USA > New York > Jefferson County > Genealogical and family history of the county of Jefferson, New York, Volume I > Part 65
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ALBERT HENRY METCALF, for almost forty years the in- cumbent of the office of ship keeper and naval custodian of the United States Naval Station at Sacketts Harbor, is a native of that town, the date of his birth being February 18, 1845. He is a descendant of an English ancestry.
Francis Mctcalf, grandfather of Albert H. Metcalf, was born in Kent, England, and by his marriage to Sarah Carter the following named children were born: Mary, January 17, 1806; Hannah, Sep- tember 10, 1807; Henry, August 4, 1810, mentioned hereinafter; George, October 4, 1812; William, June 23, 1815, who lived in Troy, New York, where he died; Robert, June 5, 1817, died in the town of Ellisburg : Ann, June 7, 1820, wife of August Westcott, died in Houns- field, as did also Thomas, born February 8, 1822: John, born in Sep- tember, 1825, who lived and died in Adams Center. All the members of the family with the exception of George, who died in England, came to the United States in 1829, and became useful and active citizens.
Henry Metcalf, father of Albert H. Metcalf, was a native of Eng- land, born August 4, 1810. He was reared and educated in his native land, and on attaining his nineteenth year accompanied his parents to the United States, settling first at North Adams, Jefferson county, New York. He was a seafaring man, and for a number of years prior to 1866, the year of his retirement, he had charge of the Navy Yard at Sacketts Harbor, New York. Mr. Metcalf was united in marriage at Sacketts Harbor, in 1843, to Mary Cadwell, who was born in Septem- ber, 1815, in the city of Dublin, Ireland, and emigrated to this country with her aunt in the year 1832, settling first in Kingston, Canada, from whence they subsequently removed to Sacketts Harbor, New York. Their children were: Albert H., mentioned hereinafter; Joseph, died in 1851; Robert died when about one year old; Thomas, deceased,
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was married to Abbie Little, and lived at Sacketts Harbor: Minnie, who became the wife of George Luff, and now resides in Cumberland, Wis- consin: Charlotte, who is the widow of John O'Hara, who died in Middletown, New York; she resides with her brother, Bailey Metcalf. proprietor of the Crowner House, one of the leading hotels in Water- town, New York; and Bailey, already referred to as one of the pro- prietors of the Crowner House.
Albert H. Metcalf obtained a good English education in the schools of Sacketts Harbor, after which he followed the same occupation as his father, that of seaman, for which he displayed a great aptitude. In 1864 he enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Forty-second Regi- ment New York Infantry, serving in the army of the James, partici- pated in the battle of Petersburg, and the Fort Fisher expedition, and was honorably discharged from the service of the United States gov- ernment on June 20, 1865. Since that year he has served in the capacity of ship keeper and naval custodian of Sacketts Harbor United States Naval Station, faithfully and conscientiously performing all the duties connected therewith. There are seven buildings on the reserva- tion. Mr. Metcalf is a member of Joseph K. Barnes Post, No. 360. Grand Army of the Republic, of Sacketts Harbor.
At Sacketts Harbor, New York, in 1868, Mr. Metcalf was united in marriage to Frances Palmer, daughter of David and Fanny (Liver- more) Palmer, residents of Sacketts Harbor, the former named having been a shoemaker by trade. Their family consisted of four daughters and one son, as follows: Nina Elizabeth, who became the wife of Captain James Jackson, captain of one of the steamers on the Great Lakes; Anna Louisa, who became the wife of Clark M. Stern, a resi- dent of Sacketts Harbor; Gertrude W., who became the wife of Frank Stern, a resident of Sacketts Harbor; Kittie Virginia, who became the wife of Fred Smith, who is engaged in the jewelry business in Water- town; and Harry David, born in January, 1883, died in July, 1898. All of the family are members of the Episcopal denomination, attending the services of Christ church of Sacketts Harbor.
HARTWELL FRANKLIN BENT, a venerable and esteemed resident of the village of Antwerp, was born at Mount Holly, Rutland county, Vermont, July II, 1825, a son of Thomas W. and Phidelia (Hammond) Bent.
Thomas W. Bent was also a native of Mount Holly, Vermont, born
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February 16, 1798. In 1831 he removed from his native state to New York state, settling in Lewis county, where he was successful in extensive farming operations. He was a member of the Methodist church, and highly esteemed throughout the community, this fact being attested to by his being chosen to fill several offices of trust and respon- sibility which were in the gift of the people of Lewis county. About the year 1818 he married Phidelia Hammond, the ceremony being performed in Vermont, and the following named children were born to them: Alvin F., whose death occurred in Antwerp, New York; Darius G., living at Castorland, New York; Tamar A., whose death occurred in Lewis county, New York; Hartwell F., mentioned herein- after: Lydia L., wife of Joseph F. Graves, of Antwerp; Phoebe C., whose death occurred in Lewis county ; George W., a resident of Granite- ville, Massachusetts ; and Charles H., whose death occurred in Denver, Colorado. The father of these children died in Lewis county in 1853, and the mother in Antwerp in 1877.
After a short residence in Lewis county, New York, whither he removed with his parents from his native state, Hartwell F. Bent re- moved to Antwerp, Jefferson county, in 1852. He purchased a farm (known as the Locust Grove Stock Farm), which is located one mile west of Antwerp, in 1861. This he successfully operated for several years, atter which he retired from agricultural pursuits, and purchased a house and lot in the village of Antwerp, where he has since resided. Since the firing on Fort Sumter Mr. Bent has been a staunch adherent of the Republican party. He is a member of the Congregational church, in which his wife also held membership and was an active worker. He is an honored inember of the Grange.
In 1852 Mr. Bent married Melvina .A. Wicks, born at Antwerp, New York, July 20. 1825, daughter of Benjamin and Elsie ( Wilcox) Wicks, the former named having been one of the early settlers of the village of Antwerp. Of their children Charles H. died at the age of eleven years, and Earl R. at the age of two years; Mary Elva is a graduate of the Boston Music Conservatory, and follows the profes- sion of music teacher. She resided in Decatur, Michigan, for twelve years, but on the death of her mother. July 17, 1903, returned home to care for her father's household. Frank W. resides at home and man- ages the farm. He is a breeder of fine stock, making a specialty of Berkshire swine and Holstein cattle.
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ALEXANDER BONAPARTE CLARK. Few citizens of Ant- werp are more thoroughly and justly esteemed in every relation of life than is Alexander B. Clark, who is the proprietor of a general store at Ox Bow village. He was born in Rossie township, St. Law- rence county, New York, July 7, 1848, a son of Robert and Margaret (Dickson) Clark, and grandson of Robert and Margaret (Black) Clark.
Robert Clark was born at Jedburgh, Scotland, in 1801. During his early years he was deprived by death of a father's care and pro- tection, but his mother did all in her power to rear and educate him so he would be able to lead a life of usefulness and activity. In the year 1818, when he was seventeen years old, he accompanied his mother to the United States, settling in the town of Rossie. In 1822 he was united in marriage to Margaret Dickson, daughter of James Dickson, and immediately afterward commenced farming on land leased from George Parish, a large land owner in the town of Rossie, which vicinity was largely settled by Scotch families. The land was very rough and rocky, thus making it extremely difficult to till and cultivate, but being imbued with a spirit of perseverance and pluck he stuck to his task, and in due course of time was enabled to accumulate sufficient capital to purchase a farm, and from the proceeds of this he purchased several more farms in the same vicinity, thus being at the time of his decease a large land holder. He was one of the founders of the Presbyterian church at Ox Bow, which opened for divine services October 22, 1837, and from that time until his death he served as elder. He filled several township offices, performing his duties in a highly creditable and conscientious manner. His political affiliations were with the Re- publican party. His wife, Margaret (Dickson) Clark, whose family also came to this country in 1818, bore him ten children, all of whom are now deceased with the exception of Alexander B. and John H., of Denver, Colorado. Another son, George, left a daughter, now Madge Sutherland, a missionary in Burmah. A daughter, Jeannette, married Andrew Black, and died in Coburg, Ontario, Canada.
The common schools of his native township afforded Alexander B. Clark a good opportunity to acquire a practical education in the rudi- mentary branches, and for a period of time after laying aside his school books he turned his attention to farming on the homestead. In 1885 he engaged in the mercantile business at Ox Bow, which he has since followed, and in which he has achieved a fair degree of prosperity.
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His store is stocked with a general line of goods, and by his prompt and courteous treatment of his patrons he has retained their trade from year to year and is constantly adding new ones to his list. When sixteen years old he joined the Presbyterian church. and has held membership in the same ever since, serving in the choir for a quarter of a century, and as superintendent of the Sunday school for many years. Politically he is a Republican, and fraternally a member of the order of Free and Accepted Masons of Antwerp, New York.
Mr. Clark was married January 2, 1877, to Florence Hinsdale, only daughter of George and Harriet A. (Hamlin) Hinsdale. George Hins- dale was born in Antwerp, New York, November 11, 1819, a son of Ira Hinsdale (see Hinsdale, VII).
ISRAEL ADAMS. In the death of Israel Adams, which occurred February 16, 1896, the city of Watertown lost one of its leading and respected citizens, whose life had been characterized by honesty and integrity in business, loyalty to his city, state and nation, and cordiality and kindness in social circles. He was born in Rodman. Jefferson county, New York, November 18. 1818, a son of Samuel and Sally ( Wright) Adams, the former having been a native of Jeffrey. New Hampshire, from whence he removed to Jefferson county, New York, during the period of the war of 1812, in which he was an active par- ticipant. He purchased a farm in Rodman and Watertown, and the active years of his life were devoted to the cultivation and improve- ment of the same. His last years were spent in the city of Water- town, where he died in 1855. A brother of Samuel Adams served in the Revolutionary war.
Israel Adams was reared on his father's farm in Rodman, ob- tained a practical education in the common schools adjacent to his home, and by following the vocation of agriculture he was enabled in 1868 to retire from active duties and enjoy the ease and comforts obtainable from the handsome competency he acquired by his own labor. For a number of years he served in the capacity of appraiser of land for the Jefferson County Savings Bank, and by exercising good judg- ment and keen foresight his services were of inestimable value along this line of work. He was a strong temperance advocate, and also contributed liberally both of his time and money to the furtherance of every enterprise that appealed to him as a means of advancing the
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welfare and public good of the community. He supported the Methodist Episcopal church, and was a Republican in politics.
In January, 1857, Mr. Adams married Harriet Boynton, a daugh- ter of Jonathan and Maria (Kinney) Boynton, who were prominent residents of Rodman, New York, having removed there in the year 1809 from the state of Vermont. Richard, father of Jonathan Boyn- ton, was a native of Scotland. The issue of this union was one daugh- ter, Harriet M., wife of Warren B. Wheeler, of Watertown, New York. Mrs. Adams is living at the present time (1904), is in the full enjoy- ment of all her faculties, and possesses the warm regard of a large circle of friends.
ANSON HARDER, of Redwood, is among the oldest members of the bar of Jefferson county, New York, and has practiced his profession for the unusual period of nearly a half century with signal ability and success. He is of Dutch extraction, his paternal ancestors being immi- grants from Holland in colonial days, and were among the first settlers north of New York and along the upper Hudson and Mohawk valleys, finally locating in Herkimer county. Members of the family are now distributed throughout that and Columbia county and the counties lying between them. The ancestral traits of industry and probity have come down to the present generation, whose members occupy useful and hon- orable stations in life.
John J. Harder, founder of the American line of the Harder family. and paternal great-grandfather of Anson Harder, was born in Holland in 1750. In his young manhood he came to America, settling as a pioneer in Columbia county, New York, near the present village of Nas- sau and not far from Troy. He was the father of four sons. John, the eldest, was born in Columbia county, in 1774. He removed to Her- kimer county, and was a pioneer settler at Danube, a farmer by occupa- tion, and made an honorable record during the war with Great Britain, 1812-14. serving with the rank of captain. His sword is now the prized possession of his grandson, Anson Harder. Captain John Harder mar- ried Christinia Van Dusen, and they became the parents of four children : I. John, who died in Steuben county. 2. Nicholas, who died in Baldwinsville, New York; he married Mary Johnson, of Danube, New York. 3. Christina, who married David Johnson the same day her brother Nicholas married her husband's sister. David and Christina
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Johnson lived together more than fifty years. 4. Jacob, born in Dan- ube, New York. in 1804.
Jacob Harder, youngest son of Captain John Harder, was reared and educated in Herkimer county, New York. He was a farmer, and by purchase became the owner of a fine tract of land consisting of about one hundred and forty acres. He died from typhoid fever at the early age of thirty years, almost at the beginning of what promised to be a most useful and successful life. He married Emily Thompson, who was born in 1802, in Danube, New York, a daughter of Dr. Ichabod Thompson, whose ancestors first settled in Connecticut, subsequently removing to New York, where he died young. Dr. Thompson was the father of six children: I, Joseph J .: 2. Jonathan : 3, Sally, who became the wife of Aaron Cronkite, both deceased; 4, Ichabod, de- ceased; 5, Elizabeth, who became the wife of Alexander Salsbury, one of the principal owners of the Redwood Glass Factory; 6, Emily, who became the wife of Jacob Harder.
Jacob and Emily ( Thompson) Harder were the parents of five children, three of whom died in infancy. Those surviving are Anson Harder, to be further written of; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Asahel Hough, of Alexandria. The mother of these children died at the age of forty years.
Anson Harder was born in Danube, Herkimer county, New York, August 5. 1834. He began his education in the common schools of his native village, and pursued advanced branches in the academies of Clinton, Fairfield and Fort Plain. He studied for his profession in the Poughkeepsie Law School, from which he was graduated in 1856. For a time afterward he taught school, and then entered the law office of Judge Hardin, of the firm of Knowlton & Hardin, at Little Falls, where he gained a practical knowledge of law. He then located in Leonardsville, Madison county, where he practiced for three years. In 1862 he removed to Redwood, which has from that time continuously been the scene of his effort. A practitioner there for nearly forty-two years, he is honored among the oldest of his profession in the county, and as one whose ability and integrity are alike unassailable. With wide acquaintance, and intimate knowledge not only of the law but of titles. boundaries, etc .. it has fallen to his lot to act in a legal capacity for many of the best families in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties in connection with estates of much importance, in settlement and distribu- tion. for adminstrators, executors, trustees and guardians, and it is
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within the truth to say that no one in the county has acted in an ad- visory way to a larger number of widows, orphans and other heirs, if indeed any attorney at any time has equalled him in these respects. Such professional work has come to him through the years in such a manner as to be a tribute not alone to his ability but to his nobility of character and benignity of disposition. In larger degree a labor of love, founded in a genuine personal friendship for his clients, he will doubt- less persist in such service through the remainder of his years, though long past the age at which most men lay aside responsibilities and cares.
Mr. Harder has also taken active part in various concerns conduc- ing to the advantage of the community. In connection with A. A. Holmes, he is interested in a line of steamboats on the St. Lawrence river plying between Alexandria Bay and Ogdensburg. Education finds in him an earnest and capable friend, and he has done much to advance school interests in his village and county. Not a member of any re- ligious body, he is in hearty accord with all in their purposes, and gives to their maintenance his cheerful support. He is a member of the Jef- ferson County Bar Association. For many years he has been a prom- inent member of the Lincoln League of Watertown. In politics he is a Republican of the Lincoln school. having been a member of the party and an earnest supporter of its principles from the day of its organization, his first vote having been cast for its first presidential candidate, General John C. Fremont, when the effort of the party was not to annihilate slavery, but to restrict it to its own soil, and save Kansas and Nebraska to freedom. He has been a delegate to nearly all the conventions of his party-county, senatorial, judicial and state- throughout his active career. He would undoubtedly have come to political preferment had his community not been strongly Democratic. At one time he was the nominee for the state senate, but was overborne by his democratic competitor, Colonel James F. Starbuck, the district being largely Democratic.
In 1861 Mr. Harder was married to Miss Mary E. Crumb, born in Plainfield. Otsego county, New York. Her parents were Russell E. and Fidelia (Stillman) Crumb, whose children were as follows: 1. Mary E., who became the wife of Anson Harder. 2. Emma, who resides in Walworth, Wisconsin. 3. Alice, who became the wife of Newall Bur- ton, resided at Delavan, Wisconsin; she is now deceased, and left one child. Charles Burton. 4. Eugene, who resides on the family homestead ;
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he married May Boberck, and they were the parents of one child. 5. Edgar, who resides in Chicago, Illinois.
To Anson and Mary E. (Crumb) Harder were born two children : I. Ann E., who became the wife of W. H. Townsend, a dentist resid- ing in the state of Washington, and they have one child, May Aires. 2. May E., who became the wife of Harry D. Judson, an employee in the government printing office, Washington, D. C., and to whom has been born a son, Laurence H. Mrs. Harder died in March, 1871, and in 1874 Mr. Harder married Miss Jennie Hutchins, a sister of Dr. Martin J. Hutchins. Of the latter marriage was born a son, Clarence Harder. who has charge of the farming and other business of his father. Clarence Harder married Miss Ella Salisbury, daughter of De Alton Salisbury, a prominent citizen of Theresa, New York.
Mrs. Anson Harder, second wife of Mr. Harder, was born August 9, 1842, in Schuyler, Herkimer county, New York, a daughter of Ben- jamnin and Patience (Tanner) Hutchins. Her father was a native of the same county, born in 1806. In 1828 he removed to Jefferson county, New York, and took up part of the old LaFarge property, and lived there some years, later removing to near Watertown, on the road to Brownville, where he remained fourteen years, and was for two years overseer of the poor. He then went to Iowa, and there died at the age of sixty-eight years. He was a son of Noah Hutchins, who was an early settler in Herkimer county, and a Revolutionary war soldier. He came to Orleans as a pioneer, and died there in 1828. His wife was Lydia Joy, who bore him five children. Patience Tanner, wife of Ben- jamin Hutchins, was a native of Rhode Island, a daughter of Isaac and Tabitha Tanner. Her father came to Schuyler as a pioneer, and there died. His wife bore him eleven children, of whom seven are living, viz. : I. Noah W., who went to Australia during the gold fever, and is now a lawyer, residing in Iowa. 2. Hannah, who became the wife of Lans- ing Hayer, and lives in Omaha, Nebraska. 3. Aires, who became the wife of Jefferson Townsend, whose residence is in Bellefouche (Indian name signifying Place of Beautiful Water) in North Dakota. Their son married Anne E., daughter of Anson Harder by his first wife, as mentioned above. 4. Horace, who is a painter, and lives in Iowa. 5. Jennie, who became the wife of Anson Harder. 6. Vilea, who became the wife of Hyland Mellen, of Omaha, Nebraska. 7. Esther, who be- came the wife of Mile VanHorn. The mother of these children died at the age of eighty-one years.
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WILLIAM D. HANCHETTE, manager of the Central New York Telephone and Telegraph Company, is prominent among the business men of Watertown. He was born in Watertown February 6, 1851, and was educated there in the public schools. He was first em- ployed as a messenger boy by the Montreal Telegraph Company, a con- cern which was merged in the Western Union. He afterward came into the employ of the Great Northwestern Telegraph Company, where he was advanced from post to post until he was made manager of the Watertown office. He has always been a trusted and valued official, and he possesses executive ability and business talents of a high order. In 1888 he was made superintendent of the Central New York Tele- phone and Telegraph Company, a position which he has held ever since. He was elected city chamberlain in 1883, and served for five years.
J. MORTIMER CRAWE, M. D. Prominent among the lead- ing and eminent physicians of Watertown, New York, is Dr. J. Morti- mer Crawe, Jr., a descendant of a family many of whose members have been actively identified with that noble profession for many years, and it is doubtless from this ancestry that he inherited his taste and inclina- tion for his chosen line of work. He was born February 18, 1863, in Earlville, Madison county, New York, a son of Dr. J. Mortimer and the late Mary E. (Hecox) Crawe, and grandson of Dr. Ithemer B. and Charlotte F. (Mortimer) Crawe.
Dr. Ithemer B. Crawe was born in Enfield, Hartford county, Con- necticut, June II, 1792. During his early life he was handicapped by impaired health, but by careful habits and self-treatment he at length became physically strong, and completed his medical studies at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York city, in the class of 1822. The same year he began the active practice of his profession in Clinton, Madison county, New York; six months later removed to Watertown, and after several years residence in that city located in Ogdensburg. He resided in the latter town for about three years, then assumed charge of a lead mining enterprise in Maine, which gave promise of success, but resulted in disaster; later located at Pontiac, Michigan, but after the expiration of three years' residence there re- turned to Watertown, New York, where he was prominently connected with the medical profession throughout the remainder of his life. He was a skillful physician, a noted pathologist and physiologist, and a
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close student of botany and mineralogy. He discovered and described several new plants, one of which was named for him "Carex Crawei" or "Crawe's Sedge." He was a member of the County Medical Society. and served as its secretary, censor and president : was appointed a dele- gate to the State Society in 1834 and 1844; and in 1846, on the recom- mendation of the State Society, the Regents of the University con- terred upon him an honorary doctorate degree. He was one of the organizers and prominent members of the Masonic order in Water- town, and served many years as secretary of Watertown Lodge. In June. 1847, Dr. Crawe was drowned in Perch Lake, while returning from gathering some rare plants for Professor Gray, of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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