Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y, Part 28

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Boston : Biographical Review
Number of Pages: 1256

USA > New York > Wyoming County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y > Part 28
USA > New York > Livingston County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y > Part 28

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Mr. Walter B. Fargo was appointed in his father's will as executor of the estate, which has only recently been settled. He had re- ceived in his youth a good education in the district school and academy of Warsaw; and on February 27, 1857, he was married to Sarah M. Covell, a daughter of Simeon and Sally (Thompson) Covell. The parents of Mrs. Fargo reared a family of four daughters and four sons, one of whom, Allen, is a resi- dent of California. Mr. Covell died at seventy years of age, while his widow lived to be eighty.

Mr. and Mrs. Fargo began their married life on a farm a mile cast of Warsaw, where they lived for some years, and which they sold in 1868; and in 1869 they settled on a two-hundred-and-fifty-acre dairy farm at Orangeville. Eight years later Mr. Fargo returned to Warsaw, where he occupied the handsome house built by his father in 1844, and later modernized and renovated. This residence, with its spacious lawn and the towering elms planted by his father, attracts the admiration of the passer-by, and is one of the landmarks of the village. Though he still retains possession of this place, Mr. Fargo lives in his pleasant home on the corner of Grove and Butternut Streets. Of the four children that were born to Mr. and Mrs. Fargo, three are living. One son, Adelbert B., a farmer in Alexandria, Genesee County,

has a wife and two children, a son and a daughter; Wilber Fargo, who is also married, and has one son, lives in Warsaw; the daugh- ter, Blanche Maria, is the wife of Mr. Norman McLeod in Buffalo. Another daughter, whose name was Laura, died at four years of age.

Mr. Fargo votes with the Republican party. He is village Trustee, though he has practi- cally retired from active life, and has given up the control of his farm to his son, Wilber. The name of Fargo has a conspicuous place in the history of Warsaw, the family having been for generations prominent in local affairs. Captain Nehemiah Fargo owned one of the first four frame houses in the village, the site of it being now occupied by the mansion built by his son, Allen; and he was the purchaser of the first bell, whose brazen tongue called the villagers to worship in the only church in the vicinity, the very first built west of the Genesee River, in 1825. Mr. Walter B. Fargo has faithfully sustained the reputation of his name and lineage, and has the confi- dence and esteem of friend and neighbor.

OSEPH P. OLP is an extensive land- holder in Mount Morris, where he oc- cupies a conspicuous position among the farming population. Possessed of sound, practical sense and good financial abil- ity, he ranks as one of the enterprising busi- ness men of the town. Mr. Olp was born in Mansfield, Warren County, N. J., January 19, 1825, being a son of Barnabas Olp, who was a native, it is supposed, of the same town.

John Olp, the father of Barnabas, came from Holland stock, and was a native of New Jersey, where he spent a large portion of his life. He was reared to the habits of industry and thrift common to his Dutch ancestors, and acquired a comfortable estate. Emigrat- ing to New York State in the early thirties, he settled in the town of Mount Morris, where, being quite well along in years, he afterward lived with his wife, Polly Olp, re- tired from active pursuits, rounding out a full period of existence. He reared three sons, all of whom he assisted in obtaining homes in Livingston County.

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Barnabas Olp grew to manhood in New Jer- sey, being a resident of that State until 1828, when, accompanied by his family, he came to Livingston County, N. Y., bringing all of his earthly possessions with teams. Purchasing a tract of land in Mount Morris, he moved into the small log house which stood in the clear- ing that had already been made, and there began farming. His first work was to cut the standing timber, which, having no commercial value, was rolled into piles and burned. There were then neither railways nor tele- graph or telephone lines spanning this broad country, and the evidences of civilization were few. For a time he drew his surplus produc- tions to Rochester, thirty-eight miles distant ; but, notwithstanding the lack of modern con- veniences and helps, he made good success in his farming operations, and after a time erected substantial frame buildings in place of the log cabin and barn. Disposing of his homestead property at an advantage, he bought a farm in Leicester, which he occupied for four years ; and then, selling it, he removed to Mount Morris, where he lived retired until his death, when sixty-three years old. He was twice married, the maiden name of his first wife being Amy Potts. She was a native of New Jersey, and died in 1838, leaving him with four children -- Henry W., Sarah, Mary, and Joseph P. He subsequently married Maria Scobey, who bore him one child, George.

Joseph P., the second son of Barnabas Olp, was three years old when his parents came to Mount Morris; and here he was reared and educated, living at the parental fireside until nineteen years old, when he learned the car- penter's trade, which for seven years he made his chief occupation. Having bought sixty- three acres of land in Portage, he was there engaged in farming for three years, after which he returned to Mount Morris, and spent one summer in the village. The following seven years Mr. Olp carried on general farm- ing on rented land in the valley. He subse- quently bought a farm of three hundred and forty-two acres in the town of Nunda, and re- sided there for three years, doing an excellent paying business. Trading one hundred acres

of that property for the farm he now owns, Mr. Olp continued his agricultural labors, and has now a valuable and well-equipped homestead, located about two miles from the village of Mount Morris, and containing two hundred and sixteen acres of rich land. In addition to this estate Mr. Olp still owns one hundred acres of his Nunda purchase, which, including his other landed property, makes an aggregation of four hundred and thirty-eight acres.

In March, 1853, Mr. Olp was united in wedlock with Harriet M. Warren, a native of Leicester, and a daughter of Ira and Ann (Sharpstein) Warren. Two children have been born to them - Florence E. and Henry WV. Florence, who is the wife of James B. Hampton, County Treasurer, has two children - Carrie and Howard. Henry married Ida Perrine, and they have two children - Helen and Josephine. Mr. Olp is a man of great intelligence, strong in his convictions, inde- pendent in political matters, voting for the man he thinks best fitted for the office, and is broad and liberal in his religious views.

ILBERT M. COOLEY, an eminent contractor and builder in Leicester, Livingston County, N. Y., first saw the light in the town of York, December 17, 1815, the year when General Jackson fought the famous battle of New Orleans. He was the second son of Jonathan and Zeviah Coo- ley, the father being the second child of Jon- athan Cooley, Sr. Gilbert's early life was passed amid pioneer scenes. He can remem- ber the time when there were neither canals nor railroads, and practically no machinery used in farming, his father, in common with others, cutting grain with a sickle.

When Gilbert was a lad of ten years, a man came to that place with a cradle, which he tried to introduce into the harvest fields. The child took particular notice of its con- struction, carefully observing the proportions. Being a country boy, with ample leisure to think out his work and work out his thoughts, he soon made a grain cradle, the first which was ever used in that section. He made good

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use of the opportunities afforded him to secure an education, attending the district school and Wyoming Seminary. In 1830, at the age of fifteen, he commenced to learn the carpenter's trade, serving three years as apprentice, after which he became a contractor and builder. In 1840, the last year of Van Buren's Presi- dency, he moved to Cuylerville, where he remained eight years, filling many large contracts with Mr. Cuyler for the erection of buildings. In 1848, the year gold was dis- covered in California, a contract was made to build canal-locks at Nunda and other points, which he worked on two years. In 1850, the year that President Taylor died, Mr. Cooley with a company built twenty miles of the Erie Railroad, and has since been quite extensively engaged in railroad construction. In 1884 he became a retired resident of Moscow.

Mr. Cooley married in 1840 his first wife, Eliza Ann Dailey, who was born near New- burg on the Hudson. She died October 7, 1879. In 1886 he married Mrs. Clarissa Wheeler Smead, a native of Leicester, and a sister of John Wheeler, whose biography may be found elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Coo- ley is a Presbyterian, as was also his first wife. The present Mrs. Cooley is a member of the Baptist church. Mr. Cooley is nearly eighty years of age; but he is hale and hearty, and still looks after his private interests. He and his sister, Mrs. Lucinda C. May, still own the old homestead at Covington. Mr. Cooley says, "I have lived to see steam and electricity introduced, and I expect to see electricity supersede steam as a motive power." Though there are no children in the Cooley household, it is, nevertheless, a bright centre of life and friendship.

HOMAS CLARK SOWERBY, a highly respected citizen of Perry, was born November 26, 1854, and is a son of Thomas and Isabel (Fluker) Sowerby, his father being a native of Hull, Yorkshire, England, and his mother of Warsaw, N. Y. Mr. Sowerby's grandparents were George and Elizabeth Sowerby, of Yorkshire, who reared eight children -John, George, Floater,

Elizabeth, Francis, Jacob, Thomas, and Martha.

George Sowerby died in 1812; and his widow was again married to James Clark, a miller of Hull, England, and emigrated with her children to America five years after her husband had come to this country. Thomas Clark, a son of James, and half-brother of Thomas Sowerby, became one of the most ex- tensive grain dealers in Buffalo, and died in middle life. James Clark died in Hudson, N. Y. ; and his widow, the subject's grand- mother, died at Perry in 1855, aged seventy- one years.

Thomas Sowerby, son of George and Eliza- beth, came to America with his mother at the age of seventeen years. He worked as a miller at Seneca Falls for one year, and later went to Oswego, where he followed the same vocation for six years. In 1844 he came to Wyoming County, and purchased fifty acres of land in the town of Perry. He has rapidly increased his landed property, and to-day is the possessor of one of the finest farms in Wyoming County. He now lives in retire- ment. He is a Republican in politics.

The maiden name of his wife was Isabel Fluker. She was born June 14, 1828, daugh- ter of William and Elizabeth ( Wood) Fluker, who were natives of Ireland, and settled in Warsaw, where they were well-to-do farmers. The former died at seventy-nine years of age and the latter at eighty-nine. Both were members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Sowerby reared two children - George F. and Thomas Clark Sowerby. The former is an extensive grain dealer and manager of large elevators in Buffalo. He married Maria Aiken.

Thomas Clark Sowerby was educated at the district school, and on reaching his majority purchased a farm in the town of Castile, con- sisting of one hundred and eighty-seven acres, situated at the head of Silver Lake. This is a very valuable piece of property, and Mr. Clark has done much in the way of modelling his farm buildings. On February 19, 1879, he was united in marriage to Alice Sowerby, daughter of John and Harriet (Hutton) Sow- erby, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in

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this work. For a short time after his mar- riage he resided upon and operated one of his father's farms, purchasing the one above men- tioned, which he carried on successfully for three years. He then removed to the town of Perry, where he bought a valuable building lot on Lake Street, nearly opposite the one owned and occupied by his father. Here he built a large and handsome residence with all modern improvements, in which he now resides.

He also purchased a farm of two hundred and twenty-eight acres; and this, together with his property in Castile, he rents to good advantage.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Sowerby have three children -- Grace E., born September 21, 1882; Clara M., born August 28, 1886; and Alice I., born September 24, 1891. Mr. Sowerby in politics is a stanch Republican, and his religious views are liberal and con- sistent.

HOMAS SIMPSON, a much respected resident of Mount Morris, Livingston County, N. Y., is a native of England, where he was born on May 13, 1831, being a son of William Simpson. The father was a farmer in England, and in the country of his birth he was satisfied to spend all his days.

In 1850 Thomas determined to come to America, and accordingly he set sail on the good ship "Zeziga"; and after seven weeks of tossing about on the broad Atlantic he landed in New York City, and thence made his way to Genesco, Livingston County. After occupying himself for several years with work for others, he bought of Hannah Service fifty acres of land, and shortly purchased of one Horie thirty acres more, making eighty in all; and from that time on to the present he has given his whole attention to the im- provement and cultivation of his farm and the erection of fences and buildings.

In 1855 Mr. Simpson married Ann Aiken, of Ireland; and she became the mother of four children - William Thomas, Phoebe Jane, Henry John, and Mary Ann. Mrs. Ann Simpson died in 1879; and her husband after-

ward married Esther Boyd, daughter of Rob- ert Boyd, of York. Mr. Simpson, although of English birth, is now a citizen of the United States, having been naturalized in 1866. He is an independent voter, and cast his first Presidential vote for Seymour in 1868. Mr. Simpson has been glad to take advantage of all the opportunities afforded by the free institutions of this country, and in return does not shirk his duty as a citizen. Industrious, self-helpful, and well disposed, he holds the respect of his fellow-townspeople.

HARLES D. NEWTON is a promi- nent lawyer of Main Street, Gen- eseo, N. Y. He was born in the town of Birdsall, in Allegany County, May 25, 1861, and is of New Eng- land stock, his father, Daniel Newton, being a native of the State of Connecticut. His grandfather, who had been a sea captain, set- tled down near Rochester, and built and occu- pied the first log cabin in that section of the country; but later he removed to Granger, in Allegany County, where he remained until his death.

Daniel Newton chose the occupation of a farmer, and cultivated a farm in Allegany County; he did not, however, give all his time to agriculture. He was a man of un- usual ability, noted for his excellent judgment in all general and local affairs, and was prom- inent among other capable and intelligent men of that time for his wise discrimination and good sense. He very naturally was elected to fill the office of Justice of the Peace, and continued to perform its duties for more than twenty years. At the present time Mr. Newton is retired from the responsibili- ties of a public life, and finds a congenial home with his son Charles, still, however, continuing the cultivation of his farm. Dan- iel Newton's wife, the mother of Charles, the subject of this sketch, was formerly Miss Annie Brudage. She was born in Steuben County, a daughter of Matthew Brudage, a well-known resident of the town of Granger, Allegany County. Five children have blessed this union - Dallas, Almeda, Joseph. George,

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and Charles D. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Newton are members of the Presbyterian church.

Their youngest son, Charles, passed his early years until he was about nine years old on the homestead. He then entered the academy at Friendship, N. Y., where he re- mained with occasional interruptions until he was nearly eighteen, when he came to Gene- seo, and continued his studies here for three years more, working part of the time, how- ever, for Mr. John Young. Later he studied law with General Wood. The year of 1888 Mr. Newton spent in the law department of Michigan University at Ann Arbor, and the next year he was admitted to the bar. Twelve months after he opened an office in Geneseo, where he commenced practice; and here he has gone on in a successful career ever since. This calls for more than passing notice; for, when a man has become successful in a pro- fession he has undertaken, it is not unfre- quently said that he owes his prosperity to the happy conditions of his life, his many friends, his favorable environment. But very often this is incorrect; and the attainment of the end, as in this instance of Mr. Newton, is rather the result of earnest effort in the single chosen direction. Fragmentary efforts de- tract from individual power; and, although the man of diverse interests may accomplish much, it is the one steady, unfaltering pur- pose which succeeds.

Mr. Charles D. Newton was married in 1887 to Miss Nellie Durfee, a daughter of Mr. Charles Durfee, a well-known and successful miller of Wyoming County. They have three daughters -- Mary, Elizabeth, and Dorothy. Mr. Newton is a Democrat, and has the honor of being Master of the Geneseo Lodge, A. F. & A. M., No. 214.

AMES A. MAIN, a wholesale dealer in jewelry and watches, of Warsaw, N. Y., was born at Cold Spring on the Hud- son, Putnam County, N. Y., October 26, 1827, son of Joshua and Polly (Mabie) Main. Mr. Main's grandfather was of Span- ish extraction, but died soon after landing in this country ; and his young son Joshua, who

was left without a natural protector and with no patrimony, was "bound out " on a farm for a time. He married Miss Polly Mabie, of Putnam County; and they came to Genesee County in 1835, journeying by steamboat from Poughkeepsie to Albany, thence by canal to Rochester, and from there by wagon to Weth- ersfield. The brave young couple had scant means and a family of six young children to provide for. Their three sons and three daughters were: Caroline, the wife of Leonard Baker, of Wethersfield; Elias; James A .; Gilbert, a land owner in Kansas, who has been superintendent of schools there for five years; Susan, the wife of Mr. Walter Parish, of Hornellsville; and Mary, a widow living in Arcade, Wyoming County. Mrs. Main died at seventy-three years of age; and her husband survived her four years, dying at seventy-nine years of age on the farm upon which he settled, and which is now owned and occupied by his son Elias.

James A. Main received a fairly good edu- cation in the district schools, and worked on the farm at home or out on the neighboring farms by the month until he was twenty-six years of age. He was then married to Miss Celinda Tallman, of Castile, a daughter of Giles Tallman, one of the carly settlers from Delhi in Delaware County. Mr. Main, being in a poor state of health, began travelling on the road as a salesman of jewelry, hoping that the constant change of air and scene would be of physical benefit. This occupation he fol- lowed for four years; and then, feeling much stronger and better able to endure a sedentary life, he went to New York, and, putting him- self under competent instruction, applied him- self diligently to acquiring a knowledge of the mechanical art of watchmaking and the trade of a goldsmith. This he accomplished, and in 1859 established a jewelry shop in Arcade. In 1862 he conceived the idea of following the army and offering his wares to the men in blue, a project which was put into execution, and which proved most remunera- tive. After the war was over, he went back to New York, and entered the employment of a jeweller by the name of C. S. Stone as a workman and salesman, and was so efficient

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in both capacities that, when he left, he took with him the strongest recommendation from his employer. In 1865 he came to Warsaw, where he has certainly been successful, though his business ability and practical skill would have found wider scope in one of the great cities.

The one daughter born to Mr. and Mrs. Main is the wife of Mr. James E. Reid, a real estate and insurance dealer in Warsaw, and is the mother of twin sons - Louis and Law- rence - who are remarkably bright and inter- esting little fellows, and in whom their grandfather takes the greatest pride and pleasure. In 1874 Mr. Main purchased on East Buffalo Street a residence, which he en- tirely rebuilt in the following year. Since that time he has bought a lot on the corner of Main and Buffalo Streets, upon which he has erected a handsome three-story brick business block. The building occupies one of the finest business stands in the town, and the post-office has occupied a part of it for the past nineteen years. On the second floor there are many offices, and the whole building is heated by hot water, and is thoroughly equipped with all modern improvements.

The strictly honest dealing of Mr. Main has been one of the factors of his success, his statement in regard to his wares being never for an instant questioned by those who know his reputation. He has agents who sell his watches and jewelry in New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania; and he owns real estate in different States. He is a Royal Arch Mason, and is conservative in politics, voting for the best man for the place always.

Mr. Main has worked slowly and patiently up to the present point of prosperity, and merits the congratulations of friend and neigh- bor, who have witnessed the eventual achieve- ment of quiet and unostentatious effort.

AMUEL EWART, formerly a pros- perous farmer of Geneseo, N. Y., was born in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the year 1773, and died in Geneseo in 1848. He was

a son of John Ewart, who was born in Armagh County, Ireland, and when a young man came to America, crossing the ocean in a sailing- vessel, the voyage occupying several weeks.

In 1794 John Ewart removed from Pennsyl- vania to Geneseo, making the journey in wagons. At that time this section of the country was a wilderness, with but few white settlers. He selected a tract of land near the village known as Lakeville, and there as- sisted in organizing the First Presbyterian church in the town of Geneseo, of which he was appointed one of the Elders. He resided near Lakeville but a few years, then sold his land, and bought for four dollars an acre a tract of one hundred acres in the southern part of the town. A hewed log house and a few acres of cleared land constituted his avail- able estate. Here he resided till his death, about 1812. He had five children - Mar- garet, Nancy, Mary, Samuel, and one other daughter, whose name is unknown, as she went to Ohio instead of to New York with her parents.

Samuel Ewart was nineteen years old when he came to this county with his parents. He was brought up to agricultural pursuits, and always engaged in farming. For a short time he served in the War of 1812, being in sight of the village of Buffalo when it was burned by the British. Hle inherited the home farm, to which he made additions, owning at the time of his death four hundred acres. The frame buildings which he erected were among the best in the town at that time.

He married Elizabeth Magee, whose father, William Magee, was born in County Antrim, Ireland, but was of Scotch ancestry, as also were the Ewarts. Accompanied by his brother Henry, he came to America when a young man, and settled in New Jersey, where he resided some years previous to 1800, when he came to New York State, and settled in the village of Williamsburg. Later he pur- chased a farm in Groveland, which he sold a few years afterward, and bought another in the same town, residing on this latter farm until his death. His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah Quick, was of Holland an- cestry. Mrs. Ewart lived to be ninety years

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of age, and died in the year 1885. She had three daughters - Mary A., who married Dr. Edward Patchen, of Dansville, and died in 1892, leaving two children - Charles V. and Elizabeth S. Patchen; Elizabeth, who died in 1890; and Hannah, a clear-headed, sensible woman, the only survivor of the family, who now occupies the homestead.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Ewart were attendants of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Ewart was known to the town in which he lived as a very successful farmer, and was much respected both on account of his character as a man and his good work as a citizen.

HARLES L. G. SUTFIN, of Dans- ville, whose sudden death on Sunday, April 16, 1893, caused widespread sorrow in the community, was the third son of Abraham and Johanna (Wire) Sutfin, of Elizabeth, N.J. The Sutfin off- spring numbered eight children, six of whom grew to adult years. Charles L. G. Sutfin was born in Conesus, Livingston County, N. Y., January 25, 1841, and at the age of three years moved with his parents to Steuben County, where he lived until 1873. His early education was obtained in the Rogers- ville and Dansville Seminaries. He re-

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Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y, Part 28

Author: Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Boston : Biographical Review Number of Pages: 1256

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Boston : Biographical Review
Number of Pages: 1256