USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume II > Part 52
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Among those men whose names are inscribed on the Roll of Honor none are more worthy of mention than Samuel J. Woodward, a descendant of Richard Wood- ward, who emigrated to this country with his wife Rose, and sons, Jolin and George, April 10, 1634, and settled at Watertown, Mass. The name Woodward, or Woodard, is supposed to be a trade name, derived from the English common noun, woodward, meaning keepers of the forests, the early Woodwards being game keep- ers and forest wardens.
Samuel J. Woodward was born Feb. 28, 1843, in the town of Carroll, N. Y., a son of John D. and Elvira B. (Rice) Woodward. Reuben Woodward (grand father) came to Chautauqua county, N. Y., from Massachusetts, about 1814, and settled in Ellicott township, where he followed farming. He married Sally Dunbar, and to them were born nine children, as follows: 1. John D., of whom further. 2. Maria, who married John F. Fen- ton. 3. Wellington, who died in Kiantone township. 4. Lewis, who died in Kiantone township. 5. Alexander, who died in Ellicott township. 6. Louisa, who married Fletcher Holliday, of Ellicott township. 7. Nancy, who married Smith Cass, of Carroll township. 8. Miranda, who married William Cobb. 9. Emaline, who married Ezekiel Peck, of Carroll township.
John D. Woodward (father) was about four years old when he was brought to Chautauqua county by his parents. He received his early education in the district schools of his native village, and at the age of twenty- one years started in the business world. He followed the lumber occupation for some time, and later took a position as pilot on the rafts that were sent down the Allegheny river. He followed this occupation for a number of years, but about 1853 bought a tract of land in Carroll township, Chautauqua county, N. Y., and there followed agricultural pursuits until his demise, which occurred April 8, 1859. To Mr. and Mrs. John D. Woodward were born two children: Samuel J., see forward, and Edmund R., who resides in Cleveland, Ohio.
Samuel J. Woodward received his early education in the public schools of Carroll township, and after com- pleting his studies assisted his father on the farm. When the Civil War broke out, Mr. Woodward, who was then only eighteen years old, was one of the first
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to offer his services, and he enlisted, Sept. 16, 1861, in Company K, 49th New York Volunteer Infantry, under Col. D. D. Bidwell, of Buffalo, N. Y. During the time he was with the army he engaged in the following bat- tles : Danville, Lee's Mill, siege of Yorktown, Wil- liamsburg, Chancellorsville, and in the seven day battles before Richmond, also Garnetts Farm, Goldings Farm, Savage Station, White Oak Swamp, Malvern Hill, South Mountain, and Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862, where he was wounded in the left side by a gunshot. Mr. Woodward was then sent to a hospital in Washington, where he remained for several months. They moved him, later, to another hospital in Baltimore, and then to Alexander, and at last, April 9, 1863. he received his honorable discharge for disabilities, from Washington D. C. Mr. Woodward then returned and lived with his uncle, Wellington Woodward, where he engaged in farming. Later, however, he went to Iowa and settled in Fayette county, where he again took up the occu- pation of farming, and after remaining there several years removed to Cottonwood county, Minn., where he engaged in agricultural pursuits for fourteen years. In 1886, he went to South Dakota and there kept a hotel for two years, removing to Sioux Falls, S. D., in 1888. He returned to Iowa in 1801, and located at Cedar Falls, making his home in that city until 1895, when he returned to Chautauqua county, N. Y., and located in Jamestown, N. Y., where he remains at the present time.
In politics, Mr. Woodward is a staunch Republican, but though he never sought public office, when he was clected constable of Ellicott in 1912, as an expression of the esteem in which he was held by the people of Elli- cott township, he gave to his City, State and Nation the best of his services. Mr. Woodward is also prominent in social circles, being a member of James M. Brown - Post. Grand Army of the Republic, Jamestown, N. Y. He was commander of this post for one term, and is a member of the Union Veterans' Legion. -
In Ashville, N. Y., Oct. 1, 1864, Mr. Woodward was united in marriage with Lizzie C. Bratt, a daughter of Erastus Bratt, of Chautauqua county. She died in Jamestown, June 17, 1915, and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery. To this union was born one child, Lois Estelle, who died Sept. 17, 1875, aged five years.
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Mr. Woodward is an honest, upright man, firm in his convictions and fearless in adhering to them. He is one of Jamestown's most loyal and public-spirited pioneers, and all during his life has been eager to coöp- erate in movements for the general progress. Honor- able business principles have distinguished his policy throughout his career, and have made his activities use- ful and valuable, and his life as a private citizen a credit and honor to his community.
SHERMAN JAMES LOWELL-As worthy mas- ter of the National Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, Mr. Lowell holds a position of high honor and responsibil- ity, a position to which he has risen through a grada- tion of promotions beginning in his local grange, the mother of all granges of the order, Fredonia, No. I. Passing from his local to the State Grange, he reached the highest position in that body, and after
years of service of a high order in the National Grange, he was honored by elevation to the highest office in that body, worthy master. Thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the order of which he is the present leader, Mr. Lowell's heart is in his work, and to liis devotion he adds a genuine enthusiasm, a pleas- ing personality, and eloquent speech, these combining to make him an ideal leader and chief executive.
The Lowell family is an ancient and honorable one, tracing from William the Conqueror through one of his sons. The name is widely spread in England, and in America this branch is descended from Sir Percival Lowell, who came to Massachusetts in 1639 on the "Jonathan," and founded the settlement which became the great manufacturing city of Lowell, Mass. Over three hundred Lowells died in the service of their country in the wars waged by the United States, Willoughby Lowell, the great-grandfather of Sherman J. Lowell, serving as a captain in the War for Inde- pendence, and assisting in the ceremonies attending the raising of the American colors on Boston Common. In letters, the professions, and business life, Lowell is a frequent and honored name.
Sherman James Lowell, son of James Willoughby and Jane Selleck Lowell, was born in Lamberton, town of Pomfret, Chautauqua county, N. Y., May 28, 1858. He attended the public schools, and from youth was engaged in farming and in different enterprises, his present farm lying in the town of Pomfret. His business qualifications have been recognized: for ten years, 1900-1910, he was the efficient manager of the Pomfret Fruit Company, a fruit shipping concern, and he has served for three years as director of the First National Bank of Fredonia. He is a member of the Masonic order, and the First Presbyterian church of ,Fredonia.
Mr. Lowell's connection with the Patrons of Hus- bandry began in 1900 with his admission to Fredonia Grange, No. 1. He passed through the offices of that grange, becoming master in 1804. He advanced from the local to the county grange, becoming master of Pomona Grange of Chautauqua county. Going as a delegate to the New York State Grange, his clear- headed efficiency attracted the attention of the men and women who make up that great organization, and he was chosen assistant steward of the State Grange in 1906, lecturer in 1908, overseer in 1912, and master in 1916, holding the last named office until the expiration of his term in 1920.
In every phase of grange work, Mr. Lowell showed himself familiar with practical agricultural work, its needs and its merited rewards. Whenever called upon to do he did, and on Nov. 18, 1919, when the National Grange in annual convention at Grand Rapids, Mich., found itself in need of the best type of farmer, and a man of intelligence, initiative and force, Sherman J. Lowell was the man chosen for the important position of president of the National Grange, Patrons of Hus- bandry. In addition to the offices enumerated, Mr. Lowell had served four years as president of the executive committee of the National Grange, and was Governor Smith's choice as a member of the committee appointed by him as governor of New York to investigate the high cost of living in the State.
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During the war period, 1917-18, Mr. Lowell ren- dered patriotic service as a member of the food and fuel supply and liberty bond committees, and as a public speaker. He gave freely of everything he had to give, and earnestly and eloquently supported the Government. As a citizen his influence is always exerted for good in a quiet yet forceful way. All good canses appeal to him, and he is a strong advocate for the right as it appears to him.
Mr. Lowell married, Nov. 22, 1889, Martha L. Marsh, and they are the parents of two children: Fred Albert and Clyde Marsh Lowell. Fred Albert Lowell married Fern Gest, and they have a daughter, Esther. Clyde Marsh Lowell resides with his parents at the beautiful country home near Fredonia.
The high position Mr. Lowell holds has been at- tained through his own efforts and personality. The spirit of progressiveness which distinguishes him brought him first into the public eye, and as he was tried by public tests he was found not wanting. His life is an example of upright living, and his career again demonstrates the willingness of the people to reward the public-spirited, progressive citizen who in a worthy way champions a worthy cause.
JAMES HAWLEY GREEN-There are some men who take possession of the public heart and hold it after they are gone, not by flashes of genius or bril- liant services, but by kindness and the force of per- sonal character, and by steady and persistent good conduct in all the situations and under all the trials of life. They are in sympathy with all that is useful, pure and good in the community in which they reside, and the community on its side cheerfully responds by extending to them respectful admiration and sincere affection. Such a man was James H. Green, whose name heads this sketch. As a business man he was in many respects a model. The goal of his ambition was success, but he would succeed only on the basis of truth and honor. He scorned deceit and dishonesty, and would not palliate false representations either in his own employ or among his customers and correspon- dence. No amount of gain could lure him from the undeviating line of rectitude. Justice and equity he regarded as the cornerstones of the temple of trade without which it could not stand.
A brave soldier, a faithful friend, a good citizen, and a true gentleman, one whose very presence radi- ated the sunshine of serene, genial nature, and whose kindness of heart endeared him to everyone who came within the sphere of his influence. Mr. Green's memory will long be cherislied. No man in Jamestown, N. Y., was more highly esteemed, none had a wider circle of friends, nor could warmer affection be displayed by men for a man, than was awarded Mr. Green by his friends. His military career had been an honorable one, his civic record one of the best, his private life in keeping with the high moral standards of Christian life. But it was in his own home that the truest beauty of his character appeared. There he was ever at his best; no matter how hard the day had been, business cares were left behind and he made his home his santuary.
James Hawley Green was a worthy representative of an old and distinguished family. The settlement of "the Greens of Warwick" in America followed "the landing of the Pilgrims" by about fifteen years. The family have an ancient English lineage that dates far back into the history of that country. The name, originally "De Greene," was derived from the large landed possessions of the family in Northamptonshire, England, where they were seated as early as 1320. There are several distinct families bearing the name Green and Greene in the United States. The progen- itor of the family of Cohoes, under consideration, was John Greene, who founded the family known as the "Greene's of Warwick," the first permanent settlement being made in Warwick, R. I., which became the family seat in America. The family figured conspic- uously in the early history of Rhode Island, as in colony affairs, including a governor, men brave in war as Gen. Nathanael Green, and men who stood firm in their support of their religious convictions as did sturdy old John Greene, of Warwick. And to this line of ancestry James H. Green traced his ancestry.
He was a son of George Washington Green, who with his wife, Amelia A. (Merchant) Green, and son, James H. Green, came to Chautauqua county, N. Y., in 1851. He bought a tract of land of sixty-one acres, in the town of Charlotte, near Sinclairville, upon which he lived for years, later purchasing another farm in the same town, where he resided until the end of his life. Politically, George W. Green was a staunch Republican, and in religious affiliations he was a mem- ber of the Congregational church. Both Mr. and Mrs. Green died in Charlotte, and are buried in Evergreen Cemetery, in the village of Sinclairville.
James H. Green was born on June 27, 1843, in West Winfield, Herkimer county, N. Y., and there spent the early part of his life. When about eight years of age, he was brought by his parents to the town of Charlotte, Chautauqua county, N. Y., and there grew to manhood on the farm. He received his education in the public school of Charlotte Centre, and after laying aside his text books assisted his father in his agricultural busi- ness. He was also employed at times by his uncle, Hawley Green, in his grist mill at Sinclairville, and while there took advantage of his position and became familiar with all the work connected with operating a mill of this character.
In 1864, when at the age of twenty-one, Mr. Green, in answer to his country's call for men, enlisted in Company F, 154th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, under Col. Patrick Jones, who was later succeeded by Col. W. J. Warner and Capt. Thomas Donnelly. Mr. Green was in action at the battles of Chancellorsville, Mission Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Kennesaw Mountain, was with General Sherman in his famous "march to the sea," and marched in the Grand Review at Washington, D. C., at the close of the war. He was mustered out of service with an honorable discharge, June 11, 1865, ranking as sergeant major.
Upon returning from the war, Mr Green accepted a position with his uncle, Hawley Green, at his grist mill in Sinclairville, N. Y., and remained with him for three years. In 1867 he removed to Dexterville, now East Jamestown, and there accepted a position as a
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Jno W Spencer
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miller in the Allen & Hitchcock Company. Two years later he started a water power mill in the town of Ellington, N. Y., under his own name, and there con- ducted a most successful feed and flour milling busi- ness for nearly a quarter of a century. This mill was one of the best known mills of its kind throughout Chautauqua county. In 1893, Mr. Green retired from this business and removed to Jamestown, and there purchased the coal, wood and building supply business of George Session, and from that year until 1907, Mr. Green conducted a very successful business along the same lines. However, in 1907, his health caused him to retire permanently from active business life, and after disposing of his business he lived retired at his home on the corner of Eighth and Fulton streets until his demise, which occurred Feb. 24, 1920.
In political affiliations, Mr. Green was a staunch Re- publican, his first vote being cast; while in the military service of his country, for Abraham Lincoln. Since that time he remained loyal to that party, but had never cared for the emoluments of office. Fraternally, Mr. Green was a member of the James M. Brown Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of which he was com- mander for some time. He was also a member of the Chautauqua County Veteran Legion.
On Oct. 9, 1866, at Cherry Creek, Chautauqua county, N. Y., Mr. Green was united in marriage with Harriet S. Baldwin, who was born in the town of Ellington, a daughter of Henry D. and Electa (Stafford) Baldwin. Mrs. Green is also a member of a very old and distinguished English family, the name being one found in that country as early as 672.
To Mr. and Mrs. Green were born three children: I. Marian Estella, who married Victor L. Stone, and resides at Asheville, N. C., where Mr. Stone is engaged in the lumber business. 2. Anna, who married Sherley Taylor, of the Jamestown Iron Works; she is now deceased, leaving a daughter, Evelyn N., wife of Burton Maddox, son of William J. Maddox, of James- town, N. Y., and whose biographical record appears upon other pages of these volumes. 3. Harriet Effie, who married Percy N. Osborn, and resides in Spring- field, Mass .; they are the parents of two children. Philip and Beatrice.
In records incident to the conquest of England the name Baldwin appears in the Battle Abbey. The Earls of Flanders bearing the name date from the time of Alfred the Great. Baldwin the 2nd married Elstouth, daughter of Alfred, and Baldwin the 5th married the daughter of Robert of France, and their daughter Matilda married William the Conqueror. Surnames, however, were not used in England until long after the
conquest. Baldwin de Hampden, of the time of the conquest, became John Hampden, the patriot of the English revolution. The name is found in Denmark. Flanders, Normandy, and other parts of France. The Baldwins of the United States came largely from County Bucks, England, where the name John Baldwin is of frequent historical mention in successive genera- tions, as is Henry and Richard. Mrs. Green traces her ancestry directly to Richard Baldwin, who held the Manor of Dundridge in Aston-Clinton, Bucking- hamshire, England, as early as the sixteenth century.
In closing this review of Mr. Green's life, we may say that he was a public-spirited citizen, and every enter- prise for the public good found in him an earnest and liberal supporter. He was of a cheerful, social tem- perament, and retained the happy faculty of entering into the spirit of the young, with whom he always delighted to mingle even to the last of his days. He was an indulgent, affectionate husband and father, fond of his home and family, very quiet and unassum- ing, met all his obligations promptly, holding his word and honor sacred.
So passed the life of a good man, one who never forfeited the esteem of the community in which he lived for so many years, and leaving behind him when he died an empty place in the hearts of those who knew and loved him that can never be filled.
JOHN WALTON SPENCER-No one who has watched the growth of the New York College of Agri- culture (Cornell University) but is familiar with the name "Uncle John," the title of love and respect con- ferred upon John Walton Spencer by the students. friends and acquaintances. Grangers', teachers', and farmers' institute meetings throughout the State heard many addresses from "Uncle John," a man who early in his life as a farmer saw the necessity of under- standing the principles underlying the business of the agriculturist and bringing them within the reach and scope of the ordinary farmer. In his own struggle for this knowledge "Uncle John" equipped himself not only with the information he needed, but with the point of view which enabled him to go before his brother farmers and talk to them face to face concerning the common problems which all New York farmers have to face. When called to the faculty of the College of Agriculture, he inaugurated a movement which reached thousands of practical men in the State and thousands of schoolchildren of New York, whom through cor- respondence contact was established and seed sown which gave fresh incentive to thousands of boys and young men and decided them upon a new course in life. His was a life of helpfulness, and long will live the influence that helped so many boys toward the end, emphasized in "Uncle John's" extensive teaching: a successful practical farmer, living a contented useful life.
School No. 12, of Rochester, is named the John Walton Spencer School in honor of "Uncle John," who had done considerable work in Rochester School. Said "The Cornell Countryman" editorially the year preceding Mr. Spencer's retirement from the College of Agriculture through the operation of the age limit :
When Uncle John Spencer. in his speech at the Agri- cultural banquet, said that he would be content if he could know that he had added one small drop of kind- ness that would go to fill the sea of Immortality, he was expressing the doubt and deprecating modesty that is characteristic of men who have done their work well and who have served others. We who have known him here, and those outside, both young and old, who have known him as a teacher of the common and beautiful truths of nature, as a helper and a friend, can offer him the certainty of that content- ment in the knowledge of our appreciation of his influ- ence and encouragement. It is to these that the drops of kindness have flowed. carrying with them know- ledge, ideals, and, still better, assistance in making them real. We see "Uncle John" retire from active
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duties, we see him return to his "beloved Bellwether" with something more than mere regret at our loss. It is with gratitude that we have known him, the thought of the inspiration his example has given us to do our work as faithfully and as well, and with the wishes for the reward in the happiness of his home life that his active life of service deserves, etc.
He was a native son, but of English forbears, his parents, David and Hannah (Walton) Spencer, resi- dents of Cherry Valley, N. Y., at the time of the birth of their son John W. in 1843. In 1847 David Spencer and family moved to Mayville, Chautauqua county, where he engaged in farming for a few years prior to his removal to a farm in the town of Sherman. After several years in Sherman, David Spencer moved to Westfield, where he bought the Light homestead, a tract of seventeen acres on the West Main road, and there died at a ripe old age. He was a Democrat in politics, and attended the Presbyterian church. He was survived by his widow, Hannah, who later died at the home farm, and both are buried in the cemetery at Sherman. David and Hannah Spencer were the parents of two sons, one of whom died at the age of four years, the other, John Walton Spencer, to whose memory this review of his life work is dedicated.
John Walton Spencer was born at Cherry Valley, June 12, 1843, and died at Ithaca, N. Y., where he had gone on a pleasure trip, Oct. 24, 1912, and is buried in Westfield cemetery. He was brought by his parents to Chautauqua county in 1847, and in the town of Sherman he attended district schools, this being sup- plemented by attendance at the old Westfield Academy. Later he pursued a commercial course at a Bryant & Stratton College in Buffalo, the little farm being his home until legal age was attained. He then went to Pennsylvania oil regions, securing a position as clerk and bookkeeper at Pratt's Hole, going thence to a similar position at Oil City, there also acting as railroad agent. From Oil City he went to Bath, N. Y., there engaging in the manufacturing of veneer. Upon the death of his parents he returned to Westfield and the home farm, devoting its acres principally to fruit growing, having twelve acres of cherry trees, he being a pioneer in his section in the growing of cherries as a business. It was during this period of his life that he began his search for scientific information that would help him to be a better farmer and a better fruit grower. To that end he read and studied books on agriculture and horticulture, and in course of time arrived at an intimate knowledge of the scientific side of the business he was following.
Mr. Spencer became an authority on certain subjects of peculiar value to the agriculturist, and on the day following the first election of President Mckinley he became a member of the staff of the New York State College of Agriculture, then in its third year of "ex- tension work" under State appropriation. This was in 1896 and the following year the appropriation for "extension work" was raised from $16,000 to $25,000, and a broader line of work was undertaken. A con- spicuous feature of "Uncle John's" work in the second year was the introduction of Farmers' Reading Courses on the correspondence plan, another feature, courses of Nature Study in the public schools. The term, Nature Study, at that time meant in a great many cases-agriculture, "Uncle John" being of the
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