USA > New York > Genealogical and Family History of Western New York, Volume I > Part 67
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Benedict Brooks had been a member of the Connecticut legislature, and a brother, Micah, was congressman from New York state, elected on the Whig ticket, while Benedict was a leading Democrat and justice of the peace at Pearl Creek, Wyoming county. Their father, David Brooks, was a chaplain in the revolutionary army. The Brooks family came originally from England, the immigrant ancestor being Henry Brooks, born in Che- shire, England, served under Oliver Cromwell, and was so displeased when Charles II was restored to the throne of England that he emi- grated to America, settling at Cheshire. Con- necticut. The line descends through his son Thomas, his son Enos, his son David, born
in Cheshire, Connecticut, June, 1744, married Elizabeth, daughter of Abraham Doolittle, a descendant of Abraham Doolittle, born 1619, was sergeant at New Haven, Connecticut, 1640, removed to Wallingford, 1670, one of the first settlers. In 1675 his house at Walling- ford was fortified at public expense. He died August 11, 1690. He married Joane, daughter of James Allen, of Kempston, Bedford, Eng- land. David Brooks was graduated at Yale College with the degree of A. M. He studied theology and was regularly ordained a minister of the Gospel, although he continued farming as an occupation. He took the side of the colonies, and was active in preventing the use of tea and other articles taxed by the English government. He enlisted in a Connecticut regiment and became quartermaster, also when necessary serving as chaplain, as previously stated, and at other times carried a musket and fought in the ranks. He is spoken of in history as the "Fighting Parson." Benedict Brooks, his son (before mentioned), prepared a petition in 1840, and obtained many signers to the same, asking congress to build a railroad from some point on the Missouri river to the Pacific coast, payment for same to be made from the sale of public lands along the road as it progressed, but to be owned by the gov- ernment. This remarkable document, which was not acted on at the time, outlines the plan upon which the Union Pacific was built a quarter of a century later.
Isaac V. Matthews married (third), June, 1861, Mrs. Cynthia Clute. Children of Isaac Vincent and Phoebe Ann (Brooks) Matthews: I. Martha Brooks, born in Cov- ington, New York, May 31, 1841, died 1903. at Blue Rapids, Kansas; married Edward Wheeler, a farmer and nurseryman. 2. Henry M., born April 16, 1843, at Covington ; graduate of Amherst College; served three years in the civil war from the state of New York; now an attorney of Chicago, Illinois. 3. Charles Benedict, of whom further. 4. Hugh Vincent, born February 7, 1848, died at Salem, Oregon, 1903. 5. William L., born Septem- ber, 1852, died April 16, 1859. Isaac V. Matthews and his second wife were deeply interested and active workers in the missionary societies of the Presbyterian church. Their children, Henry M. and William L., were both named after prominent missionaries.
(IV) Charles Benedict, third child of Isaac Vincent and Phoebe Ann ( Brooks) Matthews,
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was born in Covington, New York, April 7, 1845. He was educated in the public schools and at Middlebury Academy, Wyoming county, New York. He began life as a farmer in Wyoming county, continuing until he reached the aged of twenty-five years. He then went west, settling at Blue Rapids, Kan- sas, where he engaged in farming and dealt in real estate. He remained in Kansas three years, then returned east to Butler county, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in oil produc- tion. He bought land, drilled wells, and was successful. About 1874 he returned to Wyom- ing county and purchased the old homestead farm that his father had owned. He culti- vated the old farm until 1880. During this period with others he drilled a test well on the farm, hoping to discover oil. Instead, a sixty-foot vein of rock salt was discovered, the first known bed in a northern state.
In 1880 he entered the employ of the Vac- uum Oil Company, of Rochester, New York, then an independent company, later absorbed by the Standard Oil Company. Having now had several years experience in both the pro- duction and refining of oil, Mr. Matthews de- cided, after the sale of the Vacuum, to locate in Buffalo, erect works, and become himself a refiner. He associated with himself two of his fellow employees, and, pooling their resources, began the erection of a refinery in Buffalo. One of these two, Albert, had been years in the employ of the Vacuum company, where he had learned to run the stills and how to make oil. He was to be the practical manufacturer, erect the works and superintend the refining plant. Before commencing, they were warned not to enter the oil business and were offered liberal inducements to remain in the employ of the Trust. Mr. Matthews, knowing the profitable nature of the business, and believ- ing every man had the right to select the busi- ness in which he wished to engage, refused to remain, and the enterprise was started as in- tended. After many delays caused by the Trust tampering with Albert, the stills were ready, and the fires started under one of them. Albert had been induced to betray his part- ners and had laid a plot to destroy the works. The safety valve was weighted and packed so it would not blow off, and the engineer given instructions to fire the still as heavily as possi- ble. Although the plot miscarried and the damage done was not as expected, the contents of the still were destroyed. Albert was spir-
ited away, no competent man could be secured to operate the stills, and they were compelled to remain idle for some time. Mr. Matthews brought suit for damages against the Vacuum people for enticing Albert away, and for per- secuting Matthews with false and malicious suits. Nearly four years later Albert returned and made a full confession to Mr. Matthews, revealing the damnable plot that had been laid by officials of the Trust to ruin him, Albert merely a tool. Mr. Matthews laid his informa- tion before the district attorney, and later the grand jury found indictments against the two former owners of the Vacuum (now resident managers for the Trust), and the three mem- bers of the Trust who had been elected direct- ors of the Vacuum. This was six years after the crime was committed. This was the first time any member of the Trust had been brought to trial in a civil action. They had often been indicted, but as District Attorney Quinby said to the jury, this was the first time that they had found a citizen honest enough and brave enough to stand up against them-the only one. "There is no man," he said, "so respected today in Buffalo as he, for the method he has used to bring these men to justice." Mr. Matthews succeeded in doing alone what the united producers of the oil fields failed to do, although their resources were infinitely greater. The day of the trial saw the Trust president, vice-president, mana- ger of its pipe line system and many others, present with the five defendants. They were defended by their regular New York attorney and two of the leading lawyers of Buffalo. Be- sides these, there was the ablest lawyer of Western New York, with two able members of the Rochester bar as assistants. Other emi- nent lawyers were consulted, but were not present. But great as was the ability of the defense, George T. Quinby, the district attor- ney, and his assistant, William L. Marcy, proved a match for them. Every political and moneyed influence that could be brought to bear was used to mislead the district attor- ney, but all to no purpose. An emissary trying to get Mr. Matthews to call off the district at- torney and hush up this criminal prosecution, said the Oil Trust could "give him anything. even to being governor of a western territory." "You will have a chance," Mr. Matthews told the district attorney. "to line the street from your house to the city hall with gold bricks." But Quinby had no price, and prosecuted the
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case successfully, gaining a verdict of "guilty as charged in the indictment" against the two resident managers, the judge having rendered a verdict for the jury in the case of the three trustees of "not guilty." Mr. Matthews was an important witness, and was not shaken on cross-examination. "As he stood up to take the oath," said the New York World, "and confronted the men with whom he had been at swords points for six years, men of unlimited wealth and almost unlimited influence, and controlling the most gigantic monopoly of any age or any country, Charles B. Matthews look- ed, as a good observer said, what he proved himself to be, a fighter who will never know when he is whipped. Hard knocks and a strug- gle for years against an all-powerful enemy have whitened his hair and set firm, hard lines about his face. His eyes are deep set under a protruding forehead and black, bushy lashes, and are dark, firm and searching. His jet black beard is luxuriant but coarse, his whole head and face bespeak the courage and per- sistence in following a foe that is character- istic of the man. He is tall, well built and with those whom, he knows to be friends, he is kindly and almost jovial in his manner." He told his story and the jury believed it. For lack of evidence, the defense offered the jury abuse of Mr. Matthews in a voice so loud that the populace outside the court room could hear. But the jury preferred the view given by the district attorney, who said: "When I look upon the troubled face of Mr. Matthews, I know what is coming upon his head. When I know the struggle he has gone through, the integrity that is in his heart, I would say to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant'; you have withstood the powerful arm of this insatiable corporation, you stand today hon- ored from one end of this country to the other. I am proud that there is in the county of Erie a gentleman who has had the bravery and fortitude he has shown." The verdict of "guilty" was rendered May 18, 1887. Every possibility of appeal and reversal was resorted to, and when sentence was at last pronounced it was the lightest the judge could inflict, and raised a whirlwind of indignation.
One of the results of the trial was that the edict went forth that "Matthews must be crushed, and fulfillment came swiftly. He had been left crippled by the flight and corruption of his partner, the only practical still man in the enterprise. No one would take his place.
He had made contracts before opening his works and was unable to fill them. The pipes had been laid wrong; it took a year to right them; his third partner was frightened back into the oil combination by threatening litiga- tion. Then came the suits to destroy, punc- tually as threatened. "If one court does not sustain the patents, we will carry them up till you get enough of it," one of the trustees said to Mr. Matthews. "Null and void," was the verdict of court after court on the worthless patents. "It cost me one-third of my time and $25,000 or more to defend these suits," brought only to scare away his customers. On his side, he sued his persecutors civilly and criminally, and while he successfully defended himself he was successful in his suits against them as far as he was able to carry them, but his successes were transient. Packs of lawyers were set upon him and finally brought him down. An order was procured taking the property of his company out of his hands and put in charge of a receiver as officer of the court to secure a debt due a Buffalo bank. He was left without resources, the verdicts for damages and all else being sold out and suits discontinued. But he had a great victory, nevertheless. In Buffalo his enterprise had caused a drop in price of oil to the consumer from twelve and eighteen cents to six cents, while the price paid the producer in the oil field had increased. The price in Boston, where he also competed, dropped from twenty to eight cents. And he forced the struggle into the view of the public, and succeeded in putting on record in the archives of courts and legislatures and congress a picture of the realities of modern commerce, which later ex- ercised a profound influence in ripening the reform thought that crystallized and resulted in a recent decision of the Supreme Court of the United States dissolving the Standard Oil Company. The action of the judge who so openly aided the trust in the above trial was made an issue in the following state election. He was nominated by the Republicans for judge of the court of appeals and was de- feated with the rest of his ticket. District At- torney Quinby, however, was re-elected sev- eral terms in succession.
Although practically ruined by the Oil Trust, Mr. Matthews did not succumb; he re- trieved his fortunes and in the same business. He is president of the Buffalo Refining Com- pany, with refinery interests in Pennsylvania,
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and compounding plant for the manufacture of lubricating oils in Buffalo. His company is prosperous, and a factor in the market that has to be reckoned with. Mr. Matthews has private interests in Lake Superior copper mines and in other enterprises attracting Buf- falo capital. He still retains the old farm in Wyoming, the title of which came from the Holland Land Company to his father. He is a Democrat in politics; he was a very active supporter of the People's party, and was its candidate for governor of New York. He supported that party with all his vigor, estab- lishing a newspaper for the dissemination of its principles. He was a warm supporter of William J. Bryan for the presidency, aiding his cause all in his power. He was a ruling elder in the Presbyterian church for many years. He is a member of the Masonic order ; Buffalo Chamber of Commerce; Buffalo His- torical Society; Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences; Buffalo Chapter Sons of the Ameri- can Revolution, and trustee of Wyoming County .Pioneer Historical Society.
He married, December, 1870, Jennie L., daughter of Amenzo W. and Nancy (Perry) Beardsley. Children: 1. Frederick Beards- ley, born May 8, 1873, died March, 1903; at- tended Cornell University. 2. Mabel W., graduate of Buffalo Seminary. 3. Albert Scott, born May, 1881 ; graduate of Buffalo high school, 1899, after which he pursued a special course at Cornell University ; married, June 2, 1903, Mildred Potter ; children : Fred- erick Beardsley, born April 23, 1904; Laura Potter, April 20, 1909.
HAMLIN The name of Hamblen is sup- posed to be of German origin, perhaps derived from the town of Hamlin, in Lower Saxony, at the junction of the river Hamel with the Weiser. The name of Hamelin is still common in France, whence some have come to this country and to Quebec, where they have become numer- ous. In England the name was spelled Hame- lyn, Hamlin, Hamelin, Hamlyn, etc., and in America it is also spelled Hamlin. As the name is found in the Roll of Battle Abbey, it was probably brought to England by a fol- lower of William the Conqueror. Many Ham- blen families bore arms. Representatives of the distinguished American family of this name participated in the war of the revolution and subsequent wars. It has produced a 23-W
goodly number of able men, including clergy- men, lawyers, physicians, statesmen and men of affairs. The most distinguished representa- tive in official life in modern times was Hon. Hannibal Hamlin, vice-president of the United States during Lincoln's administration, for a number of years member of the United States Senate from Maine, and afterward United States minister to Spain.
(I) John Hamelyn, of Cornwall, was liv- ing in 1570, and married Amor, daughter of Robert Knowle, of Sarum.
(II) Giles Hamelin resided in Devonshire, and married a daughter of Robert Ashay. He had two sons, Thomas and James.
(III) James Hamlin, or Hamblen, was liv- ing in London in 1623. He came to New Eng- land and settled in Barnstable, Massachusetts, where he was a proprietor. He was admitted a freeman March 1, 1641-2, and was on the list of those able to bear arms in 1643. He was a town officer. He married Ann
His will, dated January 23, 1683, proved Oc- tober 22, 1690, bequeathed to wife Anne, and children, Bartholomew, Hannah, John, Sarah, Eleazer and Israel. The parish records of St. Lawrence, Reading, Berkshire, England, contain what are probably the baptisms of his children born in England, as follows: I. James, October 31, 1630; buried October 24, 1633. 2. Sarah, September 6, 1632; died young. 3. Mary, born July 27, 1634 4. James, mentioned below. Children, born in Barnstable: 5. Bartholomew, baptized April 24, 1642. 6. John, baptized June 30, 1644. 7. Infant, buried December 2, 1646. 8. Sarah, baptized November 7, 1647. 9. Eleazer, bap- tized March 17, 1649. 10. Israel, baptized June 25, 1652; died young. 11. Israel, bap- tized June 25, 1655.
(IV) James (2) Hamlin, son of James (1) Hamlin (or Hamblen), was born in England, and baptized April 10, 1636, at St. Lawrence, Reading, Berkshire. He came to New Eng- land with his mother and sisters prior to 1642. He was a farmer at Barnstable, and resided at first on his father's farm, later removing to West Barnstable. He was a proprietor of Falmouth, but did not live there any length of time. His name appears on a list of freemen May 29, 1670, and he was appointed as "in- spector of ordinarys" for the town of Barn- stable. He and his wife were members of the church in 1683. He was deputy to the general court in 1705. Late in life he removed to
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Tisbury, where his will was dated September 13, 1717, and where he died May 3, 1718. He married, in Barnstable, November 20, 1662, Mary Dunham, born 1642, died April 19, 1715, daughter of John and Abigail Dunham. Children, born in Barnstable: 1. Mary, July 24, 1664. 2. Elizabeth, February 14, 1665-6. 3. Eleazer, April 12, 1668. 4. Experience, twin with Eleazer. 5. James, August 26, 1669. 6. Jonathan, March 6, 1670-1. 7. Son, March 28, died April 7, 1672. 8. Ebenezer, of further mention. 9. Elisha, March 5, 1676-7, died December 20, 1677. 10. Hope, March 13, 1679-80. 11. Job, January 15, 1681. 12. John, January 12, 1683. 13. Ben- jamin, baptized March 16, 1684-5. 14. Elk- anah, baptized March 16, 1685.
(V) Deacon Ebenezer, fourth son of James (2) and Mary (Dunham) Hamlin was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts, July 29, 1674, died 1755. He was an active man in community affairs, and occupied the old farm with his father at Coggin Pond. He removed to Roch- ester, Massachusetts (now Wareham), was one of the original members of the church there, and was appointed deacon in 1705. In 1742 he became one of the early settlers of Sharon, Connecticut. By his will he left £24 old tenor bills for the support of the Gospel in the Congregational Society at Hitchcock's Corner. He married Sarah Lewis, of Barn- stable, April 4, 1698. He married (second) Elizabeth, widow of Samuel Arnold, of Roch- ester, Massachusetts. Children of first wife: Ebenezer, born March 18, 1699; Mercy, Sep- tember 10, 1700, married Experience John- son ; Hopestill, born July 23, 1702, married (first) Jonathan Hunter, (second) John Par- dee; Cornelius, born June 13, 1705, married Mary Mudge; Thomas, of further mention; Isaac, born January 1, 1714, died 1805, mar- ried Mary Gibbs; Lewis, born January 31, 1718, married Experience Jenkins.
(VI) Thomas, son of Deacon Ebenezer and Sarah (Lewis) Hamlin, was born in Barnstable, May 6, 1716. The date of his re- moval from Barnstable is not known. He made several removals. The date of his death is un- certain. He married (first), December 10, 1734, at Agawam, Ruth Gibbs; (second), at Albany, New York, Mary Crowell. Children : Jabez, of further mention. Amasa, born July 21, 1737; Nathaniel, January 7, 1739; Zil- path, July 22, 1741. died in childhood ; Marcia, July 17, 1743; Ruth, July 3, 1745; Thomas,
July 24, 1747; John, June 25, 1749, died young; Zilpah, born March 10, 1751; Asa, January 14, 1754, at Oblong, New York. Chil- dren by second wife: Jonah, born October 12. 1757, called James in one record; Lewis, July 31, 1759; Polly.
(VII) Captain Jabez, eldest child of Thomas and Ruth (Gibbs) Hamlin, was born in Sharon, Connecticut, July 17, 1735. He married Dorcas Barnes, and lived at Oblong, Dutchess and Hillsdale, Columbia county. New York.
(VIII) Rev. Jabez, son of Captain Jabez and Dorcas ( Barnes) Hamlin, was born in Hillsdale, Columbia county, New York, June 21, 1782, died in Elyria, Ohio, February 15. 1841. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He married, in 1801, at Chester, Massachusetts, Esther Stow, born there June 19, 1780, died 1859, daughter of Rev. Ebenezer Stow, the first Baptist minister of the Second Church of Westfield, Massa- chusetts, afterward set off into Russell. Rev. Ebenezer Stow married Content Tillotson. Mr. and Mrs. Hamlin had ten children.
(IX) Cicero Jabez, son of Rev. Jabez and Esther (Stow) Hamlin, was born on a moun- tain farm in Hillsdale, Columbia county, New York, bordering on the Massachusetts line, November 7. 1819, youngest of ten children, his only heritage being, he says, "sound health and good digestion." In 1836 he came to East Aurora. Erie county, New York, where in ·1839 he began keeping a general store. In 1846 he located in Buffalo, where he engaged in the dry goods business, a junior of the firm Wattles & Hamlin. In 1847 the firm dissolved, Mr. Hamlin continuing alone until 1852. In 1860 he became a member of Mendsen & Com- pany, a wholesale firm dealing in retail furni- ture and carpets. The firm was later reor- ganized under the name of Hamlin & Mend- sen, wholesale and retail dry goods, in addi- tion to furniture and carpets. The new en- larged store was opened for business the day Fort Sumter was fired on, "The bluest day Buffalo ever say," said Mr. Hamlin. The business continued until 1866, when the re- tail dry goods department was discontinued, the firm continuing their other lines until 1871, when Mr. Hamlin retired from the dry goods business, but continued actively in other lines for several years. He built the Hamlin Block. on Main street, then ( 1888) one of Buffalo's noted buildings. In 1874 he became president
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of the Buffalo Grape Sugar Company, later merged in the American Glucose Company. He dealt heavily in real estate, and did much to improve the city of Buffalo. On his farm of four hundred acres in East Aurora he be- gan in 1855 to breed improved stock. The Hamlin Stock Farm became famous the world over as the home of Mambrino King, Chimes, Almont, Junior, and of the beautiful record- breaking Belle Hamlin. Mr. Hamlin dearly loved his horses and never drove a poor one. He did a great deal to improve the quality of stock in Western New York and in the coun- try at large. In 1868, with others, he bought the ground which has ever since been the home of the Buffalo Driving Park, and was the second president of the association. He was a member of the first board of directors of the Buffalo and Washington railroad, and one of the seven men who assumed personal responsibility for the liabilities of the road and helped it through a critical time to better for- tunes. By the loan of their personal credit they saved the road, and the city of Buffalo later disposed of their $700,000 of stock at par. He was a man of large business inter- est and of great ability. He married, Septem- ber 21, 1842, at Aurora, New York, Susan A. Ford, born June 10, 1821, at Green River, Columbia county, New York, daughter of Isaac and Polly (Leland ) Ford. Children : Anne Ford, born July 1, 1843, died September II, 1843; William, August 27, 1844; Frank, born April 7, 1846; Kate, February 28, 1854, died March 17, 1857; Harry, of further men- tion.
(X) Harry, youngest child of Cicero J. and Susan A. (Ford) Hamlin, was born in Buf- falo, New York, July 17, 1855, and was killed in an automobile accident at Buffalo, June 3, 1907. He was educated in private schools and entered Yale University in 1872, but did not finish the course on account of the failure of his eyesight. He returned to Buffalo, where he associated with his father in the glucose business. He was vice-president and opera- tive head of all the plants controlled by the Hamlins. For a year or so he was in Peoria, Illinois, in charge of the glucose refinery there. He returned to Buffalo in 1892, con- tinuing in business until the sale of the Hamlin interests to the American Glucose Company in 1807. He took a deep interest in the Vil- lage Stock Farm at East Aurora, and was a successful breeder of blooded stock. He was
a familiar figure at the New York Horse Show and others, and won many blue ribbons. He was a lover of polo, coaching and out- door sports. He was a member of the Buf- falo and Country Clubs of Buffalo; the Gen- esee Valley Hunt Club; the Lambs Club of New York City ; the Chicago Club, and many prominent social organizations. He was ac- tive in the management of the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, serving on the execu- tive committee.
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