USA > New York > Chenango County > Book of biographies : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Chenango County, New York > Part 11
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Mr. Comstock married Miss Cynthia M. Thompson of Norwich. She died in 1873, aged thirty-six years, six months and twenty- eight days. She left the following children : Mary F., born in 1863 and died at the age of three months ; Sarah L., born in 1864, married G. N. Wilcox and reared four children, the youngest being Sarah L., who was adopted by her grandfather; James T., born August II, 1866, a graduate of Norwich Academy, and later a graduate of the New York Col- lege of Pharmacy, now holds a state pharma- cist's license, and is a member of the firm of A. Comstock & Son,-he married Miss Ellen
Church, and one child has blessed their home, Charles ; and William J., born August 26, 1869, who married Lizzie Dixon, and has one child, William. Our subject married, Sep- tember 22, 1875, Mrs. Sarah J. Bennett of Smyrna, but no children have resulted from this union.
Abel Comstock is an avowed Republican. He has held various positions, such as presi- dent of the village corporation, the duties of which office are being ably and honestly dis- charged. Religiously, he is a most active member of the Methodist Church, and is one of the trustees, for the duties of which post he has proved himself well fitted. Mr. Com- stock has been a resident of Smyrna for some years, and has a well deserved reputation for honesty and uprightness of character.
LARK L. WEBB, the well known pro- prietor of the Central Restaurant of Oxford, N. Y., was born in Smith- ville, Chenango County, N. Y., June 21, 1858. He is'a son of John S. and Mary A. (Davis) Webb, and a grandson of Merritt Webb.
Merritt Webb was born in Smithville, and there farmed during his active life. He earned an ample competency and spent the latter years of his life in retirement at Oxford. He was united in marriage with Eliza Bald- win, a native of Smithville, by whom he had twelve children. They all grew to maturity and were a credit to the various communities in which they lived; their records are as fol- lows: Harriet married Harvey Knicker- bocker of Smithville; John S. was united in
READE E. HARRINGTON.
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marriage with Mary A. Davis of Smithville ; George was married to Mary Hunt of Wausau, Wis .; Roxanna became the wife of Andrus Crumb of Preston, Chenango County, N. Y .; Andrew, deceased ; Jane is the widow of Hiram Lewis of Oxford ; Sarah is the wife of Thomas B. Harris of Oxford ; Ellen is de- ceased; Mary; Frank, who married Irene Bartoo of Greene; Charles was united in marriage with Clara Thompson of Mc- Donough; and Angeline became the wife of S. Moore of Oxford. Religiously, the family favored the Universalist Church.
John S. Webb, who is now enjoying a com- fortable competency, obtained by his own in- dustry and superior business qualifications, is one of the old and reliable citizens of the county. He was born and reared on a farm at Smithville, receiving his education in the common schools. It was but natural that he took up the occupation of his father and fol- lowed it for so many years. He owns a farm six and a half miles from the village of Ox- ford, and there he was engaged in general farming and stock raising until 1890, when he retired to the home of his son in Oxford, but still owns the farm. He formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Mary A. Davis, daughter of Solomon Davis of Smith- ville, and one child was born to make their home happy, namely: Clark L., the subject of this biography. Mr. Webb is a member of the Universalist Church, and is a regular attendant. Politically, he is an active mem- ber of the Republican party, but has never accepted office, preferring rather the life of a private citizen.
Clark L. Webb was mentally cquipped for
life's battles in the public schools of Smith. ville. Upon leaving school he became a clerk in the restaurant of Arvine Lewis and re- mained with him two years. He took a lik- ing to this line of business, and being a man of careful habits, he saved enough money to buy out his former employer. That he thor- oughly understands his business, is demon- strated by the fact that he was successful from the start. He also deals in ice, being the only dealer in that commodity in the vil- lage. He has the patronage of the people and has been decidedly prosperous. He bot- tles and sells carbonated drinks in connection with his restaurant. He is still a young man, and the manner in which he has conducted his affairs in the past points to a brilliant future.
He was united in marriage with Miss Minnie V. Loomis of Smithville, and one daughter, Berth A., has blessed their union. Mrs. Webb and daughter are members of the Episcopal Church, while Mr. Webb is liberal in his views on religion. Socially, he is a member of the Kenotah Lodge, No. 105, I. O. R. M., of Oxford.
R EADE E. HARRINGTON, whose portrait appears on the opposite page, is a prominent citizen and honored pioneer of Chenango County. He was born in the above county, and has assist- ed materially in its development and progress. He is now farming in the neighborhood of Greene village, this county, and has acted his
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part well, and is receiving the honor due to those who have labored and struggled and accomplished a large part of what their am- bition stimulated them to attempt. He is a son of Benjamin and Sarah A. (Barrows) Harrington, and was born on the old home- stead Nov. 8, 1858.
John Harrington, the great-grandfather of our subject, was a native of Ireland; upon emigrating to the United States he settled in the State of Connecticut, where he remained for a short time, when he came to the village of Oxford in 1796. He engaged in farming when the land was wild and in an unimproved state; this, however, did not in any way dis- courage Mr. Harrington, but he energetically set about accomplishing its improvement and cultivation, and secured such results that the tract under his supervision became the most valuable property within that corporation. He was among the sturdy pioneers who took part in the Revolutionary War, by reason of which he afterward received a pension. He died in the village of Oxford at the advanced age of eighty-four years. He was twice mar- ried ; to his first wife were born the following children ; Joshua; John; Hillman; Ebes; Daniel ; Mrs. Polly Harrington; and Mrs. Rebecca Smith.
The most of the old settlers who came here during the early part of the nineteenth cen- tury have passed to the home beyond the grave. The majority of those who came here at an early day were poor in pocket, but, pos- sessed of an unlimited amount of energy and perseverance, and, having faith in the country, "stuck it out " and were successful. Among the number who came here was Joshua Har-
rington, the grandfather of our subject. He came to the village of Oxford with his father when he was but twelve years of age, and when he grew to manhood he began the till- ing of the soil, which pursuit he continued to follow all his life. He married Thankful Harrington, daughter of Thomas Harrington, a native of Connecticut, who came to Oxford and engaged in farming. To this union nine children were reared : Lucinda, deceased, was the wife of Dennis Cooper, late farmer of Greene, this county ; Melinda, deceased ; David, deceased, was a prominent farmer of Greene, this county; Joshua, deceased, was a farmer of Greene ; Benjamin, father of our subject ; Mariette; Margaret, deceased, mar- ried James Tuttle, late a blacksmith of Greene, this county ; Thomas W., a successful farmer of Greene; and Charles P., who died in early manhood. Mr. Harrington was a strong Dem- ocrat, and was a well informed man of his day.
Benjamin Harrington, father of our sub- ject, was born in Oxford, this county, May I, 1816, and died in Greene, January 26, 1897. He pursued the vocation of an agriculturist and was very successful; at the time of his death he was the owner of 500 acres of good farming land. He attended the schools, such as were offered in this country in those early days, and by perseverance and energy he ac- quired a fair business education. In politics Mr. Harrington was an ardent Democrat, and one that did not swerve from strict allegiance to the views and principles promulgated by that political organization. He stood high in the estimation of his fellow-countrymen, and was one of the most prosperous and high-
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ly respected citizens of Chenango County. He married Miss Sarah A. Burrows, daugh- ter of Simeon Burrows, a farmer former- ly of Coventry, but later of Greene, this county. Three sons and three daughters were born to Mr. and Mrs. Harrington, namely : Mary A., wife of Floyd Wylie of Broome County, N. Y .; Benjamin F .; Eugene, a farmer in the village of Greene; Reade E., the subject of this biography ; Victoria, wife of George W. Bly, a barber of Carbondale, Pa .; and Evelyn, who married Joseph Span- ley, a barber of Greene.
Reade E. Harrington received his educa- tion in the district schools of his native vil- lage, and then turned his attention toward agricultural pursuits. He is at present the owner of 230 acres of well improved land, which constitute one of the best farms in the county. He dairies extensively, and has his farm well stocked with a fine herd of cattle, always keeping no less than thirty-five head.
He chose for his life companion Miss Ella O. Hunter, daughter of William C. Hunter, and they were happily married December 21, 1880. Their home was blessed by three chil- dren, who were as follows: Bernice L .; Haziel May ; and Greyson H. In politics he is a conscientious follower of the Democratic party, with whose principles he sincerely sympathizes, believing they are the correct ones to follow, and aids to promote them by every means in his power. Socially, he is a member of the Eastern Light Lodge of Greene, No. 126, F. and A. M .; he is also a member of the .O. E. S. of Greene, of which lodge his wife is electa. Mr. and Mrs. Harrington are highly respected in their community, and are
regarded with much esteem and respect for the honorable part they have performed in developing and improving their section of the county.
LLEN ROCKWELL belongs to a class of men that are ever conferring benefits to the localities in which they live. Carrying on an industry at Rock- well Mills, Guilford township, that is a matter of pride to the entire county of Chenango, and furnishing work for a large number of people, he is well worthy to be placed with the representative and most prominent men of the county. The Rockwells for generations past were manufacturers of wool, and Mr. Rockwell has grown up with the business and understands its every detail, and is enabled to give to the business a most intel- ligent supervision. He was born April 9," 1860, at Rockwell Mills, and is a son of C. W. and Amanda E. (Scrambling) Rockwell.
Chester Rockwell, the grandfather, be- longed to a family of wool manufacturers of New Haven, Conn., and when yet a young man came to South Hartwick, N. Y., where he opened his woolen mills, and devoted his life to carrying on this business, which has descended from father to son.
C. W. Rockwell, the father of our subject, was born in South Hartwick, and there grew to an honorable manhood. His brother, Erastus, had bought and was operating a woolen mill, and in 1860 he bought this mill from the brother, and until his death, in 1891, he was actively engaged in operating it. It
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was practically, the first woolen mill in Che- nango County, and at the time of his pur- chase the village consisted of but a few houses. It took its name from the industry that caused its growth and prosperity, and has since been known by the name of Rock- well Mills. Mr. Rockwell was always to be found at the front of any public spirited enterprise, and was a man who was univer- sally beloved. He was a Republican, and for a long time served as supervisor of the town. He was a strong churchman, and for a num- ber of years was deacon in the Baptist Church, of which he was a prominent mem- ber. He was twice united in marriage. His union with Lurana Wescott resulted in the birth of three sons and one daughter: Irene was married to O. S. Cuffman, both now deceased ; Reuben Wescott was a tailor of Rockwell Mills; Howard C., is postmaster of Rockwell Mills, is a traveling salesman and also interested with his son, in the mercan- tile business at different points ; Charles S. is an employee of the mills. By his second marriage with Amanda Scrambling, the fol- lowing children were born: George D., deceased, was a member of the firm of C. W. Rockwell & Co .; Allen ; and Belle, the wife of George W. McPherson.
Allen Rockwell received his education in the district schools and the Oneonta Union School, leaving the school room at the age of eighteen to begin work in his father's mills. He served there for three years, when his father took him in as a partner in the firm. After the death of his father, which occurred in his sixty-seventh year, his mother took the father's interest, and the firm now consists of
the mother and son, the business being con- ducted under the old name of C. W. Rock- well & Co. This mill is a three sett mill, and gives employment to about 40 hands. They manufacture all kinds of woolen goods, making a speciality of heavy goods, and special orders from large customers. They have a large trade extending all over the northern part of the Union, and their name is known to all dealers in first class woolen goods. Their trade is increasing every year, the sales for the past year being larger than that of the year previous, and the owners feel very cheerful over the outlook for the future. September 21, 1892, Mr. Rockwell contracted marriage with Miss Lina Bowen, daughter of Henry Bowen, a farmer of Guil- ford, and they have gathered around them a large number of friends and enjoy a most enviable reputation for kindliness of heart and true bearing. Mr. Rockwell is a man of whom every one speaks well, and is admir- ably sustaining the reputation for straight- forward, honest dealing, that was borne by a long line of ancestors.
B ENJAMIN E. WIGHTMAN, junior member of the firm of Parker & Wightman, proprietors of a general merchandise store in South New Berlin, Che- nango County, was born at that place August 28, 1873. He is the only son and child of Frank B. and Rozetta (Lewis) Wightman, and a grandson of Edward F. Wightman.
Edward F. Wightman is a native of South New Berlin and was born in 1833. He is a
GEORGE DOUGLAS, M. D.
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son of Benjamin Wightman, a native of Con- necticut, who came to this county and took up a tract of Government land on Great Brook, two miles north-west of South New Berlin village. Benjamin Wightman died there in 1868, at the age of fifty-four years. Edward Wightman has spent most of his life on the old homestead, where he followed the occu- pation of a farmer. In 1885 he retired from active life and moved to the village of South New Berlin, where he has since resided. He was united in marriage with Margaret Beardsley, by whom he had two children, whose names are as follows: Elizabeth is the wife of Norman Brown, and they make their home in New Berlin; and Frank B., the father of our subject. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is a regular attendant. He is an old and re- spected citizen, and has many friends who join in wishing him many more years of happiness.
Frank B. Wightman was born on the old homestead in 1852, and has lived there all his life. He has a farm of 160 acres of good farming land, and has always tilled the soil. In politics, he sides with the Republicans. He formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Rozetta Lewis, and one son was born to make their home happy. He is one of New Ber- lin's energetic and progressive farmers and has a large number of friends.
Benjamin E. Wightman went with credit through the district and grade schools of his native town. He then took a course in the business college, and graduated in 1891. After clerking one year in a store, he in partnership with Mr. Parker entered the mercantile busi-
ness. They have a good, large store building, with a frontage of forty feet and a depth of sixty. They carry the best goods in the vil- lage, and have a full line of dry goods, gents' furnishings, and boots and shoes. Every- thing about the place has an appearance of neatness and order, that speaks well for the management. They have been very success- ful and have acquired the best trade in the town.
Mr. Wightman was united in marriage with Bertha Sargent, a daughter of H. F. Sargent of South New Berlin, on July 8, 1893. They are the proud parents of one son, Guy J. In social circles he is a member of Norwich Lodge, No. 46, Knight Templars, and of Tribe No. 362, Improved Order of Red Men. Mr. Wightman is an intelligent and enterprising young man, and has a bright future before him.
EORGE DOUGLAS, M. D., a retired and respected cititizen of Oxford, N. Y., whose portrait is shown on the opposite page, was born in Franklin, Delaware County, N. Y., May 7, 1823. He is a son of Hon. Amos and Miriam (Wright) Douglas. The Douglas family dates its origin as far back as the Eleventh Century ; the first Douglas that settled in America was one William Douglas, who landed in Boston, Mass., but later moved to New London, Conn., where he built the first frame house, which stood until 1865.
William Douglas, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Plainfield, Conn.,
7*
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August 22, 1743. After his marriage in 1766 to Hannah Cole, of Canaan, Conn., he moved to Stephentown, N. Y., where he became a large land owner. He reared a family of seven children, namely: Benjamin ; William ; Eli; Hannah ; Deidamia; Amos, the father of our subject; and Abiah. Religiously, he was a supporter of the Presbyterian Church. He was captain of one of the companies in the Revolutionary War, and took part in the battle of Bennington, Vermont, August 16, 1777. He died December 29, 1811. His wife preceded him to the home beyond the skies December 24, 1795.
Hon. Amos Douglas was born in Stephen- town, N. Y., June 21, 1779, and graduated from Williams College in 1798. He then took up the study of law in Albany, N. Y., and was admitted to the bar in 1801. In the following year he went to Franklin, N. Y., and followed his chosen profession, and soon gained a wide reputation as one of the most able attorneys in the county. In his political attachments, Judge Douglas was a Democrat, but prior to becoming a member of that party he was a most ardent Federalist. He came prominently before the public eye through the bold stand he took in advocating the principles of his party, and for eleven years he held the office of county judge. He was married August 24, 1812, to Miriam Wright, daughter of Aaron and Martha Wright of Northampton, Mass. To Judge and Mrs. Douglas were born seven children : Amos; Harriet; Juliet; Eliza M .; Edward; George; and James. Judge Douglas passed from this life March 19, 1857. His wife died May 19, 1846.
Dr. George Douglas received his educa- tion in the Delaware Literary Institute of Franklin, N. Y., and graduated from that school in 1840. He read medicine for some time and then entered the University of New York, graduating in 1845. In 1846 he began to practice his profession in the village of Oxford, which proved a very successful field. Following that line of business until 1877, he moved to Brooklyn, N. Y., where he remained two years, and then returned to his former home, where he has since been engaged very little in the practice of medi- cine.
He has been twice married. On February 14, 1858, he was married to Ada E. Frink of Fabius, N. Y., and they reared one child, Ada E., who married John A. McDonald of Boston, Mass. Mrs. Douglas died March 8, 1864, and the Doctor then married Jane A. Mygatt, daughter of William Mygatt of Oxford, N. Y. He mourned the loss of his second consort November 24, 1894. Relig- iously the Doctor is a member of the Pres- byterian Church. In politics, he casts his vote with the Republican party. Profes- sionally, the Doctor is a member of the New York State Medical Association; the Ameri- can Medical Association; and the Chenango County Medical Association. In 1871 the Doctor was elected an honorary member of the California State Medical Society. He was a member of the Centennial Inter- national Medical Congress held in Phila- delphia in 1876. He is ex-President of the Rocky Mountain Medical Association. He was a member of the World's Medical Con- gress held in Washington in 1887. In 1890
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he was a delegate from the American Med- ical Association to the World's Medical Congress, which assembled in Berlin, Ger- many. Dr. Douglas was a member of the first Pan-American Medical Congress held in Washington, D. C., in 1893.
RANCIS G. CLARKE, vice-president of the First National Bank of the village of Oxford and owner of one of the largest quarries in his section of the county, was born in the above village November 22, 1830, and is a son of Ethan and Rachel (Case) Clarke, the former a native of the State of Rhode Island, while the latter was born in Germantown, Pa.
Henry Clarke, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was a Seventh Day Baptist clergyman, and was born in the State of Rhode Island. He moved to Brookfield, Madison County, N. Y., where he took charge of a church, and remained there several years. He was joined in the bonds of matrimony with Miss Katherine Pendleton, who was born in Wes- terly, Rhode Island. As a result of this union ten children were reared. They were as follows : Henry ; Phebe ; Sarah ; Olive P .; John V .; Elizabeth M .; Ethan, the father of our subject ; Catherine; Joshua; and Samuel R. Mr. Clarke was called to his well-carned rest March 22, 1831. Mrs. Clarke passed to the unknown beyond, Sep- tember 4, 1824.
Ethan Clarke, the father of our subject, was educated in his native village, and upon completing his schooling, which was in 1820, he engaged in the hotel business at Oxford.
He also was engaged in running stage wagons, a business he found very profitable. Later he embarked in the mercantile busi- ness, and did a thriving business for some thirty years afterwards. The last twelve years of his life were spent in retirement. Politically, he was an old time Whig and took an active part in the political affairs in his com- munity. September, 5 1814, he was joined in Hymen's bonds with Miss Rachel Case, and they were the parents of eight children, who were as follows: James W .; Elizabeth A., the wife of Rev. Dr. Van Ingan ; Dwight H .: Ethan, who married Elizabeth Mickel ; Hannah H., who was joined in matrimony with George McNeal; Peter W .; John R .; and Francis G., the subject of this biography. In religious views he and his family held membership in the Episcopal Church. He died in 1857 at the age of sixty-eight years. Mrs. Clarke entered the world of rest August 25, 1854, aged sixty-two years.
Our subject received his elementary edu- cation in the common schools of his native town and then took a course in the academy at Oxford. Completing his schooling at the age of fifteen years, he began to clerk in the store owned by his father. At the age of twenty-four years he purchased a half interest in his father's store, and was successfully engaged in mercantile business until 1892, when he retired from that business, and is now a special partner in the firm of Corbin & Smith. Since 1882 he has operated a quarry of blue stone, which is said to have no equal for building purposes. The quarry is now carried on by Mr. Clarke and his son, and since 1893 they have had an annual output of
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stone that amounts in value to $125,000.00 per year. They dress the stone and otherwise prepare it for the market ; owing to its good quality it needs little or no advertising, and is used in thirteen states. He employs 125 men on an average the year around.
Our subject has been twice married ; to his first wife, Clara Maria Bockee of Norwich, N. Y., with whom he was joined in matri- mony in 1860, four children were born, namely : Herbert W., who married Mar- garet Staunton of Oxford; James W. is a clergyman at Utica, N. Y .; Francis B., who died September, 1863; and Henry B., who died in 1889. In 1884 Mr. Clarke married Laura B. Chapin of Canandaigua, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Clarke are both active and popular members of the Episcopal Church and sup- port the church of that denomination in Ox- ford. Politically, Mr. Clarke is identified with the Republican party, whose principles he believes to be the best of any existing po- litical organization.
ARVEY IRELAND, an enterprising business man of Bainbridge, Che- nango County, is a son of Nelson and Mary E. (Johnson) Ireland, and was born four miles west of the village of Bainbridge, November 10, 1843.
The ancestor of our subject, who was of English birth, emigrated to this country before the Revolutionary War and settled on Long Island. As far as is known, he sympathized with the Tories, and because of his lack of patriotism for his new country
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