USA > New York > Chenango County > Book of biographies : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Chenango County, New York > Part 7
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES
einda S. Kendig, a daughter of Martin and Leah (Bear) Kendig, a family of high stand- ing in Waterloo, N. Y. Four children blessed their union, namely : Annie G., the reliet of the late N. B. Miriek of Lyons; George G., whose name heads these lines ; Eugene D., who enlisted in the army in 1861, but before his regiment went to the front he contraeted a fever and died at home ; William N., deceased, was freight agent of the Erie R. R. at Buffalo ; and Dunean K., an employee of the freight department of the Erie R. R. in New York City. Politi- eally, Mr. W. D. Perrine was formerly an old time Whig, but after the organization of the Republican party, he actively supported the principles of that party. He was president of the village corporation for a number of years. Religiously, he was a member of the Episcopal Church and contributed liberally toward the support of that organization. He belonged to the Agricultural Association and acted as president of the society for a num- ber of years. His long and useful career came to an end April 14, 1884.
Rev. George G. Perrine, after having com- pleted the course required in the Union School at Lyons, entered Hobart College, Geneva, N. Y., graduating in 1861, and re- eeiving the degree of A. M. in 1865. Imme- diately thereafter, he became a student in the Episcopal Theological Seminary in New York City, and graduated in 1865. He was ordained a deaeon in Calvary Church in New York City, June 2, 1865, and received priest's orders from Bishop Coxe at Grace Church in Utiea, N. Y., May 27, 1866. His first charge was at Aurora, Cayuga County, N. Y.,
where he remained for three years. August 8, 1868, he aceepted the reetorship of St. John's Church of Oneida. Remaining there until May 1, 1873, he became rector of St. John's Church of Cape Vincent, keeping that charge until September 1, 1880. For the following twelve years he officiated as reetor of the ehurehes at Thursa and Red- wood. October 1, 1892, he was installed as reetor of the Christ Chureh at Guilford, and has presided over that charge since. He is a man of great power, of exceptional organ- izing ability, and merits the esteem in which he is held ; he is popular among all elasses, the rich and the poor, the old and the young, for he always has a friendly greeting ready for every one, and ever looks on the brightest side of life.
December 20, 1861, our subject was united in marriage with Mariah L. Hamblien, a daughter of the late Rev. Lemuel Hamblien of Geneva, N. Y., and they became the parents of five children, whose records are as follows : Edward E. was born at Lyons, January 9, 1865, and is superintendent of the Gilson Asphalt Company of Kansas City, Mo .; William D, who was born January 27, 1867, and died in Guilford, November 22, 1896, was in the employ of the Gilson Asphalt Com- pany ; Bessie L., who was born July 9, 1870, and died in Buffalo November 20, 1895, was the wife of J. Reynolds, a son of Judge James Reynolds of Broekville, Ontario, Canada ; and two other children who died in infaney. Mrs. Perrine entered the world of rest, May 5, 1890. Mr. Perrine's second union was with Miss Mary Ellen Smith, only daughter of M. H. Smith of Redwood.
IRVING L. RICHER.
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CHENANGO COUNTY
RVING L. RICHER. Conspicuous among the leading business men of Chenango County is the subject of this biography, who owns and operates a large flour and feed store in the village of New Berlin, and is interested in many other enter- prises in that thriving community. He is an active and energetic man, and is a good example of what constant effort, constantly directed, can in a short time accomplish.
He is a son of Nicholas and Ann F. (Whit- more) Richer, and a grandson of John Richer. Nicholas Richer, the great-grandfather of our subject, came from Berlin, Rensselaer County, in 1800, engaged in agricultural pursuits, and spent most of his life in the town of Columbus, Chenango County, where he died, November 1, 1829, aged fifty-eight years. His son, John Richer, was born in the town of Columbus, and like his father followed farming as a means of earning a competency. He lived a long and useful life, dying in 1883, at the age of cighty years. He was bound in the holy bonds of wedlock with Juliana Lottridge, who came from one of the oldest and best known families in the county, and they became the parents of six children, two sons and four daughters.
Nicholas Richer, the father of our subject, an elderly gentleman, who is one of the prominent citizens of New Berlin, has done much toward that village's development, and has been closely identified with its leading interests ; he is in affluent circumstances, a result he secured by hard work and excel- lent foresight. He was born in the town of Columbus, in April, 1826. He had the or- dinary school advantages, which he improved
to the best of his ability, distinguishing him- self then among his school mates, as he did afterwards among his associates in business, by a fixedness of purpose and general ear- nest bearing that proved most valuable to him in all his varied career. He has fol- lowed farming all his life, but thirty years of his time were devoted mainly to butter and cheese manufacturing. He began in rather a small way, operating a cheese fac- tory in the town of Columbus. As the de- mand for his cheese became greater, he built new and larger factories, and at one time was operating fourteen, having an enormous output. These factories were located at Co- lumbus, Brookfield, Edmeston, and Bridge- water. He was also partner in a general store, conducted in Columbus. Since 1891, he has made his home in New Berlin with his son. He has accumulated considerable wealth and is an extensive land owner. He owns six large farms in Chenango County, and all are in the highest state of cultivation. Mr. Richer's well-deserved success in life was what might have been expected from a man who combined an unusual amount of energy with a certain amount of conservativeness, that never led him to indulge in excesses or in untried projects. He was a hard worker in legitimate channels, and deserves, if ever man does, the high respect which is almost universally accorded him. He was united in marriage with Ann F. Whitmore, and they became the happy parents of one son, Irving L., the subject of this personal history.
Irving L. Richer was born in Columbus, November 21, 1858, and was intellectually equipped for life's battle in the common
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES
schools, and in New Berlin Academy. He also took a complete course in Eastman's Business College, graduating from that in- stitution in 1878. Upon leaving school he engaged in general merchandising in Colum- bus, and continued in that line of business until 1886, when he came to the village of New Berlin. He then began the handling of flour and feed. This business, which Mr. Richer is still conducting, was formerly op- erated by Church, Morgan & Co., in 1870. It then went into the hands of Morris Bros. & Kimball. Later Mr. Richer purchased Mor- ris Bros.' interest, and two years later pur- chased the Kimball interest. Since that time he has conducted the affairs on his own ac- count. It was the first business of the kind established in New Berlin. He also handled coal, plaster, cement, etc., and with good re- sults. He conducts a cold storage, and em- ploys from four to ten men the year around. He identified himself with all the interests of his adopted city, and it was mainly through his efforts that the New Berlin Light & Pow- er Company was organized in 1889. He has acted as a director and manager since its organization, and the prosperous condition of that plant demonstrates his ability to fill that office. He is one of the directors of the New Berlin Opera House, and also holds a fourth interest in the Norwich Produce Co. Besides his store in New Berlin, he also con- ducts branch stores in South Edmeston and West Edmeston, in which he carries a line of flour, feed, etc. Mr. Richer has attained his present prosperity in the way open to all by hard work and persevering endeavors, and he is eminently deserving of greater
good fortune. We find just such men in the front ranks of every business and in every community, whose success has been independent of another's assistance.
He was united in marriage, June 21, 1882, with Elvira D. Wilcox, a daughter of Lewis Wilcox of New Berlin, and they have reared three children, namely : Winifred L .; Mar- jorie; and John I. He is a Republican in his politics, and has been supervisor of New Berlin for two terms, also town clerk of Co- lumbus for two years. He is popular and companionable, and counts his friends by the score. In his business dealings he is dis- tinguished by square and honest methods, and has conscientious scruples against taking the least advantage of anyone with whom he may chance to have business. In the com- munity at large he is known as one of the best of citizens, whose every endeavor has been to bring about needed improvements, to elevate the moral tone, and keep it fixed on a high standard. Mr. Richer's portrait appears on a preceding page in connection with this sketch.
ON. HARVEY A. TRUESDELL is one of the prominent business men of Mount Upton, having been close- ly identified with the business interests of the village since 1871. He is a son of George A. and Rhoda (Richmond) Truesdell, and was born in the village of Rockdale, town of Guil- ford, Chenango County, October 22, 1849.
Ransom Truesdell, the grandfather, came with his young wife to the town of Butter
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nuts, Otsego County, in 1800, and was one of the first settlers of that section. He was born either in Rhode Island or Connecticut, and there contracted marriage with Miss Sarah George, by whom he had the follow- ing children: George A .; Rhoda, who was a teacher for a number of years and after. wards married a Mr. Gadsby, late a farmcr of Butternuts; Cyrus, deceased, a carpenter and joiner and later a merchant of Westville, Oncida County ; Harriet, deceased ; Elisha, deceased, a farmer of Butternuts; Sarah, a teacher in the public schools, died at the age of twenty-four; and Harvey, a real cstate dealer and broker of La Porte, Ind.
George A. Truesdell was born on his father's farm near Gilbertsville, Otsego County, in February, 1801. He was edu- cated in the academy of that village and spent several years in teaching in the old Morris Academy. In 1835 he moved to Rockdale, where he purchased a tract of land of 340 acres, and devoted the remainder of his life to farming, gaining quite a reputa- tion as a successful agriculturist. He was also prominent in local politics. He was a Whig and later a Republican, and at different times filled nearly all the local offices. He was justice of the peace for a number of ycars, and while serving as school commis- sioner he did all in his power to advance the cause of education. He was a man of wide experience and more than ordinary executive ability, and, in addition to his farming, car- ried on a number of other enterprises. He was at one time connected with Almon Trask in the manufacture of linseed oil, and also operated the bedstead factory at Rockdale
for some years. He was one of the organ- izers of the Rockdale Creamery, now one of the most important manufacturing establish- ments of the place. He was a communicant of the Presbyterian Church, but about the year 1870 he moved to Latham Corners, where he became a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, in which he was an earnest worker up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1881. He was twice mar- ried ; his first wife was Rhoda Richmond, daughter of Joseph Richmond, a farmer of the town of Norwich. This marriage re- sulted in the birth of four sons and two daughters: Joseph, a physician of Hornells- ville, N. Y., where he died in 1893, at the age of sixty years; Ransom G., a farmer on the homestead at Rockdale; J. E., a broker of Minnesota; Mary, who married Oliver C. Bently ; Nancy, widow of Berrian Fish, re- siding in San Francisco, Cal .; and Harvey A., our subject. George A. Truesdell was widely known as a mathematical scholar, and for his knowledge in the points of common law, two accomplishments that caused him to be in fre- quent demand by his friends who regarded his opinions as indisputable. Joseph Rich- mond, the maternal grandfather of our sub- ject, was also a man of recognized business ability and met with unusual success in his undertakings. He was one of the first set- tlers of the town of Norwich, where he took up a large tract of land which he cultivated, while at the same time he owned and operated the Rockwell Mills for a number of years.
Harvey A. Truesdell was reared on the farm and received his educational training in the Cazenovia Seminary and Norwich Acad-
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emy. After leaving school he spent the fol- lowing four winters in teaching, and then moved to Mt. Upton, where he and a Mr. Brown opened a hardware store, under the firm name of Truesdell & Brown. They con- tinued this business for two years, when Mr. Brown sold his interest in the store to a Mr. Rood, and the business was carried on for one more year under the name of Trues- dell & Rood. At the expiration of that time Mr. Truesdell sold out to his partner and be- came the agent for the N. O. and W. R. R. at Mount Upton, a position he continued to fill for thirteen years. He was interested during this time in coal, and at length resigned his agency with the railroad to engage in the flour, feed, grain and coal trade. He had a partner in the person of F. S. Converse, and for five years they conducted the business under the name of Truesdell & Converse. Since that time Mr. Truesdell has operated the stand alone, having bought out the interest of Mr. Converse. He is a very energetic and industrious man, and carries a full stock of supplies, such as are usually found in a store of that description. He is a very popular man and enjoys a good trade. Besides his store he owns a fine farmi of 162 acres in the town of Butternuts, Otsego County.
Mr. Truesdell was married in December, 1873, to Ruby Chamberlain, daughter of C. Y. Chamberlain, whose biography appears else- where in this book. The one child born to this union died in infancy, and Mrs. Trues- dell died also April 18, 1879. In 1881 he was once more united in wedlock, the lady being Anna Babcock, daughter of Hobart Babcock, a merchant of the town of New Berlin. Mrs.
Truesdell lived less than one year after her marriage, leaving an infant son, Hobart, who is still living. On October 30, 1884, Mr. Truesdell formed another matrimonial alli- ance with a most estimable lady, Nellie M. Davis, daughter of C. S. Davis of Phila- delphia. Mr. and Mrs. Truesdell are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he holds the office of steward. He is a strong Republican and has represented his party in a number of offices; was president of the board for one year, and supervisor for five years, and in 1890 he was elected as Mem- ber of the Assembly. He was member and president of the school board from 1892 until 1897. He was appointed by Gov. Morton loan commissioner in February, 1895, a posi- tion he still holds. He is a charter member and director of the Sidney National Bank, organized January 1, 1888, and organizer and director of the Morris National Bank, organ- ized January 1, 1892. He is public spirited and liberal; any scheme that promises to benefit the community is sure of his hearty support, while his strong personality is a power for good, making itself felt through- out the entire locality.
DELBERT D. PAYNE, the accommo- dating and courteous postmaster of Bainbridge, was born in the village of Bainbridge, November 19, 1855, and is a son of Dennis W. and Elizabeth (Avery) Payne, and a grandson of William Payne.
William Payne was a shoemaker by trade, living in the State of Rhode Island where he
THOMAS E. SEARLES.
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CHENANGO COUNTY
was born, until he came to Chenango County, N. Y., where he followed his trade until his death, which occurred in the town of Guil- ford. Dennis W. Payne, our subject's father, is one of the best known carpenters of Bainbridge, having been a resident of the town for about forty-four years. Many of the buildings in this locality bear witness to his industry and efficiency. He was married to Elizabeth Avery and four children were born to them : Franklin G. lives in Bainbridge and is a painter by vocation; Adolphus is a mechanic and lives in Bainbridge also; Cora E. is the wite of John R. Wilcox of Milford, Otsego County. The father of our subject's mother, Leonard Avery, was born in Con- necticut in 1803. Mr. Avery came to the town of Bainbridge, where he owned and operated a large saw-mill. He was a Demo- crat and voted for Jackson, was one of the best posted men of his community, a great reader, and one who retained in great part what he read. He entered his last sleep in the village of Bainbridge, and was there laid to rest.
Adelbert D. Payne attended the common schools of Bainbridge, and then entered the employ of the Gilbert Manufacturing Co., with which concern he worked for ten years, a faithful and trusted employee. He then accepted a position with the Delaware and Hudson R. R. at Bainbridge, as baggage master, which he continued to fill until 1894, when he was appointed postmaster at that place and took charge. His record as post- master is among the best since the office was first created ; he has proven himself an able and efficient public servant, a fact that is
realized by the patrons of the office. Mr. Payne was united in marriage with Miss Cora May Bundy, February 26, 1884. He is a member of Susquehanna Lodge, No. 167, F. & A. M., and is also connected with the Episcopal Church, being one of the vestry- men. He is one of the trustees of the village.
HOMAS EMERY SEARLES. There are many men of prominence in the County of Chenango, among whom none are more favorably known than the subject of this personal history, who is engaged in farming in Bainbridge township. He is a son of Reu- ben and Ruth (Mead) Searles, and was born July 27, 1840, in the town of Bainbridge, on what is known as Searles Hill.
His grandfather, Abner Searles, was a native of Dutchess County, N. Y .; when he came to this county he purchased a tract of land containing 400 acres, which has ever since been known as Searles Hill. His per- severance was remarkable. Amidst a deep forest he planned and developed a fine farm. The soil is now rich and productive, and the improvements are among the very best. He built him a house in which he lived the re- mainder of his life. He died in 1852. His marriage with Miss Freelove Herrick was productive of seventeen children, of whom ninė grew to maturity. Mrs. Searles passed from this life, Feb. 15, 1853.
Reuben Scarles, the father of our subject, was born Dec. 23, 1799, in Dutchess County, and came to Bainbridge with his parents
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when he was about ten years of age. He lived on Searles Hill and followed farming all his life. He married Ruth Mead, and to them were born five boys and one girl, named as follows : Arvine, a retired farmer, who re- sides in Bainbridge; George, a mine owner and operator of Tombstone, Arizona; Abner, a prominent farmer of Bainbridge; Lepha, deceased, was the wife of George W. Davis of Bainbridge ; Burton M., now a resident of the State of Iowa, who entered the Civil War Sept. 3, 1864, in the 5th Reg. N. Y. Heavy Art., and fought gallantly until the close ; and Thomas E. Religiously, Reuben Searles was a member of the Methodist Church. Polit- ically, he was originally a Whig, but later joined the ranks of the Republican party. Mr. Searles was a man of generous impulses, strict integrity, and pure moral character, a kind and loving husband and father.
Thomas Emery Searles received his educa- tion in the common schools, and was reared upon the farm. He commenced life on his own account as a farmer, and has followed agricultural pursuits all his life, with the ex- ception of the war period, when he with his brothers willingly discharged his duties in behalf of the Union. He enlisted in the 5th Reg. N. Y. Heavy Art. as a private, and served on guard duty all the time, being ever faithful in the performance of whatever ser- vice was required of him. March 1, 1894, he moved to the town of Bainbridge, and has since lived a private life. Politically, he is an unswerving Republican, and has always taken an active part in his party's advancement. He won the confidence of his fellow-men, who appreciated his good qualities by con-
tinuing him by successive elections in the office of assessor for nine years. He is a member of the H. H. Beecher Post, No. 582, G. A. R., at Bainbridge; he has served as quartermaster, and is at present acting in the capacity of commander of the post.
The name of Searles is pioneer in Che- nango County, and for generations yet to come, the Searles family without a doubt will maintain its prominent place as being among the first families of this section. The publishers of this Book of Biographies take pleasure in presenting to the readers of this volume a recent portrait of Mr. Searles, exe- cuted from a photograph taken in the spring of 1898.
JUGENE CLINTON, who has estab- lished an excellent reputation as a legal advocate and counsellor in the courts of Chenango County, is a resident of the village of Greene, where he has been engaged in the practice of his profession since 1883, his first three years after being admitted to the state bar having been spent in the town of Smithville. He has been very successful in his professional labors, and holds an ever- increasing clientage, that has been attracted to him by the admirable, even brilliant manner, in which he has conducted his chief legal actions. Shrewdness and a nat- ural ability to concentrate all his powers in fathoming the mysteries of a case character- ize Mr. Clinton as much as his energy and enterprising habits. Our subject was born in Willet, Cortland County, N. Y., January
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CHENANGO COUNTY
13, 1855, and is a son of Ormond D. and Almira (Payne) Clinton.
The great-great-grandfather of our subject, John Clinton, son of Thomas, was born in New Haven, Conn., November 8, 1721, and married Elizabeth Beecher in November, 1746. One of their children, John (2), born May 4, 1752, married Mary Scribner, who bore him three sons and one daughter, and died December 16, 1805, in her fifty-seventh year; she was buried in the old cemetery at Fly Creek, Otsego County, N. Y. A small brown tombstone marks her grave. John Clinton (2) was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. On page twenty-two of a manuscript volume, entitled " Military Register," in the custody of the Regents of the University of the State of New York, in the State Library, he is recorded as a private soldier in the Fifth New York Line, or Regiment, of Con- tinentals, in the company commanded by Capt. F. John Hamtranek, and served, as there stated, from May 21, 1779, to January 1, 1780. On page eleven of Vol. 2, Treas- urer's Certificates, a manuscript volume, he is also recorded as a sergeant in a regiment of levies raised in 1781. The records show that these regiments were in active service in the War of the Revolution. The children of John and Mary (Scribner) Clinton were : John (3); Simcon; Joel; and Phebe.
John Clinton (3), the grandfather of our subject, was born March 25, 1776, at Balls- ton, Saratoga County, N. Y., and died at the residence of his son, Ormond Doty Clinton, in Willet, Cortland County, June 17, 1858; he received sepulture at Hazzard's Corners, Triangle, Broome County, N. Y. In carly
life he taught school, and followed the car- penter's trade. He came into Central New York from Ballston Springs, Saratoga County, and first settled in Lisle, later removing to the town of German, Chenango County. He was married at South Walling- ford, Vt., December 22, 1800, to Lemira Doty, the seventh child of Ormond and Phebe (Vail) Doty, born at South Walling- ford, Vt., June 28, 1783. She departed this life in German, Chenango County, N. Y., June 19, 1835. The following family blessed their marriage : Orille, whose death occurred in the State of Iowa; Polly Shaft, who died in Chautauqua County, N. Y .; Ormond D., the father of our subject; Joel, who died in Springfield, Bradford County, Pa .; Phebe Doty, who passed away in the same town as the preceding ; Elias D., born September 22, 1815, died in Willet, N. Y., May 6, 1891 ; and David, who is supposed to have been lost on the Phoenix propeller, which was destroyed by fire on Lake Michigan within sight of Racine, Wis.
The grandmother of our subject, Lemira (Doty) Clinton, was a member of an old and highly respected family, whose founder, . Edward Doty, was a member of that gallant band of Pilgrims, who, driven by religious persecution, left their own fair land to take up their residence in a new and unknown land, where far from the persecutions of those who would dictate their religion, they could live and prosper in peace. The brief outline, which we shall give of the Doty family is taken from a history compiled by Ethan Allen Doty of Brooklyn, N. Y. Edward Doty, a London youth in the service
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