failing spring on the premises. Mr. Higbee also has on his grounds a private fish-pond, where may be found some fine speci- mens of the speckled trout.
January 5, 1857, he married Miss Elizabeth McPherson, who was born in Stamford, March 17, 1832, a daughter of James and Mary (Yeomans) McPherson. James McPherson was born in New York City, and was a black- smith, working at that trade in Delaware County throughout his life. He was a mem- ber of the Presbyterian church, and a Whig. He died in Kortright at the age of seventy- three years. His wife, who was a native of Delhi, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, died at the age of forty-four years. They were the parents of six children, namely: Matilda and Mary, residents of Stamford; Elizabeth, Mrs. Higbee; Ezekiel, a resident of Stamford; Henrietta, who died aged sixty years, the wife of Jeremiah Butts ; Janet, who passed away at the age of fifty-two years, the wife of George Hubbill.
Mr. and Mrs. Theophilus B. Higbec have had three children, one of whom, Mary A., born October 9, 1858, died November I, 1885. The other two are: Effic E., who was born November 24, 1862, and resides with her parents ; and Fannie Y., who was born Au- gust 17, 1865, and is the wife of Charles Pollcy, residing on the home farm. Mr. and
Mrs. Higbee are liberal in religious views, and he is a Republican in politics. He is a very sociable, genial man, who has met with evident success in life, and is well known and highly esteemed throughout Delaware County. As will be judged from this sketch, he is interested in the history of his ancestors. He indeed comes of good stock, and may well revert with pleasure to the fact that the Hig- bees, so far back as they have been traced, appear to have been plain, unassuming people, strictly honest and temperate, with never one that had to be supported by charity, and none cver known to solicit an office. When it is added that they are truthful, and generally good-natured and obliging, enough has been said to show them to be kind neighbors and excellent citizens.
OLONEL GEORGE D. WHEELER, of Laurel Bank Farm, one of the leading agriculturists of Delaware County, widely known as Vice- President of the Delaware County Dairymen's Association and First Vice-President of the Holstein Friesian Association of America, and as a writer for the papers, is a popular and influential resident of Deposit, where he was born on June 24, 1818. On his paternal side he is of Welsh extraction. His grand- father, William Wheeler, with two brothers, James and John, lived at New London, Conn .; and their father was a native of Wales. The Colonel's father, who was also named William, was born in New London, May 2, 1774. He married Eleanor Knox, a native of Blandford, Mass., born in 1774, a lady possessing many excellent qualities of heart and mind. William Wheeler, Jr., being left almost without a home, when eight years old, by the death of his father, went to live with Roger Parks at Blandford, where he learned the clothier's trade. In 1795 hc and his brothers came to Partridge Island, now in the town of Hancock, Delaware County, N. Y., and engaged in cutting logs and rafting them to Philadelphia. The country was wild and new; but these men, possessing great physical strength and endurance, together with a determination and courage that knew
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