Genealogical and Family History of Western New York, Volume I, Part 43

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: New York : Lewis Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 680

USA > New York > Genealogical and Family History of Western New York, Volume I > Part 43

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

(IX) Almira, daughter of Frederick (2) and Sally S. (Evarts) Kellogg, was born in Scott, New York, August 8, 1824, died Sep- tember 8, 1898; married March 1, 1842, Rev. William Henry Harrison (see Harrison VI).

GIBSON The Gibsons of Salamanca de- scend from James Gibson, of Pelham, New Hampshire, who was born in Astrea, Ireland, died in Pelham, January 26, 1769. He was a weaver by trade. He married, in Ireland, after May 10, 1726, Elizabeth, daughter of John Lammon. He sailed for America from Portrush, August 26, 1738, accompanied by his wife and two sons, John and William, and a maid. A son Barna- bas was born on the voyage to America, and subsequently they had born to them three chil- dren : James, Elizabeth and Margaret.

(II) James (2), son of James (I) and Eliz- abeth (Lammon) Gibson, the first born of his parents in America, was born at Pelham, New Hampshire, July 12, 1741, died there June 30, 1828. He was a member of the general court, town collector, justice of the peace and admin- istrator of many estates. He married, No- vember 13, 1766, Hannah Watts, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, born February 28, 1746, daugh- ter of Samuel Watts. Children : Sarah, Abi- gail, Hannah, James, Samuel, Judith, Richard, Abram K. and Jesse.

220

NEW YORK.

(III) James (3), son of James (2) and Hannah (Watts) Gibson, was born April 5, 1774. He is believed to be the father of James, mentioned below.

(IV) James (4), son of James (3) Gibson, was born in 1800, died at Leroy, New York, about 1833. He married and had issue.

(V) James (5), son of James (4) Gibson, was born in Leroy, New York, February 29, 1828, died at Eaton Rapids, Michigan, in 1901. His father died when he was five years of age, and his mother, who was a Miss Williams prior to her marriage, moved with her parents to Delaware county, Ohio, where her father had purchased a large tract of wild land in the western reserve. After attending the district school for a few years, James Gibson engaged in the railroad contracting business, becoming in time one of the leading men in that line of work. He built sections of the Delaware & Columbus, the Illinois Central, living at Cairo, Illinois, for a time, and later moving to Mich- igan, where he contracted on the lines of the Detroit & Milwaukee, the Lansing & Saginaw, Grand Trunk, Michigan Central, Michigan Southern and other railroad lines, contracting for the construction work. He came to West- ern New York with the Buffalo & Jamestown railroad as superintendent of construction over part of the line. He was a member of the Baptist church, and was a Republican in poli- tics. He married Eliza Ann Morrison, born in Delaware county, Ohio. Children : I. Charles Ralph, mentioned below. 2. James Horace, who met a tragic death, having been murdered in 1874. 3. Barney A., a resident of Williams- port, Pennsylvania. 4. Willard M., who served as engineer in the United States navy and was on the United States steamer, "Roger," while on its search for the "Jeanette" or the sur- vivors of the "Jeanette," which was on an ex- pedition under Captain De Long in search of the North Pole; the vessel was burned off the north coast of Siberia and Engineer Gibson served gallantly in rescuing the crew. After his resignation from the navy he accepted a position with the Westinghouse Company and while in their employ installed the lamps on the Brooklyn Bridge. He married Eva Win- durs. He was killed by his gun while hunting in Iowa, in April, 1887. 5. George A., de- ceased. 6. Lucius O., a practicing physician of Laurium, Michigan. 7. Emma Eliza, de- ceased.

(VI) Charles Ralph, eldest son of James

(5) and Eliza Ann (Morrison) Gibson, was born in Orange, Delaware county, Ohio, Au- gust 12, 1849. He attended the public school, acquiring a practical education. He began his active career with his father in railroad con- struction in the western part of the United States, and later engaged in business on his own account, being awarded the contracts on the Buffalo and Jamestown construction work, also serving as superintendent of construction. In 1875 he opened a wholesale liquor store in Jamestown, New York, and two years later established a branch at Salamanca, the latter becoming of such great importance that in 1881 the Jamestown store was discontinued and the business centered in Salamanca. Mr. Gibson has been in successful business opera- tion there for thirty-five years, during the greater part of that period acting as sole pro- prietor. He admitted as partner, Howard Ed- ward O'Donnell, and later his son, Willard A. Gibson. A prominent feature of their busi- ness is an extensive mail order department to dealers. In addition to this successful business enterprise Mr. Gibson is serving in the capac- ity of vice-president and director of the Sala- manca Trust Company, and director of the Salamanca Furniture Company and of the Veneer Panel Company. He was one of the organizers of the first Universalist Society in Salamanca, and liberal in his support of erect- ing their church edifice. He is an Independent in politics. He was actively interested in the organization of a fire department for Sala- manca, was chosen the first chief and filled that office five years. He holds membership in the lodge, chapter and commandery of the Masonic order in Salamanca ; Ismailia Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Buffalo; the Be- nevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Sala- manca, and the Royal Arcanum. Mr. Gibson is an energetic, capable man of business, up- right and honorable in his dealings, also public- spirited and generous, always ready and will- ing to contribute to every worthy enterprise. This brief resume of Mr. Gibson's many spheres of activity and usefulness proves the broadness of his mental vision, and whether considered as employer, official business asso- ciate, churchman or clubman, he is found true to himself and true to his fellows.

Mr. Gibson married, November 14, 1877, Lillian (Wilson) Lyons. She was a charter member of Salamanca Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, also historian. She

William de Hong

221

NEW YORK.

also organized the Salamanca Federation of Women's Clubs. She is progressive and demon- strative in her views, always trying to promote the welfare of the community. Children: I. Willard Ansley, born November 9, 1884; edu- cated in the grammar and high schools of Sala- manca, graduating in class of 1903, then enter- ed Williams College, graduating with degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1909. He was con- nected with the staff of the Springfield Re- publican for three months, then took a six months' post-graduate course at Columbia Uni- versity, after which he became associated with his father in business. In politics he is a Dem- ocrat. He is a member of Cattaraugus Lodge, No. 239, Free and Accepted Masons, and be- longs to the Order of Moose. His college fra- ternity is Phi Delta Theta. 2. Vesta Lillian, born May 5, 1886; graduated from Salamanca high school in 1904, attended the LaSell Semi- nary at Boston, Massachusetts, and a year at the Bristol School at Washington, District of Columbia. She has been active in the Woman Suffrage work, and is secretary of the Woman Suffrage Party in Cattaraugus county.

(The Wilson Line).

Mrs. Charles Ralph Gibson is a descendant of Ethan Allen, a famous general of revolu- tionary times, whose most notable exploit was the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, and of James Wilson, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

The progenitor of the Wilson family was a native of Scotland, from whence he emigrated to this country, but died on the voyage and was buried at sea. His widow continued on to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with her three sons and two daughters, and later again mar- ried.

(II) James Wilson, son of the progenitor, was born in Scotland. For many years he re- sided in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania ; he was engaged in the lumber business at Will- iamsport, Pennsylvania, in Chautauqua coun- ty, New York, and on the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, becoming a skillful pilot of lumber rafts. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and settled on land granted him in the state of Indiana. He married Elizabeth Porter, a lead- ing member and exhorter of the Methodist Episcopal church. Among their children was James, mentioned below.

(III) James (2), son of James (1) and Elizabeth ( Porter ) Wilson, was born in West-

moreland county, Pennsylvania, in April, 1811, died in Jamestown, New York, in February, 1893. He was educated in the public schools of his native county, and in early life engaged with his father in the lumbering business, also becoming an expert pilot of lumber rafts. He joined with his father in the purchase of tim- ber lands in Indiana, which they converted into lumber in their own mill and freighted it to a profitable market. He married Maria, daughter of Luther and Betsie (MacConick) Lydell, and granddaughter of John MacConick, who with his father, James MacConick, and brother, William MacConick, served in the revolutionary war. John MacConick enlisted as a minute-man in Captain John Nutting's company, January 1, 1776, and was assigned to Colonel Prescott's regiment, and September 4, 1779, enlisted and served for nine months in Captain Hugh Maxwell's company, Colonel John Bailey's regiment. He served through- out the entire war and participated in the battles of Harlem Heights, White Plains and Bunker Hill; his son William was also in the battle of Bunker Hill. Children of James and Maria ( Lydell) Wilson : 1. Laura, married James Mc- Allister ; children : Joseph L., Raymond D. and Guy Brewster McAllister. 2. Lillian, mar- ried (first) Mr. Lyons, (second) Charles Ralph Gibson (q. v.) 3. Mary L., married Charles McAllister; child, Frederick. 4. Ida N., married Francis Delevan Steele; children : Harry and Francis Steele. 5. Jessie M. 6. Burton G., married Laura Mars, of Sinclair- ville ; child, Jessie M. 7. Lydell L., married Anna Booth; children: Alice, Myrtle, Nellie, William and Mckinley Wilson.

William C. Hoag, acting at the

HOAG present time (1911) as president of the Seneca Nation, in which ca- pacity he has served since 1892, a period of almost two decades, and who has held public office continuously since attaining his majority. is a full-blooded Indian, possessing in a large degree the characteristics of his noble race, characteristics which mark them as separate from other people and which give them a posi- tion all their own. An interesting account of the tribe follows this article.

William Hoag, father of William C. Hoag, was born in Monroe county, New York, 1818, died in 1868, after an active and useful life, honored and respected by all who knew him. He removed to Salamanca, Cattaraugus coun-

222

NEW YORK.

ty, New York, when the Erie railroad was in course of construction, and there spent the re- mainder of his days. He enlisted for service in the civil war, being a member of the Ninth New York Cavalry, achieving a record for courage and prompt attention to duty. He married Lucy Taylor, who bore him three children, namely: I. Louisa, married (first) Samuel Kenjockely, and had two children: i. Mattie, married Cornelius Seneca, children : Rosabell and Stanford; ii. Joslin; (second) Thomas Patterson, and their child is Sarah, living and at school. 2. Clorinda, married William John, and their children are: Laura, married Newton Pierce, children: Isabel and Ruth; Hamilton, married Charlotte Curry. 3. William C., see forward.

William C. Hoag was born in the old town of Salamanca, New York, near Buck Tooth Run, August 17, 1860. He attended the dis- trict school and later pursued advanced studies in the Quaker School at Tunisassa, graduating therefrom in 1878. Being of a studious and attentive disposition, he made good use of his educational advantages, devoting all his leisure time to study, and thus became well informed on a variety of subjects. Being deprived by death of his father at the early age of eight years, the responsibilities of the home, in part, devolved upon him, he aiding his mother to the best of his ability while still attending school. Being practically thrown upon his own resources at an age when most boys are thinking of nothing but their own pleasure proved highly beneficial in his case, aiding materially in the formation of his character and in the success he has attained in his active career. He is now a prosperous and wealthy agriculturist, operating more than five hun- dred acres of land in the river valley, princi- pally under cultivation, raising various kinds of stock and also conducting an extensive dairy. He began his farming operations on seventy-five acres of land, which he conducted successfully until the death of his mother, in 1880, after which he enlarged his operations materially, acquiring land from time to time until he became the possessor of the extensive tract now in his possession. His farm is equip- ped with excellent buildings, and his residence, which is located on the road from West Sala- manca to Redhouse, contains all the conven- iences and many of the luxuries of modern home life, including his own gas plant. One room in his dwelling is specially interesting,

a typical "den," provided with an artistic fire- place and mantle; the walls are decorated with relics, the most cherished of which is the heavy cavalry saber carried by his father as a Union soldier during the civil war. In addition to his agricultural pursuits he also engaged in the lumber business for five years.

Mr. Hoag has been equally prominent in political affairs, serving with ability in the vari- ous offices he has been called upon to fill. In 1882 he was elected treasurer of the Reservation for one year; in 1883 served as clerk; in 1884 as treasurer ; in 1886 as treasurer ; in 1888 as secretary ; in 1891 as treasurer, and in 1892 was elected president, in which capacity he is still serving. Mr. Hoag is well qualified for this high position, possessing great strength of character, firmness of will, undaunted courage, rare presence of mind, and a consummate knowledge of men and their motives. He has 52,000 square miles of government land in his control, and 2,400 Indians reside thereon. He is the president of the Cattaraugus and Alle- gany tribes. In 1848 the office of chief of the tribes on this reservation was abolished, they deciding to elect a president, the term of office being for one year, which was later changed to two years. Below the residence of Mr. Hoag has been established an Indian school, in which are employed white teachers. They also have an Indian church, with native teach- ers to serve as ministers, and white mission- aries. Mr. Hoag is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men, at Olean, New York, and also of the Uniform Rank of Knights of Pythias.

Mr. Hoag married Dora Tall Chief, daugh- ter of Jesse and Sara (Two Guns) Tall Chief, the former of whom was a son of William Tall Chief, who was Chief of the Senecas, and served in the war of 1812; his wife was Jami- son, sister of Jamison, Chief of the Buffalo Reservation. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Hoag: Mabel, born 1889, married Albert Krech ; Arthur, born 1893, attending high school in Salamanca, senior class, a graduate in the spring of 1912.

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE OF THE SENECAS.

The individual has his genealogy, the nation its history, and they are often closely inter- mingled. For illustration, the true character of the famous half-breed, Cornplanter, Chief of the Six Nations, born in 1732, who valiant- ly fought the English at Braddock's defeat,

------ --

NEW YORK.

223

the deadly foe of the colonists during the revo- lution, but afterwards the faithful friend of the whites, cannot be completely understood without some reference to the history of the important events during the period of his activ- ities, so no sketch of conditions in Western New York, although genealogical in its nature, would be complete without some allusion to the Seneca Nation of Indians occupying the Allegany and Cattaraugus reservations.

The early history of the Senecas, like that of the other aborigines, is shrouded in obscur- ity. According to their legendary history, their ancestors sprang from the ground at a point near the head of Canandaigua Lake ; they were known in their own language as Nundawa-ona, or people of "The Great Hill"; they were call- ed by Champlain, Ontouornons ( from which designation the name of Lake Ontario was de- rived) ; by the Dutch they were called Sinne- kaas, which appellation became corrupted into the term Seneca. The Seneca tribe was one of the famous Indian Confederacy known as the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and the most warlike of that organization. On account of their frontier location they came the most fre- quently in contact with the western hostile bands and consequently were known as the "Doorkeepers" of the original five tribes con- stituting the noted league of the Hodeno- sanunee, or "Long House," and represented fully one-half of the fighting force of the Six Nations ; when first known to the French dis- coverers, they occupied the region between Lakes Ontario, Cayuga, Seneca, and Canan- daigua ; during the seventeenth century they waged incessant and usually successful war- fare against the Hurons and their other west- ern neighbors. Their custom was to adopt into their tribe the captives taken in these wars; at one time the captives from eleven different tribes had been adopted by the Senecas. After the Peace Conference at Fort Stanwix, the Senecas sold the most of their lands in the Genesee Valley and removed to the shores of Lake Erie and the valley of the Alleghany; at the present time they occupy two reservations, the Allegany and the Cattaraugus. The Alle- gany Reservation extends from the Pennsyl- vania state line northerly along the Alleghany river for a distance of forty miles, having an average width of one-half mile each side of the river, and all lying within the county of Cattaraugus; the Cattaraugus Reservation, be- ginning at the western shores of Lake Erie, ex-

tends upward along the banks of Cattaraugus creek, principally within the county of Erie. a small portion thereof being in the north- west corner of Cattaraugus and the northeast corner of Chautauqua counties. The Seneca population of the Allegany Reservation is practically one thousand, and of the Cattarau- gus Reservation thirteen hundred.

In order to obtain an intelligent understand- ing of the nature and characteristics of the Senecas at the present time it will be well to briefly consider some of the usages and cus- toms prevailing among the Iroquois in early times. Soon after the organization of the Confederacy a famous head chief of the Six Nations established certain rules and regula- tions for the government of the Indians. He divided each tribe into eight clans, ranged in two series, viz: the Wolf, Bear, Beaver and Turtle; and the Deer, Snipe, Heron and Hawk clans. Each nation constituting the Confeder- acy had its chief, subordinate in authority to some extent to the head chief of the Six Na- tions; each clan had its headman ; these tribal chiefs and headmen were elected by the votes of the women; while the men were permitted to counsel and advise, the women alone were allowed to vote upon the selection or impeach- ment of their officials.

The lineage of the child was always traced from the mother, never from the father; the child of a Seneca mother and white father was regarded as a Seneca, and entitled to all the rights and privileges of a full blood, while the child of a white woman by an Indian father had no status as a member of the tribe, nor en- titled to any tribal rights or immunities. The members of each clan constituted one great family, and they were not permitted to inter- marry ; a woman of one clan must select her husband from another ; he was required to re- side with his wife's clan, and during the con- tinuance of the marital relation was regarded as a member thereof; but, upon the death of the wife or the separation of the parties, he lost his standing in the wife's clan and must return to his own. This same head chief also inaugurated among the tribes of the Six Na- tions the ceremony known as "The Dead Feast," partly memorial and partly judicial in its functions. At the end of one year after the death of a member of the tribe, the rela- tives assembled, performed certain rites and ceremonies in commemoration of the virtues of the departed, and then with due deliberation

224

NEW YORK.

proceeded to ascertain the character and ex- tent of the property left by the decedent ; this being accomplished, the women present deter- mined the disposition to be made of the same, their decision in this particular having the full force and effect of any statute of descent or distribution. In later years this ceremony was modified through the influence of a noted In- dian prophet, Handsome Lake, by fixing the time of its occurrence on the tenth day after the death of the decedent instead of the end of a year, and with such modification this custom still prevails to some extent. These customs and usages are referred in this connection not only on account of their interesting peculiar- ities, but also as illustrative of the influential position formerly held by the Seneca women in the administration of the political and business affairs of the nation. While she was a mere drudge in menial affairs, and required to per- form all the irksome duties of the household, yet in public matters her position was an inde- pendent and commanding one.

The original system of government by chiefs or sachems among the Indians, presenting many of the characteristics of a crude limited monarchy, prevailed uninterruptedly with the Senecas until the year 1842; then the young men of the tribe, alarmed by the injudicious acts of their chiefs in disposing of the Indian lands, began an agitation for a change in their form of government; such campaign was ag- gressively prosecuted, and resulted in the hold- ing of a general council of the Senecas, Decem- ber 5th, 1848, at which, after much heated and bitter discussion, a resolution was adopted abrogating and annulling the method of gov- ernment by chiefs, and substituting instead a constitutional government. This innovation upon their ancient prerogatives was strenu- ously opposed by the chiefs and their adher- ents, who interposed every possible obstacle to the consummation of the designs of the pro- gressives, but without effect, as the United States authorities soon formally recognized the new government, as did the legislature of the state of New York. Even after such formal recognition, the contest was continued by the chiefs; in 1852 they petitioned Presi- dent Fillmore, and again, in 1854, President Pierce, for aid in regaining their former au- thority and prestige, but all their intercessions were disregarded, and the constitutional form of government became firmly established and has ever since prevailed. The present written

constitution of the Senecas (with some slight amendments subsequently made) was adopted at a council held at the Council House at Coldspring, on October 22, 1868. The consti- tutional officers biennially elected by a major- ity vote of the adult male members of the tribe are a president, clerk and treasurer, eight coun- sellors, a marshal, surrogate, and three peace- makers upon each reservation. The counsel- lors, acting together, constitute the council, or legislative branch, which assembles at stated in- tervals and may be convened in special session by the president in case of emergency. The sur- rogate's court possesses general jurisdiction in the administration of decedent's estates; the peacemaker courts over all other civil contro- versies. The United States courts have exclusive jurisdiction over certain serious crimes among the Indians, like murder, manslaughter, etc., and the state courts over all their other crimes and misdemeanors; an appeal may be taken from the decisions of the surrogates' and peacemakers' courts to the council, and its de- termination is final. The method of legal pro- cedure of the state courts is adopted as far as practicable by the Indians' courts.

It is interesting to one unfamiliar with scenes of this character to visit the Seneca Council while in session. Their affairs are all transacted in their native tongue, and a white man wishing to communicate with them must do so through the instrumentality of an inter- preter. The Indian officials usually understand and can speak English, but in order to guard against any possible misconception, they pre- fer to adhere to their native tongue. The In- dian is stolid, deliberative and unemotional; he speaks with guttural accents, and ordinarily without gestures. While listening to another he sits with bowed head, never signifying as- sent or disapproval by any expression of coun- tenance ; an air of decorum and dignity marks all their deliberations. A record of the pro- ceedings of the Council is kept by the clerk. the same being transcribed in English.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Genealogical and Family History of Western New York, Volume I, Part 43

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918 Publication date: 1912 Publisher: New York : Lewis Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 680

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: New York : Lewis Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 680