Gazetteer and biographical record of Genesee County, N.Y., 1788-1890, Part 37

Author: Beers, F. W. (Frederick W.), ed. 1n; Vose, J.W., and Co
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : J.W. Vose & Co.
Number of Pages: 920

USA > New York > Genesee County > Gazetteer and biographical record of Genesee County, N.Y., 1788-1890 > Part 37

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ters of public interest, so much so that he has long been one of the board of trustees of the public school.

Dr. W. M. Townsend, born in Mendon, Monroe County, in 1827, was educated at Philadelphia and graduated at Jefferson Medical College in 1853. He married, June 22, 1849, Sarah Lamphier, of Lima, N. Y., and came to Bergen in 1859 from Riga, N. Y. He was surgeon in the 44th and 47th N. Y. Vols. from New York, from 1861 to 1864, and is now en- gaged in a successful and extended practice in Genesee and Monroe counties.

Samuel C. Tulley, the second son of Francis S. and Adaline Tulley, was born September 22, 1837, in the city of New York. His father was a well-known dealer in stoves, gas fixtures, etc., in Rochester, where he came in 1840, and died there in 1884. Samuel C. Tulley began busi- ness for himself in this town in 1859, and has followed the hardware busi- ness since. February 21, 1865, he married Mary I., daughter of James R. and Mary Thompson, of Philadelphia, Pa., and three children have been born to them, as follows: Loa Belle, December 20, 1865, died April 16, 1867 ; James F., January 4, 1868; and Harry L., January 8, 1870. Mr. Tulley is a general and extensive hardware dealer. In 1886 he erected a fine building, of brick, corner of Lake and Buffalo streets, 50x157 feet, and occupies the entire front for his large business.

Nelson D. Wright was born in the town of Bergen, January 22, 1826. His father, Alfred Wright, came to this town from Guilford, Conn., in 1807, with his father, who was an early settler of the town, one of the founders of the Congregational Church, and a prominent citizen of those early days. Nelson married Mary F. Green, of Bergen, in 1851. He was a farmer for 30 years, and then engaged in the produce business. His life has been spent in Bergen with the exception of a few years.

Hon. Samuel Church, an old resident of Bergen, was born in Sangers- field, Oneida County, N. Y., December 16, 1809. He was one of II children. One brother, George H., survives him, and lives in Water- ville, Oneida County-a prominent man politically and religiously.

Mr. Church came to Bergen at the age of 16, in 1825, on a packet boat, the year the Erie Canal was opened, and walked from Brockport to Bergen. He attended the village school during the winter. In the spring he chose the trade of a blacksmith, entering the shop of C. B. Bigelow, his half brother, giving attention to his studies during the win- ter seasons until he attained his majority. He made great progress in learning as well as in business. His earlier days were those of earnest toil and struggle. He had no aid of money, only as he earned it by his own labor. He soon mastered the trade, hired the shop, and commenced business for himself, which he managed successfully until his health began to fail He then followed the business of broker. Mr. Church never re- covered hishealth, but battled with disease periodically during a life of only 56 years. May 17, 1835, he married Harriet A., youngest daughter of Capt. Austin Wilcox, a pioneer of the town. She still lives in Bergen.

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Their children are Mrs. B. F. Taber, of Buffalo; George H., a lumber dealer, of Bergen ; and Charles Samuel, who died in 1875, at the age of 17 years.

Of Samuel Church, Ebenezer Scofield, his cotemporary, said ;

" Mr. Church has resided here since 1825, where he was so favorably known and highly esteemed for his many virtues and pleasing social qualities. He will long be remem- bered by his numerous friends and associates, who ever took pleasure in his society. He was a man of more than ordinary mental faculties, whose opinion was looked up to in matters of public interest by all who knew him. He had filled many public positions with honor to himself and credit to his town and county. His loss will be deeply felt by the community, and by his family who are sorely afflicted by the bereavement.'

The Rochester Union and Advertiser of April 14, 1866, had the fol- lowing :

" At the session of Genesee County Court, on Tuesday last, the following resolutions on the death of Samuel Church, Sessions justice, were presented by William G. Bryan, Esq., and ordered by the court entered at large in the minutes :

"'Resolved, That the members of the bar of Genesee County have heard with regret of the sad and unexpected intelligence of the sudden death of Samuel Church, Esq., one of the justices of Sessions of Genesee County ; that as a magistrate of large experience, clear and forcible mind, rare good sense, unquestioned uprightness, and integrity of purpose and purity of character, he will be favorably remembered by the community in which he has so long resided ; and that we shall miss and lament his absence from the bench to which he has twice been chosen by the people of this county.

"'Resolved, That, with the permission of the court, these resolutions be entered in the minutes, and a copy transmitted to the widow of the deceased.'

" District-Attorney Bissell seconded the resolutions, adding some remarks referring to his long acquaintance with deceased, and the loss the county has sustained in the death of so excellent a magistrate. The county judge, in directing the entry of the resolutions, spoke at length of the dilligence and aptitude of Mr. Church, both as a Sessions judge, magistrate, and business man ; and it being suggested that the funeral would take place to-morrow, the court ordered, as a mark of respect to the memory of deceased, that the jury be discharged, and the Court of Sessions adjourned until Thursday morning.

Capt. Austin Wilcox, a pioneer of Western New York, was born in Madison, Conn., October 28, 1779, and married Clarissa, daughter of Ezra Nettleton and Damaris Seward, of Killingworth, Conn., March 27, 1805. They lived in Westbrook, Conn., he following the business of a blacksmith, spiking vessels, till May 20, 1815, when they emigrated to Bergen, where he had previously been to explore the country and make a purchase in 1813. Their journey of 400 miles was made with two yoke of oxen and a covered wagon, containing their necessary valu- ables, and a one horse covered wagon, in which the family, consist- ing of the mother and five children, rode. All the children were under 10 years of age. Three more children were added to this family in after years. Mrs. Wilcox's life in this new settlement, with her growing family, was one of hardship and toil, like that of all the pioneers, a life she was not calculated for. She was reared tenderly, in affluence, and possessed a slender constitution, predisposed to consumption. At an early age, after an illness of 18 months, she fell a victim, with many others of the pioneer mothers, to the prevailing malady of the pioneer settlement,-consumption,-leaving her little family of eight children to

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the care of a tender husband. Her death occurred in June, 1828, at the age of 49 years. The Congregational Church on the hill was just com- pleted, and hers was the first funeral held there.

Chloe B., the oldest daughter, married Ebenezer Arnold in 1825, and died aged 31, leaving two sons, H. Windsor, now living in Bergen, and Homer W., deceased. Polly N. married William Carey, and removed to Fond du Lac, Wis., in 1845. Mr. Carey died in March following their removal, and Mrs. Carey in 1866. Their children numbered eight, three of whom are now living in Fond du Lac, prominent and useful citizens Clarissa married Ira Bidwell. They removed to Adrian, Mich., in 1836. She died at the age of 54. They had five children. Austin Scranton, the oldest, married Hannah Bodwell, of Bergen, and removed to Adrian, Mich., in 1837. He purchased 80 acres of land west of the village, then an unbroken forest. His highest ambition seemed to be to excel in his calling, and he was able to look out upon over 200 acres of splendid farm- ing land changed from a wilderness to fruitful fields by his own indus- try. He always declined office and notoriety .. He is deceased. He had born to him six children. Elizabeth A. married Josiah Pierson, Jr., of Bergen, where they resided during her short life of 31 years. They had one son and one daughter. Harriet A., born January 31, 1817, married, May 17, 1835, Samuel Church, of Bergen, where she still resides. Their children are Mrs. B. F. Taber, of Buffalo; George H., of Bergen ; and Charles Samuel (deceased). William Seward, born April 25, 1819, lived in Bergen until September, 1836, when he went to Michigan in the employ of his brother-in-law, Ira Bidwell. He afterwards became a partner in the business, and soon after started the hardware store and continued the business alone until 1867, when his brother H. H. became his partner. After five years the firm was changed to Wilcox Brothers & Co., when George A., son of W. S., became a partner. This is the name of the firm at the present time.

In 1848 W. S. Wilcox was elected treasurer of the village of Adrian, and held the office one year. In 1864 he was elected to the legisla- ture of Michigan, which office he held two terms, and was chosen a member of the ways and means committee, and during the second term acted as its chairman. In the spring of 1865 he was elected mayor of the city of Adrian. In the fall of 1870. he was chosen State Senator, which office he held one term, and was chairman of the finance com- mittee. In 1869 he was appointed State prison inspector by Governor Baldwin, and was immediately chosen president of the board of inspec- tors, which he held for 12 years. In 1866 he was elected president of the Michigan State Insurance Co., which position he still holds. In 1884 he was elected one of the presidential electors on the Republican ticket In 1879 he became partner in the firm of Whitney & Wilcox, Commercial Exchange Bank, giving his time and attention to the insti- tution. . For 50 years successively he has been superintendent of the Baptist Sunday-school. Mr. Wilcox was first married at Benton, Ind.,

Captain Austin

1 Vila

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May 10, 1842, to Sarah Frances, daughter of Rev. Bradbury Clay. Mrs. Wilcox died February 12, 1852. His second marriage was, August 17, 1854, to Miss Josephine Southworth, daughter of Dr. William South- worth, of Avon Springs, N. Y.

Henry Hamilton Wilcox reached his majority in the fall of 1843. He went West to seek his fortune, and found employment in the hardware store of George L. Bidwell. In the spring of 1844 he received a letter from his father expressing feelings of sadness that his boys had all left him in his old age. The next morning found his youngest boy, H. H. W., homeward bound, that he might be a comfort to his father in his declin- ing years. He remained at Bergen until after the death of his father, and in the fall of 1858 he started with his family for Adrian, Mich., again with a view of purchasing a farm. He was induced to take a place in his brother's hardware store and give his children the benefit of the Adrian schools until a favorable opportunity presented for the purchase of a farm. Although fresh from the fields, and unaccustomed to business, he very soon became master of the situation and the leading salesman in one of the largest hardware houses in Southern Michigan. In 1867 he be- came one of the firm of Wilcox & Brothers, contributing largely to its successful management. Mr. Wilcox was married, in Northampton, . Mass., in 1844, to Eunice J., daughter of Hervey Smith, by whom he had five children

The pioneers of Bergen, who laid at the same time the foundations of the church and town, were a noble race of men. Unlike most early set- tlements the population was not mixed, but homogeneous. Nearly all of them came from Connecticut and Massachusetts, and brought with them the sturdy New England virtues of industry, integrity, and high moral aim. Among them was Capt. Austin Wilcox. We wish we could pre- sent him to the present and future residents of the town exactly as he appeared to his cotemporaries; but that is a difficult matter. His por- trait shows that his was a very strong and original character. Mr. Lincoln, in preparing a brief sketch of his own life for the Congressional Directory, wrote : "Education limited." This describes Capt. Wilcox ; but his natural ability and quick wit largely overcame this disadvantage.

He was a man of stalwart frame and untiring industry. Settling in this county before the time of railroads, he soon saw a place was needed where man and beast could find refreshment and rest as they sought a market for products of Genesee's rich fields, and he soon built up a hotel busi- ness, showing tact and ability in that line that in these days would make a railroad magnate. When he began hotel life it was in his own house on his farm at Bergen Corners. To this building he made various addi- tions as his patronage increased. It is impossible for those of the present day to understand the enormous travel of those days to Rochester and Brockport, when all the produce of the farmers, and all the merchandise sold over a large extent of country, passed over these roads. At the same time Capt. Wilcox ran a line of stages from Le Roy to Brockport and

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Clarkson, carrying the mails, and also kept the postoffice. But large as his patronage was it is difficult to understand how he could have made such vast improvements with the very small charges of those days : six- pence for lodging; 18 and 20 cents for the best of meals. Most of the farmers carried their own dinner, a box and oats for their teams, with them, and if they paid for a pint of cider and hay to bait their horses, that was all it cost them for shed-room and a warm fire before which to eat their meals from the ample dinner-pail.

A close observer of men, united with a natural detective ability, made him an acute reader of human nature. Quick to detect guilt, and fear- less in exposing it, many a rogue has quailed beneath the keen glance of his eye, and has been betrayed into a confession of his guilt by his apt questions. On one occasion, as a man on horseback rode up to his plat- form, he took his horse by the bridle and said to him, in the most abrupt manner, "You have stolen this horse !" The man was so startled he could only say, " What makes you think so ?" He replied, " If it was your horse you would not be riding him with this blind bridle ; he is a valuable horse ; if you owned him you would not be riding him so hard as you are." The men in pursuit soon rode up and captured the thief. At another time some men in pursuit of a thief, who was escaping to Canada, stopped at his house to dine and feed their horses. At he listened to their con- versation he found they were in trouble because they did not know the name of the thief and could not insert it in the warrant for his arrest. He asked to see the warrant, took his pen, and, after filling the blank, handed it back, saying, " What I have written will read any man's name that ever lived." Many other acts might be told illustrating his ready detective wit. His manner of expressing himself was so striking and original as to draw around him a crowd of listeners, not only at home, but wherever he traveled. At a meeting of the pioneers in Rochester he was called upon to relate his experience as a pioneer. He began : " I was born in Madi- son, Conn. I remember the day just as well [great laughter] as any other man remembers his birthday." With this beginning he did not lack atten- tion to the close of his strikingly original address.

He was ever foremost in promoting public good and spared neither his time or means. The church and its interests were ever dear to him, and when, in mature years, he gave to the subject of personal religion, thought and study, that same sense of right that ever governed him was acted upon, and he became a true, consistent member of the church, making a public profession in 1836. This consecration was largely due to the power of religious instruction and example of his mother, who was a woman whose peculiarities were more strongly marked than his own. His peculiar traits of character were chiefly inherited from her. Her religion was simple, earnest, genial, and hence influential with her children and others. At the age of 60 she came to Genesee County to visit her chil- dren. Here she died and is buried in beautiful Mount Rest Cemetery, where many of her decendants lie. He ever took a deep interest in re-

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ligious society, and was for many years one of its trustees and burden bearers. The burying-ground was also his pride, he giving his particular attention to any matters of interest connected with it. This interest in- creased with his years, and was also a family trait for generations.

His hospitality to ministers of the gospel, who, in his time, nearly all traveled in their own conveyances, and who, in the capacity of agents or missionaries, were far more numerous than now, was ever unstinted. His house was always open to old friends from Connecticut, and his journal records many such visits.

From the Genesee Evangelist, written by his pastor, Rev. Sabine Mckinney, now of Binghamton, N. Y .:

" Died in Bergen, Genesee County, New York, Capt. Austin Wilcox, aged 77 years, August 18, 1856.

"Capt. Wilcox was a native of Madison. Conn., from: whence he removed to Bergen in the year 1815. He was widely known as a man of great influence, energy, and deci- sion of character. He took a hearty interest in everything which he regarded as of public utility, and was especially remarkable for kind attention to and sympathy for the sick, and for his attendance at the house of mourning, which won for him the gratitude of many. Both as a member of the First Congregational Society of Bergen, and for many years one of its trustees, he was liberal and efficient, and the society is largely indebted to his efforts for their beautiful church edifice. He ever welcomed ministers of the gospel to the hospitalities of his house, in that respect setting an example worthy of all imitation, and while in health was a constant attendant upon divine service. Hopefully converted after he was 50 years of age, he made a public profession of his faith in 1836. During the past spring and summer he frequently expressed it as his conviction that his days on earth were nearly numbered, and though he had not that full assurance which God is pleased to give to some of his children, yet he indulged the hope that, through grace in the Lord Jesus Christ, his name was written the Book of Life."

Dea. Pitman Wilcox, one of the pioneer settlers of Genesee County, came from East Guilford, Conn., in 1810. He was married to Eliza Wil- cox, and they reared a family of five sons, viz .: Thomas F , Abel E., Edmund, Harmon, and Pitman, Jr. He died July 13, 1828. The second son, Abel E., was born August 12, 1801, and came to this county with his father when about eight years old. He followed farming, and had neces- sarily received, from the early condition of the new country, a limited edu- cation. He married Clara Richmond, of Cayuga County, N. Y., Novem- ber 7, 1825, who died December 25, 1826, leaving no children. Mr. Wilcox married, second, Elizabeth, daughter of Deacon John and Eliz- abeth Spencer, of Bergen, by whom he had 10 children, seven of whom survive, viz .: Clara. A., widow of Reynold Curtiss of Cambdride, Eng .; Ed- win M .; Jane E. (Mrs. John Birdsall), of South Evanston, Ill .; J. Spencer ; H. Halsey ; Ellen A. ( Mrs. Linden D. Arnold ) ; and Charles J., of Vicksburg. Mich. Abel E. Wilcox became a member of the First Con- gregational Church of Bergen in 1834, with which he was prominently connected for years as deacon. He died October 2, 1879, aged 76 years. Edwin M., the eldest, born March 5, 1836, was married, December 19, 1865, to Ella A. Dudley, of Guilford, Conn , and their children are Hamil- ton, born February 27, 1867 : L. Dudley, born May 25, 1870 ; William S., born May 14, 1875 ; and Edwin E., born June 23, 1880. Edwin M.

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Wilcox enlisted in Co. G, 14th Conn. Inf., July 27, 1862, and continued in the service to the close of the war, participating in the battles of Fred- ericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Petersburg, and several minor engagements. He was wounded at Fredericksburg and again at the Wilderness, and was twice a prisoner, being once in Libby and once in Belle Isle. After the war he returned to farming. J. Spencer Wilcox, second son of Abel E., was born in Bergen, November 25, 1842, and has followed farming April 11, 1872, he married Hermoione, daughter of William Patten, of Bergen, by whom he had four children, as fol- lows: Clarence E., born March 4, 1873 ; Mary E., born December 8, 1875 ; Nellie G., born September 25, 1877 ; and Russell H., born March II, 1882. H. Halsey, third son of Abel E., now living, was born in this town November 23, 1847. He has always lived in Bergen as a farmer and breeder of thoroughbred sheep. He was married, October IO, 1878, to Anna M., daughter of William P. Squiers, of Churchville, N. Y., and they have three children, as follows: Anna Mabel, born Au- gust 19, 1879; Roscoe S., born June 14, 1882; and Marion H., born April 15, 1884.

Charles J. Wilcox, youngest son of Abel E. Wilcox, was born in Ber- gen, January 7, 1856, and in his early years worked with his father on the farm. At the age of 20 he graduated from Eastman's Commercial College. In the spring of 1879 he went to Kalamazoo, Mich., and re- mained there, farming, seven years, when he removed to Vicksburg, Mich., where he now resides. He married Elizabeth Adams, of Kala- mazoo County, Mich., February 13, 1882, and they have one child, Ina Belle, born February 14, 1883.

Thomas J. Wilcox, fourth son of Elias and Rachel Wilcox, was born in Sweden, Monroe County, N. Y., January 26, 1835, removing to Bergen with his parents when quite young, where his younger days were spent in work on the farm and attending the common schools. At the age of 17 he began apprenticeship with Carmine Martin, at carpentering, where he was employed seven years. In 1859 he married Eleanor, daughter of Carmine and Caroline Martin, at Avon, Livingston County, N. Y. He enlisted in the service of his country October 5, 1861, in the 27th N. Y. Vols. He was a member of Scott's cornet band of Rochester. From Washington, D. C., he was ordered to Western Virginia, where he was taken sick with typhoid fever, and died at the 7th Brigade Hospital, Jan- uary 26, 1862. His remains were at once brought to Bergen, and now rest in Mount Rest Cemetery. He left, surviving him, his wife and one son, Sanford H. Wilcox, who is now engaged in the carpenter and joiner business. Mrs. Eleanor Wilcox, his widow, still resides here, and is a dressmaker.

The third child of John and Betsey Walker, born April 30, 1832, was William C. Walker. He was from Gates, Monroe County, N. Y., whence he was removed to Ogden, on the town line of Riga, at the tender age of two years. Here the father died in 1881. William C., at the age of 22,

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purchased a farm in Riga, one mile east of Bergen village, where he lived till 1882, when he removed to the village. The year previous he had built a fine brick building on Lake street, corner of Rochester, for a hotel, which he opened to the public in the spring as the " Walker House." This is first-class in all its appointments and enjoys the favor of the public. He married, April 4, 1857, Candace, daughter of Rhoderick and Mary Gooding, who died January 5, 1858, leaving no children. August 21, 1861, he married Elizabeth A., daughter of Leander and Lavia Hitch- cock, of Eagle Harbor, Orleans County, and they have five children- Gertrude E., Sidney E., Dewitt C., and Lewis E. Mr. Walker, as a farmer, made a speciaty of hops, which proved very successful under his man- agement. The genealogy of the family is extensive, extending back to 1620, and has been published down to 1861. W. C. Walker, grandfather of the present William C., was born at West Becket, Mass., in 1761, and died October 8, 1841. John Walker was also born at West Becket, No- vember 18, 1795, married Betsey Sprague in 1823, and died in 1881.

Dr. Levi Ward, son of Levi, and a native of Connecticut, emigrated to Bergen in 1807, accompanied by his brother, John Ward. At Le Roy they met R. M. Stoddard, agent of the Triangle tract, and were induced to locate in what was then called the North Woods (now Bergen village). Finding temporary quarters in the newly erected log house of Daniel Kelsey, Dr. Ward erected a small frame house and covered it with cedar shingles, which were then deemed aristocratic for the new country. His brother erected a log house, and both began clearing off the land. It was on Saturday that they arrived at their new home in the wilderness. Accustomed to regular attendance at public worship their first thought was to provide for religious exercises. A meeting was agreed upon at the house of the new settler, and 14 or 15 persons assembled from the scattered settlements. Prayers were offered, a sermon read, and hymns were sung. For nine years Dr. Ward was one of the most active of the

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Gazetteer and biographical record of Genesee County, N.Y., 1788-1890, Part 37

Author: Beers, F. W. (Frederick W.), ed. 1n; Vose, J.W., and Co Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : J.W. Vose & Co. Number of Pages: 920

Author: Beers, F. W. (Frederick W.), ed. 1n; Vose, J.W., and Co
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : J.W. Vose & Co.
Number of Pages: 920