Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y, Part 39

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 39
USA > New York > Livingston County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y > Part 39

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ideas, good executive ability, and of energetic character, has a strong influence in the town which he has sought to benefit, and where his qualifications have not been overlooked. He has held the office of Overseer of the Poor four different terms. Mr. Lucas is a member of Oakland Lodge, No. 379, A. F. & A. M., Steuben Chapter, No. 101, and DeMolay Commandery, No. 22.

NDREW HOLLENBECK, an enter- prising Livingston County farmer, noted for breeding fine carriage horses, was born in Caledonia, April 15, 1834, and has resided from his birth on the old homestead estate, which is one of the finest and best-equipped farms in a famous farming region. He was named after his father, who was also a native of New York. His grandfather, John Hollenbeck, who was a native of Holland, was one of the earliest settlers in the interior of the Empire State. He did his full share toward clear- ing the vast tracts covered by virgin forests, and died in Montgomery County.

The only child reared by him was Andrew Hollenbeck, Sr., who was born in Mont- gomery County, and resided there until he reached the age of fourteen years, when he removed to Genesee County. He made the journey in wagons, accompanied by an uncle; and at that time the journey from Montgomery to Livingston County was really more of an undertaking than a trip from New York to San Francisco is to-day. The so-called "roads " were roads in little more than name. The country was infested with wild animals, some of which were as savage as they were wild; and it was dangerous as well as de- cidedly inconvenient to take a long journey. But our ancestors accepted as a matter of course many things that would seem to us to be quite unbearable; and by combining cour- age, strength, and fixed determination they made the wilderness "blossom like a rose," and prepared the way for their fortunate descendants.

When the father of our subject arrived in Livingston County, he was just "even with

the world "; that is to say, he owed nothing, and he owned nothing excepting a pair of strong arms, a knowledge of farming and of woodcraft, an industrious and enterprising spirit, and a strong fund of common sense. For a number of years he "worked out," be- coming acquainted with the country and sav- ing money at the same time. Then he bought a very slightly improved farm, lived on it a few years, improved it further, and at length sold out at a decided advance on the original cost. This practice he continued, buying wild tracts of land, improving them, and sell- ing out at an advance, until finally he bought the farm upon which his son Andrew resides, where he remained until his death in 1854. The maiden name of his wife, mother of our subject, was Prudence Usher. She was a Connecticut girl by birth, but her parents were early settlers in the vicinity of Scotts- ville, Monroe County, N. Y., where they re- mained the rest of their lives. Mrs. Prudence Usher Hollenbeck died in 1880. She reared eleven children, their names being Lewis, John, Aaron, Moses, Jane, Walter, Andrew, Henry, Ellen, Homer, Roxanna. Otis, the eighth child, died young.

Andrew Hollenbeck, who was twenty years old when his father died, worked on the farm from the beginning, and finally succeeded to its ownership. He was married in 1870 to Miss Mary N. Moore; and two children have been born to the couple - Hattie Chase (Chase being the maiden name of Mrs. Hol- lenbeck's mother) and Harry Bell. Hattie Chase Hollenbeck is now the wife of Dr. Mc- Clellan, of Canandaigua.

The Hollenbeck farm is one of the finest in the county, and the buildings are worthy of the farm. In 1893 Mr. Hollenbeck erected a barn eighty feet in length, thirty-six feet in breadth, and twenty-four feet in height, ex- clusive of a nine-foot basement. In arrange- ment and in equipment this structure leaves practically nothing to be desired; for it com- bines "all the modern improvements," and everything in and about it is strictly first class. Mr. Hollenbeck inherited a taste for fine horses, and as a horse breeder has found both pleasure and profit, for such animals as

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he raises find a ready market when there is any demand whatever for good horses.

AJOR WALTER B. TALLMAN, an esteemed resident of Perry, N. Y., and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in the adjoining town of Castile, February 27, 1844. He is the son of Captain Elias and Cynthia (Matt- son) Tallman, and grandson of Giles and Bet- sey Tallman, who began their married life on a farm in Dutchess County in 1816.

Giles Tallman subsequently moved with his family and household goods to Castile, mak- ing the journey in a wagon over a rough coun- try. He purchased one hundred and twenty acres of wild land, situated on the west side of Silver Lake; and here they dwelt for a time in a log house.

Grandfather Tallman cleared and improved his farm, upon which he resided the remain- der of his life, dying at the age of fifty. His wife, who survived him, reached the advanced age of ninety-five, and reared a family of six children - Elias, Amon, Mary A., Harriet, Clarinda, and Charles.

Elias, his first son, was born in Delhi, Delaware County, in 1816. At an early age he commenced farming, and followed it dur- ing his entire life. He married Cynthia, daughter of Jeremiah Mattson, who came from Vermont in 1828, and settled in the town of Castile, where he became a very prosperous farmer. He died at the age of seventy-four, and his wife at seventy-five. He was a Whig and later a Republican in politics. He was Captain of a local artillery company and always interested in town affairs, having held several offices. Both himself and wife were members of the Baptist church in Castile. Four children survived them - Albert W., Walter B., Laverne (deceased), and Ellen. Albert W. married Cynthia Howard, and re- sides in Osage, Ia., where he is engaged in mercantile business. He has one child, Mar- jorie. He has been Inspector-general and Postmaster a number of years, and was Ser- geant-major of the First New York Dragoons, receiving a Captain's commission at the close

of the war. Laverne married Milo B. Welds, of Arcade. She died at the age of forty- three, leaving five children - Gertie, Ernest T., Clinton, Albert, Lowell. Ellen, who married George Morse, resides at Perry, hav- ing two children - Clara and Walter.

Walter B. Tallman, the subject of this sketch, was educated in the common schools, and at the age of nineteen discarded his school books for the cartridge box, and enlisted in Company H, Eighth New York Heavy Artil- lery, but in 1864 was transferred to Company G, Fourth Heavy Artillery. He was dis- charged September 16, 1865, as non-commis- sioned officer, having been engaged in a number of prominent battles, as Spottsyl- vania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Crow's Nest, Five Forks, Ream's Station, Hatch's Run, and several others, up to Lee's surrender. Returning home, he assumed charge of his father's farm, which he carried on until 1884. In 1867 he married Harriet A. Sowerby, who was born August 13, 1848, daughter of John and Jane Sowerby, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work.

Mr. and Mrs. Tallman have two children Albert W., born February 17, 1871; and Harry Elias, born June 18, 1890. The for- mer received his education at the Aurora Military School and the Buffalo Business Col- lege. After completing his studies, he en- tered the hardware business at Perry. On September 5, 1894, he was united in mar- riage to Miss Nellie Bartholomy.

In 1884 Mr. and Mrs. Tallman purchased a house and lot in Perry, which was a part of the old Bailey estate. They made many addi- tions and improvements to this, and now have a very fine residence situated on Main Street. In 1886 he and his family visited the Pacific Coast, making an extensive tour in California; and later Mr. Tallman engaged in the fruit business, spending a year in California. Mrs. Tallman is a member of the Baptist church. Mr. Tallman is one of the original founders of the John P. Robinson Post, No. 101, Grand Army of the Republic, of Perry. He was Post Commander three years, and is now Adjutant. He has held several town offices while in Cas- tile, and manifests a great interest in all

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affairs relative to the welfare of the commu- nity in which he resides. Mr. Tallman has been a Notary Public for eighteen years, and has also been honored with the appointment of Aide-de-camp on the Department staff, holding the position at the present time, with the rank of Colonel. He has likewise been Village Trustee, and is at present member of the Board of Health. Mr. Tallman is a thor- ough military man, having sprung from a mil- itary family.

FORGE K. WHITNEY, a retired farmer residing in Geneseo, N. Y., was born in the town of Pavilion, Genesee County, April 8, 1838. His father, George W. Whitney, was a native of Pitts- field, Mass. His grandfather, Joshua Whit- ney, was for many years a resident of that old town, where he carried on a foundry and the making of guns and anchors. In time he moved with his son, George W. Whitney, to Pavilion, and went from there to Toledo, Ohio, where he remained until his death.

George W. Whitney was brought up to the trade of farrier and blacksmith. He gave up that employment after a time, and went to York, Livingston County, where he purchased a farm, and carried on its cultivation for a long period, but finally disposed of it, to set- tle in the village, where his death occurred after he had reached the age of eighty-two years. His second wife was the mother of George K. Whitney. Her maiden name was Mary Keyes, and she was a native of Genesee County. Their children were three in num- ber - George K., Edward F., and Caroline, who married John E. Gilmore, of Howell, Mich. Mrs. Mary Keyes Whitney spent her last years at the old homestead, and died there at the age of fifty-four years. Both parents were members of the Congregational church.

George K. Whitney spent his early years on the farm at York. He attended the dis- trict school, and in time was advanced to a school in Geneseo, and later to the Wyoming Academy. When twenty-six years of age, he purchased a farm in York, on which he re- mained one year. Then having an opportunity

of purchasing the Geneseo River Mill, he took possession, and carried on the business con- nected with it for some time; but later he bought a farm in York, and settled down in a pleasant home there, conducting the various interests which belong to the cultivation of a prosperous farm. Mr. Whitney was married in 1864 to Miss Jane R. Stewart, a daughter of Neil Stewart, a well-known farmer of York, and a member of one of the old families of that town. Mrs. Whitney is one of a family of ten children, of whom nine are still living.

Mr. and Mrs. Whitney have three children, namely : Mary S., who married Myron Bow, son of Lysander Bow, of the town of York; Jennie N., who married James Gilmore, son of Thomas Gilmore, of Geneseo; and Walter W., who married Olive Sherwood, daughter of Ora Sherwood. Mr. George K. Whitney is a Republican in political principles. He is a Trustee of the village, a Highway Commis- sioner of the town and of York also.

G EORGE W. FARMAN, a lumber dealer and farmer of Gainesville, was born in the western part of this town, April 7, 1845. His father, Charles D. Far- man, was born November 20, 1820, in New Haven, Oswego County, N. Y., where his grandfather, Zadock Farman, who was born in 1791, spent the later years of a life of useful activity. He was a farmer. Zadock Farman was married in 1814 to Martha Dix, a native of Wethersfield, Conn., daughter of Charles Dix, a descendant in the fourth generation of Leonard Dix, an early settler of that town. She was the mother of six children - Saman- tha, leceased; Charles D. ; Henry; E. E. Farman, a judge of Warsaw; Samuel A. ; and one who died an infant. For further facts in relation to this family see "Biographical Commentary of American Biography," pub- lished in 1893.

Charles D. Farman was reared to agricult- ural pursuits upon his father's farm. He received his education at the district schools, and, having learned the trade of rope-making by hand in a rope-walk, established himself in that business at Gainesville, where he died in

S. TRUMAN SHORT.

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1889, January 7, at sixty-eight years of age, having moved there in 1844. At one time he was Supervisor of the town. His wife was Lydia Wright, daughter of Peter Wright, of Oswego, who was captain of a tug-boat. She had four children - George W., the subject of this sketch ; Phoebe Samantha, who married Frank Page, of Wethersfield, now deceased ; Elbert HI. ; and Charles W. Farman. The mother died in Gainesville, May 7, 1888, at sixty-three years of age.

George W. Farman passed his early years in Gainesville, where he was reared by his father to agricultural pursuits. After passing through the district schools, he attended the Warsaw Academy and Pike Seminary. On at- taining his majority, he left home and engaged in the manufacture of cheese, which he con- tinued for some years. After leaving this business, he settled at his present home in Gainesville, a very pleasant and comfortable residence, situated upon a hill overlooking the village. In 1879 he engaged in the lumber business, which he has conducted ever since. In 1867 Mr. Farman was united in marriage to Carrie M. Shaver, daughter of Jabez Shaver, of Oneida County, town of Western, where her father was a farmer and cheese-maker. She was an only daughter. Her father died at the age of sixty-five, at her home in Gainesville, where her mother also died at the age of fifty- seven. Her parents were highly estimable people, and were members of the Universalist church.

Mr. Farman is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is a Repub- lican in politics, and has been Collector and Town Clerk several terms. Both himself and wife are attendants of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Farman's ancestors were always prominent in the community where they resided, his father having been an influential citizen, and a man of much worth. He himself has served the community in many ways. He has been a very active and successful business man, with a reputation for honesty and fair dealing. He enjoys the blessings and comforts of a home situated in a most healthful locality and furnished with modern improvements and luxuries.

ENECA TRUMAN SHORT was born in the town of Richmond, On- tario County, N. Y., on the 19th of November, 1829. He is a grandson of Manasseh Short, and a son of Josiah Short, who, in connection with his cousin Daniel, bought of Sylvester Wheeler a tract of land containing two hundred and five acres in close proximity to a village known on the old maps as Jacksonville. This little town was at that time very prosperous. It contained a large flour-mill, the product of which at a later period was conveyed to market by canal, a woollen factory, where wool was carded and cloth was dressed, a whiskey distillery, a cooper's shop, blacksmith-shop, and a store kept by Mr. Ichabod A. Holden, besides a number of residences. Property in the vicin- ity of so thriving a village was, of course, val- uable; and the owners of such property found ready market for whatever farm produce they had to offer to the public. (For further infor- mation of Josiah Short, see sketch of J. C. Short. )

The estate of S. Truman Short, covering an area of one hundred and ninety acres, occupies the site of the once flourishing village of Jack- sonville, which is a commentary on the changes consequent to traffic and commerce. Mr. Short was educated in the district schools of Livonia, Livingston County, and was a teacher in the vicinity for eight winters. He taught also for a year in Michigan. He owned a farm at Honeoye Lake, which he sold after five years, returning then to Livonia. When the Civil War broke out, and almost every able-bodied man accustomed to work in the fields had shouldered a musket and enlisted as a soldier, he remained at home to care for his father and manage the farm. He finally bought his father's estate, which he greatly improved by new buildings and by handsome additions to the dwelling.

Mr. S. Truman Short married Miss Delia M. Stevens, the daughter of Jesse and Delia (Kellogg) Stevens, of Sheffield, Mass. Mr. Stevens's family was one of the earliest who settled this section from Massachusetts. His father kept an inn at Honeoye Flats, and the farm he owned there is still in possession of

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the Stevens family. Mr. and Mrs. Short have four children - Jane C., Delia S., Mary A., and Ernest T. Jane is the wife of Mr. Ellis Stone, and is the mother of two sons - How- ard and Truman. Delia, now Mrs. Orael Ma- comber, lives in Lima, and has two children - Hazel and Lee. Mary married Dr. F. A. Wicker, of Hemlock Lake. Ernest married Bernice Smith, and lives on the father's farm, which he assists in managing.

Mr. Short has held for three years the office of Assessor in Livonia. He cast his first Presidential vote for John C. Fremont in 1856, and since that time has been a faithful adherent of the Republican party.

On another page of this volume is a portrait which will be recognized as a very good like- ness of Seneca Truman Short, of the foregoing biography.

HEODORE W. LAWRENCE, a dealer in ready-made clothing, boots, shoes, and gentlemen's furnishings, in the village of Bliss, Wyoming County, N. Y., was born in Athens, Medford County, Pa., on March 6, 1849. His grandfather and father were both natives of that State. His father, John Lawrence, was married to Miss Amelia Hulett, of Athens, Pa., a daughter of Samuel Hulett. Her father was a farmer, who had a family of thirteen children, only four of whom are now living. There were three children born to Mr. and Mrs. John Lawrence - Peter ; Mary, who married Mr. David Hadlock; and Theodore. Their mother died in Warsaw, aged fifty-seven years.

Theodore Lawrence, who was bereft of his father's protection when he was an infant, lived on his grandfather's farm until he was fifteen years old. He then began working on the neighboring farms, attending meanwhile the district schools when farm work was dull. In 1870 he secured employment for a season in a cheese factory, after which he again came back to the old routine of agricultural life. In 1874 he took a farm on shares; and a year later he purchased a farm of one hundred acres situated in the town of Eagle, two miles south of the village of Bliss. Four years of steady

work and close economy had its reward, and found Mr. Lawrence free of the debt incurred by the purchase of his estate and possessing besides fifty additional acres. Here he re- mained until 1887, when he came to Bliss, where he entered into a partnership with Mr. J. J. Bliss, who kept a large store of general merchandise. This partnership continued for two years, when Mr. Lawrence set up the com- plete gentlemen's furnishing establishment he has since so successfully conducted.

Mr. Lawrence was married November 18, 1870, to Miss Emma Hurlburt. The lady's father was a farmer in Eagle, and was a repre- sentative of one of the families who settled in this locality in the early days of its history. She was one of nine children, only one of whom has died. One child, a daughter Myr- tie, crowned and sanctified the union of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence. This daughter is the wife of Mr. Lynn Hanks, a cheese-maker in Centreville, so that the parents are in the after- math of their married life, living over their " honeymoon."

Mr. Lawrence belongs to the Masonic Lodge of Pike, the chaplain of which performed his marriage ceremony the Tuesday following his initiation into the order. He has for three terms been Master of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and has been a representa- tive to the Grand Lodge as many times. He has been Constable and Assessor in Eagle, and has filled both offices satisfactorily. In relig- ion Mr. Lawrence inclines to the Baptist faith, but is liberal in his interpretation of doctrines. As to politics he is a loyal Democrat.

AMUEL A. HOWE, a retired farmer of Livingston County, residing in the village of Springwater, has been intimately identified with the agri- cultural and business interests of this part of the Empire State for upward of half a century, and has been an able assistant in elevating its educational, financial, and religious status. A man of broad and generous impulses, progres- sive and public-spirited, with a heart overflow- ing with kindness and sympathy, he has well been called one of Nature's noblemen, and is

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entitled to the esteem and respect universally accorded him. A son of New England, he claims Boston, the Athens of America, as the place of his birth, which occurred July 1, 1807. The following narrative is all the more interesting from being largely autobio- graphical.

John Howe, tradition says, was a son of a relative of Lord Howe, of Warwickshire, England. He lived in Sudbury, Mass., in 1638, and was Selectman for several years. He removed to Marlborough with his family in 1657. He had almost unlimited influence over the Indians near whom he lived, and was a chosen umpire in their quarrels. He re- ceived frequent appointments on important commissions by the Colonial government. Of his twelve children, nine were married; and their posterity spread throughout the United States. Abraham Howe settled in Roxbury, Mass., in 1638, and died in 1675. James Howe settled in Roxbury in 1637, and died in 1702. Daniel Howe settled in Lynn in 1634, and removed to Long Island in 1641. Edward Howe, of Lynn, came over in the "Truelove," and died in 1637. Some of his children went to New Haven, Conn., and had large families. My grandfather, Isaac Howe, with his two brothers, owned adjoining farms in Dorchester, Mass., and were farmers. He was born June 26, 1755, married Sarah Wiswall, November 7, 1776, was the father of six sons and three daughters, and died September 1, 1830. His wife died December 3, 1840. Samuel Howe, son of Isaac and father of Samuel A., was reared to man's estate on the farm of his par- ents, remaining at home until he became of age. Then, filled with the same ambitious spirit that leads the farmer lads of the present day to change their country homes for a city life, he went to Boston, where he subsequently engaged for many years with his brother Jacob in the shoe and leather business, under the firm name of S. &. J. Howe. His last years were spent in the suburban town of Dorches- ter, which is now included within the city limits of Boston. On October 23, 1803, he married Eunice, daughter of Edward Withing- ton, whose ancestry is traced to the Duke of Norfolk in England. His father and grand-

father settled in Massachusetts, and had large families. Edward Withington had six sons and four daughters. Some of their children are now living - three in Springwater, N. Y., and one in Saginaw, Mich. He died August 14, 1826. My father had two sons and seven daughters, three of whom are now living -- Samuel A., Jonathan, and Martha L. In 1830 he was appointed Inspector General of sole leather for the State of Massachusetts, which office he held until his death. A few years previous he had removed with his family to Dorchester, where he died December 27, 1848, aged seventy years. His wife died Feb- ruary 9, 1843. Here follows an extract from the record of St. Anthony's Lodge : -

"He joined the chapter September 24, 1806; became honorary member February 3, 1830; was Treasurer from 1812 to 1818, in- clusive; Secretary, 1819 and 1820. He suc- ceeded Companion John J. Loring as Grand Secretary of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter in September, 1824, which office he held fifteen years. Companion Howe was an honest, up- right, consistent, faithful, true-hearted Mason, always held in esteem and respect. . .. He, as Captain, with his company was stationed on Castle Island, Boston Harbor, several months during the War of 1812."

Samuel A. Howe went to private schools till twelve years of age, when he entered the first high school, then just built, in Boston in 1820. "After attending that three years," to go on now in his own words, "I went into a mercantile house, where I stayed four years, until my employer failed and sold out. In 1827 I left for the island of Cuba, where I was clerk six months. I then returned to Boston, and made several trips to Cuba and Hayti as supercargo; was Captain of brig .Lucern, and made several voyages to United States of Colombia and to Hayti. In November, 1834, I went to Santa Marta, New Granada, as clerk in a mercantile house for one year. I then returned to Boston; and on January 26, 1836, I married Miss Emeline C. Nichols, daughter of Horace E. Nichols, of Middlebury, Vt. My wife was one of eleven children, two of whom are now living - J. J. Nichols, of De- troit ; and E. A. Nichols, of New York City.

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Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y, Part 39

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

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