USA > New York > Chenango County > Book of biographies : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Chenango County, New York > Part 54
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twenty-one; Robert, the subject of this per- sonal history; Genevieve; and Winifred, who is the wife of Dr. George S. Weaver, whose sketch appears on another pagc. Re- ligiously, he was a member of the Episcopal Church, and was trustee of the local organi- zation. Socially, he was a member of the Oxford Lodge, No. 125, F. & A. M. He passed into the unknown beyond, March 17, 1893, at the age of sixty-four years.
Robert Emerson received his intellectual training in the common schools of his native village. As a boy he worked in his father's store, and it was but natural that he should also make merchandising his business. He re- mained in the store with his father until his death, and then conducted it alone under the name of V. C. Emerson's Son. He carries a full line of dry goods, groceries, drugs, hats, caps, shoes, books and stationery. He inher- its much of his father's shrewdness and business sagacity, and from the manner in which he conducts his business affairs we predict a bright and successful future. In politics he is a Democrat, and during Clcve- land's last term of office was appointed post- master. He is a member and trustèe of the Episcopal Church of McDonough.
ILLIAM R. TIFFANY. It is a well-established fact that on no one trade or profession does the welfare and prosperity of a nation depend, to so great an extent, as on the great mass of people who make up the agricultural class. If work in any other one line of business was suspended
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for a great length of time, its place could, in a large measure, be supplied from the remain- ing industries; not so the work of the farm- er. Take away the products of the farm, and where would be the life of all our industries, great and small? It supplies, if not the com- modity of barter, at least the strength and energy to carry on the trade. Show us a nation of prosperous farmers, and we will show you a correspondingly prosperous na- tion ; while, on the other hand, take a coun- try whose farmers are laboring under serious disadvantages, and whose utmost endeavors are met with disheartening results, and you will see a country in pitiable financial straits. It is well that nature protects her children by supplying a market for their products in the constant appetites and requirements of the race, thus sustaining an industry that has in it the fundamental elements of success. Among the older farmers of the county who are devoted to their calling, and have brought skill to the aid of agricultural art, is William R. Tiffany, who was born April 29, 1833, in what is now North Norwich, then included in the town of Norwich, where he still resides. He was educated in the district schools of Norwich, now North Norwich, and has passed his entire life in that town engaged in the cultivation of the old home- stead upon which he was born. His parents were Nelson and Esther (Randall) Tiffany, also life-long citizens of that town.
Humphrey Tiffany, the great-grandfather of William R. Tiffany, served for a long time as justice of the peace, being familiarly known as "Esquire " Tiffany. William Tif- fany, our subject's grandfather, was born in
North Adams, Mass., in 1780, and came to what is now North Norwich, Chenango County, with his parents in 1800, where he bought a large tract of land located in the woods, and engaged in clearing it for culti- vation. The name of Tiffany is well known throughout the East, one of his father's brothers having been a participant of the famous Boston Tea Party, and his own name having become celebrated through a suit he won, known on the statutes as the case of " Tiffany vs. Peck," which was decided be- fore the Supreme Court, and established a principle and precedent which are observed to-day. He was married to Zerviah Brown, and had a large family of children: Alfred ; Nelson ; Lavinda; Richard ; Lewis; Albert ; Mary; Susan; William Riley; and several that died in infancy. He was a man of splen- did physique, measuring six feet in height and weighing 226 pounds, and being large and muscular. He operated a saw-mill, and also farmed, raising large quantities of rye for distilling. He worked this up in a still which he owned and operated. He died in 1866, aged eighty-six years. His wife died at the age of seventy-seven years.
Nelson Tiffany was born in 1808, in the town of Norwich, where he was educated in the district schools, afterwards becoming one of the most extensive and prosperous farm- ers and largest land owners in the county. He was a Democrat, and held the office of assessor. He was united in marriage with Elizabeth Randall, and to them were born two sons, William R. and Edwin. Mr. Tif- fany died in August, 1869, and his wife in December, 1865.
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William R. Tiffany is one of the largest farmers in the county, formerly owning 600 acres of land, but recently presenting 200 acres to two of his sons. He takes great in- terest in stock raising, and has bred some very fine cattle. He has the largest and best dairy in the town, consisting of 60 cows, and a large number of young cattle. The products of his dairy are not to be equalled in the county, either as to quality or quantity of milk. He served as supervisor one term, and as assessor nine consecutive years.
Mr. Tiffany has been twice married ; his first wife was Ann Genette Bowers. Their children were: Helen M .; Lillian M. Lan- sing ; Charles M .; Nelson M .; Henry M .; Frank M .; and Esther M. Mrs. Tiffany de- parted this life in December, 1883. His sec- ond marriage was contracted with a most estimable lady, Mrs. Anna Smith. In her girlhood she was known as Anna Touey, and she met and married Mr. Smith, by whom she had five children: Kiefer; Howard ; Maud; Lillian ; and Reed. Her father was John Touey, a citizen of King's Settlement, and a farmer by occupation. He had seven children, viz: M. A., who is a contractor of Boston; Mary T .; John W., managing editor of the Shoe and Leather Reporter of New York City ; T. A., a graduate of West Point, who received a commission of First Lieut., and was stationed at Fort Stanton, New Mexico, where he died in 1887; Ella became the wife of J. M. Richmond, deceased, of Buffalo, N. Y .; Anna, the wife of our subject ; and Charles Homer. Mrs. Tiffany was a school teacher previous to her marriage, and is a most agreeable and accomplished woman,
intelligent and pleasant. She is a model housekeeper, and a kind and faithful wife. Mr. Tiffany has a multitude of friends throughout the county who bear witness to his nobility of character, saying that in every transaction he is honest, upright, and honor- able to a fault.
ILLIAM H. WHEELER, a pros- perous farmer of Oxford, N. Y., was born at Plymouth, Chenango County, N. Y., May 17, 1825. The grandfather, James Wheeler, a native of Rhode Island, came to the State of New York in the early days; he was a Universalist preacher and gained a great deal of prominence in religious circles as the expounder of that doctrine. Universalism at that time was in its infancy, and it took a man who had the cour- age of his convictions to come out as a be- liever, and publicly proclaim himself as a fol- lower. He was united in marriage with a Miss Poole, who bore him a large family of children.
James Wheeler, the father of William H., was born in Madison County, N. Y., where he received his education, attending the public schools for a number of years, and after- ward was a pupil of the high school. When a young inan he moved to Plymouth, Che- nango County, where he engaged in the hotel business, which continued to engross his attention several years. The latter part of his life was spent on a farm, where his last years were peacefully passed in agricultural pursuits. He died at the age of fifty-six
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years, in 1846. He was among the promi- nent men of his day ; was well versed in both local and national politics ; and held several offices; was supervisor, town clerk, justice of the peace, and for several years served as collector of taxes. He married Susan Hall, a daughter of Dr. John Hall, and a native of Massachusetts. They were the parents of the following children: Newell; Eliza ; James ; William H., deceased ; William H., our subject; Jeanette, deceased ; Richard ; John; Susan; and two that died in infancy. While James Wheeler was liberal in his re- ligious views, his wife was a Presbyterian, and her life was one long exemplification of truc Christian character. She passed away at eighty-two years of age.
William H. Wheeler was a student of the common schools of Norwich, and of Oxford Academy. After leaving school, he worked by the month in the summer and taught school during the winters. Although a successful teacher, he did not find the work suited to his tastes, and soon purchased a farm in Pharsalia, N. Y. After living on it a few years, he disposed of the property and moved to Oxford, where he purchased his present farm of 187 acres of valuable land. He is now engaged in general farming and stock raising, and owns what is considered the equal of any, if not the best farm in the Chenango valley.
He was married in 1856, October 16, by Rev. M. Stone, to Jane R. Gates, daughter of Aaron B. Gates of Norwich, N. Y. Their family is constituted as follows : Ellen, who married George Barber of Norwich, and has three children,-Fred W., Stella, and Robert ;
John married Mary Smith of Preston, N. Y., by whom he has four children,-Ellen, Maud, Charles, and John; Clarence married Cora Hemenway of Oxford, and has one child, Glenn Romulus; one child died unnamed.
Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler are members of the Baptist Church. Mr. Wheeler has ever been a Republican, and fought for the cause of freedom during our Civil War. He enlisted in August, 1862, in Co. D, 44th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf. as a recruit ; he served until the old members were mustered out, when he was transferred to Co. D, 146th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf., and served until the close of the war, when he was mustered out with the rest of the regiment. He belongs to the Edward E. Breed Post, No. 196, G. A. R., of Oxford, takes great interest in all its meetings and extends the right hand of fellowship to all old soldiers. Several times have his friends prevailed upon him to accept of office, and he has served as town clerk, highway com- missioner, trustee of schools and the like. He is a kindly, pleasant gentleman, whom it is a pleasure to meet, and who numbers his friends by the score.
R. JOHN TAYLOR HAND. We have the pleasure to present our readers the biography of the gen- tleman named above, one of New Berlin's foremost physicians, whose excellent reputa- tion for professional honor and skill has been acquired through a general practice in Che- nango County, extending from 1881 until the present time. Dr. Hand possesses that pecul-
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iar insight into the hidden causes of various forms of disease which will ever be the greatest recommendation of a successful physician. A casc once definitely diagnosed loses much of the dread that surrounds it, and the mistakes that are occasionally made by cven the best of practitioners result in- variably from incorrect diagnoses. Dr. John Taylor Hand is a son of Timothy D. and Almira (Robins) Taylor, and was born in Smyrna, this county, January 25, 1859.
Timothy D. Taylor, father of our subject, was a carriage maker in the village of Smyrna; when the Civil War broke out he enlisted as a volunteer in the army to help put down the rebellion, Icaving a wife and cight children behind. He was a member of Co. F, 157th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf. He served but a short time, when he was taken ill with typhoid fever, and dicd in the hos- pital at Washington, D. C. He was marricd to Almira Robins and as a result of this union eight children were born to them.
At the age of six years our subject was adopted by Dr. Stephen M. Hand, a promi- nent physician of Norwich. He received a good school education and attended Nor- wich Academy. He then studied medicine under Dr. Hand, and later entered the Uni- versity of New York, and graduated in 1881. He returned to Norwich where he practiced for two years, and then went to Columbus, Chenango County, where he remained until 1886, and then located in South New Berlin, where he remained ten years. In May, 1897, he took up his residence in New Berlin, where he has since been engaged in his chosen profession.
He was joined in the bonds of matrimony, March 12, 1885, with Corinthia Blackman, and two children blessed their happy home, Viola T., and Stephen M., who died aged five months. In politics he is strongly attached to the Republican party. Although not an office secker, in 1893 he was elected supervisor, and is now serving his second term, having been re-elected in 1895. He also was the first health officer of the village of Norwich under the new law. Socially, he is a member of Norwich Lodge, No. 302, F. & A. M .; and holds a membership in Lodge No. 291, I. O. R. M. Dr. Hand enjoys the confidence and esteem of his fel- low practitioners, and of a large circle of patrons, and is considered to be thoroughly competent to treat any case successfully which comes up in a general practice.
R EUBEN S. BOWE, a retired farm- er of the town of Greene, was born in Springfield, Mass., October 17,
1 826. He is a son of Oliver and Lucy (Far- nam) Bowe, of whom the former was also a native of Springfield, Mass. Our subject's father was a foreman in a factory in a small factory town (Chicopee), near Springfield ; it was in this village that he died, May 4, 1831, when only forty-four years of age. Socially, he was a member of the Masonic Fraternity. He was united in marriage with Lucy Far- nam, and three children were born to them, two sons and one daughter, whose names are as follows: Lyman F., deceased, was a me- chanic, and patented a machine with which
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he manufactured shoestrings at Troy, N. Y .; Reuben S., our subject ; and Louisa, de- ceased, who was the wife of Lemuel Hol- comb of Granby, Conn. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Bowe was married to Chapin Jones, and they moved to the town of Greene, where he was engaged in agricul- tural pursuits. As a result of this union, one child was born, Henry L., who is a vet- erinary surgeon of the town of Greene. Mrs. Jones departed this life March 10, 1858, at the age of fifty-two years.
In 1835, when Reuben S. Bowe was but nine years old, Mr. Jones with his family moved to Greene. Our subject was brought up on the farm and received his education in the district schools. Upon attaining his ma- jority he bought a farm of 160 acres in the south-eastern part of Greene, with the money which was left him by his father. He im- proved the farm, and by industrious work and successful management, he accumulated considerable wealth. In 1882, he retired and moved to Lower Page Brook, Chenango County.
February 4, 1847, Mr. Bowe was married to Lois Marian Osborn, a daughter of Daniel Osborn, the latter a native of Litchfield, Conn., who, when a small boy, came to the State of New York, and finally settled at Greene, where he became a respected farm- er. Mr. and Mrs. Bowe are the parents of three children, namely : Oliver C., a painter, living at Binghamton, N. Y .; Edwin Leroy, a merchant of Chenango Forks, N. Y .; Ida Estella, the wife of Charles W. Page, a farm- er of Greenc. Socially, Mr. Bowe has been a member of the Eastern Light Lodge, No.
126, F. & A. M., of Greene, since 1862. Po- litically, he is a Democrat, and has served as a member of the board of supervisors for two years ; for six years he was town assessor, and excise commissioner for three years. Mr. Bowe is a well-informed and intelligent man, and has always been one of the useful members of the community in which he has resided.
ON. GEORGE W. RAY .* There are few men in Chenango County or indeed in Central New York, who ean lay claim to so extended an ac- quaintance with state and national politics, or who have seen as much publie service, as the subject of this biography, whose name appears above. Mr. Ray is now filling out his sixth term in Congress as a Representa- tive from this district of New York State. His work at the National Capitol has at- tracted favorable notice from men of all parties over the country, for his experience in publie life has been such as to ripen every faculty and show him at his best. As a con- scrvator of the interests of the great Empire State, he has proved himself invaluable, and he bids fair to be continued in office for many years to come. He is not only an ed- ueated student of practical and theoretical polities, a polished orator, whosc rounded periods have delighted audiences on many a commemorative occasion, a ready talker on any subject and formidable debater, a lover of literature, and a patriotie statesman, but is also an able lawyer, whose equal is not to be
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found in the county, and whose counsel and advice in matters of a legal nature are sought in many adjoining counties. He is a born worker, and to his tremendous capacity for continuous applied efforts are added ver- satile talents of a high order. He came by his ambition honestly, and has pursued his career in a straightforward way, without invoking or employing means, that could have the stigma of "questionable " applied to them. He is a son of Asher L. Ray, a prominent citizen of Chenango County.
Asher L. Ray was born in North Stoning- ton, Conn., and came with his father, mother, brothers and sisters, ox-teams drawing the household effects, to Pharsalia about 1815, and settled there. The native forests were as yet scarcely touched, and the work of clearing a farm appeared so formidable to Mr. Ray's father, who did not enjoy very good health, that he became discouraged and returned to Stonington, Conn., where he died when about forty years of age. He was a soldier in the War of 1812. His wife lived to the age of eighty years; she was a very active, intelligent woman, and was loved by all who knew her. The children of the grandparents of our subject were: Ste- phen A .; Asher L .; Sally; and Phoebe. Asher L. Ray settled in Otselic township, where he bought a farm and saw mills, and founded the homestead, where our subject, Hon. George W., was born. Asher L. Ray was very much interested in lumbering, and also engaged in mercantile trade. He was a stanch Jacksonian Democrat, and served twenty-six years as a justice of the peace ; the part he took in local politics was both
active and aggressive, for he was a leading politician of his town. He was a colonel in the old state militia, and contributed largely to the value of the service. Rather late in life, he sold his Otselic township property, and moved to Randallsville, Madison County, where he quickly identified himself with the leading men of the town, but was practically retired from active business. In the latter place he served some twelve years as a justice of the peace. His death took place at the age of eighty-four. His wife, who was Melissa P. Gray, was called Home to her reward, when a resident of Randallsville, at the age of seventy-six years. In their relig- ious views they were Baptists. They reared a family of eight children, all of whom are living at this writing. They are as follows: Mary ; Celinda; Charles W .; Eliza; Emily O .; George W., the subject of this notice ; John L .; and William W. Mr. Ray was a gentleman of a refined, intellectual nature, and nobly performed his part in maintaining a high standard of morals in the towns where his life was spent.
Hon. George W. Ray was a student in Norwich Academy after he had completed his education in the district schools. His studies, however, were interrupted by the war between the North and the South. He enlisted in 1863 in Co. B, 90th Reg. N. Y. Vol. Inf., and became a clerk for the First Division of the 19th Army Corps. When the war was over, and he had received an honor- able discharge, he returned home, and com- pleted his studies in Norwich Academy. In March, 1866, he became a student of law in the office of Hon. S. H. Prindle of Norwich,
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and so earnestly did he apply himself to his studies, that in 1867 he was admitted to the bar. For the succeeding year he was associ- ated with the law firm of Prindle & Knapp, but ever since then he has practiced law alone. He proved himself a master of the art of pleading and in the preparation of cases, so that it took but very few years to place him among the best lawyers of the county, and thus assured him a brilliant and profitable career.
Mr. Ray's faculty for politics found an early expression. His rise in public life has been wonderfully rapid and sure, after he once made a beginning. In 1881 he was first elected to represent his district in the 48th Congress. In 1890 he was again returned to Congress, and has served continuously since in the 52nd, 53rd, 54th, and 55th Con- gresses. In commercial circles, his judg- ment and experience have found scope and exercise upon the numerous boards, with which he is connected, both as a director and as attorney. He is pre-eminently a man of affairs, but has, nevertheless, found time for the graces and enjoyments of intellectual life. His marked characteristic is a combi- nation of business sagacity and mental ac- complishments. He has a finely fitted office in the Follett Law Block, and a law library of no small dimensions. Many lawyers who now occupy prominent places in the profes- sion pursued their studies in his office under his direction.
The subject of this biography married Miss Mary Johnson Jewett, daughter of John Jewett, a prominent agriculturist of Pitcher township, Chenango County, and
has one child, Jewett John, who is reading law with his father, and preparing for an hon- orable career in the legal profession. Besides his own home at 317 North Broad Street, Mr. Ray owns the residences on both sides, and tenements and building lots in various localities in the village. He is a charter member of E. B. Smith Post, No. 83, G. A. R. Masonic circles know him as a loyal brother. He is a member of Norwich Lodge, No. 302, F. & A. M .; Harmony Chap- ter, No. 151, R. A. M .; Norwich Command- ery, No. 46, Knight Templars.
REDERICK MITCHELL .* The busy city of Norwich has her quota of live, energetic and persevering business men, among whom is Fred. Mitchell, who is en- gaged in the drug business. He is a son of John and Caroline (Foot) Mitchell, and was born in the village of Norwich September 6, 1844.
John Mitchell was a son of Dr. Henry Mitchell, and grandson of John Mitchell, from whom the line runs back to Experience Mitchell, who was of the company of pilgrims who sought refuge in Holland from religious persecution ; from there he came to America in the ship Ann, the third vessel that crossed the Atlantic with the Pilgrim Fathers, and settled in Plymouth, Mass. Our subject's great-grandfather, John Mitchell, married Elizabeth Sherman, a daughter of Joseph Sherman, and brother of Roger Sherman,
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who was one of the signers of the Declara- tion of Independence.
Dr. Henry Mitchell was born in Wood- bury, Conn., in 1784, and was graduated from Yale College in 1804. He then went to Philadelphia and studied medicine, and in 1806 he qualified to practice ; he then came to Chenango County and settled at Coventry, where he remained for a short time, when he moved to Norwich : there he practiced his chosen profession with marked success. The character of Dr. Mitchell presented the happy combination of great refinement of mind and nobleness of character, and the practical adaptation of the qualities, which enabled him to carry on his life pursuits with dignity and honor, at the same time made him financially successful and a favorite with the common people. He was never too proud to listen to a tale of distress, and no one turned from him without substantial aid and sympathy. Mentally, morally and phys- ically he was a model man. He will be affectionately remembered in his community long after those who knew him most inti- mately have passed away. The death of his first wife left him a widower with six chil- dren to care for, namely : Charles; John; . Jane; Harriet ; Mary ; and Maria. He then married Mary (Zellamay) Guernsey, daugh- ter of James Zellamay, and widow of Peter B. Guernsey, and as a result of this union several children were born to them. Dr. Mitchell always took a lively interest in the politics of the day, and was a man who al- ways was before the public ; he was elected to the State Assembly, and represented this dis- trict in the National House of Representatives.
John Mitchell, the father of our subject, was a graduate of Norwich Academy : start- ing out in life he chose the occupation of a druggist, in which he prospered and became well-to-do. In 1863 he erected the Mitchell Block, which was at that time the finest busi- ness block in Norwich. He purchased the Col. Perlee house, which he remodeled and enlarged, and it is now one of the finest residences in the village, and is owned by his son, Franklin B., brother of our subject. Mr. Mitchell was a stanch Democrat, but unlike his father, he never sought political distinction. He was united in wedlock with Caroline Foot, daughter of John Foot, who was born in Colchester, Conn., in 1788, and settled in Hamilton, N. Y., where he spent his remaining days, dying in 1883. Caroline Foot, the mother of our subject, was born in Hamilton, N. Y., in 1821, and is still living and enjoying the best of health. To Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell were born the following chil- dren: Frederick, the subject of this personal history ; John W., a prominent doctor of Providence, R. I .; Franklin B., a retired citi- zen of Norwich; Caroline, the wife of R. Little of Pasadena, Cal .; and Mary, who married B. Newton of Los Angeles, Cal.
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