USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III > Part 22
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Oscar Oburg married, in Ashville, Feb. 27, 1852, Bebe Wellman, daughter of Barnabas and Pamela (Bullock) Wellman. Mrs. Bebe (Wellman) Oburg, like her hus- band, was a devoted Christian, affiliated with the Ash- ville church from the age of fifteen years. Oscar Oburg died at Ashville, April 9, 1919, aged eighty-six years. His wife died at Ashville, April 1, 1918, aged eighty- three years. Mr. and Mrs. Oburg were the parents of six children, all born in Ashville, N. Y .: I. Elon M., born Dec. 20, 1852; a farmer at Busti, Chautauqua county, N. Y .; married Mary Sherman. 2. Viola D., born Nov. 14, 1854, who married Marvin N. Everett (see Everett IV). 3. Minnie N., born Oct. 26, 1856; resides at the family homestead at Ashville; unmar- ried. 4. Lelia C., born March 20, 1859: married (first) John C. Walter, deceased ; she married ( second) Rollin Lee, a business man in Ashville. 5. Abbie D., born Jan. 3. 1861, who became the wife of Charles Wellman, who is connected with a large indus- try in Jamestown, N. Y. 6. Victor F., born April 9,
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1So3; a railroad man in Pittsburgh, Pa .; married Irene Grunder.
(The Wellman Line).
It is quite evident that the Wellman family took its name from the city of Wells in Somersetshire, Eng- land, which, in turn, obtained its name from a well called St. Andrew's Well, near the Bishop's palace, and from the fact that the founder of the family had received from one of the bishops charge of St. Andrew's Well, and had been called at first, John the Well-man, or Wil- liam the Well-man, which later became John or William Wellman. The name has been variously spelled as Well- man, Wellmane, Wellmon, Welman, Welmon, Welmin, Wilman, Wilmon, Willman, Willmon, Willsman, Wells- man, and Weelman. In America the practice of spelling this name as Wellman began quite early and has increased in practice until it is nearly universally used by all of the family here.
Arms-Argent. on a bend gules between two apples vert, three mullets or. Crest-A demi-lion argent holding between his paws an apple as in the arms charged with a mullet or.
Moito-Dei providentia juvat.
The genealogy and history of the Wellman family and :ts origin in the Old World has been made with some success. Investigation in this country seems to show that the early immigrant Wellmans were only two in number. Thomas Wellman and William Wellman. How- ever, family recollection points to a third, in the person cf Barnabas Wellman. The name Barnabas has been carried through several generations and it is thought that : Barnabas may have been one of the immigrants, and, if not, at least one of the sons of William Well- man.
Th mas Wellman was in Lynn, Mass., as early as yo He bought land, lived and died in Lynn End ( now Lynnfield ), Mass.
William Wellman was in Marshfield, Mass., as early a- 1'22, but moved that year to Gloucester, Mass., and th :. e, in 1 50, to New London, Conn., and a few years later . Kil'ingworth, Conn., where he died.
Tere i. a line of seven generations bearing the name of barnala Wellman, the first of whom there is any information being a Capt. Barnabas Wellman, a sea- faring man, who made voyages between America and Cha. On one of these voyages he brought home a set i chin dubes, a picture of his ship on each, and these were long fre erved in the family. Another was Barna- ba, Wellman, who represented the family in the Ameri- can Revolution ; and last, a Barnabas Wellman, who was an early settler in Chautauqua county, N. Y.
L rabas Wellman, the Revolutionary soldier, was r: Www. 18, 1756. in Killingworth, Conn. According t rewards, he was a drum major in the War of the J. ... n. Hli brother and sisters were: Freelove, Wien Ma. 22. 1733; Molly, born March 13, 1755; and P-ul. born April 15, 17:7. He married, and had the & Posing children: 1. James, born Nov. 30, 1783. 2. lorer born March 9, 1786. 3. Barnabas, of whom fur- ther 4. Ford, born Jan. 3, 1796. 5. Leander, born Oct. 14. 1401. There were also two daughters, Millie and Hannah.
Barnabas (2) Wellman, son of Barnabas (1) Well-
man, was evidently born at Killingworth, Conn., Sept. 16, 1793. He is later recorded amongst the first settlers of Chautauqua county, N. Y., locating in the town of Ashville. He had a small farm there, but he was chiefly occupied as a stone mason, and it is said he was a man of strong character, very religious, and preached in the village church in the absence of the local minister. He was noted for his fine voice, which he used in connection with his church work and local entertainments. He was a kind-hearted man, reverenced by all, and known to the townsfolk as "Uncle Barney."
Mr. Wellman married Pamela Bullock, born Sept. 14, 1798, daughter of Jonathan (2) and Dorcas (Tabethy) (Cody) Bullock, and granddaughter of Jonathan (1) Bullock, of English descent. Jonathan (1) Bullock was resident in Kentucky, and it is believed that he later went from there to Berkshire, Mass., where he married Bebe Brown, and when their son was eight months old the father left for service in the French and Indian War, dying in the army from quinsy. Jonathan (2) Bullock married Dorcas (Tabethy) Cody, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Whitney) Cody, and migrated to Ontario county, N. Y., about 1797. Children of Jonathan (2) and Dorcas (Tabethy) (Cody) Bullock: Jonathan, born Nov. 7, 1788, died at Panama, Chautauqua county, N. Y., 1885; Bebe, born March 8, 1790, died at Sugar Grove, Pa., 1878; William, born Aug. 6, 1794, died in Busti, Chautauqua county, N. Y .; Pamela, of previous mention, married Barnabas Wellman, and died in Ash- ville, Chautauqua county, N. Y., in 1874; Joseph, born April 18, 1803, died in Ontario county, N. Y., in young manhood; Alfred, Mary P., and Shubel, all died young. Barnabas and Pamela (Bullock) Wellman were the par- ents of nine children : 1. Henry, married Alvira Pierce, a farmer of Three Rivers, Mich. 2. Malinda, died aged ten years. 3. Alfred, married Theodia Covey; he was a farmer living near Three Rivers, Mich. 4. Matilda, died at the age of thirty, unmarried. 5. Barnabas, mar- ried Harriett Phelps; he was the owner of a lumber mill at Cherry Creek, Chautauqua county, N. Y. 6. Delila, married (first) Israel Millard, who died; she married (second) Seymour Millard, an oil man at Titusville, Pa., and a brother of her first husband. 7. Rachael, married Alpheus Alexander, a farmer in Harmony, Chautauqua county, N. Y. 8. Bebe, married Oscar Oburg (sce Oburg line). 9. Lucinda, married (first) A. Herrick, who died; she married (second) Nathaniel Smith, a farmer of Harmony, Chautauqua county, N. Y. These children were all born in Ashville, Chautauqua county, N. Y.
The Wellmans are a well known family in Chau- tauqua county, N. Y., and number among the first rank citizens. Among them are a number of well known professional and business men, and this name stands foremost in the community.
HENRY E. MOSHER, D. S. C .- On that historic morning of June 26, 1917, when the "First Contingent" of America's famous First Division set foot on the soil of France at St. Nazaire, Chautauqua county was rep- resented in the person of Lieut. (later Capt.) Henry E. Mosher, Company K, 28th United States Infantry. Company K was the first company to disembark, Capt. G. A. Hadself commanding them as they landed, with
25
U.S.
Henry Mosher
Captain 28th ly,
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J. L. Dunn as first lieutenant, and Harry E. Mosher as second lieutenant, Second Lient. Hood attached to the company being detailed in unloading. As a matter of historic interest, Capt. Mosher sent home a photographic copy of the following statement :
France, July 6, 1917. Company K, 28th Infantry. I certify that this organization landed from the U. S. Transport Tenddores at about 10:00 A. M., June 26th, 1917, at St. Nazaire, France, and that it is the first company of American soldiers ever in history to land en European soil for service in war.
G. ARTHUR HADSELL, Captain 28th Infantry, Comd'g Ce. K. The above statement is correct. WM. L. SIBERT, Major General, U. S. Army, Comd'g. First American Expeditionary Division.
Henry E. Mosher, captain, Company K, 28th Infantry, American Expeditionary Force, killed in action at Can- tigny, May 28, 1918, first officer of his rank to set foot on French soil in command of American troops for service in war, and first soldier from Chautauqua county to give his life in France in the service of the United States, was born at Falconer, N. Y., June 18, 1892, one of the twin sons of Stiles B. and Martha M. (Cook) Mosher. He was educated in the Falconer public schools, Jamestown High School, and at St. Braden's School at Highland Falls. In 1913 he entered West Point, where he spent one year. In October, 1916, he passed an examination at Fort Slocum, and on March 22, 1917, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army, assigned to the 28th Infantry, and ordered to Fort Leavenworth for a course of training in the Army Service School. When his course was but half completed his regiment was ordered abroad as part of General Pershing's "First Contingent," landing in France, June 26, 1917. Promotion came rapidly, to first lieutenant in the summer of 1917, and in February, 1918, to captain, in which rank he had acted since the preced- ing August. From July to October, the 28th Infantry, as part of the First Division, was in training with the French, the third battalion being stationed at St. Amand, Meuse. During October and November the regiment occupied the Sommervillier sector in Lorraine, and from January to April the Ansauville sector, north of Tonl, from which station it was called to relieve the French and push back the German advance in the Montdidier- Noyon sector.
Says the Regimental History :
The German offensive launched on March 21 has reached such proportions as to call forth every re- source at hand for checking it. It was at this time that General Pershing placed at the disposal of Mar- shal Foch the entire forces of the United States in France. A survey of the American forces showed four divisions whose training was considered complete enough to allow of their taking an active part. The First was chosen as the most fit to place at the point of danger. The British and French had stayed the German drive for the channel ports only after the wedge had been driven down past Montdidier. At the apex of this salient lay the village of Cantigny-taken by the 28th Infantry on the morning of May 28-the first American offensive, which General Pershing char- acterized in his report as "a brilliant action with elec- trical effect." as it demonstrated our fighting qualities under extreme battle conditions, and also that the enemy's troops were net invincible.
It is significant of the standing of the regiment that the 28th was given the place of honor among all the regiments of the American Expeditionary Force, and
Capt. Mosher counted it the honor of his life that he was chosen to lead his company in the assault.
"It was the memorable morning of May 28," wrote a member of the company :
K Company of the 28th Infantry, commanded by Captain Mosher, was on the left of the attack at Can- tigny. Since 4 A. M. the counter batteries from the 5th, 6th and 7th Artillery had been smashing a path for the planned advance of the infantry. Thirty min- utes before this advance the trench mortars hurled their load across No Man's Land. Then, at 6:45, sup- ported by five tanks manned by Frenchmen, the Amer- icans went over the top. The infantry got across with few casualties, and commenced to dig in. The rais- ing of earth works was observed from the air by the enemy scouts, signaled to the German batteries and then hell began. Six times the Germans counter- attacked and six times were repulsed. Their lines were but fifty and seventy-five yards away. After the first counter-attack, Captain Mosher sent three messengers, one after the other, with verbal messages to the bat- talion commander. They never came back. Shell from the enemy batteries was falling too accurately for that. So Captain Mosher decided to send another message, this time a written one. Crawling up and down the lines past his company in the shallow tempe- rary trench he counted the casualties among his men. Then, crouching behind the earthworks, just high enough for protection against the enemy machine-gun fire, he began his message to his commander. He wrote the words "Have suffered-" and fifty feet be- hind him burst a shell, a fragment of which struck him in the back of his head and the pencil was stopped.
Captain Mosher was a man of fine physique and bore a dauntless spirit in a sound body. Inheritance as well as training had fitted him for his career. He counted among his ancestors John Vassal, a member of the Vir- ginia Company who had commanded his ship in the fleet which destroyed the Spanish Armada; John Adams, of the "Fortune," 1621, brother of Henry Adams, from whom descended the presidential family ; John Abbey, of the "Bonaventure," 1634, a soldier in King Philip's War; Hugh Mosher, of Salem, 1636, friend and companion of Roger Williams in his exile ; Maj. Jonathan Bush and Capt. Thomas Abbey, of Con- necticut, who served with Gen. Washington throughout the Revolution.
Stiles Burt Mosher, father of Henry E. Mosher, was born in Poland township, Chautauqua county, N. Y., March 27, 1851, and married, at Olean, N. Y., Oct. 29, 1879, Martha M. Cook, daughter of John Norbert and Anna Kohley Cook. Stiles Burt Mosher was a son of Ephraim Mosher, born in Oppenheim, Fulton county, N. Y., May 8, 1802, died in Falconer, N. Y., Jan. 15, 1875, and Harriet Lucretia (Abbey) Mosher, born in Guilford, N. Y., Sept. 3, 1816, died in Falconer, N. Y., Feb. 23, 1897, daughter of Henry and Eva (Ingersoll) Abbey. Ephraim Mosher was a son of Peter and Mary (Rarrick) Mosher, settlers in Fulton county, N. Y., in 1796.
Always characterized as a strict, courteous, and effi- cient officer whose word was law, Capt. Mosher de- veloped under stress of battle unusual qualities of lead- ership and comradeship. An enlisted man who served under him recounted how, after the company's objec- tive was gained and the positions consolidated, he went about commending and encouraging his men, adminis- tering first aid to the wounded and comforting the dying. Almost his last act was to drag a wounded private, under heavy shellfire, to a place of safety. Letters re- ceived by relatives from an officer of the 28th Infantry say, in part :
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I cannot express to you how infinitely cool and brave were his actions as we advanced upon and attacked the German trenches surrounding the fortified town of Cantigny. With his trench vane hooked over his left arm he dealt death to five Germans, shooting them down with his automatic as nonchalantly as if at tar- Het practice, and almost his last act was to drag a wounded private through heavy shell fire to a place of safely. His example was an inspiration to all his officers and men, and we are filled with grief at his going.
Lieutenant Samuel Parker, of the 28th Infantry, also wrote:
I love and respect him above all other soldiers with whom I have been thrown in contact during the great war. He was a man and a soldier-every inch of him. I have seen the influence of many officers over their men. but I can honestly say that I have seen none whose death was felt so keenly by every one that knew him.
Capt. Mosher's name appears among those cited by Gen. R. L. Bullard for conspicuous gallantry in action during the operations connected with the capture and defense of Cantigny. He was awarded the Distin- guished Service Cross by Gen. Pershing, the citation reading :
During a heavy bombardment near Cantigny, France, on May 24th, 191s. he displayed heroic conduct and utter disregard of his own safety while successfully directing the consolidation and defense of the position taken by his command. After succeeding in the accomplishment of his task he was struck by enemy fire and killed.
A third citation for "conspicuous gallantry in action and especially meritorious services" was bestowed by General Summeral, later in command of the First Divi- sion.
Capt. Mosher and two of his lieutenants were buried where they fell, later being removed to the French civilian cemetery at Cantigny and still later to the American cemetery at Villers Tournelles, Somme. Eventually his body is to rest among his kindred in Pine Hill in the village of Falconer, where the Henry Mosher Post of the American Legion, formed by his boyhood companions and schoolmates. commemorates the name . i Chautauqua county's first soldier to make the supreme sacri' ce in his country's service in France.
Thus passed Henry Mosher. Christian gentleman, and soldier.
He wo a captain born and bred. In years Though yet a boy, he was a man in soul. Led older men and hold them in control. In danger Flood ereet and quelled their fears. When weath calls och a captain, he but hears As twere a distant bugle and the roll Of far-off drums We wrong him if we toll The m, irnful bell. Give him our cheers, not tears! Through deadly search of battle flame and gas, The gn iron hail and burst of shrapnel shell,- Fr lpg wy w en we played at mimic wars,- bir leader I it, then, not well, Thatle bonll lead before us to the stars? "ar l'at attention' Let his brave Paul pass! (JJ Brainerd Thrall in "The Outlook").
OBED EDSON -There are other rural counties in Tek -tate that have had a more thrilling history Pored tan Che stanqua, but none which has had a mere farbfel N . rian than Obed Edson. His passing, in he eighty cig'th year, com almost to close the brak of theop neer hi tor, of the county, for there is no man left who has anything approaching his knowl- odve rf it.
In the field of original historical research, Mr. Ed- son had no superior in Western New York. The fruits of his patient toil are fortunately gathered in perma- nent form. He was an important contributor to "Young's History of Chautauqua County," published a generation ago, which deals especially with the early settlers. He was the principal author of the county history published in 1894 by W. A. Ferguson & Com- pany, which contains the annals of each town and much information regarding the geology and archeology of the county, branches of science with which Mr. Edson was thoroughly familiar, especially in relation to this region. He had reached the age of seventy, and was then, perhaps, at the zenith of his splendid intellectual powers, when, in 1902, he contributed his "Annals of Chautauqua County" for the "Centennial History of Chautauqua County." The annals comprise three hun- dred and sixty pages of that work, and for them he gleaned from the fruits of his historical studies the facts most valuable for ready reference. Many special in- dividuals and periods have since been covered in his papers for the Historical Society and in his magazine articles, so that the entire amount of his historical writ- ings is very considerable in volume and will be priceless in value to future Chautauquans. He well deserved the title commonly bestowed on him of "county historian."
When, in 1919, the history of Chautauqua county was proposed, he gave it his hearty support and cooperation, and is the author of several chapters of the work, all of which bear his name and may be considered his last work for the people of his beloved county, in fact his valedictory, and in a way his monument, as he was an advisory editor up until the time of his death.
But it would be a mistake to remember Obed Edson only as a historical student. This was his recreation. His profession was that of an attorney, and he was at the time of his death by many years the senior in serv- ice of any member of the bar in the county, having been admitted in 1853. He came of a pioneer family, his father, John M. Edson, having removed to Chau- tauqua county from Madison county in 1810. His father was a stepson of Maj. Samuel Sinclair. This family settled at Sinclairville, where Obed Edson was born in 1832, and where he was laid at rest. There the boy went to school, later attending Fredonia Academy. Then, in 1851 he studied law in the office of E. H. Scars, and to the little village he came home from the Albany Law School to hang out his own shingle and to practice there for sixty years, before taking up his residence with his son, Walter il. Edson, at Falconer.
As a youth, Mr. Edson was a surveyor, and in 1850 served as a chainman on the New York & Erie railroad, the year before its completion to Dunkirk and its memo- rable opening by Daniel Webster. As late as 1867 he ran the line of the Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley & Pitts- burgh railroad down the Cassadaga valley and through his home village. Sinclairville was in early days a com- munity of more relative importance in the county than it is to-day. It once aspired to be the county seat, being located in the center of the county. Political con- ventions were held there for many years. It numbered many strong men among its citizens. From the hills and valleys of the township of Charlotte, men have come
Oled Edron
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BIOGRAPHICAL
who have made their names known beyond the limits of the county.
Of the pioneer families of Charlotte, several belonged to the Democratic party, among them the Edsons. Obed Edson became naturally one of the Democratic leaders in a strongly Republican county, and was steadfast in his support of the candidates of that party. He was sev- eral times nominated for public offices, for district attor- ney in 1865, for member of Assembly in 1873 and 1874, and for State Senator at a much later date. His elec- tion to the Assembly in 1874 from the old Second Dis- trict gave him the distinction of being one of the two Democrats elected from this county since the Civil War period, the other having been the late Charles H. Cor- bett, of Sherman, chosen in 1882. At that time both Jamestown and Dunkirk were in the same district, which Mr. Edson represented. That Assembly was Demo- cratic and served during the first year of Governor Til- den's administration.
Mr. Edson was uniformly kind and courteous in all his personal relations. He retained until the last a keen interest in public affairs. This and his frequent visits with younger men, all of whom enjoyed his company, kept him young at heart even when he was an octo- genarian. So he approached the end of his days with a contented mind, and was a welcome guest at many a public gathering. His relation to the community in which he lived was that of a genial sage. He had lived more than his allotted time. He had lingered later than his fellows, as some lone pine upon our wintry hills defies the storm and the woodman's axe. We find at the close of his "Annals of Chantanqua County" Bryant's familiar lines, "To a Water Fowl," which seems to suggest a com- parison with his own last days :
Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land, Though dark the night is near. And soon that toil shall end Soon shalt thou find a summer home and rest.
Obed Edson, fourth in direct line to bear the name Obed, was of the eighth generation of the family founded in New England by Deacon Samuel Edson, of Warwick- shire, England, who was a descendant of Thomas Edson, the earliest identified male ancestor of the Edsons of England and America. Thomas Edson was born about 1480, married Juliana Bustard, lived in Oxfordshire, and died during the reign of Henry VIII.
Deacon Samuel Edson was born in 1612 or 1613, mar- ried, at the age of twenty-five, Susanna Orcutt, who was four years his junior, and immediately after his mar- riage sailed with his bride for New England, arriving at Salem, in July, 1639. In 1651 he moved to Bridgewater, where he was one of the fifty-six original proprietors, and may have been its first settler, at least was one of the first. He was a man of intelligence, industry and thrift, acquiring in course of time large property inter- ests in land and mills. From 1676 until his death, July 10, 1692, he was in public office, and from 1667 until the end of King Philip's War he was a member of the Coun- cil of War, and from 1664, when he was elected one of the first deacons of the Bridgewater church, until his death, he filled that office. Of strong character, upright, honorable life, he possessed great influence and was one of the leading men of his town. His wife, Susanna, had a happy disposition, modest deportment, dignified pres-
ence and graceful manner. The characteristics of the founder and his wife have been transmitted to their de- scendants, and in Obed Edson the old Pilgrim had almost a reincarnation. Susanna Edson died Feb. 20, 1699, and in the old burying ground at Bridgewater the oldest monument of its kind is that standing over the graves of Deacon Samuel and Susanna Edson.
Deacon Samuel Edson was succeeded in Bridgewater by his son, Samuel (2) Edson, a prominent and highly respected citizen and office holder, and a man of prop- erty. He married Susanna Byram, and was succeeded in time by his son, Samuel (3) Edson, the first of the family to join the Established Church of England. He married Mary Dean, and their fourth son was Obed (1) Edson, who was a sergeant in the French and Indian War, taking part in several expeditions against the French. He died in Richfield, N. Y., having gone there in his old age it is believed to be with his son, Obed (2) Edson. Sergeant Obed Edson married (first) Katuralı Willis, of Bridgewater, and they were the first of the branch to settle in New York State.
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