USA > New York > Genealogical and family history of central New York : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the building of a nation, Volume III > Part 49
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name has been spelled in various ways. In court records it is found Wilgris, Wildigos, Wilgrice and Wilgress, and also there are still other spellings; as early as 1586 it is found spelled Wilgus.
There seem to have been two by the name of William Wilgus and one by the name of James Wilgus in the revolution from New Jersey. The family located in New Jersey some years before the revolution, coming thither doubtless from England. We find the record of a sale of property owned by James Wilgoss and Moses Burges, one hundred and fifty acres situated four miles from the court house of Sussex county, New Jersey, in 1768, on writs of Venditioni Exponas. The victim of writs of such character survived, however, and left a numerous family. The records are scanty, but it is believed that this James Wil- gus ( Wilgoss) was the progenitor and had sons, William, James, John and perhaps oth-
ers. Sarah Wilgus, presumably a daughter married, in Sussex county, March 9, 1784, William Hutchinson. Sussex county was set off from Morris county in 1753. John Wil- guss, of Sussex county, married Mary
and had sons John, born December 25, 1797, a farmer of Andover, Sussex county, and Samuel. John Willguss, only son of Samuel Willguss, of Newtown, New Jersey, was born March 12, 1787.
( II) William Wilgus, probably son of James Wilgus, was born August 23, 1755. in Sussex county, New Jersey. He was a soldier in the revolution in a New Jersey regiment ( see New Jersey in the Revolution). He re- moved to Lansingburg, New York, where he died in 1817. Among his children were : William, born about 1780, married Rhoda Hering, removed to Lansingburg : Samuel. mentioned below.
( III ) Samuel, son of William Wilgus, was born in New Jersey or Lansingburg, New York, November 25, 1777. His parents re- moved to Lansingburg just before or soon after his birth. He married Hepsibah White, March 20, 1708. She is said by family tra- dition to be directly descended from Pere- grine White. the first white child born in Plymouth, son of William and Susannah White who came in the "Mayflower."
( IV) Henry, son of Samnel Wilgus, was born about 1800. He married Anne Butler, who came of Scotch-Irish stock from the north of Ireland. Henry Wilgus settled in
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Westmoreland, Oneida county, New York, where he became a successful dry goods mer- chant.
(V) Henry Lyman, son of Henry Wilgus, was born at Westmoreland, New York, Octo- ber 6, 1830, died August 6, 1910, in Ithaca, New York. He came with his parents to Ithaca when a child, and attended the public schools there and the old Ithaca Academy. He became associated with his father in the dry goods business, and when his father died he succeeded to the ownership of the store which he conducted with success until he re- tired a few years before he died. He built the Wilgus Block in Ithaca. In politics he was a Republican ; in religion a Presbyterian. He married, May 24, 1853. Sarah Esty, born May 21, 1831, and who is now living in good health at Ithaca, at the age of eighty-one years (see Esty VII).
(The Esty Line).
The surname Esty is variously spelled Esty, Estey, Estee, Este and Estes. The only coat- of-arms of the family is: Azure three fleur- de-lis or within a bordure parted per bor- dure daucette over all exterior argent interior gules. Crest : A garb or, banded gules.
(I) Jeffrey Esty, immigrant ancestor, lived in Salem, Massachusetts, as early as 1636, when he was granted twenty acres of land. August 23, 1651, he sold land in Salem to Henry Bullock. That same year he removed to Southold, Long Island, afterwards to Hunt- ington and later to Little Neck, where he died January 4, 1657. He left a will, with- out date, proved January 23 following, in which he mentioned a daughter Catherine and son Isaac.
(II) Isaac, son of Jeffrey Esty, was born probably in England before 1630, and came to Salem with his father when very young. He was a cooper by trade and is designated as such in the first record of him, dated April 5. 1653. At that time he bought a house and land in Salem. Before 1660 he settled in Topsfield, Massachusetts. In 1661 he was one of the commoners appointed to share in the common land on the south side of Ips- wich river. In 1664 he was rated at nine- teen shillings, six pence, which was the min- ister's rate for that year and entitled him to a proportionate share in the division of the common land. In 1669 he was given the fifteenth share. In 1672, with five others,
he was granted all the swamp meadow lying upon Ipswich river, within certain bounds, for a consideration of fifty pounds. He was prominent in the political affairs of the town; in 1680-82-86-88 he was selectman; in 1681- 84-85 he was juryman at Ipswich, and grand juryman in 1691-96; he also served as tyth- ingman, surveyor of fences and highways, and was a member of different committees of the town. In 1689 he was called "Sargent" Esty. Ile was a member of the church, was twice a member of the committee chosen to secure a minister, and in 1684 he and his wife and family were members in full com- munion. He died at Topsfield, in 1712, and his will was proved June 11, 1712.
He married Mary, daughter of William and Joannah ( Blessing ) Towne, of Topsfield, born at Yarmouth, Norfolk county, England, and baptized at St. Nicholas Church, August 24, 1634. She was a victim of the witchcraft delusion which spread over Salem and vicin- ity in 1692. She was arrested April 21, 1692, kept in jail until May 18, and then released. On May 21 she was again arrested, taken to jail and placed in chains. She was tried, found guilty and condemned to death. In September, 1692, with seven others, she was executed. She was a woman of sound judg- ment and exalted character. She was far in advance of her age in intelligence and while in prison sent a petition to Sir William Phipps, in which she begged not for her own life but for others. For this unselfishness sbe was called "the self-forgetful." After her execution her husband did all in his power to rescue her name from reproach and his chil- dren from disgrace and after twenty years was in a measure successful. His petitions were recognized, the verdict annulled, and he was given twenty pounds in acknowledg- ment of the injustice of the original decision. Children: Isaac, born 1656: Joseph, men- tioned below: Sarah, June 30, 1660; John, January 2, 1662-63: Hannah. 1667: Benja- min, .April 29, 1669: Samuel, March 25, 1672 ; Jacob, January 24, 1674-75; Joshua, July 2, 16-8.
(III) Joseph, son of Isaac Esty, was born at Topsfield, Massachusetts, February 5, 1657-58, died at Stoughton, Massachusetts, October 25, 1739. He was a highway sur- veyor in Topsfield in 1683. About 1705 he removed to Stoughton, then Dorchester, and he and his brother Benjamin were among the
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original signers of the church covenant during the pastorate of Rev. John Davenport. In 1706 he bought land of the Indians in what is now Canton. He deeded seventy acres of land to his son Joseph Jr. He married, June 2, 1682, Jane Steward. Children, born in Stoughton: Isaac, March 12, 1682-83. died April 30, 1683: Mary, February 22, 1684; Joseph. mentioned below ; Jacob, October 15. 1690, died April. 1777, had three sons, Jacob, John and Elijah in the revolution (Elijah Esty went to Natick and Judge C. C. Esty was a descendant) : Samuel, baptized May. 1691, died at Sharon, December 25. 1779: Elizabeth, baptized March 13, 1692: Edward, baptized July 16, 1693, ( Professor W. C. Esty, of Amherst, the Westmoreland, New Hampshire, and Sutton, Massachusetts, fam- ilies are descendants) ; Lydia, born August 26, 1697; Benjamin, October 9, 1701, died at Lake George, a soldier in the French war.
(IV) Joseph (2), son of Joseph ( 1) Esty, was born in Stoughton, baptized May 5. 1688-89. died there February 6, 1765. He married, June 16, 1715. Experience Bennett, of Dorchester, who died April 28, 1768. Chil- dren, born at Stoughton : Theodore, June 29. 1716; Ruth, May 25. 1722; Joseph, mentioned below.
(V) Josephi (3), son of Joseph (2) Esty, was born in Stoughton, December 8. 1725. He married, at Stoughton, July 10. 1755, Han- nah Callaham. Hon. E. S. Esty, of Ithaca. Willard L. Esty, of Lewiston, Maine, C. H. Esty. of Brookline, Massachusetts, and Jacob Esty are descendants. He was a soldier in the revolution from Stoughton in Captain William Bent's company in the Thirty-sixth Regiment in 1775, also in Colonel Benjamin Gill's regiment in 1776, in Captain Theophilus Lyon's company, and later under Captain James Endicott. His son Joseph was also a revolutionary soldier. Children, born at Stoughton : Hannah, April 14. 1756: Joseph, February 27, 1758; Elijah. mentioned below. And others probably.
(VI) Elijah, son of Joseph (3) Esty, was born in Stoughton or vicinity, about 1760-65. He started from Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1796, with an ox-team and a single horse and transported his family and goods to West- moreland, Oneida county, New York, where he located in the wilderness, built a log cabin with a bark roof and cleared a farm. He was a tanner by trade. In 1800 the family
was again moved to what was then Harden- burgh's Corners, now the city of Auburn. Ilere he built a tannery and dwelling house on what is now the corner of North and Sem- inary streets. He died in 1812, leaving his estate involved on account of accommodation endorsements, and his family was thrown upon their own resources. He married Sarah Will- iams. Among his children was Joseph, men- tioned below.
(VII) Joseph (4), son of Elijah Esty, was born January 20, 1798, at Westmoreland, Oneida county, New York, died November 17, 1881, at Ithaca, New York. When he was two years old the family came to Auburn and he received his early education there in the district schools. He learned the trade of tanner as an apprentice of Ezekiel Williams, of New Hartford, New York. He was after- ward in the employ of Mr. Morse, who failed after he had worked six months, whereupon Mr. Esty returned to Auburn and was em- ployed as foreman by the firm of R. & J. Patty, and supervised the building of their new tannery. Afterward he was for a year and a half a keeper in the state prison. In 1822 he came to Ithaca and a few years later purchased of Simcon DeWitt a lot of land at the corner of Tioga and Green streets, where he built a tannery and conducted business un- til 1852. He was then succeeded by his son. Edward S. Esty, who afterward became a prominent business man of Ithaca. He was one of the founders of the First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca, of which he was an elder and a deacon, a title by which he was famil- iarly known during most of his life. He in- vested largely in real estate in Ithaca and built many houses: one of the streets was named by the town Esty street in his honor. He was a trustee of the incorporated village in 1829, was overseer of the poor of the town some years, and in 1836 was supervisor of the town. He was a director of the Ithaca Bank and an original stockholder and incor- porator of the First National Bank, also a trustee of the Ithaca Savings Bank at the time it was chartered in 1868. He was an able and successful man of affairs, a conscien- tious and faithful Christian, a highly useful and public-spirited citizen.
He married Mary Selover, born May 7. 1706, at New Brunswick, New Jersey, died June 26, 1868, at Ithaca, New York. Chil- dren : John H., born August 15, 1822, at
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Auburn : Edward S .. July 17, 1824, at Ithaca, died in 1900: Mary, June 4. 1829. died in 1902: Sarah, May 21. 1831, married Henry Lyman Wilgus ( see Wilgus V) : William W., May 14. 1833: Joseph, June 18, 1835, died in 1876.
Stephen Howard was born in HOWARD Massachusetts in 1774. died in Candor. Tioga county, New York. about 1850. When he was a young man he moved to Tompkins county, New York, where he was engaged as a shoe- maker. He served in the war of 1812, and received a pension for his services at that time. He married Jane Children : Charles Chase, mentioned below ; Eliza, mar- ried lewis Head: Stephen: Julia, married George Snyder: Samuel.
(Il) Charles Chase, son of Stephen How- ard, was born in Newfield. Tompkins county. New York, about 1805, died in Candor, New York, in 1886. When he was a boy he worked on a farm, herding cows on land where the city of Ithaca, Tompkins county, New York, now is situated. He was always an indus- trious farmer, working at Cayuta Lake in Schuyler county, town of Danby, and in Can- dor, where he lived on Anderson Hill. Dur- ing the war the pigs raised by him were sold at the rate of sixty dollars apiece and some of them weighed more than five hundred pounds. He married ( first ) Lanra O., daugh- ter of Jonathan Phelps. of Massachusetts. He married ( second ) Roba R. Watrous. Chil- dren by first marriage: Warren; Minerva Ann. married Samuel Benjamin: Thirza J .. married David W. Andrews: Charles, died in Alpine, New York, 1911 ; Rhoda M .. mar- ried Morgan Eastman, and lives in lowa: Margaret E., married Samuel Floyd Kyle : Hiram, deceased: Loring Phelps, mentioned below: Laura E .. married Luther Baker, of Spencer. New York.
(III) Loring Phelps, son of Charles Chase Howard, was born in Danby. Tompkins coun- ty. New York, August 20, 1840. He went to Candor. New York, with his parents when he was a child. Here he received his educa- tion and worked on his father's farm. Until 1874 he carried on a dairying business, and in that year he gave up farming and became a licensed Methodist Episcopal preacher. He remained in that capacity at litchfield, Penn- sylvania, for three years, and then was three
years at Harford. Cortland county, New York. After this he was three years at ()r- well, Pennsylvania, and four years at Spen- cer, N. Y., four years at Windham, Bradford county. Pennsylvania, and four years at Danby. Tompkins county, New York. After five years at Hornbrook, Pennsylvania, he went to Spencer, where he now lives, and during the past eight years has supplied the West Danby Methodist Church. He married, October. 1869. Emily A., born in May. 1850, on Anderson Hill, Candor, Tioga county, New York, daughter of Ezra and Catherine ( Jackson ) Barden. Children : 1. Edna, born May, 1870: married Samuel K. Marsh, principal of high school in Candor, and their children are: Minerva, Jesse Lee, Emily and Howard. 2. Frank Loring, men- tioned below. 3. Fenton Phelps, born Febru- ary 27. 1874: was a farmer: died on home- stead on Anderson Hill. Candor. January, 1897 : married Hattie Stanton, of Windham, Pennsylvania, had son named Myrou.
(IV) Frank Loring, son of Loring Phelps Howard, was born on Anderson Hill, Candor, New York. February 4. 1873. He received his early education at Litchfield, Pennsylvania, Harford, Cortland county, New York, and Orwell, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, and then attended Spencer Academy, from which he was graduated in 1880. at the age of six- teen years. For three years he worked in a general store at Jersey Shore as clerk, and in 1892 moved to Elmira. New York, where he studied stenography. In January, 1893, he became stenographer in the office of Bacon & Aldrich, and during the time he was there he studied law. being admitted to the bar, July 7. 1896. He began the practice of his profession in February. 1897. in Waverly, New York, and worked alone until 1905, when he took as a partner. Edgar D. Sebring, under the firm name of Howard & Sebring. In politics he is a Republican. He served as village clerk from 1808 until 1901, a period of three years. In 1900 he was elected super- visor of the town of Bartos and for eight years served in this office. In 1908 he was elected to the state assembly, and also served in 1909-10. For two years he was on the judiciary committee, and also served on the joint legislative committee investigating the operation of direct primaries in the various states. He is a member of Waverly Lodge, No. 407. Free and .Accepted Masons, of Wav-
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erly. Cayuta Chapter, Royal Arch Masons : St. Omars Commandery, Knights Templar, ot Elmira; Katural Temple, Mystic Shrine, of Binghamton: Monoca Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Waverly ; Owego Lodge, No. 1039, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Owego. In religion he is a Methodist.
Ile married, June 28, 1898, Josephine Knapp. born March 28, 1872, at Orwell, Penn- sylvania, daughter of Chauncey M. and Emo- gene (Knapp) Frisbie. Children: Emogene Knapp, born November 15, 1899: Chauncey Frisbie, March 9. 1901: Frances Josephine. October 16, 1908.
STAMP The Stamp or Stam family came to this country before the revolu- tion. Jacob Stam was in a Tryon county regiment in the revolutionary war, and Lawrence Stamp, of Ulster county. was a private in Colonel Klock's regiment in 1780. the second Ulster county regiment. He was living in 1818 or later, as his name appears among the applicants for a pension after the law of 1818 was passed. In 1790 we do not find Lawrence Stamp reported as head of a family in the census, but Peter Stamp, of Ul- ster county, is reported with no children. A widow, Elizabeth Stam, of Palatine, Mont- gomery county, doubtless widow of Jacob. had four males over sixteen, two under six- teen and four females in her family. As there were no others of the name on record, it is fair to assume that Peter and Lawrence Stamp were closely related, perhaps brothers. (I) Jonathan Stamp was born about 1800 in Ulster or Orange county, New York, near Newburg. Early in life he came to the town of Newfield, Tompkins county, New York, where he purchased a farm. He not only fol- lowed farming for a livelihood, but conducted a hotel and became a prominent and useful citizen. He retired from active business a few years before his death and spent his last years at Newfield. He was popular and wide- ly known in this section of the state. He married Catherine Puff. Children : Alvina, James. Abial B., Mary, Peter, Ann Eliza, Gil- bert, Jonathan, Julius, Catherine, Julia.
(II) Abial R., son of Jonathan Stamp, was born in the town of Newfield, Tompkins coun- ty, New York, July 20, 1829. He received his early education in the district schools. and from boyhood worked in his father's hotel.
He became associated with his father in the management of the hotel and succeeded to the ownership of the property. After con- ducting it for several years he sold it and came to Ithaca, New York, where he con- ducted the Farmers Hotel on South Aurora street for a few years. He then entered part- nership with his wife's father, Samuel Holmes, and conducted a livery stable on East State street. Late in the fifties he bought the Tompkins House and after conducting it several years leased it. He has since con- ducted it part of the time and leased it the remainder of the time. He retired from busi- ness a few years ago and makes his home in Ithaca. He is one of the best known hotel men of this section. He is a member of the Order of Free and Accepted Masons, and in politics is an Independent. He married, Jan- uary 23, 1863, Julia S., daughter of Samuel Holmes. They have one daughter. Julia.
STEPHENS The Stephens family de- scribed herein was from Gundershofen, Alsace, Ger- many, and was there spelled Stephan. Ste- phan is an ancient and honored surname in Germany.
(I) Philip Stephan was born in Alsace, Jan- uary 10, 1774, died in 1857. He married, in Alsace, Mary Schmidt, born there October 7, 1783, died in 1845. Among their children was Philip, mentioned below.
(Il) Philip (2) Stephens, son of Philip (I) Stephan, was born in Alsace, Germany, Feb- ruary 12, 1819. He was educated in the schools of his native land. When he was eighteen years old he came to this country and for two years made his home in New York City. He then moved to Kingston, Ul- ster county, New York, where he was em- ployed in various occupations until 1842, when he came to Ithaca, New York, and started in business with a small capital as a butcher and dealer in meats and provisions. For many years he conducted a wholesale and shipping business, dealing especially in pork. With characteristic shrewdness he established a meat and provision store in East State street. which was then beginning to be the business center of the village, locating on the present site of White & Burdick's pharmacy. and afterward removed his business to a store op- posite the Tompkins County National Bank. His store was destroyed by fire and he chose
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a new location at the corner of State and Tioga streets, and in 1850 he purchased the building which is now occupied by Jeremiah Welch, and which is now owned by his daugh- ter. Lucy S. Stephens. At the time of his death and for many years previous he was senior partner of the firm of Stephens & Welch, in the meat and provision business, and at the time of his death had been in busi- ness in Ithaca longer than any other mer- chant. During the half century or more in which he was in business he saw the town grow from a modest village to the propor- tions of a city. In the sixty-six years of his life in Ithaca he was active and energetic and not until a year before his death was he obliged to absent himself from his work on account of illness. Few were better known and none more highly respected among the business men of Ithaca. In politics he was a Republican, in religion a Congregationalist. He was a member of Ithaca Lodge. No. 621. Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His resi- dence was at 602 Hudson street, Ithaca.
He married, February 14. 1847. Elizabeth Kitchen, of Enfield Center, New York, born November 3, 1823, died May 30, 1885. Chil- dren, born in Ithaca: I. Clement T., men- tioned below. 2. Dr. Fred P., September 29. 1853, died December 4, 1884 ; graduate of Cor- nell University, class of 1875, then was in- terne at Bellevue Hospital, New York; prac- ticed medicine in New York City until his death of typhoid fever. 3. Elizabeth. Decem- ber 23, 1857; married Edmund C. Barto, of Trumansburg, New York, and had one son, Philip S. Barto; the family resides in Cham- pagne, Illinois. 4. Lucy S., October 29. 1868 : has always lived on the homestead at Ithaca ; was educated in the public schools, the Ithaca high school and the Oread Institute of Wor- cester, Massachusetts. At this time. instead of keeping on with her studies, Miss Stephens accompanied her father to Germany and visited his old home there; this was just fifty years from the time Mr. Stephens left Ger- many and the first time he had been home during that period; they spent about three months in Germany and then traveled in England and France.
(III) Clement T., son of Philip (2) Ste- phens, was born September II, 1849, at Itli- aca, died there January 18, 1908. He at- tended the public schools at Ithaca. prepared for college in the preparatory school at Clin-
ton, and was afterward a student at Hamil- ton College. He left college to become book- keeper for his father, and afterward he en- gaged in business in Ithaca as a dealer in hardware and agricultural implements. To this business he added a coal yard and after- ward a plumbing business. He became a lead- ing inerchant of Ithaca and one of its most successful merchants. He retired from busi- ness, October 19. 1907, and died a few months later. He was a member of the Con- gregational church, and in politics was a Re- publican. He married. September 14. 1881, Susan M. Hibbard, and had one son. Fitch Hibbard, born September 26. 1882, an attor- ney in Ithaca, New York, of the firm of Stephens & Miller : he is a graduate of the public schools and Cornell University, mem- ber of the class of 1905.
PLATTS Samuel Platts, cousin of Jona- than Platts, came with his wife Sarah about 1654 to New Eng- land. She died April 10, 1681, and he mar- ried (second). December 19, 1682, Philippa Felt, of Salem, Massachusetts. She was prob- ably a widow. She married after his death, April 9, 1690, Thomas Nelson. Children by first wife: Samuel, born about 1648; Abel; Elizabeth : Sarah: James. Child by second wife: Mary, baptized June 29. 1684.
(I) Jonathan Platts, immigrant ancestor, cousin of Samuel Platts, son of a Godly father, member of a Congregational church in Eng- land, had by his wife (a woman of good con- versation and well esteemed, yet not a mem- ber-in-full communion) children whom he desired might be baptized. December 19, 1667. His will was dated July 24, 1680, proved September 28, 1680. and in it he mentioned his wife, sons John and Jonathan, the "rest of my children" and "Cusen Samewell Plats, sener." His signature is on a record of 1655. He married. December 6, 1655. Elizabeth, sis- ter of Captain John Johnson. She was men- tioned in Thomas Barker's will and called "cousin" in Gershom Lambert's will. She died November 16, 1721. He was buried July 18, 1680. Children : Mary, born November II, 1656, buried November 11, 1659; John, January 20, 1658-59: Jonathan, August 23. 1661: Jonas, mentioned below: Elizabeth. baptized August 9, 1668; James, born March 25. 1670: Isaac. January 6. 1672-73 : Hannah. baptized April 15. 1676.
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