USA > New York > Tioga County > Historical gazetter of Tioga County, New York, 1785-1888. Pt. 2 > Part 12
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church, and has been superintendent of the church Sunday school of his place for many years.
John DuBois came shortly subsequent to ISco, and built the house which is still standing, a short distance east of the resi- dence of Jesse Carpenter, one mile west of Tioga Centre. He owned a large tract of land, consisting of several hundred acres, where he settled. He was a prominent business man and left a large family of children, among whom were: John, Jr., Joseph, Ezekiel, and Abel. John DuBois, Jr., was the wealthiest man Tioga county has produced. He was born at Tioga Centre, and " remained there until some time after he had attained his majority, when he removed to Pennsylvania, to engage in the lumber busi- ness. He owned large tracts of timber land in the neighborhood of DuBois city, Pa., which he founded, and where he had a large number of saw-mills. He had a large lumber yard at Williams- port, Pa. He was one of the largest and wealthiest dealers in lumber in the State of Pennsylvania. He died in 1886, leaving a fortune estimated at several million dollars to his nephew and namesake, John DuBois, son of Ezekiel DuBoise, of Tioga Centre.
Frederick Castle, and his nephew, John Castle, came shortly subsequent to 1800, and settled midway between Tioga Centre and Smithboro, where they owned a large tract of land. One of them built a tavern, which stood until IS78, when it was burned. It was known for many years as Spendley's broom shop.
A family named Saltmarsh came about the same time and set- tled in the same neighborhood.
Henry Primrose came shortly subsequent to ISoo, and settled a few miles north of Smithboro, near the Barton line.
Jacob Crator came about the same time and settled in the same neighborhood, building the small red house, still standing, across the road from Peter Johnson's house.
Dr. David Earll was educated as a physician and prac- ticed medicine a number of years. He has since resided upon his farm at Tioga Centre. He was also a merchant a short time. He has been for many years one of the prominent Democrats in the town .. Has been justice of the peace, supervisor, county superin- tendent of the poor, 1882-85, member of assembly, 1859 and ISco. He married a daughter of Benjamin Ransom. Children : Lucy. Alice, Nellie, Edna, David.
John Gilbert Smith was for many years a prominent business man of the town. He operated an extensive saw-mill at Tioga
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Centre. He was a prominent and active Democrat. He died in : < 35. His only child, a daughter, married John E. Pembleton.
Josiah Stowell came to Smithboro about 1835, and erected a saw-mill which he operated several years. He also erected a hotel and a store, and was a prominent business man. Children : Delos, Calvin, and Cornell S.
Hon. Charles Rittenhouse Coburn, LL.D., was a son of Sarah, daughter of the celebrated Rev. Enoch Pond. He was born in Bradford county, Pa .; commenced teaching school at a very carly age ; was principal of the Owego Academy, and afterward of the Susquehanna Collegiate Institute, at Towanda, Pa. He was president of the New York State Teachers' Association, county superintendent of schools of Bradford county, Pa., state superintendent of the common schools of Pennsylvania, 1863-66. Ile married Eliza VanNostrand. He died about 1870, at Nichols. His widow is still living, at Tioga Centre. Children : Frank, a lawyer, Sarah, who married Capt. James Hillyer, and Charles Sidney, of Tioga Centre.
Ambrose P. Eaton, one of the oldest residents of Smithboro, was born in the town of Union, Broome county, June 4, 1826, and came to Smithboro in the spring of 1849. He studied law in the office of Judge Charles E. Parker, of Owego, was admitted to the bar in December, 1868, at Binghamton, and since that time he has acquired quite an extensive practice, and has always been considered as a careful, trusty lawyer, a man of good judgment, and in the trial of cases has been very successful. In the fall of 1885, he formed a partnership with Hon. A. G. Allen, and moved his office to Waverly. He continued in partnership with Judge Allen until the summer of 1886, when the co-partnership was dis- solved by mutual consent, Mr. Eaton opening an office and con- tinuing the business in Waverly, where he has a large and growing practice. Mr. Eaton was postmaster of this village for several years, a member of the school board, and an active, earn- est worker in the same, rendering valuable assistance in the erection of the school building, etc. Mr. Eaton is a man of strong convictions, will uphold what he thinks right, and condemn what he considers wrong, regardless of what others may say about it. For many years he has been a member of the Episcopal church here, and was for several years warden of Emmanuel church, of this place. He was an active, earnest worker in the church, con- tributing liberally to its support, and rendering it valuable ser-
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vices. Mr. Eaton-married March 13, 1851, and has one daughter, wife of James A. Roberts, of Smithboro.
William E. Dorwin is one whose life-record affords a striking illustration of what earnest enterprise may accomplish in pro- ducing "a self-made man." He was born at Marathon, Cort- land county, N. Y., March 18, 1837, where his boyhood and youth were passed, and where he obtained his only educational advantages, afforded by the district school. In 1857, when twenty years of age, he left for the West to begin the trials and strug- gles of manhood alone, as a switchman on the T. P. & W. R. R. in Illinois. In railroad work his time has ever since been passed. From the bottom round he gradually climed the ladder till made superintendent of the same road, a position he held eight years, and the same successively of the Mt. Claire & Greenwood Lakes railroad of New Jersey two years, and. of the Brighton Beach railroad. of Long Island, four years. In 1880, he engaged with the firm of Smith & Ripley, of New York city, to build the Lac- awanna railroad, from Binghamton to Buffalo, and since that time has been extensively engaged in railroad building, being now engaged in building the Chicago, Madison & Northern rail road.
In 1883, Mr. Dorwin purchased the famous "Glen Mary" farm, which he has since made his home. Mr. Dorwin is a vet- eran of the late war. having served in Co. B, 3d Ills. Cav., enlist- ing August 16, 1861, as a private, and was mustered out as Ist lieutenant. Aside from his railroad work and farm, Mr. Dorwin is also extensively engaged in milling here, as a member of the firm of Dorwin, Rich & Stone. Although a strong Republican worker, Mr. Dorwin has accepted no political honors. He mar- ried Miss Sarah Longley, of Jacksonville, Ills., in 1867, and has three children.
John Hill came to the town of Tioga, from Pittsfield, Mass., in March, 1793, accompanied by one of his sons. On October 9. the same year, his wife arrived, bringing the remainder of their children, eight in number. The latter party came down the river, a distance of forty miles, in two canoes, and landed opposite where the Ah-wa-ga House now stands, in Owego. Chauncey, a son of John Hill, was born in Pittsfield, Mass., November 19. 1791. For many years he was a pilot on the river, being engaged in that capacity first, when but eighteen years of age. On May 12, 1813, he married Lucy, daughter of Benjamin Sexton, of Granville, Pa. Mrs. Hill was born in Enfield, N. H,, May 3, 1796,
W.E. Domin
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and is now living in Owego. They had born to them twelve children, namely, Susan, January 13, 1815, married Edward Lathrop; James N., December 14, 1816; Amanda M., August 5, 1819, wife of James Kenyon ; Lucy, June 12, 1821, married Hiram Ireland, and died January 14, 1853; Sabrina, May 14, 1825; Maryann S., August 25, 1827 ; Sarah, December 4, 1829, died in infancy ; Charles F., March 14, 1832 ; Emily, March 2, 1834: Sir William Wallace, May 14. 1836, and Frances A., the two later dying in infancy. Maryann, married Elijah Morehouse, by whom she had six children, viz. : Edward, deceased ; James, of St. Paul, Minn .; Alice, Etta, wife of Irving Diamond ; Hattie, wife of John Gray, of Apalachin, and Charles H. Mr. Morehouse died February 14, 1887, and Mrs. Morehouse died May 1, 1887. Emily married John B. Jones, March 14, 1850, by whom she has one daughter, Clara M., who married Edward J. Stout, now of Denver Col.
-- James Garrett was born in 1781. In 1812 he, with his wife Elizabeth, sailed from Belfast, Ireland, and first settled near the High Lands on the Hudson. In 1818 they started for the Wyom- ing Valley, but while passing down the Susquehanna, in the town of Tioga, one of his horses became lame and he settled about three miles north of Smithboro, on the farm now owned by his grandson William H. Johnson, where he lived until his death, which occured in 1871. They had two daughters, Eliza, who married John Y. Smith, and Maria Jane, who married John S. Johnson.
Abijah Russell came from Kent, Putnam county, to Tioga, in 1853, and located on the farm now owned by Rev. Ziba Evans. He married Eliza, daughter of Josephas Barrott, of West Newark, by whom he had six children-Van Ness, of Owego, Holmes, of Tioga, Emily, wife of Williston Hunt, of Nichols, Rosalia, wife of Charles Scott, Howard, deceased, and Hetty A., wife of Charles Catlin, of Owego. Emily married first John S. Orcott and has one child, Ella M.
Henry Primrose, son of Jacob and Martha (Runyon) Primrose, was born February 4, 1794, and married Mary, daughter of Peter and Eleanor Johnson, October 4, 1815. They had ten children, viz. : William, born May 5, 1817, died June 10, 1840; James, now of Barton, January, 21, 1819; Betsey J., of Tioga Centre, January 6, 1821; Nellie A., October 4, 1822, died October 21, 1822: Orpha W., August 28, 1823 ; Peter J., July 1, 1828, now of Washington Territory ; Jacob, October 1, 1830, now of Menoinee, Mich .; Martha, wife of Thomas Johnson, of Tioga Center, December 7,
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IS33 ; Mary E., wife of James Williams, of Valejo, Cal., March 4, 1839; and Clarissa, wife of Edward McDonald, of Tioga Center, April 13, 1841. Mr. Primrose was a founder of Methodism in the town of Tioga, and a preacher and leader of the people of that denomination.
Joseph Winters, the late postmaster at Tioga Center, was born in Orange county, N. Y., April 2, 1820, and came to Tioga in 1860, where he remained until his death, recently. Mr. Winters mar- ried Julia A. Carpenter, for his for first wife, and for his second wife her sister, Elizabeth. Of his ten children, Judson B., is of the firm of Hyde & Winters, of Owego: Joseph E., is'a practicing physi- cian of New York city ; Edgar, is of the firm of Starkey & Win- ters, of Owego, and Byron L., a law student in New York city.
Oren Waterman was born at Smithboro, March 25, 1828, and has always been a resident of the town, except a few years spent in Nichols. His father, James, came to Smithboro with his par- ents, John and Lucretia Waterman, in 1800. Oren married Sarah Wolverton and has five children.
Jared Foote, son of Ichabod, was born in Connecticut, Janu- ary 22, 1789, married Sally Scott, April 2, 1810, and located in Delaware county, N. Y., where all of his seven children were born. In 1837 he removed with his family to Tioga, locating at what is known as Goodrich Settlement. His children were as follows : Alfred, born, October 22, 1811, married Margaret Grout, and died in May, 1885; Rebecca, born April 16, 1814, died March 24, 1843; Jared A., born May 11, 1817 ; Sally A., born July 26, 1819, died in 1871 ; Lyman B., born March 24, 1822; Elmira, born May 21, 1825 ; John, born October 11, 1826. Mrs. Jared Foote, Sr., died June 6, 1852, and for his second wife Mr. Foote married Sally A. Stiles, May 3, 1854, who died in the winter of 1886-87. Mr. Foote died May 6, 1875.
Stephen W. Jones, from Stockbridge, Mass., came to Tioga in 1807, locating upon the farm now owned by his grandson, Horace, on road 28. He had a family of six children, only one of whom, Mrs. Sarah Payne, of Waverly, N. Y., is living. Stephen P., the only one of the three sons who located permanently in the vicin- ity, married Fidelia Farnham, who bore him three children, Ste- phen W., Horace and Charles E. Horace married Rachel Anthony, November 24, 1857, who bore him four children, and died March 14, 1886. The children are Carrie (Mrs. N. B. Whitley), of Tavares, Fla .; George E. of the same place ; Minnie, and Grace G.
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John Whitley, from Vermont, located in the north part of Can- dor, in 1816. He had a family of thirteen children, only one of whom, Mrs. Lydia Brearly, of Caroline Centre, is living. His son, Joel S., who was six years old when his father came to Candor, located in Tioga in 1850, on road thirteen, where he died March 20, 1886. He married for his first wife Miss Hoffman, who died in 1843. For his second wife he married Emily Anderson, in 1844, who survives him. His two children are Arthusa P. (Mrs. Andrew Jewett), of Elmira, and Judson M., of Tioga.
Ira Anderson came with his family, from Warren, Rutland county, Vt., in 18to, and located in Candor, upon the farm now occupied by his grandson, Philander. He married Susan An- drews, who bore him seven children, Almira, Polly, Charlotte, Amarilla (Mrs. John Wolverton), of Candor, Johnson, Marshall, and Daniel, Amarilla being the only one now living. Daniel, born March 18, 1Soo, married Fidelia Frisbie, who bore him six children, Chester, Mary, Charlotte, Ezra, Frederick and Edwin. Ezra moved to Tioga in 1866, and now resides on road 12. He married Laura Gould, in January, 1866, and has three children. Marshall married Hannah Harris, who bore him eight children, James M., Stephen, Mariette, Albert, Amos, John, Eliza and Enos. James M. came to Tioga, in ISSo, from Candor, and resides on road 12. He married Mary H. Easton and has two children living, Willis D. and John J.
Harris Jewett, born at Chenango Forks, N. Y., October 18, 1804, and located in Berkshire in 1830, upon the farm now owned by Walter Jewett. In 1854, he moved to Tioga, locating upon the farm he now occupies, on road 9. Mr. Jewett married Lucinda Ford, September 1, 1832, who bore him five children, three of whom are living, viz .: Charles F., born October 2, 1834 : William A., born June 20, 1842 ; and Henry M., born October 24, 1850. Mrs. Jewett died July 21, 1868.
Lewis Lounsbury, from Connecticut, born February 21, 1794, was the first settler upon the farm now occupied by Mrs. Mary Lounsbury, in 1815. He married Charry Clark, December 12. 1816, who bore him eight children, five of whom are living, two in this town, Clark and Sheldon. Clark married Mary J. How- land, February, 6, 1849, and has two children, Cornelia and Harriet ., teachers. Lewis died January 11, 1861. Lewis, Jr., born December 10, 1820. married Mary Casterline, June 14, 1853. who bore him three children, Anson, John and Amy. Lewis, Jr., died April 24, 1887, and Mrs. Lounsbury occupies the homestead,
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' with her children .. Sheldon, son of Lewis, was born November 6, 1837, married Sarah J. Moe, May 8, 1878, and has three chil- dren. He resides on road 61.
Jonathan Emerson, from Albany county, N. Y., was the first settler upon the farm now owned by his son David B., about 1822. He married Mary Harlin, who bore him four children, Samuel H., Chester, Mary (Mrs. Alexander Duff), and David B. The eldest son, Samuel H., married Sarah Duncan and has three children. Jonathan died October 1, 1885, and his widow still survives him ..
W. Hulse Shaw is one of the prominent farmers in the town. He came here from Orange county, N. Y., a few years ago. He was a soldier in the war of the rebellion, is president of the Tioga County Agricultural Society, was Democratic candidate for member of assembly, in 1885. He is interested in raising valuable live-stock.
Maj. Richard Spendley was for many years a prominent and wealthy resident of the town. He was one of the active Repub- licans of the town and county, and was often a delegate to state and other conventions. He was at one time supervisor. He re- moved to Salamanca a few years ago.
Henry Bogart was born in Ulster county, April 13, 1830, and came to Tioga in 1865. He married Sarah E. Cook, July 14, 1856, and has four children, Eugene D., Elmer. E., Arthur and Earl.
We quote the following interesting matter from Judge Avery's " Susquehanna Valley" papers, published in 1853-54 :
" This town, also, has the honor of having been the place of residence, for many of the later years of his life, of the distin- guished patriot. Josiah Cleaveland, who gained his first laurels in the memorable battle of Bunker Hill. In June, 1843, he re- turned.to the scene of his early heroism, and joined in the cele- bration of the completion of the monument which his grateful , countrymen had reared : and there, within a few days after the commemoration of that event, surrounded by all the hallowing associations of the time and place, he resigned his soul into the hands.of Him who gave it, by a remarkable and impressive providence, at the foot of the storied hill upon which his fame so proudly rested. His remains repose, in honorable burial, at Mount Auburn.
"An Indian burying-ground extended along the brow of the cliff, on the westerly bank of the Owego creek, in this town, upon
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the homestead premises of Messrs. J. Platt, and C. F. Johnson. It was a favorite burial place. Mrs. Whitaker narrates that upon the death of Ka-nau kwis, whose name appears upon the Indian document, somewhat varied from the one given by her, he was brought to this place. Where he died she does not state, but Mrs. Williams recollects to have heard her father say that he re- ceived his death-wound at Tioga Point. His remains must therefore have been transported from that place to this favorite spot of interment, a distance of twenty-one miles. Although many Indian graves have been found upon the site of Owego, no indications have been there exhibited of an appropriation so ex- clusive for Indian burial in its ordinary mode, as the extended brow of this cliff. The rounded Indian burial mound, near the intersection of Paige and River streets, was formed either by its having been made the place of deposit for a large collection of remains upon their removal from original places of interment, or perhaps by the burial of a number of warriors who may have fallen in battle. It was not an ordinary Indian burial place.
" Many Indian graves were also found near the bank of the river, a short distance below Cassel's cove. The remains were found, here, in the usual posture, surrounded by the cus- tomary implements of the chase, and ornaments such as were usually deposited along with the body which they had contri- buted to support and adorn in life. But for this custom of our Indian predecessors very few of those articles, or of those of their domestic use, would have been now within our reach. The key which they have furnished to a store of Iroquois usages and antiquities, but for that national funeral rite, would have been kept from our hands.
" At the time of the pioneer settlement of this town, the evenly- wooded hill, sloping southerly upon the homestead of Mr. John Dubois, was found entirely stripped of timber, bearing the ap- pearance of having been burned over and thoroughly cleared. It was shrubless as well as denuded of its trees. The even and remarkably uniform 'second growth' which now covers it, clear- ly shows this to be a fact, and corroborates the account.
"About twenty-two years since, in the easterly part of this town, upon the premises known in the olden time as the residence and home property of David Pixley, Jr., situated upon the west- erly side of the Owego creek, something less than half a mile below the homestead of Mr. Ephraim Leach, a singular discovery was made. A large brass kettle was disclosed by the plough,
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literally filled with articles of various kinds, of ancient appearance and manufacture, and doubtless of no little value to the person who had taken the pains to bury them there. At the time of their deposit that immediate vicinity was thickly wooded, and well selected to avoid observation and escape discovery. Among other contents was a copper tea kettle, inside of which was found a pewter vessel, filled with untrimmed rifle balls, just as they came from the moulds. The other articles were an old-fashioned and peculiarly shaped hammer, a parcel of pewter plates of two sizes, the smaller ones showing no marks of use, bright, and un- dimmed by corrosion, and upon them the word ' LONDON' plain- ly impressed ; a peculiarly shaped iron or steel instrument, about six or eight inches in length, pointed, and like the head of an arrow or spear, except that it had a single barb about two inches long, on one side only ; at its other extremity was a socket, apparently intended for a handle.
"This is an enumeration of a part only of the articles there found, but sufficiently complete to start many a conjecture as to their history, the time when they were secreted, whether in the revolutionary era, or anterior or subsequent to it. But, what- ever may be our suppositions upon the subject, they can never take any more satisfactory form than that of mere conjecture. It may be mentioned, that at many of the earlier councils and treat- ies held by the Iroquois with the agents of the English govern- ment, during our colonial history, presents, similar to the major part of these, were distributed profusely among the natives, for the purpose of conciliating them, individually, and to keep bright the 'covenant-chain' with the confederacy. It would not be at all strange, if some of the Indian occupants of our valley, pre- vious to their fleeing to the frontier upon the approach of Gens. Clinton and Sullivan, adopted this as a mode of secreting these articles from their white invaders, hoping to resume possession of them after their enemies had retired from the Susquehanna. Death or the fortunes of war might have prevented a realization of their hopes; or, if they returned, the precise spot where they were secreted, might have been forgotten : and thus these mementos of the past were left to slumber on until accident disclosed them to view."
The comparative growth of the town is shown by the following figures, from the census enumerations for the several enumerations since the town was organized : 1810, 500 ; 1820, 1,810 ; 1825, 991 ;
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1830, 1,411 ; 1835, 1,987 ; 1845, 2,778 ; 1850, 2,839; 1855, 3,027 ; 1860, 3,202 ; 1865, 3,094 : 1870, 3,272 ; 1875, 3, 162 ; 1880, 3,192.
Initial Events .- The first log house was built by Major Wmn. Ransom, who also built the first saw-mill, about 1792.
Major Ransom set out the first apple-tree, bringing it with him in a boat from Wyoming. He set out the first orchard on the west bank of the creek, and had the first nursery. George Tall- cott, when on an exploring tour through the country, in 1790, says this was the first orchard he had seen between here and Albany.
Colonel David Pixley built the first grist-mill on Owego creek, in what is called to this day Pixley's Channel, in or before 1793. Previous to this and until the erection of Fitch's mill, four miles above Binghamton, in 1790, the settlers in this locality were obliged to go to Wilkesbarre with their grain by means of canoes, on the Susquehanna, which usually occupied about two weeks. The Mattesons very soon after 1793 built a mill at Canewana.
The first tavern was built of logs, and was kept by Samuel Ransom. The first framed house was built by Prince Alden.
A Mr. Denio was the first blacksmith, and had a shop at Tioga Centre. John Hill was the first carpenter.
Lodowyck Light built the first tannery, using dug-outs for vats, which was afterwards enlarged as a tannery and shoe-shop by his son. Henry Light. Garancia m. Martha Seely
Major William Ransom and Rachel Brooks, in 1792, took upon themselves matrimonial vows, and no record can be found earlier of marriages in the town.
The first recorded death is that of David Pixley, who died June 6, 1799, aged thirty-five years, and who was a son of Colonel Pixley. He was buried in the wilderness, and the Tioga cemetery occupies the same locality.
The first cemetery was the one called the Canfield cemetery, and is situated near the residence of Amos Canfield.
Rev. David Jayne was preaching here before 1796. The first camp-meeting was held on the hill on Lodowyck Light's farm, in ISO7, and this hill was afterwards called by the irreverent ones of Pipe Creek, " Holy Hill." The first church was built on this place in 1812, and was a Union church.
The first school-house was built on Samuel Ransom's farm, --- before 1800.
The first store was kept by John Light and John Crise, at Smithboro.
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A postoffice was first kept at Smithboro, by Isaac Boardman, in 1812, and by John DuBois, very soon after, at Tioga Centre. Stephen Leonard, of Owego, had the first mail contract through from Owego to Elmira, and a mail was delivered once a week. Ebenezer Meckin drove the first mail-coach through for Leonard.
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