Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y, Part 71

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 71
USA > New York > Livingston County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y > Part 71

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Mr. and Mrs. Karcher had four children, two of whom have died. The others are a son, Jacob H., and a daughter, Louise. Jacob H. has succeeded his father in the business, which has now grown to be quite extensive. He has married Miss Martha McCarthy. They have no children. Louise is the wife of George C. Sweet, of Attica. Their two sons are Albert H., aged fourteen, and Harris J., thirteen years old. Mr. Karcher purchased his house and nine acres of land when he went to Attica, and for twenty years he and his family lived over the store; but later Mr. Karcher built a large two-story house, into which they moved in 1873. Mr. Karcher became a Master Mason in 1864. The family be- long to the Lutheran church. Mr. Karcher's business increased during his lifetime from fifteen thousand to fifty thousand dollars per year, showing what perseverance can accom- plish.

Samuel Kriegelstein, one of the brothers of Mrs. Karcher, should have some special men- tion in this sketch. He was a soldier in the army, under Captain Elan P. Spink. He was Sergeant in his company, and was taken prisoner, and remained in Salisbury four months. After that he was paroled and came home, but not to recover; for he had been lit- erally starved in his prison. He died April 14, 1865, the memorable day of President Lincoln's assassination. He was unmarried, and was thirty-one years old.

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J ACOB TALLMAN, a prosperous and well-to-do farmer of Mount Morris, is numbered among the solid and re- spected citizens of this part of Living- ston County, and is the owner of one of the finest and best-appointed farms to be found in the vicinity. He is a native of the Empire State, and was born in Skaneateles, Onondaga County, April 12, 1817. His father, Peter Tallman, Jr., was born in New Jersey, and was a son of Peter Tallman, Sr., a native of the same State.

Peter Tallman, Sr., was of English ances- try. Leaving his New Jersey home in the days of his early manhood, he became a pio- neer settler of Onondaga County. He re- moved his family and household goods with teams, and the wheels of the wagon with which they came were the first ones tired with iron that were ever taken into that county. He bought a large tract of wild land in the town of Skaneateles, and there cleared and improved an excellent farm, on which he and his wife, whose maiden name was Cobham, spent the remainder of their lives.

Peter Tallman, Jr., was but a child when his parents migrated to Onondaga County; and there he grew to man's estate on the parental homestead, becoming familiar with farming pursuits, which he adopted as his life occupa- tion. He purchased a tract of timber land, and after marriage began housekeeping in a log house, the roof of which was covered with shakes. There was no floor, and the furniture was entirely of home manufacture. There being no stove, the busy housewife did all of her cooking by the fireplace, and carded, spun, and wove the material for the family clothing, with her deft fingers fashioning the garments. The father improved a considerable portion of his land, and resided thereon until 1838, when he exchanged his farm for land in Mount Mor- ris, and here spent the remainder of his life, passing away at the advanced age of eighty- seven years. He married Magdalene LeFevre, a native of Ulster County, and the descendant of a French family of that section. She died in Onondaga County, New York, when in the prime of womanhood, being but forty years

old, and left six children; namely, John L., Margaret, Jacob, Effie J., Elizabeth, and Peter. Mr. Tallman subsequently formed a second matrimonial alliance, of which union two sons were born - Garrett and William J.

Jacob Tallman, of whom we write, was twenty-one years of age when he came with his parents to Mount Morris, and remained an inmate of the parental household until after his marriage, having previously, however, in- vested his earnings in a tract of land con- sisting of fifty-four acres of timber. He continued working on the home farm for two years longer, and then purchased ninety acres of land about a mile distant. For a period of twelve years he labored to clear and improve his farm, and then bought the estate on which he now resides. This valuable property con- tains three hundred and twenty-five acres of rich and productive land, which is under a high state of culture, and well supplied with modern machinery.

In 1855 Mr. Tallman was united in mar- riage with Miss Mary A. Blood, a native of Tecumseh, Lenawee County, Mich., and a daughter of Ezra Faxon Blood, of that place. This happy union has been blessed by the birth of two children - Flora Elizabeth and Charles P. Flora E. is the wife of James Rowe, and the mother of two children - Mar- guerite and Carroll. Mr. Tallman is a man of undoubted honesty and integrity; and his worth as a citizen, friend, and neighbor is fully appreciated throughout the community, where he is held in great esteem. Both he and his estimable wife are conscientious mem- bers of the Presbyterian church.

ILLIAM N. MARTIN, M.D., a practising physician at Cowlesville, N. Y., where he has followed his profession for twenty-eight years, was born in Cattaraugus County, N. Y. He is a son of Isaac R. Martin, and grandson of Robert Martin, a native of the State of New Jersey, who was born June 18, 1775, and died January 22, 1819. Robert Martin's wife, whose maiden name was Christina Eighme, came from Dutchess County, New York. She

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bore him seven children, four sons and one daughter attaining their majority, the only survivor of these now being Isaac R. Martin, Dr. Martin's father.

The latter's only sister became the wife of

William B. Harmon, of Batavia. His brother, Hiram H. Martin, followed the trade of a wagon-maker, and was quite a prominent man. Although a Democrat in a Republican town, he was Supervisor and Overseer of the Poor for many years. His youngest brother, George H. Martin, was a millwright in Bata- via, where he died at the age of seventy-eight years. Another brother, Runnion Martin, was a carpenter, and had charge of the Con- gress Springs at Saratoga for several years, afterward becoming a merchant. These brothers all became heads of families.

Isaac R. Martin was born at Saratoga in 1805. He has led a very busy life, being originally a merchant at Saratoga Springs. He came West in search of better health, and arrived in Cattaraugus County May 6, 1833. Afterward he became a merchant in Alden, where he continued in trade for twenty-three years. He returned to Cowlesville for the last time in 1893, and settled down at his present residence. Though ninety years of age, Mr. Martin is mentally and physically well pre- served, and would hardly be taken for one who has passed so far beyond the fourscore limit. His first Presidential vote was cast for Andrew Jackson, and he has continued to adhere to the principles of the Democratic party ever since. He was Justice of the Peace one term, but declined a re-election.

The maiden name of Dr. Martin's mother was Adeline Wooley. She was a daughter of Nehemiah Wooley, of Saratoga, and was Isaac Martin's second wife, his first, whose name was Sally Scoville, having died in 1830, leav- ing one son. Mr. Martin was married to Miss Wooley on October 18, 1831 ; and they reared a large family. One son, Robert H. Martin, a soldier in the Civil War, was killed, leaving a wife and six children, who now reside in and about Wellsville, N. Y. Dr. Martin's brothers were named as follows: Robert H., mentioned above; George A., who died April 7, 1852, at the age of sixteen years; Harmon

I., a painter residing in West Alden. His sisters are as follows: Susan; Christina A., wife of Lafayette Daggett, residing in Cowles- ville, who has one son -- William E. ; Carrie D., unmarried, and residing at home; and Grace Adell, also residing at home with her father.

William N. Martin passed his early boyhood upon his father's farm, meanwhile attending the district schools and also the Aurora Acad- emy. He learned the joiner's trade, and worked at it in the summer time, teaching school in winter. When sufficiently advanced, he took up the study of medicine with Drs. Bradley Goodyear at Alden and M. E. Potter at Cowlesville, and graduated from the med- ical department of the Buffalo University in 1867, since which time he has practised in Cowlesville, with the exception of six months passed in the State of Minnesota with his invalid wife. He is the only physician in Cowlesville, and has a large practice - so large, indeed, as to show unanimous confidence in his knowledge and skill. He purchased his pleasant residence in 1870. Dr. Martin is a Master Mason, and is a Democrat in politics. He has been Supervisor one term and Justice of the Peace for seven years. He is now Chairman of the Board of Pension Examiners at Warsaw.

Dr. Martin was first married November 7, 1862, to Marion E. Searls, of Wales, Erie County. She died about eighteen months after marriage, leaving one son, Marion Eugene, now a physician at Bennington Centre, who has a wife and three sons.

On June 29, 1870, Dr. Martin married for his second wife Miss Mary Augusta Folsom, of Folsomdale, daughter of Colonel John B. Folsom. She died in 1873 at the age of twenty-five, leaving one daughter, Mary Au- gusta, now the wife of Horace P. Taber, of East Aurora, N. Y.

On May 20, 1875, Dr. Martin was united to his third wife, whose maiden name was Miss M. L. Campbell, a daughter of Leander S. Campbell, of Alden, Erie County. Mrs. Mar- tin's father died May 9, 1858, leaving a widow and seven children; and her mother died March 13, 1871, at the age of sixty-two years.

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Of the seven children four are now living - Mrs. Dr. Martin; Robert J. Campbell, a resident of Bay City, Mich. ; John A. and Cornelia, who reside on the home farm in Marilla.

J OHN C. DECKER, a thriving farmer of South Livonia, Livingston County, N. Y., was born in Livonia, October 25, 1822. His grandfather, John Decker, who was a German emigrant, came to Livonia in 1799, where he took a deed from the agent of the Countess of Bath for a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of land, and became one of the most skilful hunters and trappers in this region. He built a frame house on this land, in which he lived during the remainder of his life. The nearest market was Rochester, and thither he carried the flesh and skins of the animals which had fallen vic- tims to his ingenious traps and unerring rifle aim. His wife's maiden name was Katie Weltie. Grandfather Decker lived to be seventy-two years of age.

His son Henry, the second of the Decker generation in America, and the father of Mr. John C. Decker, whose name heads this sketch, was educated in Livonia, where he was a farmer and a distiller. He bought a farm adjoining that of his father, which upon the latter's death he also purchased. Four hundred acres of this estate he afterward sold; and he moved into Lima, in order that his younger children might have better educa- tional advantages. Eleven children were borne to him by his wife, Martha Mather, six of whom are now living.

John C. Decker, after completing the course of study prescribed by the common schools of his town, devoted himself to farm work until he was twenty-five, when he acquired the dig- nity of a landed proprietor by purchasing a hundred acres of land, upon which he erected buildings, and which he has diligently im- proved by cultivation. He now has an estate of one hundred and sixty acres, which he man- ages intelligently and profitably. In 1849 he married Miss Charlotte Cowles, a daughter of Richard and Charlotte (Cole) Cowles, of Hart-

ford County, Conn. The one daughter of this union, Frances, married the Rev. Amos Kichle, of Livingston County, but was not spared to enjoy many years of wifehood and motherhood. She died in her thirty-fifth year, leaving one son, Ernest, who lives with his grandparents. Mr. Kichle, the boy's father, is a Presbyterian clergyman, with a pastorate in Milwaukee, Wis.

Mr. Decker is always interested in the po- litical issues of the times, and has been a Re- publican since the formation of that party. He has exercised the right of suffrage more than half a century, having cast his first Presi- dential vote for James K. Polk in 1844. A portrait of this veteran agriculturist, the years of whose life are past threescore years and ten, may be seen on the opposite page. Evidently the "gospel of outdoors " has not been preached to him in vain.

RS. ELIZA WATSON, a resident of Varysburg, town of Sheldon, Wyoming County, widow of the late John C. Watson, M. D., who practised medicine in this village and the sur- rounding country for twenty years, is a daugh- ter of Charles and Nellie (Libolt) Parker. Her paternal grandparents, Samuel and Ase- nath (Lawrence) Parker, came from Shafts- bury, Vt., to Onondaga County, New York, where they were among the early settlers. They made the journey from Vermont on horseback, and Mrs. Asenath Parker was the first lady teacher in Onondaga County. She became the mother of eight children, all of whom are passed away.

Eliza Parker taught school several terms in Canada, and on August 13, 1857, was united in marriage to Dr. John C. Watson, of Erie County, son of Dr. Ira and Sally (Stevens) Watson. Dr. Watson's grandfather was a man of wealth and influence, and very promi- nent in his community. His father, Dr. Ira Watson, was twice married, having had seven children by the first marriage and three chil- dren by the second marriage. Of these the only survivor is Edward Watson, now residing in Kansas. Dr. John C. Watson was for four

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years a partner of old Dr. Potter before the death of that venerable physician, and no doubt obtained a great deal of valuable experi- ence by that association. He was a skilful practitioner and exceedingly popular both pro- fessionally and socially. He was a Master Mason, and a member of the Methodist church. His death occurred in 1878, at the age of fifty- five years.

But one child blessed the union of Dr. John C. and Eliza (Parker) Watson; namely, Liz- zie, now the wife of J. W. Scoville, a son of George and Theresa (Beebe) Scoville, the latter a native of Vermont. George Scoville died at the age of thirty-eight years, leaving two children - J. W. ; and Antha, who is now the wife of Roswell Howell, and resides in Kansas. The mother again married; and she died September 15, 1875, at the age of sixty- two years. J. W. Scoville received a common- school education, and remained at home until his mother's death. His father left a large and well-improved farm, which is - still pos- sessed by the family. It is situated about one mile north of Varysburg. His marriage to Miss Lizzie Watson occurred in December, 1878; and they have since resided at the old home, having two sons - John W. and Gad P. John Watson Scoville, born November 22, 1880, now a student in Attica, a very bright and promising young man, is an apt scholar, far in advance of his years, and will graduate in 1895. The second son, Gad Parker Sco- ville, was born May 4, 1885.

Mr. J. W. Scoville is a Master Mason, and a Republican in politics. He is extensively engaged in farming, the four farms which he operates aggregating in all over seven hundred acres. He owns a farm of two hundred and sixteen acres situated north of Varysburg ; and the other three are the property of his wife and her mother, the subject of this sketch. They keep about one hundred cows, the product of which is disposed of at Buffalo and at the cheese factory. Mr. Scoville carries on general farming, which his thorough knowl- edge of agriculture in all its branches enables him to make exceedingly profitable. The family are all active and valued members of the Methodist church.

ALVIN KNOWLES is a native resi- dent of Avon, he having been born in this town, August 29, 1821; and, as he has always made Avon his home, he has passed nearly three-quarters of a century here, and is very generally known in this section. He is of New England descent, both his father and his grandfather, who bore the same name, Paul, having been born in Massachusetts. Paul Knowles, the elder, lived in the old Bay State all his life, and was a farmer from first to last.

Paul Knowles, Jr., father of Calvin, was born in Sandisfield, Mass., and was educated in the district schools. Of course he helped his father on the farm during his school days; but, as he had more taste for manufacturing than for agriculture, he became a wool carder and clothier by occupation. Finally he re- moved from his native State to New York, making the journey with an ox team, and being accompanied by several other Massachu- setts people. He worked in a factory in what is now the town of West Bloomfield for about a year, when he removed to Avon, and began business for himself in a small way, erecting a humble carding and cloth-dressing mill. It was located where the arched bridge now stands, and although small in capacity was first-class in equipment, and turned out excel- lent work. Mr. Knowles had an eligible water-power located on Conesus Creek; and, when he purchased the mill privilege, he also purchased the land adjoining. He was en- gaged in business at that point for about a quarter of a century, and his operations were by no means confined to carding and cloth dressing; for he added a saw-mill to his plant, bought one hundred and twelve acres of timber land located in the district known as "Sugar- berry," and made a good deal of lumber. Fi- nally his business - that is, the carding and cloth-dressing part of it - had to make way for the great woollen-mills; and he retired to his farm, although he continued to operate his saw-mill.

For some years after he bought his farm a log house was the only building on it; but it would certainly have been strange had the owner of a saw-mill been content to live in a

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log cabin, and in 1814 he began the erection of the frame house in which the subject of our sketch was born seven years later, and in which he lives to-day. This was toward the close of the second war with England, and before the building was completed two regi- ments of cavalry came to winter their horses at Avon. As a choice of evils Mr. Knowles decided to move into his unfinished house, and leave his log house for the use of the cavalrymen. They accepted the situation, and lived on his premises until the following summer. Paul Knowles, Jr., died at the age of fifty-nine. He had been an active and use- ful member of the community, had held a commission as Justice of the Peace, and served several terms as Commissioner of Highways. His wife Betsy McNight, was a daughter of Robert and Elizabeth McNight, of Massachusetts. Robert McNight was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and drew a pension from the government. Paul and Betsy (McNight) Knowles were the parents of eight children, their names being as follows: William, Ann Eliza, Caroline, Betsy, Paul, Calvin, George, James.

Calvin is now the only survivor. He was educated at the Avon district schools and Academy, attended the Temple Hill Academy at Geneseo one year and the Wesleyan Semi- nary at Lima two years. After teaching school one winter at Bloomfield and one at Avon he began the study of law, first with Amos Dann, of Avon, and then in the office of Wood & Chamberlin, of Genesco. He was admitted to the bar in 1852, and prac- tised until 1861, when he enlisted in Com- pany A, Thirteenth New York Volunteer In- fantry, as a private soldier, but was promoted to the position of Quartermaster Sergeant.

He was present at the battle of Bull Run, took active part in the Peninsular campaign, and saw more than two years of service before being mustered out. Returning to Avon he resumed the practice of his profession. He was appointed recruiting officer of this Con- gressional district when a draft was ordered, being himself exempt on account of active service and honorable discharge; and the irony of fate is illustrated by the fact that he

was obliged as recruiting officer to call upon one of his younger brothers for service in the field or for the furnishing of satisfactory sub- stitutes.

Calvin Knowles is connected with the Free Masons, is a member of H. C. Cutler Post, No. 235, Grand Army of the Republic, and is almost universally known in this section in both social and professional circles. He has held a commission as Justice of the Peace for more than a quarter of a century. He cast his first Presidential vote a little more than half a century ago, in 1844, for Henry Clay; and he has always supported the Republican ticket since the formation of that party.

UGENE PLUMLEY, a very successful farmer of Bennington Centre, N. Y., a scarred veteran of the late war, was born in Attica in the same county, September 19, 1841. His grandfather, Erastus Plumley, was born at Brantford, Vt., about the year 1784; and his father, William Plumley, was a native of the same State, born in 1812.

Erastus Plumley removed to Wyoming County, New York, and settled on a tract of land about two and one-half miles south-east of Bennington Centre, then called Hadley Hollow, in the year 1818. He journeyed from New England with his ox team, bringing his wife and family, and began as a pioneer in a rude log house, which he himself erected for a habitation in the then almost unbroken wil- derness, he having purchased fifty acres of land at four dollars per acre, the land office at that time being at Batavia, seventeen miles distant. This land he improved to some ex- tent, and later sold in order to purchase a larger tract of seventy-two acres. His wife, whose maiden name was Polly Neff, and who was of Lebanon, Conn., became the mother of eight children, all sons, two of whom, Albert and Alvin, were twins, one being a Methodist preacher and the other a Baptist. These are all deceased with the exception of one, Mar- shall, who resides in Summit, Mich., at the age of over seventy years. Erastus and Polly (Neff) Plumley resided upon their farm in Bennington the remainder of their lives, with

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the exception of two years which they passed with one of their sons in Ohio, he dying in 1856 and his wife one year later. Their. re- mains rest in the Bennington Cemetery. They were members of the Baptist church, of which Erastus Plumley was an official for many years.

William N. Plumley was reared to agricult- ural pursuits, and also learned the black- smith's trade. About the year 1835 he married in Attica Eliza Allen, daughter of Jehiel and Hulda Allen, of Buffalo. Her father was a native of Vermont and a cousin of the celebrated Colonel Ethan Allen, of Ticonderoga fame. Mr. Plumley followed his trade in Attica for many years, and then moved to the old farm which his father had owned, and which he conducted for a time, selling it about 1868, and purchasing a home in Bennington Centre, where he continued to work at his trade until his decease, which oc- curred in 1875, at sixty-four years of age. Mrs. Eliza Allen Plumley reached the age of seventy-four years, and died in the month of August, 1894. She was the mother of seven children, three sons and four daughters, of whom two of the daughters are deceased. One of the sons is George W. Plumley, a printer of Seattle, Wash., who is married and has a family. Another, Walter Plumley, is a machinist of Willimantic, Conn., aged fifty- six years. Eugene is the subject of this sketch. Their sisters are Martha, a maiden lady, who resides with her brother at Ben- nington, and Emma J., wife of Frank Pearl, a machinist of South Windham, Conn. The deceased were: Amelia, wife of Henry Fen- ton, who died at the old homestead in 1890, leaving one son and two daughters; and Mar- garet, wife of George E. Fitch, who died at Hartford, Conn., in 1877.

Eugene Plumley attended the district school, and was trained to farm life. He also learned the trade of carriage builder, at which he worked for four years at Jefferson, Ohio, and in 1861 enlisted from that place for three months' service at the commencement of the Civil War. After being discharged, he re- turned to his native village, and in 1863 re- enlisted in the Eighth New York Heavy Artillery, serving until June 16, 1864, when

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Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y, Part 71

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

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