Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y, Part 76

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 76
USA > New York > Livingston County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y > Part 76

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He has proved a most efficient officer in public service, and has received the hearty commendation of the entire community. He

is a member of Geneseo Lodge, No. 214, A. F. & A. M., and is deeply interested in Masonic affairs.

YRON E. BARTLETT, attorney- at-law, of the firm of M. E. & E. M. Bartlett, in Warsaw, N.Y., was born in the town of Orangeville, Wyoming County, on May 7, 1831. He is a son of William K. and El- mina E. Bartlett, and comes from a family

whose name has for generations been an hon- ored one, and whose ancestors won prominent places in Colonial days. His great-great- grandfather's brother, Josiah Bartlett, was an early Governor of New Hampshire. He went to that part of the province from the vicinity of Boston, and purchased large tracts of land there. The Bartlett progenitors were from Sussex, England.

Stephen Bartlett, the grandfather of Myron, was a merchant in Boston, who owned a farm near the town of Bath in New Hampshire. His wife was Abigail Bailey, of New Hamp- shire. Their children were: Stephen, who died while a student at Dartmouth College; Cosam E. ; and William K. Cosam E. Bart- lett went South, established a publishing house in Tallahassee, Fla., and was a prominent lawyer there, enjoying a close friendship with Daniel Webster and other men of note. He died before the era of the Civil War, leaving a son, who bore the mantle of his father's abil- ity. This son, whose name was Washington Bartlett, became Governor of the State of California, where he died in 1892. The third son of Stephen, William K., was for many years a teacher, and was also a farmer in the towns of Warsaw, Orangeville, and Attica. He married Miss Elmina Mclaughlin, of Chelsea, Vt., a daughter of Harrie E. and Rebecca (Stone) Mclaughlin. Mr. Mc- Laughlin was a prominent man in Orange County, Vermont, filling many of the highest local offices and wielding a potent influence for good in the community. He was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention twice, and was closely identified with the county's interests.

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Immediately after their marriage, which took place in Chelsea, Vt., in 1824, Mr. and Mrs. William K. Bartlett came to the village of Attica, making the journey from Albany to Wyoming by stage. They shortly afterward settled upon a tract of forest land in Orange- ville. Their wedded life was not altogether unclouded, for three of their younger children died. Six sons and two daughters, however, grew up beneath the roof-tree, six of whom are still living, namely: Columbia C., the widow of Hiram Melvin, in Attica; Emmet L., a resident of New Mexico; Myron E., of whom this is a sketch; Yorke, a rancher in Uruguay, South America; Cosam T., who lives in Warsaw; and Stephen B., a lawyer in Casselton, N. Dak. The mother of this fam- ily died at fifty-four years of age in 1857. The father, who left a fine property, including his farms in Wyoming County and lands in the West, lived to be seventy-one years old. He died in 1869.

Myron E. Bartlett was brought up with a practical knowledge of farming acquired on the farm of his father, which was about two miles and a half out of Warsaw. After leav- ing the district school he attended the acad- emy in Alexander, Genesee County, and was afterward a student at a school in Summit County, Ohio. On November 23, 1853, he was married to Miss Cordelia McFarland, of Twinsburg, Summit County, Ohio. Mrs. Bartlett was a daughter of Harvey McFarland, a native of Washington County, but brought up in Trumbull County, Ohio. His father, Archibald McFarland, was of Scotch-Irish descent. Mr. Bartlett was admitted to the bar in Buffalo in 1861. He began to practise alone, but afterward entered into partnership with Mr. J. Sam Johnson, under the firm name of Bartlett & Johnson, which continued for two years. His next partner was B. N. Pierce, and they had an office in Warsaw and in St. Louis. The third change of the firm was when he formed a partnership with L. W. Smith, which continued until the death of Mr. Smith in 1869. In 1877 he formed a co- partnership with his brother, C. T. Bartlett, under the firm name of Bartlett & Bartlett.

The present firm of M. E. & E. M. Bart-

lett, which has existed since the year 1881, consists of Myron E. and Eugene M. Bartlett, father and son.

Mr. and Mrs. Myron E. Bartlett have four children. Eugene M., the only son, was married in January, 1895, to Miss Grace Sheldon, of Hornellsville, N. Y. Estelle, the eldest daughter, the wife of S. Anton How- ard, of Rutland, Vt., who is engaged in the marble trade, is a graduate of Vassar, and her husband was graduated at Amherst; they have two sons. Edith E., the second daughter, is the wife of Dr. Walter Manning Bartlett, of St. Louis, who is distantly related, being a nephew of Governor Bartlett, of California; she was also a student at Vassar. Lillian Blanche, the youngest daughter, has recently returned from Vassar College to her home.

Mr. Bartlett's charming place with its maple-shaded lawn, No. 20 East Court Street, is one of the most attractive residences in Warsaw. The walk in front of the lawn is laid within a double row of large maples. At some distance from the walk and near the house is a grove of beautiful trees, under whose spreading branches on summer days may be seen hammocks and chairs, where Mr. Bartlett and his family are pleasantly gath- ered to enjoy the cool shade. The owner of this pleasant home is deeply interested in his profession, to which he devotes most of his time.

ETER VAN DORN, a favorably known farmer of Mount Morris, Liv- ingston County, N. Y., was born November 7, 1820, in Minwealth County, New Jersey. His father, Jacob Van Dorn, was a native of the same county, and was a descendant of an old family of that name, who came from Holland. He learned the trade of a miller, and followed this occu- pation, together with farming, in New Jersey, where he resided until 1824. He then mi- grated with his wife and two children to New York State, the journey being made in a cov- ered wagon drawn by a pair of horses. They first settled in Ludlowville, Cayuga County, and four years later removed to Livingston

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BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

County, settling at Brooks's Grove, where Mr. Van Dorn purchased a tract of land, and erected a log house, exchanging his lumber for flour in Allegany County. For many years after the family moved to New York, there were no railroads or canals; and the people subsisted chiefly on the products of their land and the deer, pheasants, and other game, which was then abundant. The mother of this family carded, spun, and wove the homespun in which she dressed her children. Mr. Van Dorn directed his energy to clearing his land and tilling the soil, and resided on his farm until his death in his seventieth year. His second wife, the mother of the subject of this sketch, was Hannah Perrine, a native of New York City, and daughter of William and Elizabeth Perrine. She died at the age of seventy-five years, leaving eleven of her twelve children.

Peter Van Dorn was but four years old when his parents moved to New York, and remembers well the trials and hardships of pioneer life. He lived under the parental roof until he was twenty-four years of age, when he bought a tract of land about a mile from his present home, residing there three years. He then moved to the River Road, where he lived eleven years, after which he resided for seven years on the Bathelomew homestead, and then purchased his present place.

January 13, 1845, he married Miss Mary E. Bathelomew, who was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, June 14, 1825. Her grandfather, Benjamin Bathelomew, was a na- tive of the same county, and resided there throughout his life. His wife was Anna Dittze, of Germany. Their son, Daniel, the father of Mrs. Van Dorn, was reared to farm life, and resided in New Jersey until 1836, when with his wife and three children he removed to Livingston County, where he pur- chased a tract of land. Here he lived until his death, April 15, 1856, at the age of sixty-five years. His wife, Elizabeth Swal- low, was born in New Jersey, April 2, 1811, and lived to be sixty-five years of age.

Mr. and Mrs. Van Dorn have two children now living. The elder son, Edgar L., who

was born August 18, 1849, married Lydia Berry, and has five children - Delano, Gertie, Howard, Stamford, and a baby. The younger, Henry L., who was born October 16, 1867, assists his father on the farm. Two other children, Sarah and John, passed away in childhood. The family attend the Methodist church, where they are much esteemed. Their home is one of the pleasantest in the vicinity, and is delightfully situated on the edge of the Genesee valley. Mr. Van Dorn is regarded as a man of upright principles, and is everywhere highly respected.

T RUMAN LEWIS STONE, keeper of the County House at Varysburg, N. Y., was born in Orangeville, Wyoming County, N. Y., July 1, 1853. Harvey Stone, his father, was born in Orangeville, February 14, 1818, and married February 20, 1840, Eliza Lewis, a daughter of the Hon. Truman and Lucy (Porter) Lewis. Oliver Lewis, grandfather of Eliza, was a descendant of Will- iam Lewis, who came from England in the ship "Lion," landing in Boston, September 16, 1632.

By this marriage three children were born, namely: Almira A., born August 20, 1841, who became the wife of George L. Parker, a merchant in Buffalo, N. Y., and now resides at No. 2319 Main Street in that city, they having no children; Morris I .. , now a resi- dent of Wamego, Kan., of which city he is Mayor, born August 8, 1843, who married February 21, 1867, Frances E. Stanley, a daughter of Edwin Stanley, of Middlebury, they having but one child, Mary Eliza; and Truman Lewis, of whom this biography is written. Mr. Harvey Stone died January 7, 1887, leaving a good property to be divided among his children. He was always a resi- dent of the town of Orangeville, and was a farmer and dairyman. He held the office of Justice of the Peace for twelve years, was Supervisor in 1855, and was elected Session Justice of the county for two terms. In polit- ical faith he was a Whig and a Republican. He was a regular attendant and a liberal supporter of the Presbyterian church. Mrs.

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BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Eliza Lewis Stone was born February 20, 1820, and died October 15, 1894.

Reuben Stone, the father of Harvey and grandfather of Truman L., was born at Han- cock, Berkshire County, Mass., January 26, 1790, and died at Orangeville, April 11, 1869. He was married twice - first, in Sep- tember, 1815, to Almira Merrill, daughter of Noah Merrill, who was a Revolutionary soldier and an early settler in Orangeville. Almira was born in Colebrook, Conn., June 13, 1792, and died in Orangeville, December 22, 1831. By this marriage Reuben Stone had seven children, namely: Lois, born July 18, 1816; Harvey, born February 14, 1818; Sarah, born October 28, 1820; Lucinda, born in 1822, and died young; Reuben, born in 1824, died young; Lucinda, born September 28, 1826; and Caroline, born December 22, 1828. He married second, April, 1832, Mrs. Julia Dun- ham, a widow, by whom he had two children - Edwin, born April 17, 1833; and Lucy C., born January 22, 1838. Reuben Stone left Hancock, Mass., in 1790 or 1791 with his father's family, who settled in Greenville, N. Y. In 1809 or 1810 he with his brother Joel removed to Livonia; and in September, 1813, he came to Orangeville, and settled on the farm of nearly four hundred acres, on which he continued to live until his death. He was a leader and worker in the organiza- tion of the town, placing public roads and schools, and in the organization of the First Presbyterian Church, of which he became a member. He was one of the earliest dairy- men on the Holland Purchase, selling home- manufactured cheese in Canada and Eastern markets as early as 1823.

Russell Stone, Reuben's father and the great-grandfather of Truman L., was born at the old homestead, in the house now standing at the corner of Broad and River Streets, Guilford, Conn., January 26, 1759. He was a descendant of the Rev. Samuel Stone, of Eng- land, and John Stone, who came with his brother William from Surrey County, Eng- land, in the Rev. Henry Whitfield's Guilford colony, landing in New Haven in July, 1639, their ships (for there were two) being the first vessels to enter that harbor. Russell married

in 1781 Lois Stone, who was a descendant of William Stone, the brother of John the emi- grant. Russell was a private in the second battalion of General Gates's army, Thaddeus Cook Colonel, Edwin Russell Major. He was wounded in the hand at the battle of Stillwater, September 19, 1777; but his wound was not so serious as to cause him to leave the service, as he was present at the surrender of Burgoyne, October 17, 1777. He died at Greenville, N. Y, December 11, 1803. His epitaph is, "The law of kindness was written upon his heart."

Truman L. was educated in common and select schools and the Warsaw Academy. He married December 2, 1874, Miss Helen A. Lewis, born July 18, 1852, at Hinsdale, N. Y. She is the daughter of Oliver and Louisa (Preston) Lewis, her father being a descend- ant of William Lewis, the emigrant. Mrs. Stone's parents are still living on a farm at Great Valley, Cattaraugus County, N. Y. She has one brother, Charles Lewis, who resides in Buffalo, N. Y., a railroad man, and one sister, Mrs. David Frost, who re- sides near her parents at Great Valley. Mr. and Mrs. Stone have one daughter, Theo E. Lewis Stone, who is a member of the class of 1896 at Houghton Seminary, Clinton, Oneida County, N. Y., where she is a diligent student.

Mr. Stone has held the office of Justice of the Peace for fourteen years, and has been keeper of the Wyoming County Poor House since 1885. This institution is located one- half mile from the village of Varysburg, N. Y., on a farm containing two hundred and fifty-one acres of land, a great part of which is best adapted to grazing. About one hun- dred acres of it, however, are very productive; and here are raised all the necessary vegeta- bles, potatoes, fruit, wheat, butter, beef, and pork consumed on the place. There are sixty inmates in the institution, that are comfort- ably and kindly cared for; and through the liberal appropriations made by various boards of supervisors of the county, the Board of Superintendents of the Poor and the Keeper have caused the buildings to be placed in such condition that there is an atmosphere of home

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BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

life given to the place, which is very elevat- ing to the unfortunate men and women domi- ciled within its walls. The main building is two stories high, measures forty by forty-four feet, with kitchen, dining-room, and laundry extending back for a distance of two hundred feet, while the men's building, connected by a covered corridor on the east, measures thirty by sixty feet, and the women's building, con- nected by a covered corridor on the west, measures thirty by sixty. In the rear is that part of the establishment which is devoted to the feeble-minded.

EPHIR FONTAINE s a leading miller as well as farmer in the town of Ossian, Livingston County, N. Y., his establishment being situated some four miles in a westerly direction from Dansville. He was not born in this county, however, nor even in this country, being a naturalized citizen, whose place of nativity was la Belle France, where he was born on March 29, 1845, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Louis Philippe, and two years before that monarch's wise abdication. His father, Peter J. Fontaine, was an agriculturist at home. Coming to America in 1856, he pur- chased a farm in Wyoming County, New York, where he lived and worked till his death, at the age of seventy-one. Peter J. Fontaine's wife was Florimonde Rousseax; and she died in Wyoming County, aged sixty- four. Out of the seven children vouchsafed them by kind Providence they reared four to adult age, though only two are now living. One is Lucy Fontaine, who became the wife of Emile Lefort, in their native land, but is now living in Wyoming County; and the other is the subject of this sketch.

Zephir Fontaine was eleven years old in 1856, when the Fontaines came to their adopted land. He grew up a farmer, and re- mained under the paternal roof till the old man's death, and then came to his present home, where he owns sixty-five productive acres, and has a saw-mill, shingle-mill, and grist-mill, and is able to do a large amount of lucrative business. In 1866, on the attain-

ment of his majority, Zephir took unto him- self a helpmeet in the person of Barbara Kasel, a daughter of Dominique Kasel, a farmer in Wyoming County, where she was born. Three children she bore her husband. The eldest, John Kasel Fontaine, assists his father in the mill. He married Nellie Hamp- ton, of Ossian; and they have two children. Appolonia Fontaine chose the life of a religi- euse, belongs to the sisterhood of St. Brid- get's Convent of Mercy at Buffalo, but is now using her fine education as a teacher in the Catholic school in Jamestown. Mary Fon- taine is with her father. Their mother passed away from this world in 1886. As may be inferred from this biography, the Fontaines are Catholics; and Mrs. Barbara Fontaine, being of Teutonic blood, was a member of the German branch of that church. After her death Mr. Fontaine again sought a wife of German nationality, marrying for his second spouse Mary Derrenbacher, a daughter of Conrad Derrenbacher, for many years an Ossian farmer. By this union one child has been reared, Eugenie Fontaine.

In politics an active Democrat, Mr. Fontaine has been three years Assessor and two years Supervisor. In religion he is loyal to the traditions of his Catholic forefathers; and his wife, like her predecessor, belongs to the Ger- man Catholic communion. No country has afforded such advantages to its adopted citi- zens as the United States, as Mr. Fontaine's career illustrates. When he landed on our shores, he was wholly ignorant of the English language; but he was at a receptive age, and soon mastered its difficulties. His fine resi- dence atteste alike his industry and success. He has won the favor and respect of those with whom business brings him into contact, and their esteem has been practically shown by choosing him to serve his fellow-townsmen in places of trust. In every effort he has been ably assisted by his wife, who is a model of genuine womanhood. In their domicile even a stranger is sure to find a warm wel- come; and, if there is one thing which more than another speaks the liberal mind and kindly hand, it is hospitality. In one of the ancient sages we read of "Hospitality sitting

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BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

with Gladness"; and Milton thus describes the true wife: -

" With despatchful looks, in haste She turns. on hospitable thoughts intent."

For a picture to illustrate such poetic pas- sages, one might paint Mrs. Fontaine as she efficiently moves about her household, or sits chatting with a friendly visitor.

A speaking portrait of this loyal American citizen of French birth adorns another page of the " Review."

LBERT D. PARKER, a farmer resi- dent of Arcade, Wyoming County, p N. Y., was born in this town, Jan- uary 2, 1849. He is the son of Richard Parker, a native of the same locality, and grandson of Silas Parker, who came here from Vermont in 1809. Silas Parker brought his family and possessions with an ox team, fol- lowing the occasional blazed tree as his guide to the place of destination. He settled on a large tract of wild land covered with forest in what is now the corporation of Arcade. He and his wife had a family of ten sons and four daughters, all of whom grew to maturity, and outlived their mother, who died at seventy- seven years of age. Silas Parker was proprie- tor of the first store in this section of the State. He was a man prominent in the community which he had seen gradually developed about him, was Justice of the Peace many years, was also the first Supervisor of the town of Arcade, elected in the year 1818, and was Master of the Masons' Lodge. After his ca- reer of usefulness he died at the age of eighty years.

Richard Parker, one of the sons, and father of Elbert D., attended the district school in his boyhood, and began his independent course in life by the purchase of a farm about two miles from the homestead, where he re- sided a few years, getting his land somewhat cleared and in a partially productive condi- tion. Later he moved to the north-western part of the town, on a farm where he has since remained. He married Miss Lucy Ann Fair-

field, a daughter of Stanton Fairfield, a well- known farmer residing in Arcade. She was a native of Vermont, and came with her parents, who were early settlers in the town, and finished their days in their adopted home. Richard and Lucy A. Parker were the parents of three children -Gaius B., residing in Minnesota; Rose; and Elbert D. Mrs. Parker lived till the age of forty-nine, spend ing her later days with her children, and was a faithful member of the Free Methodist church.

Elbert D. Parker spent his youthful days on his father's farm, attending the district school and later the academy in Arcade. At eighteen he went to Minnesota, was engaged at farming during the summer, and worked in the lumber woods in Wisconsin during the winter for the next three years. He then came back to Arcade, where he has since lived, engaged in farming and dealing in horses and cattle. On July 31, 1878, he mar- ried Miss Ida F. Burzette, whose father George Burzette, was a farmer residing in South Wales, Erie County, in which place she was born. Her father lived to the age of ninety-one. She was the youngest of eight children, and was the mother of four children, Clifford B. being the only one living at her death, which occurred November 26, 1890, at the age of thirty-six years.

Mr. Elbert D. Parker has always been a Republican in his political views until within three years. In the fall of 1892, while hold- ing the position of Justice of Sessions in Wyoming County as a Republican, he was nominated by the People's party and the Dem- ocratic party for the Assembly against Mr. Milo H. Olin, of the town of Perry, who was one of the wealthiest and also one of the most respected Republicans of Wyoming County. Mr. Parker's canvass created the most bitter and intense excitement at that time among many of his old political friends. He was de- feated, as was expected, but carried his own town, and ran ahead of the national ticket in his county. Two years after he was again nominated by the Democrats for the same office against the Hon. R. J. Tilton, also of Arcade, but was overthrown by the tidal wave

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BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

of that year. Mr. Parker has held the office of Justice of the Peace for ten years and other minor town offices at various , times. As a substantial farmer in Arcade, Mr. Parker stands prominent. He became a member of Hermon Lodge, No. 41, A. F. & A. M., at the age of twenty-one years. He favors bimetal- lism, and acts independently in all political matters.

OHN H. BURTIS, one of the foremost citizens of Mount Morris, Livingston County, was born in the city of Roch- ester, N. Y., October 21, 1843. His father, Allen Burtis, was born in Saratoga, N. Y., but when a young boy removed with his parents to Rochester, which was then only a village, and learning the trade of blacksmith followed it till his death in 1854. He mar- ried Margaret O'Connell, who was born in Dutchess County, New York, and died in 1889.

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Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Livingston and Wyoming counties, N.Y, Part 76

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

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