USA > New York > Chenango County > Book of biographies : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Chenango County, New York > Part 43
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brother. He then went into business with Dr. M. Hoffman Fish, and their partnership, that extended over a period of nearly six years, was marked by very successful work ; during this time, Fish Brothers conducted three offices, the one at Earlville being run by our subject, and the offices at New Ber- lin and Sherburne being attended to by his brother, spending three days of the week at one place, and the remaining three days at the other place. He then bought out his brother's interest in the office at Sherburne, and practiced his profession alone in Sher- burne, until he sold his business to E. L. Martin, since which time he has been in- terested in conducting a hotel. When he married the first time he built the residence on North Main Street, which is now owned by Mrs. McCall.
Dr. Fish married Frances M. Perkins, daughter of John T. Perkins of Washington Mills, N. Y .; she died at thirty-five years of age, leaving one daughter, Flora, who died when four years old. Our subject's second wife, Helen M. Griswold, widow of Henry B. Griswold, was a daughter of James and Ruth (Arnold) Merriam. James Merriam was born in New Salem, Mass., and came to Chenango County when a young man, with no other capital than his knowledge of the cooper's trade. He worked at his chosen vocation at New Berlin, married there, and went west to Chicago, where he engaged in the cooperage business for several years. Returning to Morrisville, Otsego County, he went into business ; his wife having inherited a farm in Plymouth township, this county, they moved thither and settled down, Mr.
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Merriam following agricultural pursuits and coopering. Mrs. Merriam was a daughter of Joseph Arnold ; she died in Plymouth at the age of sixty-four, and her husband then moved to Norwich, and carried on business until his death, which occurred when he was sixty-eight years old. Their children were : Irvin, a member of Co. B, 22d Reg. N. Y. Vol. Cav., who was taken prisoner in the bat- tle of the Wilderness, and died in Anderson- ville Prison ; Helen M., our subject's wife ; and Rosanna. Helen M. Merriam, now our subject's wife, was first married to John Ran- dall of the firm of Taylor Brothers & Co., merchants of the village of Pitcher, this county. Mr. Randall died at the age of twenty-four, and his widow then married Henry B. Griswold, who was a native of the town of German, Chenango County. Mr. Griswold was reared to agricultural pur- suits, but his best years were spent as a land- lord. He enlisted in Co. K, 10th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Cav .; he was taken prisoner during one of the engagements of his troop, and carried to Belle Isle, whence he escaped and returned home. He went into hotel keeping at Willet. In 1872, with J. G. Smith, now a resident of Sherburne, he ran the Hotchkiss House at Oxford until he removed to Sherburne, and bought the Medbury House, which he oper- ated with marked success for several years. Finally selling this hostelry he bought a farm and hotel at McDonough, and con- ducted both enterprises until he bought the Tabor House of De Ruyter. Removing to the latter place, he took charge of his newly acquired hotel property, and conducted the business two years, when he in company with
Harvey Trass bought the Hotel Daniels, which had been built in 1881, replacing the Medbury House, which had been destroyed by fire. The structure is in every respect a model hotel, built according to approved plans, with many modern details of excel- lence. It is three stories high, and contains some ninety rooms. The building is heated by steam, furnished with hot and cold water, and supplied with abundant bathing conveni- ences. The hotel is located in the very cen- ter of the village, and has the most advan- tageous situation of any hotel in the northern part of Chenango County. Mr. Griswold took charge of the Hotel Daniels January 1, 1892, but was at the head only a few months, for he was stricken by death May 4, 1892. He left one son, Ralph J., born August 6, 1880, who graduated in 1896, from the Fairfield Military Academy, and who is now attend- ing the Albany Business College. Mr. Gris- wold was married before, and had one son, who is now in business at Sidney. After Mr. Griswold's decease, his widow with Mr. Trass ran the hotel until her marriage with Dr. Winfield S. Fish, the subject of this writ- ing, who bought Mr. Trass' interest. The hotel has since been conducted by Helen M. & W. S. Fish as proprietors ; they have one of the best equipped hotels in the county, and extend a hospitable greeting to the traveling public, that finds not its equal in many a long day's journey.
Our subject is a stanch Republican, as re- gards his allegiance to party. He is an hon- orary member of the Torrent Engine Com- pany of Sherburne, and served six years as the chief engineer of the fire department of
EDWARD DANIELS.
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the village. Dr. Fish is a member of the Sixth District Dental Association, and is a well known and deservedly popular Mason, belonging to Sherburne Lodge, No. 444, F. & A. M.
p DWARD DANIELS, president of the village of Sherburne, and prom- inent as a business man, respected for his in- tegrity and straightforward dealing with his fellow-men, and a gentleman who has attained success, not as the recipient of a legacy, but through individual endeavor, is at present dcaling in hops and produce. He was born in the above village July 16, 1849, and is a son of James and Catherine (Ryan) Daniels.
James Daniels and wife settled in the vil- lage of Sherburne, N. Y., in 1840. Mr. Dan- iels bought several small parcels of land, which he later disposed of and bought the old Thayer farm, and lived there until the date of his death, which occurred in 1896, at the advanced age of eighty years. Mrs. Danicls passed from this life in 1892, aged seventy-eight years. Their children were as follows: Thomas; John, deceased; Mary ; Joanna ; Edward, our subject ; James, de- ceased ; and Alice; all of whom are re- spected citizens in the different localities in which they reside.
Our subject lived at home, assisting his father in the labors of the farm and attending school, besides clerking in a storc between the ages of twelve and sixteen years. Hc remained under the parental roof until he had attained his majority. He first engaged
in the buying and selling of stock, and then became a dcaler in hops, buying thousands of bales each year. He is now the largest hop dealer in his section of the county. He also formed a partnership with F. C. Doolit- tlc, and under the firm name of Doolittle & Daniels they operated a gencral store, occu- pying the first floor of the Empire Block, where they carried a large and well selected stock of dry goods, groceries and produce. When he sold his interests in the store, Mr. Daniels began to deal more extensively in hops and produce. He purchased the Irons property, and immediately thereafter im- proved and enlarged the house and barns and grounds.
Mr. Daniels married Miss Etta Harring- ton, daughter of Asa and Lucy Harrington of Sherburne, N. Y., and as a result of this union one child has blessed their home, Jen- nie Catherine, born August 7, 1883. In poli- tics our subject is a stanch follower of the Republican party, whose principles he be- lieves in honestly and sincerely, and he casts his vote with the party of his choice, when- ever opportunity occurs. From the time of his entrance into the community, he has ever been interested in its welfare, and has fulfilled the duties of a good citizen, lending a help- ing hand at every chance in aiding Sherburne to become one of the first towns in the Em- pire State. He was postmaster from August, 1889, to October, 1894, and is now president of the village. He has also served as chief of the Sherburne Fire Department. Much credit is duc Mr. Daniels for the condition in which the streets of the village are kept. The village of Sherburne was founded in
23*
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1790, at which time it was simply a postoffice for the surrounding countrymen. In 1801 the first store was opened, and round it clus- tered what has come to be one of the most flourishing villages in the county, with a pop- ulation of 1,200. It boasts a bank, four hotels, several fine dry goods stores, some of the ablest lawyers in the county, six churches, a good school, a newspaper, a cotton and knitting factory, a machine shop, and one of the finest depots on the line of the D., L. & W. R. R. The citizens of Sherburne may well be proud of their village and its history of steady growth and industrial develop- ment ; they may well congratulate them- selves that they have the proper man in the chief magistrate's chair, who will see that every interest of the village is conserved and promoted.
We are indeed pleased to present on an- other page of this work an excellent portrait of Mr. Daniels, executed from a photograph taken in May, 1898.
R UFUS S. IVES, a farmer of Guilford, Chenango County, N. Y., who is held in high esteem wherever he is known, and who is a fair example of the kind of men who have built up this part of the State of New York, was born in the old Ives Settlement August 1, 1831, and is a son of Alfred and Roxalena (Parsons) Ives.
Abraham Ives, the great-grandfather of our subject, was born in the State of Connec- ticut, and was a farmer and stone mason all his life. He was the father of a large family
of children, who were as follows: Samuel, a prominent farmer and the first of the Ives to locate in the State of New York; Lyman : Elias and Abraham, both of whom were farmers in the above settlement ; Clarissa, the oldest daughter, who was united in mar- riage to Ozias Bush; Fannie, who was mar- ried to Lyman Trask, and upon his death married Ozias Bush, the widower of her oldest sister Clarissa; Eunice, the wife of Abijah Cornwall; and Mariab, who married Stephen Yale.
Samuel Ives, the eldest son, was the first of the family to leave home; he came west and located in New York State. Being favorably impressed with the surroundings of the country, he purchased a tract of 100 acres, and then returned home, where he was married to Lucy Ann Atwater, and in the winter of 1797, he and his bride started for their new home, arriving in Chenango County in the spring of 1798, and took up their headquarters in the log house which had been built by Samuel Ives on his first visit to this district. In the meantime his father in 1796 moved to this new country, and bought a large tract of land near that owned by his son. He also was the owner of a horse which was the only one in the neighborhood. It was his only means of carrying grain to the mills, which were located at Oxford and Unadilla, a distance of nine miles. Later the rest of the family followed, and this was the beginning of what has been known for the past century as the Ives Settlement. He died with typhoid fever at the age of forty- five years. His wife and six children and a large circle of friends mourned the loss of
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such a valuable neighbor and good citizen. His children were as follows: Alfred, the father of our subject; Orin; Isaac A .; Sam- uel G .: Edwin; and Lucy. Samuel Ives was a leader in politics in his neighborhood, and always upheld the principles of the Demo- cratic party. He lived the life of a true Christian, and was beloved and respected wherever known.
Alfred Ives, father of our subject, was born in the Ives Settlement in Guilford township, January 22, 1798. He, too, was one of the pioneers of the State of New York, and among Chenango County's most distinguished citizens, who have contributed to its prosperity ; departing this life, he left behind monuments of his labors that will be remembered and lauded by many genera- tions yet to come. Such advantages as were offered in this country years ago, in the way of schools, were made use of by him, and by perseverance and energy he acquired a fair education. He inherited the occupation of a farmer, and when he grew to manhood he purchased the old homestead, which was later increased by the addition of another farm of 100 acres. In addition to farming he carried on dairying, and was the owner of the finest hierd of cattle in his district. He was a member of the Congregational Church. The Democratic party ever claimed his support, and he held many local offices in the town. He died on the old homestead February 22, 1866. He was united in marriage to Roxalena Parsons, daughter of Jehial Parsons, a native of Con- necticut, who came to the town of Guilford, and engaged in the pursuits of an agricul-
turist. Three children blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ives, namely ; Emeline P., who married Edwin M. Whiting, now deceased, a mail agent on the C. & N. W. R. R .; L. A. is a farmer and a neighbor of our subject, whose sketch also appears in this book ; and Rufus S., the subject of this personal history.
Rufus S. Ives was brought up to agricul- tural pursuits, and was educated in the dis- trict schools of his native town. He has lived on the old homestead all his life, and with the assistance of his sons he carries on farming to a large extent. The homestead consists of 255 acres ; he also owns a farm of 184 acres in the town of Guilford, which is one of the best improved farms in the coun- ty. Ile is engaged extensively in dairying, and always keeps a large herd of grade cattle, and milks 45 cows the year around. In politics he is an active Republican and was elected assessor for twelve consecutive years. He is strictly a temperance man, and for more than forty years he was minis- ter of the Congregational Church of Guil- ford. He was married September 6, 1853, to Miss Adaline HI. Van Cott, daughter of John Van Cott, and sister of the wife of L. A. Ives. They reared four children, as follows: Alfred, who assists his father on the old homestead; Arthur, who died in his boyhood days ; Paris Rufus, deceased ; and Millic, who remains at home. The Ives family record discloses a creditable history, and the later descendants possess in a marked degree those honest and substantial qualities which have constituted them excellent citizens of the various communities where their lots have been cast.
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SAAC DALRYMPLE, an extensive far- mer and stock-raiser of the town of Otselic, resides on his farm of 252 acres, which is well supplied with substantial and neat looking buildings, necessary for carry- ing on his vocation. He was born in the above named town, August 31, 1860, and is a son of Charles C. and Caroline C. (Marden) Dalrymple, and grandson of Eli Dalrymple. Eli Dalrymple was a native of Massachusetts and followed the trade of a cooper; after moving to this county, in 1833, he engaged in farming in the eastern part of the town of Otselic, which was then very sparsely set- tled. He was the father of two sons: Charles C .; and John, a farmer of the town of Smyrna.
Charles C. Dalrymple was born in Brook- field, Madison County, N. Y , September 10, 1826. He tilled the soil, and for a number of years was very successful, but he became deeply involved in debt by indorsing papers for others. He was generous to a fault, and would not stand by and see a man in trouble, without rendering all the assistance in his power ; he even shared his money with desti- tute men when he needed it badly himself. He was united in marriage with Caroline C. Marden, whose father was William Marden, a native of New Hampshire, but later a resi- dent of the town of Otselic. Two children were born to them, whose names are as fol- lows : Ella F., the wife of Milton Thompson, of the town of Otselic; and Isaac, our sub- ject. Socially, Charles C. Dalrymple was a member of Lodge No. 659, F. & A. M., of South Otselic. Like all good citizens he took an interest in politics, and was a Demo-
crat; he held a number of public offices, chief of which were those of supervisor and railroad commissioner. He passed to his eternal rest, September 21, 1877.
Isaac Dalrymple was reared on a farm and received his primary education in the district schools, after which he attended Norwich Academy. At the age of seventeen, upon the death of his father, he came into posses- sion of the farm, upon which he now lives, which was then heavily encumbered with debts. He at once set about with the per- sistent purpose of clearing the farm of its debts, which he has done by his wonderful foresight and sound judgment, together with an unlimited energy for hard work and the ability to do it well. For a few years he taught school, after which he directed his attention to his farm, upon which he still re- mains. He makes a specialty of Holstein cattle, and has one of the finest herds in the county, which contains none but thorough- breds ; he has fifty head, thirty of them being cows and the remainder young stock.
January 3, 1882, Mr. Dalrymple married Rosa M. Hagerty, a daughter of Richard Hagerty, a farmer of the town of Otselic. They are the proud parents of two children, namely : Charles C., and David B. Hill. He is quite prominent in social circles, being a member of the following fraternal orders : Otselic Grange, No. 463, Patrons of Hus- bandry; Georgetown Lodge, No. 679, I. O. O. F .; and Lodge No. 726, F. & A. M., of Georgetown, N. Y.
In political preferences he is a Democrat, and has held many town offices of trust; he was a member of the board of supervisors
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for six years, representing one of the strong- est Republican towns in the county, and has been postmaster of Otselic, and railroad commissioner. For fifteen years he has been secretary of the Otselic Creamery, which is one of the largest creameries in the county ; a great deal of credit is due Mr. Dalrymple for its present prosperous condition.
AMES L. GUILE, engineer and elec- trician of the Oxford Electric Light Co., and one of the enterprising and respected citizens of that town, was born in North Norwich, this county, August 24, 1853. He is a son of Enos and Jane (Henry) Guile, the former a native of New Berlin, and the latter a native of Plymouth, N. Y.
William Guile, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was born in Saratoga, N. Y., and in 1808 moved to Chenango County, locating in New Berlin, where he was engaged as a carpenter and joiner. Later he followed the pursuits of an agriculturist, which was his sole occu- pation the rest of his life. He married Mary Lattimore of Saratoga, N. Y., and they were the parents of seven children, who all became well-to-do and respected citizens in the local- ities in which they lived. They were as fol- lows: William; James; Nathan; Reeve ; Catherine ; Ruth; and Enos, the youngest, and father of our subject. Mr. Guile was a consistent member of the Methodist Church. In politics, he was an old-time Whig.
Enos Guile was educated in the public schools of New Berlin, and upon leaving school he taught a few terms, and then took
up the trade of a carpenter and millwright, which he followed the rest of his active life. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party, whose principles he upholds and sup- ports, casting his vote for its men and meas- ures whenever legitimate opportunities arc afforded. He has served as collector of taxes of the town of New Berlin for one year and of the town of North Norwich two years. He is a gentleman respected for his mor- ality as well as integrity, and has led an upright and straightforward life, endeavor- ing by word and deed to do as he would be done by. When the Rebellion broke out and the call was issued for troops to preserve the Union, he laid aside his personal interests and plans for the future, and enlisted as a soldier, November 8, 1861. He was assigned to the 8th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Cav., and re- mained in the service throughout the war, receiving an honorable discharge in July, 1865. He was joined in marriage with Jane Henry, and they reared a family of three children, namely : Col. F., deceased ; Lydia, who has been twice married,-her first hus- band was John Skinner of New Berlin, now deceased, and her second husband is Albertus Langworthy of Norwich ; and James L., the subject of this biography. In religious views the members of the family were Methodists.
James L. Guile was educated in the public schools of New Berlin, and for the three years after he left school was engaged in agricultural pursuits. He then learned the trade of a carpenter and millwright, which he followed with great success for three years, when he accepted a position as engin- eer in Norwich. He also operated a saw
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mill in which he was successful, although the work did not suit him. For almost six years he was engineer for the Chair Company, and two years with the D., L. & W. R. R. as fire- man. In 1892 he accepted his present posi- tion as engineer and electrician of the Oxford Electric Light Co. Politically, he is a stanch Republican. Socially, he is a member of Lodge No. 175, F. & A. M., of Oxford. Mr. Guile is a member of the National Associa- tion Stationary Engineers.
Our subject was joined in wedlock with Emma Follett, daughter of Marshall A. Fol- lett of Norwich. Mr. and Mrs. Guile have reared and educated the following children : Mabel, Marshall, Ruth A., and James L., all of whom are residing with their parents. The members of the family are sincere ad- herents of the Congregational Church. Mr. Guile is now in the prime of life, enjoying the comforts of a good home and surrounded by a happy family. His strict attention to business has secured him a fair share of this world's goods, while his uprightness in all dealings, combined with his genial deport- ment, has won him the respect and affection of all who know him.
ILLIAM MYGATT, deceased, was one of the prosperous merchants of the village of Oxford and one of the most prominent men in the community. Coming to the village of Oxford in the year 1818, he began business in a small way, and by his untiring energy, his diligent attention to business, and a wise forecast of what the
future would bring, he became eminently successful. His business operations were of greater magnitude and extent than usually pertain to one man in a town of the size of Oxford ; in all his dealings he maintained an unsullied integrity, and a character for fidel- ity and honesty above suspicion or reproach. He was a man who was liberal in a sense, yet saving in habits, and by the time he was sixty-six years of age he had amassed considerable wealth and was enabled to re- tire from active business life. He faithfully fulfilled the obligations of a husband, a father and a citizen, and folded his hands for his final rest, with a consciousness of having done his duty in the best manner possible, with the approval of his own conscience and the deep respect of his neighbors and ac- quaintances.
Mr. Mygatt was born in the town of New Milford, Conn., October 25, 1785, and was a son of Noadiah and Clarissa (Lynes) Mygatt. In his native town were spent the years of his childhood, youth and early manhood. In 1818 he came to the State of New York and located at Oxford, making that village his home until the time of his death. He was united in marriage, July 29, 1817, with Cath- erine Northrup, who was a native of New Milford, Conn. Their union was blessed by the birth of the following children: Eliza- beth, the wife of Henry L. Miller of Oxford, and the mother of John E. Miller, whose per- sonal history appears elsewhere in this Book of Biographies; Frederick N .; Sarah A. mar- ried Dr. A. B. Coe, whose sketch is also re- corded in this book, and they are the parents I of one son, George B .; Emily M .; Susan
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M. ; Caroline L. married Hon. Rufus J. Bald- win of Minneapolis, Minn., and they have one son, Frederick R .; Jane A. became the wife of Dr. George Douglass of Oxford ; and Julia M., who married Judge C. E. Vander- burgh of Minneapolis, Minn., and bore him two children, William and Julia. Our sub- ject's habits of life were rigidly temperate, frugal and regular, and to them he was doubtless indebted for that uniform health which he enjoyed even to old age. He was early trained in his New England home in the principles of Christianity, and always ex- hibited a high appreciation of the institutions of religion, giving to them his personal en- couragement and pecuniary assistance. He was a faithful member of the Congregation- al-Church. Thus he lived to a good, ripe age, honored and respected, and then passed away and entered into his eternal rest. His hands were folded in response to the final summons, February 4, 1868, leaving a goodly record of an honest life filled with kind im- pulses and good deeds.
N. FISHER, who is interested in the tanning business with his brother, J. E. M. Fisher, at South Otselic, N. Y., was born in Bavaria, Germany, No- vember 3, 1842. He is a son of Yobst and Margarct (Ritter) Fisher. Yobst Fisher was born in February, 1804, in Bavaria, Germany. While in Bavaria he dealt extensively in stock, fattening them and taking them to mar- ket. Secing the advantages offered to indus- trious men in America, he came to this coun-
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