USA > New York > Wyoming County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y > Part 13
USA > New York > Livingston County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y > Part 13
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
THAT 10 jsem aware of kobland jabred-ni
etdoubt Delgolfo bij rundt good and on
94
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
he died at the age of eighty years. The Kemps were members of the Congregational church. Harriet was one of a large family, of whom seven are still living. She was the sec- ond wife of Mr. Levi A. Ward, and reared six out of eleven children, including: Mary E. ; Levi F., who followed his father in the insur- ance business; George Kemp, the subject of this sketch ; Frank A., business manager of Ward's Natural Science Establishment, Roch- ester; and Herbert L., a lawyer of the above- named city. Mrs. Harriet Kemp Ward still resides in Rochester, at the age of eighty- three, and is a member of St. Peter's Presby- terian Church of that city.
George K. Ward passed his boyhood in Rochester, obtaining his preparatory education at the Geneseo Academy, which he attended for three years, and the Rochester Collegiate In- stitute. In 1864 he entered the University of Rochester, but, after pursuing his studies for a period of six months, was obliged to relinquish them for a time on account of illness. The next year he entered Princeton College, class of 1869, was graduated at the end of the course, and for a year was a private tutor in Rochester. He then returned to Princeton, entering the Theological Seminary, where he pursued a three years' course of study. At the end of his second year he was called to the pastorate of the First Presbyterian Church in Dansville. He, however, preferred to com- plete his theological course before entering upon the arduous duties of a pastor, and was not ordained till after graduating from the seminary. Since Mr. Ward became pastor of this church in 1873 its membership has in- creased from two hundred and twenty-one to over four hundred. The present new structure was erected in 1891 at a cost of about eighteen thousand dollars. With one exception, it is the finest church edifice in the county. The society is the very strongest, and, under the wise guidance of Mr. Ward, is in a most flour- ishing condition, financially as well as spirit- ually.
In 1873 the Rev. George K. Ward was united in marriage to Miss Caroline E. Pier- pont, the estimable and accomplished daughter of J. E. Pierpont, of Rochester, Secretary and
Treasurer of the Monroe County Savings Bank, and a prominent business man of that city. She was one of four children. Mr. and Mrs. Ward have five children, as follows : Edward P., Levi Alfred, Ruth, Charles Sloan, and Kenneth Kemp. Edward P. is a graduate of the Dansville public schools, and now a student at Princeton, in the class of 1896, preparing for a professional life. Levi Alfred was educated at the public schools of Dansville, and is now occupying a position as assistant book-keeper in the Merchants' and Farmers' National Bank of Dansville.
The Rev. Mr. Ward has always been a very close student, not only of theology and kindred branches, but in other fields of thought and learning. At college he was a member of the Delta Psi. He has devoted considerable time to literature, and this, too, with success. Among his productions may be mentioned a very interesting volume entitled "After Nine Years," a history of his class for that number of years after graduation. Later this was car- ried forward in "The Vigentennial," or the record of the class for twenty years. His last publication, issued in 1894, is a unique, taste- ful little volume called "The Record of a Life," containing poems appropriate to various phases and events, such as birth, baptism, par- entage, the covenant of marriage, and death. It has received flattering notices from the press, and has called forth numerous compli- mentary personal letters.
During his long residence in Dansville the Rev. Mr. Ward has always taken a deep inter- est in social, moral, and political questions, as well as religious matters, and his influence has been widely felt as a power for good in the community. He is a worker of untiring en- ergy. His preaching is simple, forcible, and interesting; and his popularity as a pulpit orator is made manifest by the large numbers outside of its regular membership who attend his church. His long and unbroken connec- tion with his society is sufficient proof of mut- ual esteem and unaffected love. Mrs. Ward is a most able and faithful helper in all church affairs, and is President of the Woman's So- ciety for Foreign Missions.
ard qideradmbm mit prot af domido en
95
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
J VALENTINE WELKER, a progres- sive, prosperous, and enterprising agri- culturist of Wyoming County, is the owner of two hundred and sixty-four acres of well-improved land, pleasantly located in the town of Attica, where he carries on general farming, stock-raising, and dairying on a large scale. He was born in 1836 in Baden- Baden, which was also the birthplace of his parents, Valentine and Mary (Ribzalp) Welker.
The father left Germany in the year 1845, sailing from Havre, and being forty-four days crossing the ocean. He was accompanied by his wife and six children, and the journey to Buffalo was made via the canal. Another child was born in Bennington, Wyoming County. Valentine Welker was possessed of means, and bought sixty acres of land in Bennington, situated about three miles west of Attica. Six years later he sold that, and bought a farm of eighty-five acres lying in the south-east corner of Bennington, and pay- ing twenty-nine dollars per acre. Here he carried on mixed husbandry until his decease, which occurred in 1884, when he was seventy- five years of age. He accumulated quite a property, leaving an estate worth about seven thousand dollars. His first wife departed this life in 1859, aged forty-nine years. She bore him seven children, of whom four are now living, namely : Henry, a farmer in Benning- ton; Elizabeth, widow of Christian Ripstine; J. Valentine, of Attica; and Lena, widow of Coonrode Dauber, of Bennington. He subse- quently formed a second matrimonial alliance ; and of that union five children were born, of whom all are living with the exception of a daughter who died when a miss of twelve years.
J. Valentine Welker received a good com- mon-school education, and did not leave home, except to work out three summers, until his marriage. He is now the owner of two farms, which he has carried on with very profitable results for more than thirty years. These two farms are connected; and he occupied the brick house on the south half of the estate sev- eral years before moving into his present sub- stantial frame house, near which are situated the spacious and conveniently arranged barns
and necessary farm buildings for successfully carrying on his work. He keeps twenty-four cows, sending the milk to Buffalo, has also a few sheep, and works six horses. On his farm are two large orchards, which in former years yielded an abundance of fine fruit, but, like others in Western New York, are at present nearly barren.
On January 14, 1863, Mr. Welker was united in marriage with Evena Clor, a native of Wyoming County, and a daughter of Adam and Margaret (Raymer) Clor, both of whom were born in Germany. Her father died on his farm in Orangeville in 1864, aged fifty- three years; and her mother, in 1889, aged seventy-four years. All of the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Clor married; and all are now living except one daughter, who died, leaving three children. Six are residents of this county ; but the youngest daughter, Sarah, is the wife of the Rev. W. Morley, of Beaver Falls, N. Y. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Welker. The eldest, Willard G., is principal of the Dalton Union School, of Livingston County. He is finely educated, having been graduated from the Attica school and from the Buffalo Normal School. He married Miss Jennie Baldwin, and they have one son and one daughter. The youngest son, Arthur J. Welker, a youth of fifteen years, is still in school. In politics Mr. Welker affil- iates with the Democratic party; and, relig- iously, he and his family are believers in the doctrine of the Baptist church.
B ARKLEY MILLER, the scion of a pioneer family of Livingston County, is not only the owner of the home- stead property on which his father and grandfather first settled, but is the propri- etor and manager of a mill in the town of Mount Morris, where he and his brother, as equal partners, are carrying on an extensive business. Mount Morris is the place of his birth, February 14, 1838, being the date thereof. His father, Barkley Miller, Sr., was a native of Warren County, New Jersey; and of that State John Miller, his grandfather, was a life-long resident.
i
eiff to soulgrid ort welt sur floich SoloV/ (obsadil) zelf Bon saifisht/
ne miod anwblit
id bezios no boiriso
C
96
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Barkley Miller, Sr., was brought up on a farm, and engaged in agricultural work in his native State until 1831, when, accompanied by his wife and their three children, he migrated to New York. They made the journey with teams, bringing their entire stock of worldly goods. Mr. Miller bought a tract of partly improved land in Livingston County, two and one-half miles from Tuscarora toward the north-west; and into the small frame house which stood upon the place he moved with his family. A very few acres of the land had been cleared; and he at once began the her- culean task of felling and removing the re- maining forest trees, grubbing out the stumps, and preparing the land for tillage. He was subjected to many of the inconveniences of the very early pioneer settlers, the nearest market being Geneseo, whither he had to draw his wheat, which was then shipped down the river. He was quite successful in his farming opera- tions, and added more land to his original pur- chase, carrying on mixed husbandry until his decease. He moved twice, and spent his last days near Tuscarora, where he departed this life at the age of sixty-seven years, survived by his good wife, who lived fourscore years. Her maiden name was Catherine Smith; and she was a daughter of Peter and Hannah Ann Smith, whose entire lives were spent in New Jersey. Ten children were born to Barkley, Sr., and Catherine (Smith) Miller; namely, Hiram, Hannah M., Catherine, Elizabeth, Peter, Sarah J., Barkley, Garrett, David, and Tamson.
Young Barkley, who was one of the later- born children, remained at home until attain- ing his majority, receiving a common-school education, and a very practical training in agricultural labors on the home farm, where with the exception of the year 1859, which he spent in Iowa, he remained until his marriage. Prior to this important event Mr. Miller had bought land two and one-half miles from Tus- carora; and there he and his young wife lived until 1872, when he removed to the village of Tuscarora. In 1871 he bought an interest in the mill with his brother Garrett, and has since been engaged in milling, although he is still interested in agricultural pursuits. He is
a man of well-known business capacity, sound judgment, and one whose opinions are held in general respect.
The marriage ceremony uniting the destinies of Mr. Miller and Mary Helen McDuffy was performed in 1869. Of this union two chil- dren have been born- Carl and Harvey. Mrs. Miller is a native of Seneca County, New York, where her parents, Harmon and Mar- garet MeDuffy, were residents at the time of her birth. Politically, Mr. Miller is a stanch Democrat ; and he and his excellent wife are conscientious members of the Presbyterian church.
m AJOR HENRY A. WILEY, at present an agriculturist, whose residence is in the village of Springwater, Livingston County, was born in Springwater, August 4, 1835. His great-grandfather came to America from Ireland; but his grandfather, Samuel, and his father, John Wiley, were natives of Berkshire County, Massachusetts. The family has a not- able military record, both grandfather and great-grandfather having served in the War of the Revolution, and the father in the War of 1812; while the two sons, Henry A. and Robert, were in the War of the Rebellion from 1861 to 1865.
John Wiley spent his early life as a boy on his father's farm, attending the district school and helping in farm work. Before attaining his majority, he went to the Black River coun- try, in Lewis County, New York, not remain- ing there long, however, but coming in 1813 to Springwater, which at that time had only a few log cabins scattered here and there. He pur- chased here a small tract of land, built a card- ing-machine mill, and for a while followed blacksmithing and milling, having a saw-mill and a grist-mill on the site of the old mill in the village. These occupations he carried on for many years; but later, having come to a realization of the transitoriness of the earthly life and the supreme importance of preparing for the life to come, he was converted from his love of the world and entered the Methodist ministry as an itinerant preacher. His house
£
go seniz ono hans Broughut | afd'nin el
no Voor edi garvores han willst to silent malus anz off segotut not bunt offt gutrogen bon
nem | bes tofund ent In kow omer sabiam full
.! :
1
EDWARD BURRELL.
99
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
soon became the home of the circuit riders throughout all this region; and the Major, his son, well remembers capturing one and an- other of the horses of the ministers and riding off in the evening for a midnight "lark," somewhat after the fashion of Brom Bones, as related by Irving in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." These exploits enlivened the labors of the farm, and doubtless aided in the devel- opment of those qualities of dash and daring that stood him so well in the exciting experi- ences of the war in which he later took so active a part.
Becoming somewhat broken in health, the Rev. John Wiley was appointed by the confer- ence of which he was a member to solicit sub- scriptions for the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary and the Genesee College. In the years 1849- 50 he became quite prominent, in connection with Mr. John McGee, in collecting subscrip- tions for locating and carrying forward to com- pletion the railroad from Corning to Rochester. After this work was well under way, he went to Ohio as a contractor, taking the job of the masonry on the railroad between Cleveland and Sandusky, through Vermilion and Iluron. While engaged in this great undertaking, his health broke down, and he was obliged to return to Springwater. This was in 1859. After becoming a settled resident of the town, he was elected to the Assembly, and was re- elected in 1860.
John Wiley married for his first wife Miss Betsy Southworth, by whom he had three chil- dren -- Sarah, Eliza, and John S., all of whom are still living. Sarah, the eldest daughter, was married to the Rev. John J. Brown, who was for many years an instructor in the Dans- ville Seminary, Cornell University, and the University of Syracuse. Mr. Wiley's second wife, mother of Major Henry A. Wiley, was Miss Julia B. Hyde, a daughter of Robert Hyde, and niece of General Harper. They had seven children, namely : Harper, who married the daughter of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton ; Robert II. ; Charles Wesley; Henry A. ; Cyn- thia E., now deceased, who married G. R. Wilder; Emily Tucker, who married Mr. W. W. Capron, of Wayland; and George H. Mrs. Julia B. Wiley was born in Virginia,
October 2, 1799, and died in Springwater, De- cember 16, 1865. She was a member of the Methodist church. Her husband, the Rev. John Wiley, died at the age of seventy-three years, having well served his day and gener- ation.
Henry A. Wiley grew up in the town of his birth, attending the district school and the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, also assisting his father until he entered the army in October, 1861, as a private in Company B, One Hun- dred and Fourth Regiment. He was soon pro- moted to the office of Lieutenant, and then to First Lieutenant on the organization of the company. His promotions continued rapidly, raising him to Captain in 1862, then Major, and then to Lieutenant Colonel, in which capacity he served until his discharge in 1865. Major Wiley served in all the prominent en- gagements of the Army of the Potomac. He was taken prisoner August 19, 1864, while with the forces before Petersburg, Va., and was sent first to the Libby Prison, whence he was transferred to Salisbury, N.C., and four weeks later to Dansville, Va., where he re- mained in confinement till finally he was paroled. He was discharged at Annapolis in March, 1865, and then came North to his home and friends.
Major Wiley has been very prominent in Grand Army matters, and has a fine collection of medals and badges, about fifty in number, each one commemorating some association or gathering. Four generations of citizen sol- diers! Such men are the heroes, the real bul- warks of the nation. Ever ready to defend its honor and to promote its welfare, they make worthy inh -itors of the country's prosperity.
DWARD BURRELL. In the language of Archbishop Whately : "Man, consid- ered not merely as an organized being, but as a rational agent and a member of society, is perhaps the most wonderfully contrived, and, to us, the most interesting specimen of divine wisdom that we have any knowledge of." Few gentlemen are more in- telligent and social than Mr. Burrell, who commands the respect of the people among
dominio riboudtoll att-amoved to ogg off in boil wolf77 odol
0081 ni butbolo.
Dib
sidient7 al mod as Y377 & pilot will
100
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
whom he has passed his life, being in every way an enterprising and sagacious agriculturist and business man. Though of late years liv- ing a retired life in Canaseraga, he was born in Ossian, Livingston County, on May 15, 1823, the year when the President announced that policy in regard to foreign occupancy of North America which has since been known as the Monroe Doctrine.
His father, Isaac Burrell, was a native of the Northumberland district of England, and was there bred a cabinet-maker. Coming to this country in his early manhood, Isaac Bur- rell worked six years at his trade in Seneca, Ontario County, but, deciding that the part of Allegany which is now Livingston County would be preferable as a permanent residence, bought land in the town of Ossian, though this meant hard work in clearing away the prime- val forest and enduring all sorts of hardships. There were only three or four log houses in the neighborhood, and the development of a farm involved the disposal of large amounts of tim- ber. By patient labor Isaac Burrell brought his land into a fine state of cultivation, and died thereon at the age of sixty-three, in 1857, having been born in 1794, during Washing- ton's second administration. His wife was Margaret Burrell, her surname being the same as his own. In fact, they were already dis- tantly related, she being a native of England, a daughter of Edward Burrell, who crossed the seas to settle in Seneca, near Geneva, like his cousin, Isaac Burrell. She and her husband had eight children, of whom four survive. Of these, the eldest is the subject of this sketch, Edward Burrell, named for his maternal grand- father. Elizabeth Burrell became Mrs. Knapp. Jane Burrell married Stephen Monday, and resides in Illinois. Mary Burrell resides un- married in Dansville; and with her the mother spent her last days, dying at eighty-nine, firm in the Presbyterian faith, her husband being an attendant of the same church.
Edward Burrell spent his early years on the homestead, went to the district school, and aided his father in the arduous labors of farm- ing. In 1850, at the age of twenty-seven, he bought of Thomas P. Smith a farm in the town of Nunda, Livingston County, and in course of
time was able to erect the frame buildings wherein he resided for a score of years. After the death of his father, however, he returned to the ancestral home in Ossian, and remained there until 1875. Then he moved to Dans- ville, where he lived till his brother, who had been managing the home farm, was killed by a falling tree, when he again took charge of the farm, which he still owns, although he now resides in Canaseraga. Ilis marriage took place in 1849, when twenty-six years old, the bride being Henry Rollins's daughter Betsey, a native of South Dansville, where she grew up on her father's farm, one of several chil- dren. She died in 1872, after twenty-three years of wedded happiness. A few years later Mr. Burrell married a second time, his wife being Mrs. Catherine Allen, the widow of Emery Allen, and a daughter of Jacob Eve- land, belonging to an old Dansville family.
Mr. Burrell has long been prominent in the order of Grangers; and he is a stockholder and Director in the T. G. Wooster Furniture Man- ufacturing Company, of Canaseraga. He was for many years an Assessor in Ossian. In politics he may be called an independent Dem- ocrat, often voting for the best man, and not as a partisan. In religion he follows the pa- rental lead as a Presbyterian, though very lib- eral in his religious views; but Mrs. Burrell is a Methodist in belief. He owned a large saw-mill, and has been an extensive dealer in lumber. In 1881 he had the misfortune to lose his mill by fire, and this is a loss hardly to be repaired; but he still has the homestead of over two hundred acres of fine tillable land.
Such men are a nation's bulwarks. A very good likeness of this worthy citizen meets the eye of the reader on another page.
HARLES J. BENEDICT, a success- ful farmer in the town of Perry, Wyoming County, N. Y., was born March 20, 1823. He is the grand- son of Samuel and Anna (Seward) Benedict, both of whom were born in Connecticut. They afterward settled in Vermont, where Samuel Benedict occupied himself in cultivat- ing his farm. They had a family of five sons
£
-
-
1 -bang formateur and not bornna Hormill bisbal
unit crm-virgin is wnich avb-fast fud mogu dondo 5
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
and two daughters - Graham, William, Solo- mon, Truman, Samuel, Sally, and Anna. Samuel Benedict died at the age of seventy- six years, and his wife lived to the advanced age of ninety-two. He was a Whig in poli- tics, and was a member of the Presbyterian church, as was also his wife.
Graham, son of Samuel Benedict, was born in Connecticut, July 27, 1785. In his youth he left his native State, and went to Man- chester, Vt., where on September 25, 1814, he married Lucy Hickox. In February of the following year they started for their new home in Lima, Livingston County, N. Y., and for two weeks journeyed with their ox teams over rough and uncleared roads. In 1816 Mr. Benedict bought one hundred acres of land on what was called the Van Rens- selaer tract in the town of Perry, and re- moved thither with his family. This country was then a primeval forest; and here Mr. Benedict made a clearing for his log house, erecting the structure which served for a home for his family for many years. Sawed timber was then seldom seen in this part of the country, and therefore blankets were used for doors. While these improvements were being made, Mr. Benedict and his wife re- sided near by with the Norris family, who, with the hospitality characteristic of those times, offered to the new-comers a home until their own was ready for occupancy. Graham Benedict cleared most of his land, and soon fields of waving wheat and corn replaced the dense forest. This land proved very produc- tive, and by selling fifty acres he was enabled to build a house and barn when the accommo- dations of the log cabin were no longer sufficient for his increased family. Event- ually he bought one hundred and five acres more, and was very successful in the cultiva- tion of his extensive farm. Graham Benedict died January 13, 1862, at the age of seventy- six years; and in March, 1870, his wife passed away at the age of seventy-nine. She was a member of the Presbyterian church, while her husband belonged to the Episcopal church. He was a Whig in politics, and for many years an Overseer of the Poor, Com- missioner of Ilighways, and Inspector of
Common Schools. Their children were: Harriet, who married M. Stratton, and is now dead; Eunice A., who married J. A. Thompson, of Perry Centre, and who was the mother of three children; Samuel; and the subject of this sketch.
Charles J. Benedict was educated in the district schools of his native town, and at the early age of sixteen years he took full charge of the old homestead. When twenty years of age, he engaged in farming in company with his brother-in-law, J. A. Thompson; but after three years the partnership was dis- solved, and he continued the work in his own interest. His brother Samuel lives with him. January, 1850, Mr. Benedict married Florilla Herd, daughter of Samuel and Aurelia (Canfield) Benedict, of Arlington, Bennington County, Vt. They have had three children. The eldest, Frank C., born September 16, 1852, is a commercial trav- eller; his first wife was Estelle Miner, who died, leaving one child, Charles Miner, after which he married Elizabeth Walker, of Manchester, Vt., his business headquarters now being 46 Lincoln Street, Boston. Hat- tie E., born October 26, 1857, married George W. Silver, a machinist, and lives at Perry Centre, having one child, Lucy. Fred G., born December 16, 1868, married Bertha Bingham, and lives at the old home- stead.
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.