USA > New York > Madison County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Madison County, New York > Part 2
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Mr. Cummings was united in marriage March 17, 1850, to Martha J. Bridge. She was born in what is now the town of Stock- bridge, October 2, 1825, being a daughter of Jonas and Wealthy Bridge, both of whom are deceased. Mr. Bridge was a farmer by occu- pation. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Cum- mings three children were born, only one of whom is living, - James B., who was born July 14, 1856, and resides at home. Elbert L. died when two and a half years old, and Andrew L. when ten years old. Mr. Cum- mings is a man held in high respect through- out the community, being well and favorably known as one who has identified himself with its interests and worked for its welfare and prosperity. In politics he is a stanch Re- publican. For six years he served as Asses- sor, was Highway Commissioner for two years, and Town Auditor for five years. For nine terms he served as a member of the Grand Jury.
R EV. HENRY I. NEWITT. Among the well-known and honored citizens of Madison County, he whose name appears at the head of this biographical notice occupies a prominent place. He was born on Quaker Hill, town of De Ruyter, this county, May 30, 1827, and is a son of Samuel Newitt, a native of the town of Coventry, England, where he was born in 1795, and brought to this country by his parents when but two years of age. The father of Samuel Newitt was John Newitt, whose wife's maiden name was Hannah Harrison. He was a wool-comber, and fol- lowed his trade on Quaker Hill, this county, for some years. Their voyage across the ocean was made in a sailing-vessel, and occupied about three months. They first settled in Saratoga County, on a small farm of some seventy acres of improved land. Here they reared their children, their family consisting of two sons and two daughters. Of these was Samuel, father of the subject of this sketch, who, when arrived at mature years, married Catherine Irving, of Hudson. She was of Irish and Dutch parentage, her mother being a native of Holland. Three years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Newitt came with one daughter to Quaker Hill, this being about the year 1820. Grandfather Newitt accompanied his son to the new settlement, and they took up their abode in a log house in the woods. With the energy of the typical pioneer they set to work to improve their land, clearing off the heavy timber and building two more log houses. The patient and laborious work of years bore fruit, and in course of time Mr.
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Newitt found himself the owner of a good farm. The grandfather of our subject died there, when about eighty-three years of age, in a good frame-house, erected by his son John. His widow survived him some fifteen years, and died early in the nineties. Their children were as follows: Maria, who married a Mr. Nickerson, and died at the age of eighty, leaving one daughter; Samuel, who became the father of the subject of this sketch ; John, a farmer, who died on Quaker Hill in 1876, leaving four children, all of whom are now living; and Elizabeth, who was the wife of David Wright, of this town, and died when about sixty years of age, leaving five children, four of whom were sons.
Samuel Newitt and his wife were the pa- rents of six children, - five daughters and one son, -all of whom grew up and married. Four of them are now living, namely : Jane, widow of Israel Tripp, of Scranton, Pa., who has three children; Henry I., the subject of this sketch ; Esther, widow of John Wilcox, of De Ruyter; and Samantha, wife of George S. Mason, Esq., of De Ruyter. The father of these children was thrice married; and by his third wife he had one daughter, Emma, wife of John Rowe, of Cortland County. Mrs. Samuel Newitt died in middle life, May 29, 1839, and her husband in 1879, at Quaker Basin, when in his eighty-sixth year, leaving a small property.
He of whom we write was reared to farm life and labor, receiving but a limited school- ing in his youth, but improved his education in later years by reading and study. In 1848,
when in his twenty-first year, he was united in marriage to Miss Huldah Wood, who was born on Quaker Hill in October, 1830, and is a daughter of David and Esther (Hunt) Wood, the former of Rhode Island and the latter of Washington County. Five children have blessed this happy marriage, namely: Eliza, wife of George S. Doane, proprietor of Stew- art House, Georgetown, who has two sons; Elwyn S., a farmer near by, has two sons; David M., a cheese manufacturer of Otselic, married, but has no children; Irving, a rail- road man at Bradford, Pa., has three sons; and Ettie M., wife of W. E. Ames - editor of the Broome County Herald - and mother of one son. Both our subject and his wife are of Quaker ancestry, but are members of the Christian church, in which Mr. Newitt has been a preacher for over thirty years. For the past sixteen years, however, a throat trouble has prevented him from assuming the duties of a regular charge; and he has occu- pied a place on the supernumerary list. In 1859 he went to Michigan, and while there purchased eighty acres of wild land in Gratiot County, for which he paid forty cents per acre, but finally decided not to make that State his home.
Mr. Newitt is a Republican in his political views, and served as Town Collector during the war. He is now engaged in general farm- ing, and keeps over one hundred sheep and a small dairy. In his life-work he has been earnest and conscientious, and has been aided and sustained by his faithful and devoted wife, who is still active for one of her years,
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and attends to her household duties, doing her own work, and well knowing how to entertain her many friends. Mr. Newitt gave himself to the service of his divine Master thirty- eight years ago, and has ever since endeavored to walk humbly in His sight and to live in accordance with the two great commandments, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind," and "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Both he and his excellent wife have many friends, and occupy a warm place in the hearts of their fellow-townsmen.
OEL ALLIS, a prosperous and well- known farmer residing on his one-hun- dred-and-thirty-acre farm in the town of Lenox, where he was born in 1851. is a son of Vinal Allis, who was born within half a mile of this place, April 16, 1816. The father of Vinal was Joel Allis, a native of New Eng- land, born February 12, 1769. He married Sarah Lee, of Massachusetts; and they became the parents of eleven children, - six daughters and five sons, - of whom Vinal was the young- est. Their names and dates of birth are as follows: Electa, born December 29, 1797; Polly, January 9, 1799; Sarah, September 9, 1800; Milton, November 18, 1802; Asa, Jan- uary 8, 1805; Sophia, November 25, 1806; Emily, September 25, 1808; Bertha, February 10, 1811; Eber, November 25, 1812; Russel, December 22, 1814; and Vinal, the father of our subject. The mother of these children died November 28, 1820; and the father was
again married, and died about 1851 near Rochester, at the home of his son, Asa. He was a farmer by occupation and a Quaker in religion, and, although of moderate means, leaving but a small estate at his death, was a man universally honored and respected for the excellence of his character.
Vinal Allis was brought up on the farm, and at the age of thirty-one was united in marriage to Maryette Lee, who was born in this place June 30, 1815. The marriage took place on the 20th of May, 1847, on our sub- ject's present farm, where they lived the re- mainder of their lives. They reared three children, namely: Joel, of whom we write; Josephine, wife of Edward Farr, a hardware merchant of Canastota; and Emma, wife of Martin Fancher, a farmer of this town. Vinal Allis died June 8, 1865, his wife sur- viving him ten years, and dying May 19, 1875. They were buried on their farm, where Mr. and Mrs. Lee, the maternal grandparents of our subject, are also sleeping. The former of these, Joseph Miles Lee, was a native of New England and a son of Sherebiah Lee, who was born in England November 5, 1747, and died here January 31, 1843. The maiden name of his wife was Esther Miles. She was born March 13, 1743, and died January 31, 1833, just ten years to a day before her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Lee were the first settlers in this part of the county, and were the parents of a family of six sons and one daughter. Their son, Joseph Miles Lee, was born July 13, 1784, and died November 18, 1847. He married Mary Crittenden, who was born De-
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cember 17, 1786, dying October 12, 1859. Their marriage occurred about 1808; and they were the parents of six children, - one son and five daughters, the son dying when an infant. Grandfather Lee left a farm of two hundred and sixty acres, of which the present farm of our subject formed one-half. At the time of their settlement here the country was new, and the nearest market was Albany, one hundred and twenty-five miles away. They were upright and religious people, and greatly liked and respected for their many sterling qualities. Their daughters were as follows : Fidelia, who died in infancy; Maryette, the mother of our subject; Esther; Fidelia (2d); and Calista, who died in childhood.
Joel Allis, the subject of this biographical sketch, was reared at home, and accustomed to farm life and work from his youth up. He received a good common-school education, but was prevented from completing his studies at the academy by sickness, being subject to periodical attacks of severe headache. He was united in marriage May 30, 1879, to Miss Cornelia Harp, daughter of M. C. Harp and his wife, formerly Mary S. Clarke, both of the town of Lenox. Asa B. Clarke, the father of Mrs. Harp, was a native of New England and a merchant and speculator by occupation. His death occurred in Canas- tota, to which place he had removed after re- tiring from business. Mr. and Mrs. Allis have one son, Floyd V., a bright, intelligent boy of thirteen, well advanced in his studies and always prompt in his attendance at school, although living a mile and a quarter away.
In September, 1891, Mr. Allis lost his barn by fire, supposed to have been caused by a tramp. He erected soon after on its site his present fine, large barn, 40 x 60, with a stone basement, the total expense amounting to about $1, 500. He is now engaged in general farming, and makes some butter, keeping from six to eight cows. He is energetic and prac- tical, acquainted with the latest and most approved methods of agriculture, and has achieved gratifying success in his calling.
In political matters Mr. Allis is a Repub- lican. Fraternally, he is a Master Mason. He and his estimable wife occupy a high place in the regard of their fellow-citizens for their many sterling qualities, and are repre- sentative of the best citizenship of their State and county.
ENRY C. PALMER. In these clos- ing days of the nineteenth century, when such particular attention is being paid to every scrap of Colonial history, our subject can point with pride to a line of ancestry beginning in this country almost co- eval with the arrival of the "Mayflower." The first of the family of whom we have rec- ord was one William Palmer, who was born in England, and came to America in a vessel called the "Fortune," which arrived here in 1621, the year after the landing of the Pil- grims. He settled in Salem, Mass. In 1629 one Walter Palmer - a powerful man, weigh- ing over three hundred pounds, and from whom our subject traces his descent - located his farm on the site where is now the city of
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Stonington, dying there in 1661, and leaving a family of twelve children. Another of the early Palmers was named Isaac, and was a hero in King Philip's War and a sturdy pioneer of that era.
Ephraim Palmer, the father of our subject, was born in the town of Windham, Conn., in 1795, and with his brother, Henry Palmer, was among the first settlers of the town of Lebanon, N. Y. After making a home in this place, Ephraini went back to Connecticut, and brought his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Palmer, to live with him. They made the trip with an ox-sled, it being a slow and tedi- ous journey, full of danger, privation, and ad- venture. Calvin Palmer died at Lebanon, aged seventy-five years. He was the father of five children, - four sons and one daughter, - all of whom are deceased. Ephraim Palmer and his brother owned three hundred and thirty-five acres of land, on which they built their humble home, -a log cabin. On this place Ephraim became a prominent farmer and also dairyman, having forty-two head of cows, besides carrying on his trade -that of a cloth-dresser - for a number of years. He married Miss Sally B. Clark, who was an en- ergetic and thrifty helpmate to him in his struggle with fortune. Mr. Palmer died in the town of Lebanon, January 20, 1885, at the age of ninety. He was a strong and active man to the last, taking a deep interest in the affairs of his section, which he had lived to see grow from small beginnings to such num- bers and prosperity. At his death all his valuable farms in the towns of Lebanon and
Eaton were inherited by his only son, Henry C. Palmer, whose sketch is here presented.
Henry C. Palmer was born May 29, 1825, and was reared and educated in the schools of Eaton, teaching for one term. He re- mained at home engaged in farming with his father until twenty-nine years of age. His first venture on his own account was to buy a stock of goods and run a general store in the village of Eaton for one year. He then moved to Bouckville, where he remained for five years, going from there to West Eaton, where he kept a store for four years, being engaged in farming during all this time. In 1854 he married Susan Danforth, who was born in the town of Linden, Vt., in 1832. Her father, Silas Danforth, was born in Mas- sachusetts, and his wife, Alpha, in the State of New Hampshire. He was a mechanic by trade. They had a family of ten children, nine of whom grew to maturity; but only six are now living: Mrs. Palmer, who is the eldest ; Mrs. Dellow, residing in Elvira, Cortland County; Silas L., in the city of Cortland, N.Y .; Helen Marsh, in Bingham- ton, N.Y .; Julia Gilmore, in Topeka, Kan .; and Milton, in Saginaw, Mich. Mr. Dan- forth died in Little Falls, N. Y., aged forty- seven years, and his wife in the town of Eaton, when she was sixty-eight years old. They were members of the Methodist Episco- pal church. In politics Mr. Danforth was a firm adherent of the Democratic party.
Mr. Palmer, having disposed of his store to his sons, gives his whole attention to the running of the old homestead farm, which
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consists of three hundred and thirty-five acres. He also manages a large dairy, supplying many families in New York City with butter. For ten years he enjoyed the patronage of the family of A. T. Stewart, the merchant prince of that city. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Palmer. Henry D., born in 1855; Willie W., in 1856; and Ephraim C., in 1860, -- form a mercantile company at McGrawville, N. Y. Cora S., born in 1858, is the wife of Dr. Charles Clark, their residence being in Omaha, Neb. (For the ancestry of Dr. Clark, see sketch of C. G. Clark.) Walter D., born in 1871, lives at home with his parents. Mrs. Palmer is a member of the Methodist church, taking a lively interest in its religious work; and herself and husband are among the most prominent and highly esteemed residents of the town. Mr. Palmer is well known as a progressive farmer, prosperous in his enter- prises and reliable in his word. He is a worthy representative of the hardy pioneers whose sturdy labors laid the foundations of our noble republic. In politics he is, as was his father, an earnest, unswerving Re- publican.
LI NEAR, whose beautiful farm of one hundred and forty acres is the admira- tion of all who visit this part of the country, was born about a quarter of a mile from his present home in the year 1821. His father. Jasper Near, was born in 1791 at Mohawk Flats. He met his death suddenly at the Lenox grist-mill, October 31, 1853, by falling
from his horse and breaking his neck. The family trace their ancestry to some of the earliest pioneers of the country. John Near, who was born in 1746, was a soldier in the Revolution. In one encounter he narrowly escaped death from the Indians, who were pursuing him from an ambush. Discovering his danger, he was running very hard, when a savage threw his tomahawk after him, and the weapon, striking close to his backbone, cut off three of his ribs. Being a strong man and fleet runner, he was, however, able to make his escape. He died about 1831 in Ellisburg, N. Y. He was the father of four sons and four daughters, of whom Jasper was one of the first born.
The mother of our subject was Betsey E. Yerton, of the Mohawk Flats; and she bore him three sons and five daughters, as follows : Catherine, wife of Eli Watson, who died at the age of seventy-four, leaving one daughter ; Louisa, who died at the age of sixty-seven, leaving one daughter; Mary, wife of Orpheus Borrows, now of Cleveland, Ohio, and mother of two daughters: Eli, of our sketch; Mar- garet, widow of George Clark; Timothy, who died when sixty-two years of age, leaving three sons; Delia, who died when about forty- five years of age, leaving a son and daughter. The latter's husband, Henry Dunton, died on the overland trip to California. Their son went to the war, and was wounded in the head, which partially deranged him; and he disap- peared mysteriously about twenty years ago. The eighth child, Jasper, Jr., was accidentally killed in St. Louis, Mo., at the age of forty-
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five years. The maternal grandfather of our subject, Peter Yerton, settled early in the century on the spot where his grandson's home now stands. He built his modest house there; and, when in 1877 Eli Near crected his beautiful home, he preserved a part of it, and made it a portion of his fine, large, and commodious residence. He could not bear to sacrifice the sacred old relic, with all its tender and primitive associations.
Our subject was brought up on the farm, and received but a limited common-school educa- tion, though his brothers and sisters had bet- ter opportunities, having been educated at Cazenovia, three sisters and his two brothers becoming teachers. They were Christian peo- ple in the Methodist Episcopal church (of which the parents were earnest and zealous members), with the exception of Jasper, Jr., who was a Universalist preacher. Eli Near marricd for his first wife Miss Maria Huyck, of Clockville, in 1844. She died eighteen months later, leaving an infant son, Charles A. Near, now a farmer in Dakota, and also a Deputy Sheriff, who is so keen and alert that, when he pursues a prisoner, he generally secures him. He has a wife, five daughters, and two sons. The second wife of Mr. Near was Mrs. Francy Julia Perry. She received an excellent education at the best seminaries in the State. She was married to George Perry, of Skaneateles, but at the age of twenty-seven was left a widow with three daughters, namely: Sarah A., who married Charles A. Ncar, the son of her stepfather; Laura, who is the wife of Franklin Cooper of
Buffalo, N. Y., and mother of three sons and one daughter; and Georgianna, wife of John F. Wilson, of Penn Yan, N. Y. By his sec- ond marriage Mr. Near became the father of two daughters and one son: Francis M., wife of Roselle Webster, of Clockville; Seth H., unmarried and living at home; Lida, wife of Stephen DeVoe, a druggist of Syracuse. They have all had good educations, and hold excellent positions in society.
Mr. Near is a Democrat in principle, but believes in voting for the best man for the office, irrespective of party. He is engaged in general farming, keeps about thirteen horses, and is noted for his excellent stock. He formerly kept a large dairy, but at present only has cows enough for his own use. He and his wife heartily enjoy their beautiful home, which is situated on an eminence over- looking the Oneida Valley and the village, taking in the most charming view of the pict- uresque landscape for many miles around them. Both are held in the highest regard by their neighbors.
Charles A. Near, of whom we have already written, was a soldier in the Civil War. He enlisted from Canastota in Company G, One Hundred and Fifty-seventh New York Volun- teer Infantry, going into the service a private, and returning at the close of the war with the rank of Captain. At Honey Hill he was wounded by a ball that ploughed its way across his temple. It was a close call for his life; but he had the wound dressed, and im- mediately returned to the field. He was recklessly brave, as was evinced on the Get-
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tysburg battlefield, when his Captain, Harri- son Frank, was shot down. Although the Confederates were right upon him, he stayed by his Captain until he breathed his last. He was captured by the enemy, and all his valuables taken from him. When they tried to take a Masonic ring from his finger which Captain Frank had given him, he told them they would get it when he was dead, and not before; and some of them, recognizing the Masonic emblem, let him go.
EREMIAH BUMP, deceased, was for many years an honored and respected citizen of Peterboro, closely identified with its industrial interests, an earnest advo- cate of all measures conducive to its growth and prosperity; and his death, at the advanced age of fourscore years, was deemed a loss to the village and community at large as well as to his immediate family. He was a native of Madison County, born in the town of Smith- field, August 6, 1811. His father, Ithamar Bump, was one of the original settlers of the town, coming here from Massachusetts in 1797, and settling in the almost trackless wilds of this vicinity. In common with the other pioneers of those times he suffered from the discomforts incidental to new locations, - the cramped cabins, absence of schools and mar- kets, depredations of wild beasts, and dreaded calls from the untamed savages. Nothing daunted, he began the improvement of a farm, clearing a goodly number of acres be- fore his death, which occurred August 14,
1815. His faithful wife, whose maiden name was Eunice Kinney, was left with a family of five children, all of whom grew to maturity, but are now dead. She spent the remainder of her life on the homestead, dying at the advanced age of seventy-nine years.
Jeremiah Bump, the subject of this biog- raphy, was but four years of age when his mother was left a widow. She was a woman of courage and ability, and continued the improvement of the farm, with the assistance of her sons; and our subject, though such a young lad, soon made himself useful in doing errands and chores about the farm. He re- mained at home until he attained his major- ity, then, preferring some mechanical labor, learned the carpenter's trade, and followed it successfully, becoming one of the leading con- tractors and builders of Peterboro, where many of the buildings were erected under his supervision, among them being the Children's Home. He was a man of enterprise and sagacity, possessing excellent judgment in financial matters, and invested part of his money in a saw and grist mill, from which he derived pecuniary benefits. He led a long and useful life, honorable in every respect, dying at his home in the village of Peterboro, October 6, 1891.
Mr. Bump was twice married. The maiden name of his first wife, to whom he was wedded in 1839, was Harriet Gray. She was born in Springfield, Otsego County, and lived but two years after her marriage, dying in 1841. In 1855 our subject was married the second time, taking for a wife Miss Sophia R. Fitch,
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a native of this county, born in Cazenovia, April 22, 1825. She is of New England ancestry, her grandfather, John Fitch, having been born in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, April 3, 1760. Leaving the rugged hills of his native State, he emigrated to Chenango County, being a pioneer of Oxford, where he lived until his death, July 2, 1823. Derrick H. Fitch, father of Mrs. Bump, was born in Oxford, Chenango County, in September, 1798, and died in Peterboro at the venerable age of eighty-one years. He was a man of sterling worth, and a valued member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he was a Republican. He married Jerusha Vib- bert, who was born in Hartford, Conn., Octo- ber 2, 1799, and died in Cazenovia, July 19, 1840. She was a kind mother, a generous neighbor, and a true Christian, being a con- sistent member of the Universalist church. Mrs. Bump resides in the home left her by her husband, where she is most pleasantly situated, and is spending her declining years in ease and comfort.
REDERICK C. HALL, a veteran of the late war, residing in Lebanon, was born in Madison, Madison County, N. Y., June II, 1827. His father, William Hall, and his grandfather, George Hall, Jr., were natives of Portsmouth, R. I., where they lived on a plan- tation of three hundred acres purchased at an early date by Colonel George Hall, great- grandfather of Frederick, a native of England, and an ex-officer of the English army. Com-
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