USA > New York > Lewis County > History of Lewis County, New York; with...biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 75
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In March, 1846, Mr. Potter married Rachel Ann Case, of Turin, who was born August 29, 1820, and who survives him (1883). The children of this mar- riage were-Fannie M., born August 16, 1848, who married Frank E. Wilson ; E. Eugene, born February 16, 1850; Mar- shall N., born October 4, 1851 ; Flora A., born November 22, 1853, and married
[JAMES MILLER.]
Supervisors, and for years held minor town offices, all of which, he filled to the satisfaction of his constituents. Mr. Potter was in every sense of the term a self-made man, and his life is an illustra- tion of what can be accomplished by honor, energy and persevering effort. He was trusted by all who knew him, and was eminently the friend of the poor. He died after a brief illness, February 23, 1883, and in his death the' world lost one of the men who had made it better by his presence.
Charles Crofoot ; Frank A., born Feb- ruary 3, 1856; Samuel C., born February 28, 1858; Ida L., born December 20, 1860 ; Alice M., born July 8, 1863.
JAMES MILLER.
One of the most pleasing character- istics of the history of our county as it shall be read in the future, will be its specifications of names and
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
localities by which the coming genera- tions may identify the place where a dis- tant ancestor settled in the wilderness, built his log house with pioneer-will and muscle, cleared away the forest, and reared the commodious and comfortable dwelling of to-day. To the present gen- eration it is a matter of interest to know who felled the first tree in settling the town of his residence, to know where and by whom the first house or barn was built, and by whom each farm was cul- tivated in pioneer days.
Among the names of the early pioneers who have passed away from their career of usefulness, none are more entitled to the remembrance of the present gener- ation, than that of the subject of this sketch. The Millers were among the earliest settlers of New England, com- ing to this country from Scotland. The first of this name, of whom anything definite is known, was Richard Miller, father of James, who married Anna Ward.
James Miller was born in Middletown, Conn., in 1776. In the spring of 1796, in company with Ebenezer Allen, James Ward, and Nathan Coe, he left Middle- town, and emigrated to what was then termed "the wilds of the West." With two yoke of oxen and a loaded cart, they traversed the Mohawk Valley to Utica, where two years before, there was a small cluster of log houses, and nine- teen families. From there to Trenton, a road had been cut through the woods, but from Trenton to Turin, they found their way by marked trees, and en- countered and overcame many obstacles in fording and crossing streams and gulfs.
On arriving at the place of their desti- nation, tired and drenched through with rain which was then pouring down in torrents upon them ; after loosening the oxen from the cart to feed in the woods, they proceeded to build a fire. Mr.
Allen, pulling off his coat, commenced with a will to fell a large tree, against which they succeeded with great diffi- culty in kindling a fire, it being finally done by Mr. Miller crawling under. a log, where he succeeded in flashing some powder, and raising a flame. Here they remained through the night, with nothing for a covering but the body of the cart, under which Ward and Allen lay down to rest, while Mr. Miller watched the oxen and kept the fire.
On the following day they built a temporary house, where they remained the first season, building a saw-mill, and making preparations for their future home, experiencing and overcoming hardships unknown to any but early set- tlers. At the age of nineteen, his humble cottage in the wilderness was cheered, ând his hopes and prospects brightened by his marriage to Sally Coe, of Paris, N. Y., who shared for many years, his toils, his joys, and his sorrows. While the forest was slowly receding, and their fields enlarged, they reared a family of seven children. In 1819, he married his second wife, Miss Rebecca Brooks, of Meriden, Conn., who became the mother of his eighth child. Good evidence of his own integrity, and of his confidence in his neighbors, is furnished in the ex- posed condition of large sums of specie which he kept in his private dwelling ; for the more upright a man is, the more confiding he is in others, while the miser, the extortioner, and the rogue, are ever distrustful and concealing. His estate was the fruit of persevering in- dustry, economy, and integrity. Upon the farm where he first settled, he lived from 1796, to 1863, retaining his mental faculties in vigor to the last. He died October 6, 1863, aged 86 years. He left besides a competency for his family, ex- amples of honesty and frugality, worthy of imitation. Long will he be remem- bered as the obliging neighbor, whose
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF WEST TURIN.
hard earned resources relieved the em- barassed from trouble, and stimulated others to industry and competency.
His children were :- Volney, who died in infancy ; Orra, born in 1800, married Fellus C. Taylor, now (1883) living at the age of 83 years; Volney, 2d, born in 1802, married Ann Duff, died in 1850; Richard, born in 1804, died in. 1823; Elmina, born in 1806, married G. S. Sackett, of Houseville, died in 1882; Lucina, born in 1806, twin to Elmina, married Amos Bush, of Turin, died in 1876; Sally, born in 1811, married Emory Allen, of Constableville ; Betsey, born in 1821, married Alson Clark, the author of " Historical Sketches of Lewis County," who died in 1856, and Betsey afterward married John Roberts, of Leyden, in 1872.
WILLIAM R. WADSWORTH.
The grandfather of the subject of this sketch, Timothy Wadsworth, a native of Connecticut, emigrated from Farming- ton, in that State, to the Black River country, as it was then called, in the year 1797. The country was then almost an unbroken wilderness. He purchased land on what is known as Tug Hill, a mile west of Constableville, choosing that location because he deemed it healthier than the lower lands, which he could have bought for the same price. The land so purchased was afterward divided between his sons, Ebenezer and Elijah, the former taking the western half, now owned by Truman Damuth, and the latter receiving as his share, the eastern portion, now owned by Horace Clark, and the heirs of William Koughnet. His daughter, Mary, who married Seth Miller, and his daughter, Dorothy, who married Willard Allen, both settled in what is now the village
of Constableville. Those pioneers had to endure the hardships and privations incident to the settlement of a new country. The roads were rude and bad, and in some cases it was difficult to draw loads a few miles in a day. Their sup- plies at first were brought from Rome, twenty-six miles distant. Here, in a region crude and uninviting, Timothy Wadsworth lived a life of usefulness, and died in the year 1810.
WILLIAM R. WADSWORTH.
Elijah Wadsworth, his son, and the father of William R. Wadsworth, was born in Farmington, Conn., March 13, 1765. He married Hannah Rood, daugh- ter of Captain Mariner Rood, of Canaan, Conn., who was born July 18, 1775. They came to the town of Turin, now West Turin, in the year 1797, where Elijah followed the occupation of farmer, some thirty-five years. His wife having become insane, he sold his farm and retired to the village of Constableville, where he resided until his death, Oct. 17, 1836. His wife died June 18, 1842.
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
Their children were :-- Wealthy, born in Farmington, Conn., Jan. 5, 1795, mar- ried Charles Searl, of Martinsburgh, died Dec. 31, 1827, leaving three chil- dren, who moved with their father to Ohio; William R., the subject of this sketch ; Amon, born April 29, 1808, died in infancy ; Eli J., born Sept. 23, 1810, died Oct. 5, 1826.
William Rood Wadsworth was born in West Turin, Feb. 17, 1806. His early life was passed upon his father's farm, and it was not until the age of eighteen that he began attendance on the com- mon schools. He, however, improved his time at home, and worked all the sums in Daball's arithmetic without the aid of a teacher, placing the results in a book he kept for that purpose. He learned surveying, and some of the higher branches of mathematics, at Lowville Academy, and attended, for six months, the High School of Brayton & Dodge, in Rochester, N. Y. He was afterward, for several years, a successful teacher in the common schools. The education which he so patiently sought, has proved beneficial to him through life. He was a ready scribe, and has transacted a large business as a convey- ancer. It is believed that he has drawn more deeds, mortgages and other kın- dred writings than any other man in the county. He was the only justice in this section required to take a license as a conveyancer in the time of the war. He practiced surveying extensively for over fifty years, and is considered a cor- rect and competent surveyor.
Since the year 1830, he has held each year some town office. He was twice appointed, and thirty-five times elected town clerk; has been eleven times elected justice of the peace for the full term of four years; was twice elected to the office of supervisor of his town, and has held the offices of commissioner of deeds, notary public, and village clerk.
During this time, for some twenty years, he carried on the business of wagon making, in Constableville, and did a prosperous business. He has been a member of the Baptist church of Con- stableville, nine years, and was pre- viously, for forty-seven years, a member of the Free Baptist church of Turin, and served much of this time as deacon, church clerk, and superintendent of the Sabbath school. In all the various branches of business in which he has been engaged, he has discharged his duties with fidelity, enjoyed largely the confidence of the public, and has had the reputation of being an honest man.
Mr. Wadsworth has been twice mar- ried. His first wife was Emily Higby, daughter of Solomon Higby, Esq., who was born Nov. 21, 1811, and died Jan. 15, 1869. Their children were :-- Emma, born Oct. 8, 1837, married Albert W. Kidder, of Turin; Anna W., born July 8, 1843, died April 24, 1875.
May 1, 1871, Mr. Wadsworth was mar- ried to Rhoda M. Bacon, daughter of Jonathan Bacon, of Leyden.
JOHN CROFOOT.
The first of this family name of which anything is known was the great-grand- father of the subject of this sketch, who came from England to this country about 1730. His name it is believed was Seth Crofoot, and he settled in Berlin, Conn. His son Elisha, who was born in Berlin, Conn., in the year 1753, came to Lewis county in 1797, locating near Constableville, on the farm now owned by Truman Damuth. During the first year of his residence here he helped build the first grist and saw-mill ever built in the town. It stood near what is now the McConnell residence, and was burned soon after its erection.
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF WEST TURIN.
He died March 29, 1813, aged 60. His son, James Crofoot, was born Oct. 20, 1786, in Connecticut, but whether in Meriden or Middletown is not known. His wife was Clarissa Burnham, born Feb. 22, 1785, to whom he was married September 17, 1809. James Crofoot died February 7, 1861, aged 74. Clar-
now (1883) living in Turin ; Simeon B., born June 14, 1827, died August 7, 1846.
John Crofoot, the second child, was born November 21, 1811. His life has been passed in this town. He received the meagre education afforded by the district schools of his early days, and aided by his inherent, common sense,
A LITTLE
[JOHN CROFOOT.]
issa, his wife, died April 11, 1853, aged 68. Their children were :-
Jerusha, born September 13, 1810, married Lyman Smith, November 26, 1833, died November 15, 1879; John; Rachel, born April 17, 1813, died Feb- ruary -, 1850; William, born January 18, 1815, died March 30, 1864 ; George, born June 13, 1816, died March 30, 1864; Levi, born December 10, 1817, died May 12, 1877; James, Jr., born October 3, 1820, died February 19, 1854; Benjamin P., born March 6, 1823, died May 30, 1863; Elisha, born November 29, 1825,
practice and study, secured a much more beneficial knowledge than many derive from the lessons of the schools. His business through life has been principally that of a farmer. He was Supervisor of the town in 1879, and has held various other local offices of trust. He is known as a man of strict in- tegrity and worth, religiously a man of broad and liberal views, believing in the religion of justice and humanity, he has given largely of his means to aid societies whose aim was to do good, and the M. E. church, known as Crofoot
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
church, was in its erection greatly aided by his generous contributions.
Mr. Crofoot married April 24, 1836, Louisa Rea, sister to Rutson Rea, of Lowville. Their children are :-
Peter, born. September 25, 1839, mar. ried first, Eva Dickenson, who died in 1870, second, Clara Morse Bennett, January 15, 1880; Clarissa E., born Feb- ruary 18, 1842, died July 25, 1850 ; Cyrus S., born February 9, 1847, married Mary E. Hough, daughter of Franklin B. Hough, October 27, 1875, died May 14, 1881, in Cleveland, Ohio; John H., born July 13, 1848, married Julia Seymour June 12, 1878; Robert Wellington, born February 14, 1850; died December 13, 1870.
CHARLES M. AND CAPT. HENRY WILLARD ALLEN.
Willard Allen, grandfather to Charles M. and Henry W. Allen, was one of those enterprising young men who first commenced a settlement in Lewis county. He came to West Turin in 1797 and selected a spot in the wilderness, which he converted into a fertile farm, on which he lived more than half a cent- ury. His father was Ebenezer Allen, a resident of Connecticut. He added to his farm labors the occupation of sur- veyor, which he followed many years. His life was characterized in an unusual degree by integrity, honesty and up- rightness. He died September 18, 1850, aged 77 years. The grandfather of the subjects of this sketch, on the mother's side, was Rev. James Miller, a Methodist minister, who was born in Worcester, Mass., and who came to this part of the country about 1800. The mother of
Charles M., and Henry W., was the second oldest child in his family. He died March 31, 1843, aged 67 years.
Zenas Allen, son to Willard, was born in West Turin, March 9, 1804. He was a farmer and surveyor, and was at one time Judge of Sessions, and creditably held numerous town offices. He mar- ried Betsey Miller, daughter of Rev. James Miller, January 26, 1831, and died November 25, 1869. The children of this marriage were as follows :-
Henry Willard ; James, born March 14, 1837 ; Mary E., born September 29, 1839; Susan E., born November 25, 1841 ; Charles M.
Charles M. Allen was born in West Turin, July 24, 1845, in which town his early life was passed. He received his education at Whitestown and at Low- ville Academy, and in March, 1863, at the age of eighteen, entered as clerk in the store of S. Miller & Son, in which capacity he served four years. He then began business in Constableville, with Stephen T. Miller, under the firm name of Stephen Miller & Company. Under this name the firm transacted business three years, when it was changed to Miller & Allen, and in August, 1881, Mr. Allen became sole proprietor. He has evinced marked ability as a merchant, and through his honesty and genial nature, has won the confidence and esteem of the citizens of his town. In 1881, Mr. Allen was elected Supervisor, and held that office two terms, being chairman of that body in 1882. He married, September 30, 1867, Miss N. M. Pease, daughter of A. B. Pease, of Lowville. The children of this marriage are :- Flora, born in November, 1868, died in infancy; and Alice A., born August 31, 1870.
Henry Willard Allen was born No- vember 3, 1834. At the early age of seventeen, he began teaching school in his native town, an occupation for which
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF WEST TURIN.
he possessed pronounced abilities. At the age of twenty-one he went to Cook county, Ill., where he engaged in teach- ing. He afterwards went to Springfield, in that State, where he entered mercan- tile business and was there at the break- ing out of the Rebellion. He was one
his mission, being actuated by a pure and lofty patriotism. He participated in the engagements at Fort Donelson and Pittsburgh Landing, and in the lat- ter was severely wounded in the shoulder. Of the principles underlying that eventful struggle, he had a remark-
[CAPT. HENRY W. ALLEN.]
of the first to answer to the call to arms.
Entering the service as a private, he was promptly elected Orderly Sergeant of Co. G, 7th Illinois Infantry, the duties of which office he faithfully discharged until the expiration of his term of enlist- ment. Believing that his services were needed by his country, he re-enlisted and was appointed to the Captaincy of the same company to which he originally belonged. As a soldier, he nobly fulfilled
ably clear insight and sound judgment. His letters written during that period evince a descriptive talent of a high order, and in some he expressed views which time has demonstrated to have been just and correct. In one of them he said :-
" We are fighting for a principle on which has been reared the whole fabric of our government, and all the institu- tions which have been fostered and matured by it. That principle is popu-
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
lar sovereignty. The will of the people is the Supreme law-not of the whole people, but of a majority properly and constitutionally expressed. No factious minority have a right to interfere with that decision. If so, farewell to the theory of self-government. Sacrifice every other interest to the permanent establishment of this principle. * * *
* *
* Forgetful of private interest or party prejudices, I claim that every man is called upon to peril all, if need be, in perpetuating the institutions under which we have so long and pros- perously lived. I shall support the proclamation."
The last sentence bears the true ring, and portrays the kind of a nature of which heroes are made. This faithful soldier and brave and honored officer was doomed to a sad death. Under his command, at Corinth, Miss., one of the soldiers of his regiment had been con- fined in the guard-house for striking and severely injuring a negro belonging to the camp. There was a feeling among some of the men against punishing a soldier for abusing a negro, and one of the malcontents, named John Meyers, encouraged this feeling, and talked of attempting to rescue the man from the guard-house. Captain Allen promptly opposed such a breach of discipline, and Meyers, under the influence of passion and liquor, deliberately shot him with his musket. He died December 3, 1862, and added another name to the long list of our country's preservers who demand our remembrance and our praise.
CHARLES EUGENE DOUGLASS, M. D.
The subject of this sketch was born in Denmark, Lewis county, January 9,
1846. His parents, who were of Scot- tish descent, were John and Olive Sage Douglass. Their children were Adel- bert J., born in 1837 ; Charles E .; Alison O. and Alice O., born in 1855. Each one of the brothers was educated to the medical profession, and is engaged in its practice, one in Ilion and the other in Grayville, Herkimer county. The early life of Doctor Douglass was passed in the schools of Oneida county, and in 1865 he became a student of Ann Arbor University, Mich. In 1873, he entered Long Island College Hospital from which he graduated the same year.
In 1881, he became a student of the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa., graduating therefrom in 1882. During these years from 1865 he has been in the active practice of his pro- fession in Oneida and Lewis counties, and has built up a large and lucrative business. In 1867 he was appointed government pension surgeon by the Pension Bureau at Washington, which position he still holds. He held in 1879 the office of President of the Lewis County Medical Society, and in 1882 was elected for three years as delegate to the Medical Society of the State. Among the students who have studied the pro- fession of medicine under his tuition are his brothers, A. J. and A. O. Douglass, William Powell and G. P English ; Mr. Powell from 1877 to 1880; English from 1879 to 1882 ; A. O. Douglass from 1869 to 1873 ; and A. J. Douglass from 1871 until his graduation. Mr. Douglass inherits all the earnestness of the Scotch blood, has been a devoted student in his chosen profession and has become an expert in its practice. His first wife was Julia A., daughter of George W. Brown, ex-sheriff of Oneida county, who died. He married again, January 24, 1869, Esther H. Bacon, daughter to David and Sarah Parsons Bacon, of Leyden.
Charles OM allew. C. E. Douglass M.D.
1
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
Chandler & Thompson
CHANDLER E. THOMPSON.
Chandler E. Thompson, the subject of this biography, was born in Rockingham, Vt., May 26, 1808. His parents were Ebenezer Thompson and Comfort Ellis, the former of whom was killed by the fall of a building containing a large quantity of boat oars, June 6, 1843 ; and the latter died November 29, 1843, aged seventy-three. His earlier life was passed in the Green Mountain State, from whose rugged hills he imbibed the vigor which has characterized his life. At the age of twelve, he removed with his parents to Little Falls, N. Y., and came to Lewis county in 1821, locating in what was then Turin township, which at that time embraced West Turin, Lewis, Osceola,
and High Market, and that portion now included in Constableville. Here he passed the balance of his early life, at- tending the common schools of those days, where he received the rudiments of an education which fitted him for the arduous duties of life. In those days, when much of Lewis county was a wilderness and the population was sparse, there was no chance to earn money, outside of agricultural pursuits, and even farming was then in a rude state and attended with many difficulties. Mr. Thompson was therefore compelled to look elsewhere for work. At the age of twenty, he took his pack upon his back and walked to Boston, where he expected to procure work. At that time there were no railroads, and having
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF WEST TURIN.
no money with which to pay stage fare, he was compelled to walk. His search for work was unfortunate, and he returned on foot to Little Falls, where a sister re- sided, where for two summers he worked at the trade of carpenter and joiner, re- turning to Constableville in the winter. For two years thereafter he engaged in trade for himself, and afterward purchased a farm, in which business he has since continued, amassing a com- petency through his own unaided efforts. Mr. Thompson has held various offices of trust. In 1872, he was appointed County Superintendent, to fill the va- cancy caused by the resignation of Silas Markham, and the next year was elected to that office by the Republican party, serving in all four years. He is a mem- ber of the Baptist church, having joined that denomination forty years ago.
June 3, 1830, Mr. Thompson was mar- ried to Hannah H. Markham, who was born in what is now West Turin, De- cember 9, 1809. Their children were :-
Edmund W., born June 23, 1831, mar- ried Sarah Root, of Turin, February 7, 1855, she dying in 1861, leaving one child, Charles E., born May 15, 1856, he mar- ried Helen T. Botsford, of Martins- burgh, December 22, 1862, by whom he had three children-Sarah B., born Jan- uary 6, 1864; Nellie L., born January 26, 1868 ; William W., born April 1, 1870.
Lucinda L., born December 6, 1834, married Clinton Woolworth, who died September 11, 1866, she died April 16, 1865, leaving three children-Albert R., born November 17, 1857; Frances M., born August 18, 1859, died July 14, 1865 ; Mary L., born October 21, 1863.
Ansel C., born May 26, 1837, married Lucinda Kentner, February 12, 1863, died February 20, 1869.
Phebe A., born June 7, 1839, mar- ried Madison Kentner, February 3, 1869.
Lewis L., born June 27, 1842, enlisted in the service of his country during the
War of the Rebellion, and died in Mary- land, November 16, 1862.
James H., born August 16, 1844, mar- ried Helen V. Gibson, of Utica, May 16, 1866. Children-Alice, born March 17, 1869; Lettie May, born June 9, 1873.
Laura Frances, born February 1847, died March 29, 1848.
Wallace C., born September 30, 1849, died October 6, 1870.
EMORY ALLEN.
Samuel Allen, from Braintree, Essex county, England, came to this country and settled first at Cambridge, Mass., re- moved thence to Windsor, Conn., about 1635, where he died April, 1648, leaving his wife Ann, and six children. She re- moved to Northampton, and married again. Their children were : (1) Samuel, who married Hannah Woodford, in 1659; (2) Nehemiah, married Sarah Woodford ; (3) John, married Mary Hannum; (4) Abigail; (5) Obadiah ; (6) name not found.
(5) Obadiah Allen, son of Samuel, of Windsor, married October 28, 1669, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Sand- ford, of Milford. He settled in Middle- town, and became deacon of the church. He died April 7, 1712. Their children were: (7) Obadiah, born September 27, 1670; (8) Thomas, born September 20, 1672 ; (9) Thomas, born September 27, 1673; (10) Mary, born September 15, 1675; (II) Anna, born September 12, 1677; (12) Thankful, born September 8, 1679; (13) Samuel, born March 15, 1685 ; (14) John, born September 27, 1786.
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