USA > New York > Jefferson County > Genealogical and family history of the county of Jefferson, New York, Volume I > Part 30
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He is a member of the Jefferson County Medical Society, the New York State Medical Association, and the American Medical Association. Dr. Peterson is a member of Corona Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; of Crotona Lodge, Knights of Pythias ; the Dramatic Order of Knights of Khorassan ; the Union Club; the Lincoln League; a charter member and director of the Watertown Coaching Club, and a member of Crescent Yacht Club. His summer home is at Prospect Park, St. Law- rence river.
Dr. Peterson married, December 31, 1900, Sarah M., who was born
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May 7, 1875, only child of Gilbert and Myra (Adams) Bradford of Watertown (see Bradford).
MASON MARTIN SWAN. Among the members of the Jeffer- son county bar who, by reason of learning, forensic ability and force of character, have earned for themselves honorable places in the ranks of their profession, Mason Martin Swan is conspicuous. He is a repre- sentative of an ancient family, tracing his descent from the sturdy, in- vincible type which planted the New England colonies.
John Swan, founder of the American branch of the family, born in 1627 at Cambridge, Massachusetts, was the father of ten children, one of whom was Gershom Swan, born in 1654. His son Timothy, a joiner, was born in 1685 and lived at Medford, Massachusetts. He was the father of four children, one of whom was Samuel, born at Med- ford, Massachusetts, in 1716. His son Daniel was born in 1752, at Medford, Massachusetts, by occupation was a tanner, and was the father of Joseph, who was born in the same town December 9, 1779. Joseph, who became a tanner and saddler, migrated to Cheshire, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, while a young man, and there married Mary Barker, who was born November 6, 1786. Of this marriage was born Dewey Swan, August 2, 1805, at Cheshire. April 22, 1827, Dewey Swan married Polly Rounds, whose father, Jabez Rounds, had migrated from Rhode Island and cleared off a large farm upon the mountain, four miles west of the village of Cheshire. This farm is located upon the next to the highest peak of the Berkshire range of mountains, and has now for many years been one of New England's abandoned farms, and is locally known as Rounds' Mountain. Polly Rounds was born there in 1804, and died at Belleville, New York, in 1879.
Immediately after their marriage, Dewey Swan and his wife emi- grated to the town of Ellisburgh, Jefferson county, where he took up a large tract of land. Here he spent the remainder of his life as a farmer, taking a prominent part in local affairs, holding some town offices. His political preferences were those of the Democratic party until the founding of the Republican party in 1854, to which he was ever afterward loyal.
Mr. and Mrs. Swan were the parents of seven children, two of whom were Martin D., who is mentioned hereafter ; and Daniel M., the youngest, born in 1843. He proved to be the scholar of the family, graduating in Union Academy, at Belleville, New York, in 1863. The
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next year, on account of his proficiency, he was admitted to the sophio- more class of Union College, completed the four years' course in three years, and graduated as valedictorian of his class. Thereafter he studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced very successfully at Leaven- worth. Kansas. Later he became interested in a large ranch in Texas. In 1869 he married Lemira Ford. They had three children: Charles M., Mary, and Daniel M., Jr. Dewey Swan died at Orwell, New York, at the ripe age of eighty-five years. His wife was seventy-five at the time of her death, and both were highly honored by all who knew them for their good and useful lives. They were lifelong and honored mem- bers of the Baptist church at Belleville.
Cordelia Swan, one of the daughters of Dewey and Polly Swan, was born August 4, 1830, married Frederick Williams, of Belleville, March 9. 1853.
Martin Dewey Swan, the son of Dewey and Polly ( Rounds) Swan, was born May 2, 1838, in Ellisburg, and was educated at Union Acad- emy at Belleville. In August. 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company E. Tenth New York Heavy Artillery, and served until the close of the war. In 1864 he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and transferred to Company I in the same regiment. He participated in the battles of Cold Harbor and Petersburg, and was with Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley. On his return from the war he came to Ellis- burgh and bought a farm of 150 acres, lying north of Belleville. Here he has since resided, and become a prosperous farmer. He has for many years been a wholesale dealer in seed peas and beans.
December 20, 1866, he married Frances L., daughter of Alvah and Louisa (Packer) Bull. The former, a native of Danby, Vermont, came to Ellisburgh early in life and settled and cleared up a large tract of land near Rural Hill, in Ellisburgh. He became a prominent farmer and dairyman, and maintained one of the finest country homes in the county, which is now the property of his son, George E. Bull. Mr. Bull was prominent in town affairs, being at one time supervisor of the town. He and his wife were the parents of six children, five of whom are living : James, who resides near Minneapolis, Minnesota; Marietta J., married James F. Converse ; she died in Woodville, leaving two children, Frank .A., married and now hves in Buffalo, and Marietta May, married and lives in Carthage, New York; Eunice, who is now the widow of William Mather, who was an extensive land owner and seed dealer in the town of Henderson: George E .. who has always lived upon the
Black River Valley, above Watertown
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homestead at Rural Hill; Frances L., mentioned above; Henry C., who lives at Cokato, Minnesota, and who is a prominent banker of that state, having organized a number of banks, and who is now the president of six of these banks. Alvah Bull, the father, died at the age of seventy- seven, and his wife at the age of eighty-one.
As a citizen, Martin D. Swan is very active. He is one of the directors of the Adams National Bank, and has manifested in a practical manner his great interest in the cause of education by serving for more than thirty years as one of the trustees of Union Academy. He is also an active and prominent member of the Belleville Baptist church and Union Grange. Mr. and Mrs. Swan are the parents of two children : Marietta Belle, the elder, was born December 12, 1867. She studied vocal music for some years in Syracuse and New York, and later was teacher of vocal music in a leading institution in North Carolina. De- cember 27, 1900, she married Hon. Henry Frank Brown, of that state. Mr. Brown has held many legislative offices in his native state.
Mason Martin Swan, son of Martin D. and Frances L. (Bull) Swan, born April 20, 1873, in Ellisburgh, received his primary educa- tion in the Mathers Mills district school, and afterward attended Union Academy at Belleville, from which he graduated in 1892. During his junior and senior years in that institution he was president of his class, which up to that time was the largest graduated from that venerable insti- tution. He then entered Brown University, and in 1896 graduated therefrom with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. While in college he was prominent in athletics and in the musical organizations, being first cornetist in the College Symphony Orchestra and conductor of the College Military Band. He began the study of law in the office of Sena- tor Elon R. Brown, and later entered the senior class at the Albany Law School, from which he graduated in 1899. In the fall of that year he opened an office in the city of Watertown, New York, for the practice of law. In April, 1903, he formed a partnership with Brayton A. Field, under the firm name of Field & Swan.
Mason M. Swan is a member of Watertown Lodge No. 49, Free and Accepted Masons : Watertown Chapter No. 59, Royal Arch Masons ; Watertown Commandery No. 1I, Knights Templar ; Corona Lodge No. 706, Independent Order of Odd Fellows: Crescent Yacht Club; Sons of Veterans : Modern Woodmen of America, and the Grange. For two years he has been president of the Lincoln League, the permanent Repub- lican club of Jefferson county, which has a membership of about four-
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teen hundred, and which is the largest permanent Republican club in the state. For three years he has been president of the Alumni Associa- tion of Union Academy at Belleville.
Mr. Swan married, August 27, 1903, Carol Margaret, only daugh- ter of Henry J. and Martha (Salisbury) Brimmer of Watertown, New York.
WILLIAM FITZGERALD. Among the leading business men of Clayton who by thrift and industry have earned for themselves a place, may be mentioned William Fitzgerald, of the firm of Maher & Fitzgerald, dealers in grain, feed, flour, lime, cement, coal, hay, etc. He was born in Ireland on May 23, 1848.
James Fitzgerald, father of William Fitzgerald, was a farmer in Ireland, where he lived when his son was born. It was near the middle of the last century that he brought his family to America and settled in Vermont, near Montpelier. He was employed on the railroad until 1850, when he moved to Clayton, New York, and engaged in farm- ing. He died at Clayton at the age of thirty-four. His wife was Mary, daughter of Michael Mellon, an Irish farmer, who came to Clay- ton with his family, and died there at the age of seventy-five. James and Mary ( Mellon) Fitzgerald were the parents of four children, namely : William, whose name appears at the head of this article; Michael, a farmer ; Margaret, who is the wife of James Casselman, a farmer of Clayton : Catherine, deceased. The mother of these children is living at the present time (1904), aged seventy-six years.
William Fitzgerald was but a child when his parents came to America, and he was educated in the public schools here, and grew up to the traditions of the country. He worked as a farm laborer for some years, and later bought a dairy farm of four hundred acres- the largest in the town-about two miles from Clayton. He managed this farin successfully until 1890, when occurred the death of a younger brother, who in company with M. C. Maher had some years before estab- lished this business in Clayton. which has grown to such large propor- tions. William took his interest in the firm, to which he has since given his attention with very gratifying results, the business to-day being one of the most prosperous in the town.
Mr. Fitzgerald married, in 1866, Louise Vignero, born in Otsego county, New York, daughter of Nicholas Vignero, and one of five
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children, of whom all the others found homes in the west. The mother died in Oswego county.
As a Democrat, Mr. Fitzgerald takes a lively interest in politics, both local and national. For three years he was excise commissioner of the township of Clayton. He is a member of the Knights of Colum- bus, and has been an officer of the society. He is a trustee and earnest worker in St. Mary's Catholic church, and he was a member of the building committee that supervised its construction. It is one of the fnest churches to be found in any town of its size in the state.
ALBERT THOMPSON. Energy, perseverance and industry were the chief characteristics in the successful career of Albert Thompson, a farmer in the town of Lorraine, Jefferson county, New York, where his birth occurred July 14, 1856. His parents were Duane and Elizabeth (Tillison) Thompson, residents of Lorraine, where they followed the quiet but useful calling of agriculture.
The early years of the life of Albert Thompson were spent in the same manner as the majority of other boys reared in the country-assist- ing with the manifold and arduous tasks around the house and farm, and attending the district school during the winter months. Upon at- taining mature years he purchased the farm of over one hundred acres located southwest of the village of Lorraine, formerly the property of old Deacon Lyman, whereon he has since conducted farming and dairying, conducting his operations on an extensive scale. He is a practical man of business, honorable in his methods, and is highly esteemed and respected in the community. He is firm in his advocacy of Republican principles, and takes an active interest in the affairs of his party, but has never sought or held public office, preferring to devote his time and attention exclusively to the cultivation of his farm, which is one of the most productive in that section of the county.
On August 1, 1875, Mr. Thompson was married to Delia Wheeler, who was born in Adams, New York, September 13, 1857, a daughter of Edward and Miranda (Farr) Wheeler, the former named being a farmer by occupation, and a Republican in politics. Three children were the issue of this marriage: Lillie, born July 28, 1876; Eddie, born March 10, 1880; and Daniel, born May 26, 1889. These children all reside at home, and the boys expect eventually to become farmers and to be able to give their father material assistance in his labors.
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AMASA M. FLANSBURGH. No better representative of the farmers of Jefferson county could be found than Amasa M. Flansburgh, of Adams. The family of the Flansburgh was founded in this country by one Flansburgh, who emigrated from Holland. Anthony Flans- burgh, the son of this pioneer ancestor, manifested his devotion to his adopted country by enlisting at the early age of sixteen in the Revolu- tionary army, and was present at an event the news of which was received with unspeakable joy by the friends of freedom on both sides of the sca-the surrender of General Burgoyne. His wife was a Van Allen.
Peter Flansburgh, son of Anthony Flansburgh, was born in Albany county, New York, and followed the trade of a carpenter. In early life lie came to Jefferson county, where he lived a number of years, and then went to Kenosha, Wisconsin, in which place he passed the remainder of his life. He married Catherine Tubois, and they were the parents of the following children : Mary, Nancy, Samantha, Amanda, Wesley and Alonzo. After the death of his wife Mr. Flansburgh married Cynthia Hayes, and three children were born to them: Seth Orville, mentioned at length hereinafter; Caroline, and Timothy.
Seth Orville Flansburgh, son of Peter and Cynthia ( Hayes) Flans- burgh, was born June 28, 1835, in Clayton. He learned the trade of miller at Depauville and worked there and at Redwood for a number of years, at the former place being part owner of the business. He afterward went to Michigan, where he became a farmer, and now lives at Grand Ledge, in that state. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and the Order of the Eastern Star, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Flansburgh married Lucy McCombs, who was born in Brownville, August 30, 1837, a daughter of Andrew and Emily (Dickey ) McCombs, and granddaughter of John and Magdalena ( Frank) McCombs. John McCombs (grandfather) was born in the state of New York. 1774. married in 1800, Magdalena Frank, daughter of Judge Frank, of Herkimer county, New York, and to them were born Andrew McCombs ( father), whose birth occurrred January 31, 1802, in Litch- field, Herkimer county, New York, married in 1836, in Clayton, New York, Emily Dickey, who bore him two children, Lucy and Amelia. John McCombs died at the residence of his son Andrew in Lyme, New York, 1847, and his wife also died there, 1865. Andrew McCombs died at the old homestead, 1887, and his wife passed away in the year 1800. Three children-a son and two daughters-were the issue of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Flansburgh : Amasa M., born January 12,
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1858, mentioned at length hereinafter; Addie, born April 9, 1860, wife of Herbert Lord, of Grand Ledge, Michigan; and Carrie A., born May 24, 1866, wife of Elmer Edwards. of Grand Ledge, Michigan. In August, 1898, the family was afflicted by by the death of Mrs. Flans- burgh, the mother of these children. She was a most estimable woman, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Amasa M. Flansburgh, son of Seth Orville and Lucy (McCombs) Flansburgh, was born January 12, 1858, in the town of Lyme. He learned the milling business under the direction of his father, and after engaging in it for some fifteen years turned his attention to agriculture, and in 1900 purchased the old "Orrin Ripley farm," near the village of Adams. This estate, which consists of one hundred and twenty-two acres, is maintained and conducted as a flourishing dairy farm. Mr. Flansburgh is a member of the Grange. In politic's he is a Republican, following in this respect the traditions of his family, who are all adher- ents of that party.
Mr. Flansburgh married, February 26, 1880, Inez Rogers, and they have one son, Mark T., who was born June 18, 1881, and is now a resi- dent of Cleveland, Ohio, where he is employed as a bookkeeper by the Dental Manufacturing Company of that city.
Mrs. Flansburgh is descended from Gideon Rogers, who was born in Rhode Island and during the Revolutionary war served in the Conti- mental army. He married Lucy Congdon, and their son, Gideon Rogers, born in Hancock, Massachusetts, served in the war of 1812. In 1816 he came to Brownville and in 1819 settled in Claytor. He was first employed by General Brown, who was a cousin of Mr. Flansburgh's mother, Lucy (McCombs ) Flansburgh. Gideon Rogers, Jr., married Betsy Ormsby, and they were the parents of a son. Solon Rogers, who was born December 5. 1823. in the town of Orleans. He became a farmer, is a Republican in politics and a member of the Masonic Order and the Grange. He has now retired from active labor and lives at Three Mile Bay. Solon Rogers married Sarah Lewis, born February 22, 1834, daughter of John and Mary ( Knox) Lewis, of Orleans. The latter was born in 1790, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, daughter of Robert Knox, who joined the army of the Revolution at the age of sixteen and served seven years, and a niece of General Knox of Revolutionary fame. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers were the parents of a daughter, Inez, born April 10, 1856, in the town of Clayton, who became the wife of Amasa M.
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Flansburgh, as mentioned above. She is a member of the Eastern Star of Adams, New York.
. WILLIAM R. STRICKLAND. The future of a community is largely determined by the character of its early settlers, and the part which Jefferson county has played in the history of the state and of the nation is due in no small measure to the fact that its pioneers were of New England stock, descendants of men who founded a nation in the face of difficulties and dangers which would have deterred those of less heroic mould. It is from such ancestors that William R. Strickland, a thriving farmer and enterprising citizen of Adams, traces his descent.
Rial Strickland was born November 16. 1785, in Massachusetts, received a good education, and was at one time a schoolmaster. About ISIo he came to Jefferson county and settled in Rodman, near where the village now stands. He had a farm of about one hundred and sixty acres, which he devoted mainly to the cultivation of fruit, in which he was very successful. He was a man of influence in the township, and held the office of justice of the peace. In politics he adhered to the Whig party. He married, January 29, 1809, Lorinda Gager, who was born February 13, 1787, and they were the parents of eleven children : Esther B., Maria. Lorinda, Adeline, Samuel, Orin, Rial, Sally, Betsey, Morgan and Dewitt, mentioned at length hereinafter. Mr. Strickland, the father of this large family-of whom all but one arrived at maturity and resided in this vicinity-died at the advanced age of ninety years, justly loved and respected by all who knew him.
Dewitt Strickland, son of Rial and Lorinda (Gager) Strickland, was born in 1830, in Rodman, where he passed his boyhood on the paternal farm, and in early manhood engaged in agricultural pursuits. During the Civil war he enlisted in Company B, Tenth Regiment New York Heavy Artillery, and served ten months, being present at the siege of Petersburg. For injuries sustained during his term of service he received a pension. In 1873 he purchased the old J. W. Smith farm, situated in Adams, on the Rodman road, and for the remainder of his life devoted himself assiduously to its cultivation. By his skillful management the ninety-two acres which composed the estate were rendered extremely profitable as a fine dairy farm. Mr. Strickland was a Republican in pol- itics, and took an active part in the affairs of the organization, but could never be prevailed upon to accept office. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He and his wife attended the Baptist church. He
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married Samaria C. Burnham, and three children were born to them : D. Alton, who died at the age of fourteen months; Nellie, who resides at home; and William R., mentioned at length hereinafter. The death of Mr. Strickland, which occurred May 19, 1898. was lamented by all who knew him, as that of a man admirable in all the relations of life.
William R. Strickland, son of Dewitt and Samaria C. (Burnham) Strickland, was born October 29, 1864, in Henderson. He received his primary education in the district school, afterward taking a commercial course at the Adams Collegiate Institute. When the time came for him to choose a life-calling, he decided to follow in the footsteps of his an- cestors, and devote himself to the cultivation of the acres which would in the course of time become his by inheritance. He is now in possession of the homestead, the flourishing condition of which bears witness to his well-deserved reputation as one of the substantial farmers of the town- ship. He is a member of the Lincoln League, Rising Sun Lodge No. 234, F. & A. M., of Adams, and of Adams Grange. In the sphere of politics he is true to the traditions of his family, and adheres to the Republican party. He and his wife attend the Baptist church.
Mr. Strickland married, January 24, 1894, Pearlie E., daughter of Aldro Whitford, of Adams. They have one daughter, Samaria E., born June 27, 1900.
BRAYTON S. CLARK, a worthy farmer and esteemed citizen of Pierrepont Manor, traces his descent from New England ancestors, his great-grandfather, John Clark, having been a resident of Rhode Island, and one of the patriotic soldiers of the Revolution, and lived to be more than a hundred years old. He left three sons, John, Jesse and Nathaniel, all of whom emigrated from Rhode Island to New York, and were among the pioneer settlers of Lorraine township.
John Clark, mentioned above as one of the three sons of John Clark of Revolutionary fame, was born in Rhode Island, and came to this county in the early part of the last century, finding his way from Rome by means of marked trees. He was one of the first settlers of the town of Lorraine, where he took up a large tract of land. He and his son James took part in the war of 1812. Mr. Clark was a man of influence in the township. He married Eliph Caulkins, and they were the parents of ten children, all of whom lived and died in this vicinity. Mr. Clark, while not equalling his father in longevity, lived to a good old age, dying at the advanced aged of eighty-four years.
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Datus E. Clark, son of John and Eliph ( Caulkins) Clark, was born September 18, 1809, on his father's farm in Lorraine township and was all his life engaged in agricultural pursuits. He lived on the homestead until 1850, when he moved to the town of Ellisburgh, and became the owner of three other farms in that township. He occupied himself chiefly in dairying and the raising of stock, in which branches of industry he was eminently successful. For his services during the French Creek trouble he received a warrant for 160 acres of land. His political affilia- tions were with the Democratic party, and he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He married Caroline, born Decem- ber 22, 1816, daughter of Isaiah and Lucy (Carpenter) Bateman, the former a farmer of Sandy Creek. Mr. and Mrs. Clark had two children : Brayton S., mentioned at length hereinafter; and Lucy Ambrosia, who (lied October 28, 1869, at the age of eighteen years. The death of Mr. Clark occurred July 22, 1893. He was a man who had been greatly pros- pered in worldly matters, but whose best legacy to his descendants was the memory of an honorable and useful life. His widow is still living at an advanced age.
Brayton S. Clark, son of Datus E. and Caroline ( Bateman) Clark, was born December 29, 1845, on the old homestead in Lorraine township, and was educated in the common schools. On reaching manhood he clecided to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and become a farmer for life. His subsequent career has abundantly proved that his abili- ties as an agriculturist are in no wise inferior to those of his fore- fathers. He now owns the old home farm of two hundred and fifty- seven acres, situated just east of the village of Pierrepont Manor, which he continues to devote, as his father did, to dairying and stock raising, making a specialty of the Durham breed. He is a member of the Grange. In politics he is a Republican, and takes an active part in the affairs of the organization. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church of Mannsville.
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