USA > New York > Jefferson County > Genealogical and family history of the county of Jefferson, New York, Volume I > Part 64
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(VIII) Anthony P. Severance, son of Cyrus and Sev- erance, was born October 18, 1835. in New Haven. Oswego county, New York, and is a farmer. He was married, March 13, 1856, to Frances Rathbun, who was born January 18, 1837. in New Haven, Oswego county, New York. Following is a brief record of their children: Fay- ette G., born in 1856, is a clergyman of the Methodist church, now resid- ing in Hillsboro, Kansas. Charles N., born 1858, is a Congregational minister, located at Garden City, Kansas. Frank B., born 1860, is a Methodist clergyman, located at Frankfort, New York. Cyrus J. is men- tioned at lengthi in a following paragraph. Cynthia E., born 1867, is the wife of Edward E. Samuel, of Remsen, New York. Helen L., born 1875, is the wife of William Pritchard, of Remsen.
Dr. Severance acquired his early education in the public schools of his native town, and also in Mexico Academy. After leaving school he was for three years clerk in a drug store at Mexico, and while thus employed he laid the foundation of his medical education, both in the store and in study under the direction of a practicing physician. He then matriculated in the medical department of the University of the City of New York, and graduated there, M. D., in 1888. He began practice in Mannsville, where he has since lived in the enjoyment of a successful professional career and the confidence and regard of a wide circle of friendships. He is a member of the Jefferson County Medical Society and the New York State Medical Association. In fraternal cir- cles he is a Mason, a member of Lodge No. 234 of Adams, and an Odd
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Fellow of excellent standing, having passed all the chairs and hield va- rious other offices of trust in that order. He also is a member of the Society of Maccabees, a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was a delegate to the general conference held at Los An- geles, California, in 1904. In 1904 Dr. Severance was appointed a mem- ber of the board of managers of the New York State Custodial Asylum at Rome. He is one of the directors of the Farmers' National Bank of Adams.
On February 10, 1882, Dr. Severance married Hattie E. Davis, of Palermo, Oswego county, born there May 2, 1863, daughter of Charles E. Davis, born in Ellisburgh, Jefferson county, October 17, 1837, and a son of Demetrius Davis, a native of Wales. Mrs. Severance's mother was born in Sandy Creek, Oswego county, July 15, 1839. a daughter of John Davis and his wife Ruth Cole, both of whom were natives of Vermont. Dr. and Mrs. Severance had one child, a son, who died in infancy.
MAJOR NEWTON B. MANN, of New England Puritan ancestors of English origin, was an early settler in Jefferson county, New York, and the pretty little village of Mannsville was named in allusion to him. He settled in that locality about or soon after 1810, and after he had devel- oped a farm he built, about 1827, a woolen mill, put it in operation, and thus drew to the locality a considerable number of people who came to find work in his factory. Unfortunately, while Major Mann was on his way to Rome to place an insurance on his mill buildings, they were de- stroyed by fire, and thus much of his fortune was swept away. Major Mann hunself was a Vermonter by birth, and held a major's commission in the war of 1812, hence the military title by which he always after- ward was addressed.
Samuel Mann was a second cousin of Major Mann, and at the lat- ter's request he was induced to settle at Mannsville. He was born in Rochester, Vermont, and came thence to Jefferson county in 1820. He was a farmer, and died in February, 1837, aged thirty-two years. His wife, Rebecca Bulkley, was born January 3, 1803, and died February 2, 1873. They had two children, namely: Newton Bargilia Mann, born in Mannsville, April 19, 1831 ; and Harriet L. Mann, born in Mannsville, August, 1837, married Allen Brown of Belleville, and died October 16, 1900.
Newton B. Mann, son of Samuel and Rebecca Mann, was appren- ticed to a tanner when ten years old, and afterward worked on a farm.
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He is now an extensive farmer, although a portion of his business life has been spent in other localities and in other pursuits than agriculture. For nine years he was connected with the operation of street railways, and for several years of that time was superintendent of the old Brook- lyn Central and Jamaica Street Railway. Yet, in a certain sense, Mr. Mann has always regarded Mannsville as his home, and his property in- terests there are extensive. He is a breeder of thoroughbred track horses, with decided inclination to preserve so far as possible the Hambletonian blood that the famous Rysdeck produced more than forty years ago. On his two hundred acre farm Mr. Mann keeps from twenty-five to fifty head of thoroughbred stock, and as often as he has exhibited them in competition so often has he been awarded first prizes. In 1881 he had nine horses on exhibition at the state fair at Elmira, and then was awarded eight first prizes and one second prize ; and in the same year at Syracuse he exhibited a six-horse tandem, winning the first prize, and also gaining two other prizes for best stallions. In fact, Mr. Mann as a horse breeder is known from one end of the country to the other, and his farm two miles south of the village of Mannsville is known far and near as the celebrated "Royal Stock Farm." He is a practical and successful farmer as well as horse breeder, and takes an interest in all matters pertaining to agricultural pursuits. He is a member of the county Grange, and a leader in its councils. He is an Odd Fellow, and an attendant at the Methodist Episcopal church, of which his wife is a member; and he has been a choir member of that church for more than forty years.
Mr. Mann has been twice married. His first wife was Eugenia A. Vernon, born in Lyme, Jefferson county, September 20, 1845, died Feb- ruary 3, 1881, leaving a daughter. Grace J. Mann, born August 30, 1877. He married (second) May Ada Moffatt, born in Brownville, Jefferson county. November 17, 1848, daughter of Reuben H. Moffatt (see Mof- fatt).
ADELBERT BRUCE DEMPSTER. Among the energetic busi- ness men of Jefferson county must be numbered Adelbert Bruce Demp- ster, of Mannsville. Through his father he comes of Scotch ancestry, and on liis inother's side is related to the family of ex-President Grover Cleveland.
Bruce Dempster was born in 1794, in Glasgow, Scotland, his father being a wealthy man. When the father was drafted for the British army, Bruce, then a mere youth. took his father's place. After two
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years' service on board a man-of-war he was sent to Canada, where lie took part in the war of 1812. At Kingston, Ontario, he left the army, after which he went to Sacketts Harbor and became a farmer and stone- mason. He was for some years in business in New York city, and also in Rodman, Jefferson county. He worked as a stonemason in Water- town and Hounsfield, and in the latter town, in 1876, purchased a farm, where he passed the remainder of his life. Mr. Dempster married in 1835 Betsy Cleveland, born in the Mohawk valley, daughter of Harvey and Lefie (Cross) Cleveland. (See Cleveland, VI.) The former was a soldier in the war of 1812, and one of the pioneers of Jefferson county, whither he came in the early part of the last century. For a number of years he owned and worked a sawmill in Rutland, and afterward moved to Hounsfield, where he passed the remainder of his life as a farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Dempster were the parents of the following children : Andrew J., who served in the Civil war and died young ; Jane L., who died at the age of twenty-eight; Adelbert Bruce, mentioned at length hereinafter ; Eugene Milton, who is unmarried and lives on the homestead in Hounsfield; and William Wallace, who is the proprietor of a hotel in Pamelia. Mr. Dempster, the father of this family, died in 1876, at his home in Hounsfield.
Adelbert Bruce Dempster, son of Bruce and Betsy (Cleveland) Dempster, was born July 14, 1849, and adopted as his calling the trade of a carpenter, which he subsequently abandoned, feeling a preference for commercial life. At different times he was employed as a clerk at Adams and Mannsville, and for three years was in mercantile business for himself at Watertown. A large portion of his life has been spent as a farmer, and he has purchased and sold two farms, one in Rodman and the other at Mannsville. He is a Republican in politics.
Mr. Dempster married, in 1875, Nellie V. Moulton, of Sandy Creek, and they were the parents of a son and daughter. The son, Clar- ence Bruce, who was born October 1, 1876, was educated at Belleville Academy, and was for a time a teacher, after which he became a student at the University of Syracuse. He will devote the remainder of his life to teaching. He has won distinction in athletic sports, and was a men- ber of the crew who won the boat race on the Hudson river in 1904. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dempster, Annie Laurie, was born March 25, 1884, and was educated in the graded schools of Adams township and at Hungerford Collegiate Institute. The mother of these children died May 27, 1889, and Mr. Dempster married, July 22, 1891, Mary A.,
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born August 6, 1867, daughter of George and Anna ( Bush ) Williams, who are natives of England and farmers at Belleville.
DR. HARRISON CORBET POTTER, an able and highly re- spected physician of Mannsville, is the bearer of a name notable in Jeffer- son county, not only as that of a family of long standing and one which has more than once recruited the ranks of the medical profession, but as that of one of the most honored bishops of the Protestant Episcopal church.
Peter Corbet Potter was of Massachusetts stock, his mother, whose name was Rising, having been a lineal descendant of one of the "May. flower" pilgrims. Mr. Potter was born January 22, 1824, in Paris, Oneida county, New York, and in early manhood was a schoolmaster. About 1844 he moved to Adams, Jefferson county, where he became a farmer and continued to follow agricultural pursuits until his retirement in. 1808, and now resides at Sacketts Harbor. He has been for many years an official of the Methodist Episcopal church. He married Miss Spicer, by whom he was the father of one son, Herbert M., who is in business in Sacketts Harbor. After the death of his wife Mr. Potter married Lucretia Potter, and three sons were born to them: Jason G., who is a merchant of Miles City, Montana, and the owner of a sheep ranch; Henry L., who is a farmer on the old homestead at Sacketts Harbor; and DeWitt C., who is a farmer in East Hounsfield. On being left a widower for the second time Mr. Potter married, in 1863. Lutheria N .. born in 1828, in the town of Lorraine, daughter of Amos Gould. Her parents were from Needham, Massachusetts, and were among the pioneers of Jefferson county, where Mr. Gould, who was a graduate of Amherst College, was for many years a schoolmaster. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were the parents of two children: Harrison C .. mentioned at length hereinafter; and Celia Frances, who is the wife of Frank Dixon, a business man of Dexter.
Harrison C. Potter, son of P. Corbet and Lutheria N. (Gould) Potter, was born December 20, 1864, in Smithville, town of Adams. Jefferson county, and received his primary education in the district school of Sacketts Harbor, afterward attending Adams Collegiate Insti- tute and Ives Seminary at Antwerp. The training for his chosen pro- fession was obtained in the medical school of the University of Buffalo, where he graduated May 2, 1894, with the degree of Doctor of Medi- cine. The same year he went to Mannsville, where he has since been
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engaged in the active practice of his profession. The confidence with which Dr. Potter is regarded by his neighbors, not only as a physician but also as a eitizen, is exemplified by the fact that in the spring of 1904 he was elected president of the village. He is a promoter of everything pertaining to the welfare of the township. The village is indebted to him for the organization of the fire department, of which he was for two years chief, and his interest in educational matters is very active. He is a member of the Jefferson County Medical Society, and the State Medical Society. He belongs to the I. O. O. F., and is now financial secretary of Mannsville Lodge, No. 175. of which he is a past grand. In politics he is a Republican, and is an active member of the party, being known throughout the county as such, and for eight years was chairman of the town committee. For several years he has attended most of the Republican conventions held in the county, usually as a delegate. His religious doctrines are those of the Methodist Episcopal denomination, and in the church which he attends he is both a member and an officer.
Dr. Potter married, June 12, 1895, Rhoda F. daughter of Hon. H. J. Lane, of Sacketts Harbor, formerly a member of the legislature.
HAMLIN. Like most of the New England names, this came from old England early in the colonial period, and has had numerous representatives scattered throughout the United States.
(I) Giles Hamlin, progenitor of the American family, born in England about 1622, was married in 1655 to Hester, daughter of John Crow, of Hartford, Connecticut. She was born about 1628, probably in England. Mr. Hamlin was fifty years a mariner. He settled at Middletown, Connecticut, as early as 1654, and he and his wife were among the members of the first church there, established September 4. 1688, he being admitted on the thirteenth of the same month and she on the thirtieth of October. His home was on the east side of Main street, abutting on the south side of Court street. He was a striet Puritan, and one of the most substantial and reliable men of the town, and held many offices of trust and responsibility.
(II) William, son of Giles Hamlin, born February 3. 1668, in Middletown, married ( May 26, 1692) Susanna, daughter of Rev. Nathaniel Collins and his wife, Mary Whiting, daughter of William Whiting, one of the early settlers of Hartford. Rev. Nathaniel Col- lins was a son of Deacon Edward Collins, of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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and graduated at Harvard College in 1660. Susanna Collins was born November 26, 1669.
(III) Richard Hamlin, son of William and Susanna Hamlin, was born May 17, 1693, in Middletown, and was married there, No- vember 30, 1721, to Martha. daughter of Rev. James Smith, of Crom- well, Connecticut. The colonial records of May, 1736, contain this : "This Assembly do establish and confirm Mr. Richard Hamlin captain of the company or trainband at the New Field, in the town of Middle- town, and order that he be commissioned accordingly." He died 1765, was buried June 27, 1765, at Middletown. His children, born at Mid- dletown, were Mary, Esther and Nathaniel.
(IV) Captain Nathaniel, son of Richard Hamlin, was born May 29, 1732, in Middletown. He married there, March 9, 1753, Lucretia, daughter of Captain Daniel and Esther (Stow) Ranney. She was born March 12, 1737-8, in Middletown, and died July 6, 1766. He married, second, March 5, 1767, Abigail Moore, and lived in Cromwell, then called "Middletown Upper Houses." Records show that, in October. 1770, he was captain of the tenth company, of the sixth regiment of militia. On July 7, 1778, his widow was appointed administrator of his estate, which fixes approximately the time of his death. His estate was appraised at fifty-one pounds and seven shillings. There were six children of his first wife, and five of the second.
(V) Daniel Ranney, eldest child of Nathaniel and Lucretia Hamlin, was born July 23. 1755, in Middletown (which then included Cromwell), Connecticut, and was married there, August 1, 1779, to Ruth Ward. Before 1800, he moved to New Hartford (now Utica), New York, where he died in 1809. His children were: Ruth (died an infant), Ruth, John, Samuel, Horace, Ann, Lucretia and Daniel Ranney. He served nearly all through the Revolution, enlisting first in 1776, in Captain Joseph Churchill's (eighth) company, of Chatham, Connecti- cut, in Colonel Comfort Sage's battalion (third), of Middletown, in Brigadier General James Wadsworth's Connecticut Brigade. This battalion, raised to reinforce Washington's army. served in New York city and on Long Island. It was caught in the retreat from the city, September 15, 1776, and suffered some loss; was also at the battle of White Plains, October 28. The time of enlistment expired December 25. 1776. On May 24, 1777, he was a sergeant in Colonel Webb's Connecticut Regiment; promoted to ensign May 16, 1778; dismissed June, 1779. This was one of the sixteen "additional regiments," raised
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at large for the "Connecticut Line," in 1777, to continue through the war, and was recruited mainly in Hartford and the eastern part of the colony ; went into camp at Peekskill in the spring of 1777; served in Parsons' brigade, under General Putnam.
(VI) Horace, son of Daniel Hamlin, was born November 10, 1794, in Middletown, and was a captain in the war of 1812. During his military service, he observed the advantages afforded to enterprise in northern New York, and he soon settled in the town of Antwerp. He died September 9, 1881, at Ox Bow. He was a blacksmith by trade, and operated a large shop in the village of Ox Bow, which he aided in .building up. He served many years as justice of the peace, and was highly respected as a man and citizen. He was married November 4, 1821, to Nancy McAllaster, who was born September 26, 1802, in Springfield, Vermont, a daughter of Francis McAllaster, of a pioneer Antwerp family (see McAllaster). Nancy (McAllaster) Hamlin died October 4, 1890, at Ox Bow, aged eighty-eight years. Their children were: Harriet, mentioned below; David, who lived and died in Ant- werp; George, lived and died at Gouverneur; Jane and Susan, married and died early, the former leaving a daughter, Jane (Faichney) Lockie, of Rossie; Henrietta, widow of William Green, residing at Ox Bow; Eugene, a soldier of the Civil war, now living at Ox Bow; Lucretia, married Lowell Hill, and died at Rensselaer Falls.
(VII) Harriet A., daughter of Horace and Nancy Hamlin, was born December 21, 1822, at Ox Bow, and died there August II. 1897. She was married October 26, 1843, to George Hinsdale, as elsewhere related (see Hinsdale).
NORRIS M. WOODRUFF, deceased, whose business sagacity and enterprise were unequalled, and whose charities were numerous, but never ostentatious, was born in Litchfield county, Connecticut, September 7, 1792, the eldest of three children born to Roswell and Lois ( Patterson) Woodruff, descendants of families who were among the pioneer settlers of the state of Connecticut, and whose ancestors were of English birth.
When about thirteen years of age Norris M. Woodruff accom- panied his parents to Jefferson county, New York. They located near Sanford's Corners, in the town of Le Ray, where they purchased a thousand acres of land. During the war of 1812-15 he was a member of a cavalry regiment, which was engaged principally in picket duty on the northern frontier. Shortly after attaining his majority he located
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in Watertown, before it became incorporated as a village, and estab- lished a tin, hardware, iron and stove business, which grew to extensive proportions under his careful and efficient management. His keen foresight led him to organize a system of having his teams deliver the goods at the homes of the new-comers of this then newly settled country. and taking in return such commodities as they produced in payment. This trade extended over not only all the northern counties of the state then settled, but took in the western counties as far as Buffalo. In several instances his teams went into the state of Ohio, and made regular trips to much of the then settled portion of Upper Canada. As the new country began to develop, enlarged houses became a neces- sity, requiring hardware to enrich and complete, and new rooms to be furnished with modern heating apparatus to take the place of the old- fashioned open wood-fire and the wood cook-stove. Mr. Woodruff kept pace with the demand and with his characteristic enterprise supplied it. In order to do this, he drew upon Albany, Troy and other cities before the Erie Canal or railroad was built, and consequently he had to haul his goods by teams. He gave employment to many clerks and a great, number of apprentices, a large majority of whom went west and at- tained excellent records. He had a perfect detestation of an untruthful man, as he never was known to tell a lie himself, neither would he prevaricate or mislead any one by his statements. He was prompt and thoroughgoing in his business, and required all others with whom he dealt to be the same.
Having placed his business upon a money-paying basis, he turned his attention to acquiring real estate on the north side of the Public Square, as well as other places, until he owned about three-fourths of it. As the town of Watertown enlarged he made improvements on his property, building, first, the Woodruff block, of three stores, and after- wards the Iron block, of five stores, all in the then advanced modern style. He also purchased a large tract of land located in Alexandria, Theresa, and Antwerp, at the price of one dollar per acre, which proved a most profitable investment, and, in 1836, in connection with Mr. Stocking and John Jacob Astor, he purchased a large tract of land at Green Bay, Wisconsin. Some years later he disposed of his interest to Mr. Astor, after which he purchased quite a tract of land near Ottawa, Illinois, which proved a paying investment. He also purchased a large farm on the opposite side of the river from Watertown, where he was enabled to gratify his fondness for good stock, especially horses, and
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among the purchasers of the same were Mr. Astor and the governor- general of Canada. When the project of building a railroad from Rome to Watertown and Cape Vincent was started. Mr. Woodruff was one of its most carnest advocates. and at once contributed his full share of money for that purpose. He was elected among the first directors of the enterprise, and it is no injustice to other parties to say that without his money and influence, together with that of Orville Hungerford, the road would not have been built when it was, or for many years after. They not only subscribed liberally to the stock, but gave with others indorsement to notes to carry the work through to completion. After the railroad was secured, in 1851, in connection with his son-in-law, Howell Cooper, Henry Keep, and Pearson Mundy, he erected the Woodriff House, which is a fitting monument to his sagacity and enterprise. He was a stockholder and director in the Jefferson County Bank, and in 1842 was elected president, which office he filled for fifteen years prior to his death. He was prominently identified with all the varied interests of Watertown, and after the village was incor- porated he served as trustee and president many terms. He was chosen among the first by the firemen to be their chief engineer, held the office for many years, and in case of fire would get up in the dead of night, saddle his horse, and be among the first on the ground. In politics he was a conservative Democrat, never sought or accepted any political office, but in all business matters of the county he took a prominent official part. For a number of years he was superintendent of the county poor-house, making frequent visits at all times, informing him- self in regard to the treatment of the inmates, and in these visits he would drop many a dollar in the hands of the worthy inmates, to enable them to provide for themselves some comfort. The extent of his charities will never be known, as he rarely let his left hand know what his right did.
On October 5, 1817, Mr. Woodruff was married to Roxana T. Bush, daughter of Eli and Roxana (Terry) Bush, both natives of Enfield, Connecticut. Mrs. Woodruff was born in Oneida county, New York, was of comely person, and possessed more than ordinary intel- lectual ability and force of character. Their children were: Horace W., who married Maria A. Osgood; Lois P., who became the wife of Howell Cooper, now deceased; Maria D., who became the wife of Pearson Mundy, and died May 10, 1871 ; Frederick B., now deceased, who married Helen Frazell. also deceased; Emma A., who became the
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wife of Henry Keep, and after his death married Judge William Schley, of Savannah, Georgia; Mary M., now deceased, who was the wife of the late Henry Cadwell, of Erie, Pennsylvania; Norman W., who died at St. Louis, aged about twenty-five years; Abbie A., who become the wife of Allen C. Beach, and died September 8, 1856; Sarah M., who became the wife of Roswell P. Flower. Mr. Woodruff died January 16, 1857, aged sixty-five years. Mrs. Woodruff subsequently married Judge Stephen Strong, whom she survived, and lived to the age of eighty-five years.
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