USA > New York > Chenango County > Smyrna > Early years in Smyrna and our first Old home week > Part 4
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Mr. Kelsey married a daughter of Hial Hart, a worthy citi- zen, who, from his occupation as a carpenter and joiner received the title of "Boss Hart." They had several children, of whom Corinthia, the oldest, married Ralph Pendleton. They now re- side at Lawrence, Kan. Gertrude married a gentleman named Martenis and they reside in Denver, Col. Devillo is still a re- spected citizen of Manlius, N. Y., and Denison died in Chicago, in the summer of 1904. Julius, the youngest son, was a soldier in the war of the rebellion, being a member of the 61st N. Y. Infantry. He was killed in battle.
SARAH P. HART, a daughter of Hial Hart, and sister of Mrs. Kelsey, was a much esteemed lady once well known in our community. She was a prominent member of the Congrega- tional Church, and a strong supporter of that Society. In her will she left a bequest of $500, the interest on which was to be used in caring for and keeping up the West Burying Ground at Smyrna village, where herself and her family, as well as the
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Early Years in Smyrna and
family of Julius Kelsey, are laid at rest. A fine Scotch granite monument marks their final resting place.
Among others who settled in Smyrna, were John Parsons, who married Flavia, a daughter of John Billings. He bought lot number one in the town, the same falling to his son Alfred Parsons, who became a most influential and substantial citizen of that part of the town. The same premises are now owned by his son, John R. Parsons.
ALPHEUS HALL purchased the farm now occupied by his youngest grandson, William P. Hall, whose father, Solomon Hall, was an excellent farmer citizen, a strong Democrat of the old school, ably representing Chenango County in the New York Assembly of 1845.
LUKE HALL came from Connecticut, settling on the farm in the north part of the town, known later as the Hall farm, the property of his son, Erastus G. Hall none of whose excellent family are now residents of this town. Of the family, John and Fred are residents of California; Seth, a prosperous nur- seryman of Illinois, and Esther resides at Preston, this county, the wife of Zanoni Boyden.
JOSEPH MATTHEWSON was born in Connecticut, and moved to Smyrna in the spring of 1805. He married Betsey Allen, a near relative of Col. Ethan Allen, of Revolutionary fame, and to them were born nine children. George W., the oldest, married Electa, a daughter of the late Seymour Isbell of Smyrna, and in later years became proprietor of a grist and saw mill, and also a large acreage of land in the town. His later years were spent in the town of Otselic, where he enjoyed the confidence of all his townsmen. Their children were Charles G., who was once a prosperous farmer in our town; another son, Andrew, and a daughter named Sabria.
Another son of Joseph, was Charles, so long a resident of Upperville, but now deceased. In his day he was a prosperous farmer and good citizen. His first wife was Eliza A. Tobey, by whom were born two sons, Otis G., of Malta, Ill., where he is
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Our First Old Home Week
prosperous and enjoying life, and retains a lively interest in his old home town and its people. Also Albert, born in Smyrna early in the fifties, now a resident of the State of Kansas. The Matthewson family, were people of high standing in our com- munity, and had the respect of all who knew them.
THE MUNSONS are of English descent and trace their ancestry to Thomas Munson, who was born in England in 1612; came thence as a young man to Hartford, Ct .; was a soldier in the Pequot War, and later moved to New Haven, where he was one of the founders of that colony and city. Among various offices he held, was that of Lieutenant, and later Captain of the Stand- ing Army of New Haven Colony.
His descendants were among the foremost in settling and civ- ilizing that portion of the country previous to the Revolution, and many of the Munson descendants entered that conflict, partici- pated in its hardships and struggles as officers or privates, and were among those who greatly rejoiced in the final success of the American forces.
The death of Thomas Munson occurred at New Haven, May 7, 1685, and he was buried in the yard, (now the "Green,") near the old First Church, of which he was one of the original and foremost members. The old yard has long since been cleared away and the slab of sandstone that marked his last resting place has been removed to the old Grove Street Ceme- tery, not far away. It bears the following inscription, still leg- ible :
THOMAS MVNSON,
AGED 73, DECEASED.
The 7th of 5th Mo., 1685.
John Munson came from Barkhamsted, Ct., with his family in the spring of 1809, settling on the present Munson home- stead where he built a log house, just northwest of the site on which the old house stood that was taken down some fifteen
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years ago. His lands then included nearly all of those north of the present village of Smyrna, and also the Hutchinson and Allen mills, on Pleasant Brook, to which he not long after added a distillery. He conducted this business very successfully till his death, December 13, 1827, at the age of 42 years. Mr. Munson was one of the leading men in the town in his day, holding, among other offices, that of Justice of the Peace for many years, his decisions usually meeting with the approbation of all the par- ties interested.
He married Sally, a daughter of John Merrell, of Barkham- sted, Ct. She was of Highland Scotch descent, a woman ad- mired by all who knew her. She passed away at the Munson homestead, January 29, 1862, at the age of 76 years. Two daughters came with them to the new settlement. Hannah, the older, in later years became the wife of Jonathan Shepardson, and died at the home of her only son, Andrew Shepardson, No- vember 14, 1877, in her 72d year. Eliza, the younger, married Phillip Mead of Washington county, this state, whose home was for many years the farm of the late Thomas Purdie, now owned by Clarence Moore. She died at the home of her daughter in Smyrna village March 11, 1884, in her 76th year.
Eliza's children were John Munson Mead, the only son, who died at Lisle, N. Y., in the spring of 1852, at the age of 24 years; Sarah J., who married John Button of Milwaukee, Wis., and died November 3, 1875, at her home in Smyrna, in her 44th year. To them were born two sons, John M., now a resident of Rochester, N. Y., a railroad engineer by occupation, and George E., the younger, who passed away at the home of his aunt, Mrs. Butts, in Sherburne, in the fall of 1891, in his 28th year.
Amanda Mead Butts was born in Smyrna, in 1829. Her first husband was Albertus Merritt, of Milwaukee, Wis., by whom two sons were born, James the older, and Albert the younger. Father and sons are now deceased. Her second husband was the late Gardner Butts, of Smyrna, once well known here as a leading farmer and citizen. His death occurred in Smyrna vil-
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ALBERT MUNSON.
Our First Old Home Week
lage in the spring of 1880. Mrs. Butts died at her home in Sherburne, August 7, 1898, in her 69th year.
Albert Munson, the only son of John and Sally Munson, was born in Smyrna, January 4, 1811, at the Munson Home- stead, now the home of his oldest son John H. Munson. As a boy he attended the district school at home, and later spent a few years at Utica, at one time holding a position in the Post Office in that city. In later years he was in the employ of his uncle, Alfred Munson, then a prominent manufacturer of that city. The death of his father and the burning of the mill and distillery caused him to return home to the assistance of the family.
The distillery was never rebuilt, but the grist mill was re- erected in 1836 by the Munson estate, when he and his brother- in-law, Jonathan Shepardson, took charge of the business, the latter continuing with him till his death in the spring of 1842. After his decease the business was successfully conducted by Al- bert till his death in the spring of 1880.
In those days the vicinity was a wheat growing section, and flour from this mill went all through the surrounding country; and though rolls and purifiers had never been dreamed of, yet the flour was considered of excellent quality, and "Munson's Su- perlative Flour," was a well known commodity. "Mother's Bread" is frequently mentioned at the present day, but it should be remembered that father's flour was also needed to produce the genuine article.
In May, 1846, Albert Munson married Hannah, daughter of George Merrell, of Barkhamsted, Ct., who brought from her New England home the highest conceptions of morality and religion, inherited from parents richly imbued with the same and from teachings of many generations preceding them. Her death oc- curred in Smyrna, November 29, 1870, at the age of fifty-one years, and that of the only daughter, Sarah E., the wife of the late Frank H. Dimmick, October 29, 1879, in her 31st year. Were we to be asked to place an inscription upon the monu-
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ment which marks their final resting place, none to us would seem more appropriate than the one inscribed upon the old Mer- rill monument in the graveyard at Barkhamsted, dedicated to the mother and grandmother. It reads, "Beloved in life, lament- ed in death, she hath left a good name, which is far better than riches."
Mr. Munson was a man well liked by all, whose life was spent in his business; and though usually quiet and reserved, his circle of friends extended to all the surrounding towns. He be- longed to that class of men, among whom were John Willcox, Thomas L. Willcox, and Benjamin Card; nearly the same age, none just alike, yet all self-made, and as they grew into each other's confidence and esteem, they grew also into the honorable respect of all their townsmen. In politics he was what might be termed a Jacksonian Democrat, but was never an office seek- er. He cast his first vote for President in 1832 for Andrew Jackson, his last in 1876, for Samuel J. Tilden. His death oc- curred on the 28th day of May, 1880, at the age of 69 years.
The old Munson Mill with its two old fashioned run of French Buhr mill stones, well known for many miles around, was burned on April 24, 1888, and has never been rebuilt. The old dam has been nearly washed away, and there is little left save the ruins of its foundations. The mosses have gathered upon what remains of the old wooden water wheels; the walls of the old mill are fast crumbling away; bushes and weeds grow over the old fireplace once used in the old distillery, but as in the days gone by, the rocks are still there, the brook still flows, and the sound of its murmurings and ripplings, as among the rocks it takes its peaceful course, will ever bring fond recollections and tender memories to the mind of the writer as does no other spot on earth.
SAMUEL NORTHUP was born in September, 1792, at South Kingston, R. I. His father, with his family of six sons and one daughter, came to a new home on the Susquehanna a mile or two below Otego, in 1802, where his boyhood passed. He was
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MUNSON MILL.
Our First Old Home Week
apprenticed to Harmon Treadwell to learn the carpenter's trade and came with him to Smyrna in October, 1810, stopping the first night at Roger Case's, in the old house once occupied by the late William C. Record, now used as a barn. Remaining there he attended the district school the first winter, but as there was only a small amount of building at that time, he went on to Canada with his employer and another, where they found more work. They had one horse which they rode alternately, walk- ing with their tools on their back between rides. They hastily returned to Smyrna on the eve of the war of 1812, and Smyrna was henceforth his home. He purchased his time of Treadwell before he was of age, and started life for himself. January 20, 1819, he married Rachel Rexford, whose father, Joel Rexford, came to Sherburne from Barkhamsted, Ct., with his family in 1808 and they began their home life March 20, 1819, in a part of the house now the property of Cortland L. Ferris. While living here he built a part of the house known as the Dixon house now owned by Ellis McCotter.
In winter seasons when building was dull he made house- hold furniture, which had a ready sale, showing his skill as a me- chanic. He later lived upon the Guthrie-Munson place, and built the house which was burned in the spring of 1876. This place was exchanged with Elder Comfort Record in April, 1826, for his farm, and here he began farm life. In future purchases he increased his farm to 220 acres, the same now owned by Lynn F. Williams. In politics Mr. Northup was a whig, and faithful to that party un- til the organization merged into that of the Republican party. He was said to have served his town in every official capacity from constable to supervisor. Accustomed to hard work from a boy, he seemed to enjoy it, and was known as a peacemaker among his neighbors and friends, saving many lawsuits and quar- rels by his friendly advice. He was a regular attendant and sup- porter of the Congregational church; his life was successful and full of usefulness until its setting sun, which faded away June 17, 1871, in his 79th year. His wife, surviving him fifteen years, passed away April 24, 1886, in her 89th year.
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Early Years in Smyrna and
The children were Yale, Emily, Rachel and Martha. Yale mar- ried Lovisa, a daughter of Allen Rexford, by whom were four children. Mary and Emma are both deceased. The former be- came the wife of the late Dr. A. J. Purdie of Otselic, by whom were three daughters and one son; and the latter married Wil- liam E. Tyler, now of Lebanon, who with his two sons and three daughters survive her. Sarah and Addie, the younger daughters, are residents of our village and are held in the highest esteem by all. Yale Northup was always interested in public af- fairs and was one of the first railroad commissioners of the town after the construction of the New York and Oswego Midland railroad. He also held various other offices, adhering strictly to the principles of the Republican party, and always anxious for its success. His best place was as an election officer, for which he was usually chosen and mistakes were scarcely ever found when he was Chairman of the Election Board. Mr. Northup died December 5, 1890, in his 69th year, having survived his es- timable wife five years, her death occurring June 22, 1885, in her 64th year.
Rachel Northup married the late Benjamin Barber, of Nor- wich, where she still resides; Emily married Henry C. Mann, of Hamilton, and is now a respected resident of that village; Mar- tha still remains with us, a most worthy descendant of the fam- ily, a maiden lady respected by all, much interested in church work, a faithful and conscientious member of the Congrega- tional Church in this village. It is most earnestly hoped by all who know her, that she may long remain with us.
RICHARD LAWSON was pressed into Burgoyne's army, with two cousins in England, while away from home attending school, and without being allowed to visit their homes before going into the service, were hurried away and came over to fight against the Colonies at the beginning of the war of the Revolu- tion. At the close of two years, having served faithfully the mother country, they asked for their release but were told they must remain another year, and at the end of the third year they again asked for an honorable discharge, but were this time in-
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YALE NORTHUP.
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Our First Old Home Week
formed that they must remain till the close of the war. Soon after this they deserted to the American army, and enlisted in that cause for which act they never heard again from their friends or home.
Richard Lawson married Jerusha Carver, first living in Chautauqua County, in Western New York, but afterwards moving to Earlville, where both died and are buried in the cem- etery in that village. To them were born six children. among them Samuel C., a life-long citizen of Smyrna, who came, at four years of age, to live in the family of Russel Case, then a prominent citizen here. In 1829 he married Aurelia, a daughter of Peter Merritt, and by the marriage were seven children, each growing up in the esteem of relatives and friends, filling places of usefulness in other homes. They were Jerusha, Jennie, Net- tie A., Sylvia, Ellen, Richard M. and Frank M. Jerusha mar- ried Abel Curtis of Madison; both are now deceased; Jennie mar- ried Orange E. Loomis, a progressive farmer of Hubbardsville, N. Y., where they have a pleasant and attractive home, and with her is her sister, Nettie A., who is kindly given a home among them. They have an interesting family and always have a kind word for the old home and their old neighbors and friends. Sylvia married Eugene A. Covey and spent her last days in sunny California, in a home she most dearly loved, with her husband and three children, her daughter now deceased. She was a writer of marked ability, both of prose and poetry. Her most notable work perhaps, "Aunt Beck's Army Life," was pub- lished during the civil war. Of the beauty, flowers and fruits of Los Angeles, her home, and Catalina Island, where she often vis- ited, she never wearied telling, and her letters describing those interesting resorts, were always anxiously looked for and most welcome to their recipients. Richard M. married Amelia Pud- ney, of Sherburne, and was always a popular and good natured citizen, industrious and persevering, and for many years an obliging clerk in the store of Dixon Brothers in this village. He passed away at Utica several years since, leaving the wife and family to mourn his loss. Frank M. married Ellen Adams, of
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DeRuyter, and has a family of grown up children. He still lives to enjoy life and to hold in sweet remembrance the good . old days in Smyrna.
Mr. and Mrs. Lawson passed away some thirty-five years ago, and with their daughter Ellen, the first wife of our towns- man Nathan Eldridge, sleep their last sleep under the large ever- green tree in the East Burial Ground.
Elijah Lawson, a brother of Samuel C., married Asenith Dunn, a daughter of Timothy and Mehitabel Dunn, the former a hero of Stony Point in the Revolution. To them were born several children, among them being Laverna, who married Rus- sel Loomis, of Brookfield, N. Y., both now deceased. Other children were Delina and Samuel D., both of whom passed the most of their lives in Smyrna. Delina, now deceased, was blind for many years, and Samuel D. is nearly so. Mr. Lawson is a companionable neighborly citizen well liked by all, and is spend- ing his remaining days with his oldest son, Frank D., on Sher- burne West Hill, where his especial attraction and source of en- joyment is in entertaining and caring for a young granddaughter' to whom he is much attached.
TIMOTHY LEONARD, a soldier of the Revolution, came to Smyrna from Massachusetts about the year 1812, and died here in 1830. His family was as follows: Nathan, who was drowned in Vermont in 1809; Susan, wife of Anson Johnson, who died at her home near Oneida Lake, in 1850; Abiel, whose death oc- curred in 1878 at Lebanon, where he had spent the most of his life; Stephen, who spent many years on Smyrna Hill, moving to Pennsylvania, where he became a minister of the gospel, dy- ing in 1867; Amanda, wife of Peter Leversee, who died in Smyrna in 1883; George, who lived unmarried to an advanced age and died in Pennsylvania in 1883; and James, who lived in Smyrna until middle life, then moved to Pennsylvania in 1883, where he married and soon after died in the year 1886.
Joseph, known in Smyrna as Barney Leonard, began his mar- ried and business life in the Foote neighborhood, afterwards mov-
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Our First Old Home Week
ing to Smyrna village, where he started the first shoe shop and tannery in the town, continuing in the business until he moved to Michigan, where he died in 1875. Of his children, Joseph C. left Smyrna in 1844, and moved to Union City Michigan, where he resided until his death in 1893. He occupied a prominent position in the business affairs of that town, holding many offi- ces and serving one term in the State Senate. James T. was never married. He spent many years of his life in Massachu- setts, as a manufacturer of woolen goods until he was burned out, when he went to Michigan where he entered the mercantile business, which he continued until his death in 1874. Deloss Leonard married Mary Ann Gates and lived on a farm in Smyrna, the present Tuttle farm, until 1856, when he moved to Union City, Mich, where he still lives, in his 85th year. Mr. Leonard owns a fine farm and much other property in that en- terprising place, and is one of its most prosperous and well-to-do citizens. He is a very courteous old gentleman, devoting a good share of his time to travel, and has frequently visited relatives at his old home, where he is always welcome. He was an interest- ed visitor at our old home gathering last August and seemed to very much enjoy the occasion. He will be welcome here and all will hope he may be spared to visit us many times again and that his remaining days may be spent in happiness and com- fort.
ENOS TUTTLE came from Colbrook, Conn., to Sherburne about 1812, settling on Church Hill in that town, removing to Smyrna Hill about the year 1815. His home was near the present home of G. Bert Tracy. There was a large family of children as follows: Daniel, Sally, Polly, Urana, Susan, Theana, Anson and Stephen.
Daniel, the oldest, was said to have been sent back to Col- brook on foot to avoid being drafted in the war of 1812, mak- ing two of these trips before the war was ended. He was fond of telling of stopping at a farm house for dinner on one of those journeys, where there were twenty-one boys in the family, in- cluding ten pairs of twins. Daniel married Diana Bartlett and
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Early Years in Smyrna and
settled just west of the present Tracy place. They had eleven children, Gilbert being the only one now residing in the town. Our venerable friend has long been one of the fixtures of that part of the town, is interested in church and town affairs and a most worthy citizen. We hope for him and his excellent wife and family many years of enjoyment and usefulness.
Anson Tuttle married and many years resided on the farm once known as the Robert Ferris farm, now occupied by his grandson Ziba L. Tuttle, whose father, Charles O. Tuttle, resides at Earlville. Susanah, one of the daughters, married Michael Hassett, who for many years resided on Smyrna Hill. Both are now deceased. A son, Ozro, resides in the city of Binghamton with his family, and the daughter, Satie, is now the wife of Frank Rickard, and they have one son, Harry.
We can truly say that the Tuttle family since their advent into our town, have stood high in the estimation of our people, seemingly always interested in the good and welfare of the com- munity.
THE CLEVELAND FAMILY.
"The honor of a name 'tis just to guard, They are a trust but lent to us, which we take, And should, with reverence to the donor's fame, With care transmit them down to other's hands."
Cities and towns, like people, are born and pass through pe- riods of development and growth, but it is the character of the citizen that gives an honorable or dishonorable name. The in- fluence of the Puritan fathers and mothers has been and will continue to be felt from Maine to Mexico and from ocean to ocean, and no less will that of those who have given character to Smyrna, whose names we cherish and take pride in, and who lived up to their highest conception of duty to God and man, never shrinking from anything the sense of right or honor or self respect impelled them to perform.
Physical, mental and moral courage led them in their en- deavor to make the forests yield to their will and the soil furnish
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Our First Old Home Week
food and clothing for themselves and families. It is a law of heredity that the offspring inherits the qualities, capacities, tastes and tempers, in some degree, of their ancestors. In early life General Grant never bothered to let the world know that he came of good stock, but as the years advanced he desired that it be known that his forefathers were of some account, and began his memoirs by an explicit showing that he was of colonial de- scent. So when we write a biography of the Cleveland family we search the records and find that the name is of Saxon origin and was borne by a family before the Norman Conquest, and that Moses Cleveland came from Ipswich, Suffolk County, Eng- land, in 1635, the muster roll of the Woburn Militia showing him to be thirty-five years of age. Moses became a freeman in 1643, to become which a man was required to be of Godly walk and conversation, at least twenty years of age, and to take an oath of allegiance to the government of Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Israel Cleveland, of Smyrna Hill, was a descendant of Moses Cleveland in the sixth generation, his father being named Albro. His mother, Sarah Angell, was a daughter of Israel Angell, of Providence, R. I., who at the very beginning of the trouble with the mother country took an active part from May 3, 1775, to January 1, 1781. He was with the Revolutionary army during the terrible winter of 1777-8 at Valley Forge, took a conspicuous part at Monmouth and was the subject of special mention in a letter to Governor Greene, of Rhode Island, written by Gen. George Washington. Colonel Angell received a gold medal from General Washington, and also one from General LaFay- ette. These facts will make his descendants eligible to become Sons and Daughters of the Revolution.
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