USA > New York > Monroe County > Landmarks of Monroe County, New York : containing followed by brief historical sketches of the towns of the county with biography and family history > Part 49
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For nearly forty years Mr. Wright has been actively and prominently identified with the official life of both town and county. In 1858 he was elected commissioner of highways, and in 1859 he received the election of overseer of the poor. At this time the poor department of the town was in a very depleted condition, but Mr. Wright discharged the duties of both offices to the full satisfaction of the taxpayers. A few years previously he had left the ranks of the Free Soil Democrats and affiliated with the Republicans, signing the call to organize that party in the State, and ad- vocating the election of Fremont as president. Since then he has staunchly sup- ported the cause of Republicanism. In 1860 he was elected supervisor of the town of Webster and held that office for five years, or during the Rebellion. In this capacity the work he performed was invaluable. He was always at his post in the board, served on many important committees in regular session, and was associated
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LANDMARKS OF MONROE COUNTY.
with the late Hon. Donald McNaughton in closing up much outside business caused by that memorable war. In 1864 he was appointed by Gov. Reuben E. Fenton to personally make a correct enrollment of all men in his town liable to a draft, and in the same year town bonds were issued to the amount of $24,000 to aid in furnishing soldiers and substitutes for drafted men. One-half of these bonds were payable Feb- ruary 15, 1865, and the remainder one year later. Substitutes were furnished to fill the quota, the $24,000 was raised on the taxable property, and the bonded indebted- ness was fully paid at maturity-all by Mr. Wright in the capacity of supervisor. In 1869 he was elected to represent the first assembly district of Monroe county in the State Legislature, and in 1870 was re-elected to the same office. In October, 1871, he received the appointment of railroad commissioner of the town of Webster for the purpose of issuing town bonds to aid in constructing the then Lake Ontario Shore railroad (now the R., W. & O.). Several suits were commenced to test the legality of these bonds, but the bonding proceedings were declared legal, the bonds were issued, and payments have been made from time to time as they became due, which required a large amount of work on the part of the commissioner. Mr. Wright has continuously held this responsible position to the present time with entire satis- faction to all interested parties. On April 3, 1873, he was appointed notary public, an office he has efficiently filled ever since. After this he was again elected town overseer of the poor and efficiently discharged the duties of that position for several years, placing it once more upon a firm and satisfactory basis.
It is as a conveyancer, guardian, and administrator that Mr. Wright is most widely and favorably known. . June 19, 1866, he was elected a trustee of the Monroe County Insane Asylum and served in that capacity twenty-six consecutive years, during six of which he was president of the board. At the beginning of his service the asylum was in its infancy; it has since been four times enlarged and its capacity increased fourfold, and much of its success is due to his practical economy and good judgment. He was one of the first to advocate the introduction of kind and humane treatment in the care of those deprived of liberty, and in various other directions his progres- sive ideas and great influence materially advanced the institution to its present standard of efficiency. While yet a trustee Mr. Wright was appointed a committee for eight persons of unsound mind, some of whom had property while others were entitled to pensions from the government. In every case the object for which he was appointed was a perfect success. The survivors among those eight persons now receive pensions and are no longer public charges. Nearly all the services in this capacity he has given gratuitously, and the long, constant work involved cannot be comprehended or appreciated.
Mr. Wright is emphatically a self-made man, and as a public benefactor he stands among the foremost of his time. In the Legislature no man was more attentive to duty or acquired a better reputation as an earnest worker. Always depending upon his judgment, he took an active part in all great questions and served with marked ability on such important committees as banking, federal relations, agriculture, etc. This trait of fidelity has marked his entire life. He has always borne the respect, confidence, and esteem of every one who knew him, and for many years has been guardian, administrator, and conveyancer to a large number of interests. He has probably settled more estates than any other man in town, and ever since his legisla- tive service he has not only acted in this capacity but also in the capacity of drawing
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
wills, conveyances, and other legal documents. Although not an attorney or a claim agent he has nevertheless successfully attended to numerous pensionary claims of veterans of the Rebellion, obtaining in every case attempted a pension for the appli- cant and giving valuable services in this connection almost without remuneration. This work, appreciated as it is by scores of old soldiers, has brought him frequently into close relations with the pension department, while his labors as an administrator have given him much practice in Surrogate's Courts.
Mr. Wright has had born to him three sons: Ansel E., born May 2, 1848, super- visor of Webster since 1891 and for the past two years chairman of the board; Elwyn R., born September 22, 1850, of Avon, Livingston county; and Dufay, born Septem- ber 14, 1857, of Webster.
ANDREW LINCOLN.
SOMEWHERE between 1633 and 1637 three brothers of the name of Lincoln emigrated from England to America. One of them settled in Massachusetts, and from him Josiah Lincoln, of Cape Cod, town of Eastham, Barnstable county, Mass., descended. His son, Andrew Lincoln, was born there September 27, 1784, and inherited all the sterling characteristics of his race. He enjoyed but meagre advantages in the youth- ful pursuit of knowledge except as they came to him in the form of hard work and practical experience. At the age of fourteen, with five dollars in his pocket, young Andrew left home and learned the trade of carpenter and joiner. In 1816 he came to the town of Perinton, Monroe county, where he followed carpentering one season, working also in Henrietta, Brighton, etc. In 1818 he removed to the farm in Perin- ton, near Penfield village, now owned and occupied by his son Josiah K., where he spent the remainder of his life. Engaging in farming he owned at the time of his death about 350 acres of land besides one of the most valuable mill properties in the county. In 1821 he formed a partnership with Samuel Rich as Rich & Lincoln and built the first merchant grist mill and the third mill of any kind in the town. It had three runs of stone and stood on Irondequoit Creek on the opposite side of the road from the present stone mill-on a site that has ever since yielded a valuable income to its owners. His first mill pond embraced about twenty-five acres. About 1836 he became sole owner of the property, and for many years did the most of the milling business for miles around. In 1847 he built a new dam and the present stone mill, and in doing so doubled the area of the old mill pond. This mill originally had four runs of stone and two overshot wheels, employed constantly four millers, and was successfully conducted by Mr. Lincoln until his death November 26, 1866, when it passed to its present owner, W. H. Woodhull. This mill was designed principally for merchant work at a cost of $25,000, the stone for it being drawn by teams in win- ter from what is known as the 1,600-acre tract, six miles distant, in the town of Pen- field. It has since been converted into a modern roller flour mill and is now one of the best equipped establishments of the kind in this section. Mr. Lincoln did an ex- tensive business, which penetrated into remote sections of the country. He owned a canal boat and shipped large quantities of flour to Albany, New York, and else- where, whence it was sold throughout the east. On this same stream, near the grist
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LANDMARKS OF MONROE COUNTY.
mill, he conducted a large saw mill for about thirty-five years. With Benjamin Arey, under the style of Lincoln & Arey, he also carried on a tannery for a period of twenty years, furnishing in the three establishments employment for a large force of skilled artisans and doing a business which rivaled in magnitude any similar enter- prise in Western New York. For a few years he was also interested in a store in Penfield under the firm name of Harvey & Lincoln.
Mr. Lincoln was originally a Whig and later a Republican, but never an office seeker. Ever true to his convictions he remained the quiet, enterprising citizen, and although not a church member yet he gave liberally of his means for the mainte- nance and promotion of gospel work, owning at one time a pew in each of the three edifices in his neighborhood. He possessed a fund of general information, which he acquired by diligent reading and close observation. In educational matters he was one of the leaders of his time. He was a founder of and a generous contributor to the old Penfield Seminary, and had the contract to furnish the lumber for its con- struction.
His wife, Miss Sarah A., daughter of Jacob Kennedy, was born in Sherburne, Chenango county, N. Y., in 1801, and removed with her father's family to Brighton at a very early day. After her marriage to Mr. Lincoln in Henrietta, January 31, 1827, she resided in Perinton until her death in 1883. She was of Scotch descent and well qualified for the duties of a pioneer woman in the then wilderness of Western New York. With a skill which would now be considered a talent she could take flax or wool in the rough and card, spin, weave, and make it into all kinds of wearing apparel for the family's use and comfort. She was one of the first members of the Baptist church at the Upper Corners prior to its removal to Penfield village in 1839, and throughout life maintained an active interest in Sabbath school work. Her grandfather, Andrew Kennedy, a sea captain, married Amy Wentworth and settled in Milton near Boston. Miss Wentworth was a lineal descendant of the titled family of the name in England, who trace their common ancestry to Reginald Went- worth in 1066, as is shown by the "Wentworth Genealogy," by Hon. John Went- worth, LL. D. They had six children: Harriet (Mrs. B. A. Baird), of Salt Lake City, Utah; Andrew W., Charlton U., and Josiah, of Perinton; Sarah A. (deceased); and Sarah A., 2d (Mrs. William Fellows), of Penfield.
JOSIAH K. LINCOLN.
JOSIAH K. LINCOLN, youngest son and fourth child of Andrew and Sarah A (Ken- nedy) Lincoln, was born on his present farm in Perinton, near Penfield village, Sep- tember 11, 1835. His education was limited to the district schools, supplemented by a brief attendance at the Clover Street Seminary near Brighton. At the age of four- teen he went to Boston, Mass., where he was employed for nearly three years in a wholesale flour commission house. Since then he has resided in Perinton, and upon his father's death succeeded to the homestead. He has always been a farmer, a vo- cation in which his success has been marked. For several years prior to the death of his father he was also actively engaged in the management of the extensive mill property.
Josiah K, Lincoln
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
Mr. Lincoln is a Republican, but like his father eschews public office. He is a liberal supporter of education and religion, takes a leading interest in the welfare and advancement of his neighborhood, and was a charter member of D. B. De Land Lodge, No. 536, I. O. O. F., of Fairport. July 1, 1895, he married Miss Alice, daughter of John Ford, of Penfield.
He is one of the representative men of the county and has ably conducted that portion of the extensive estate accumulated by his respected father which fell to his share, giving to it his entire attention. In town affairs and in local improvemnts he is one of the foremost promoters, and in all the relations of rural life sustains the reputation of a generous, plain, and substantial citizen.
JOHN D. DUNNING, M. D.,
THE oldest physician in Webster, Monroe county, was born in that town on the 28th of June, 1826, and traces his ancestry through many generations to colonial times. For nearly two hundred years the family has enjoyed the privileges of American citizens, and during that period a number of its members have been prominent in professional, civil, and business life. Their careers present an unbroken line of pat- riotism, honesty, courage, and self-respect, and their lives from first to last are exemplary to a fault, and worthy of emulation. Two brothers of the name, Benjamin and John, were among the original settlers of Newtown, Fairfield county, Conn., coming from the older towns of Fairfield and Strafford. In 1712 the former was chosen constable of Newtown, while the latter was elected fenceviewer. Benjamin Dunning was married about 1710 to Elizabeth, daughter of Capt. John Miner, and died in 1739. Their son, Michael, was born July 30, 1730, married Abiah Wheeler on July 19, 1750, and died February 28, 1811, in Pownal, Vt., where he had settled in 1762. He was an active patriot during the Revolutionary war, and assisted in raising the force with which Ethan Allen captured Ticonderoga. Among the soldiers was his son Josiah, afterwards a pensioner. Another son, Abel, was born at Pownal, Vt., July 12, 1763, and for a time lived in Amsterdam, N. Y. He was also a patriot in the Revolutionary war. At the age of fourteen he served as a camp boy, and when of proper age joined the Revolutionary army. He was a pensioner He married Maria Smith, of Clifton Park, Saratoga county, N. Y., in 1783. He died August 16, 1841. His son Gerard, the father of Dr. John D., was born at Northampton, N. Y., January 23, 1785, and came to what is now the town of Webster (then Penfield), Monroe county, in 1811, settling on a farm of 125 acres about a mile east of the vil- lage, where he died November 12, 1847. Gerard Dunning was a life-long farmer and Democrat, and took an active interest in local affairs, especially in the cause of education. He was one of the earliest members of the Webster Baptist church, and long its trustee. He married Polly, daughter of Lawton Hicks, of Saratoga county, who was born January 30, 1790, and whose death occurred January 9, 1864. She was one of the original members of the Webster Presbyterian church, and until her de- cease remained an active communicant of that society. Both husband and wife were prominent in religious circles, giving to the cause a strong faith and an unceasing
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support. They reared eight sons and two daughters: Abel, born February 17, 1811; Lawton, born April 3, 1813; Richard, born December 22, 1814, died at Toledo, Ohio, in April, 1895; Almy, born January 9, 1817; Philo, born March 23, 1819; Ruth, born March 7, 1821; Michael, born February 29, 1824; Dr. John D , our subject ; Hicks, born September 23, 1828; and Gerard, jr., born November 20, 1831. All are deceased except Philo and Michael, of Madison, Wis., and Dr. John D., of Webster.
Dr. John D. Dunning obtained his literary education in the district schools of his native town, at the old Webster High School, and at Walworth Academy in Wayne county. Reared on the farm, his early life was not unlike that of other farmer boys, but inheriting the sterling characteristics of his New England ancestry and all the thrifty attributes of his race, he forged ahead with a rapidity which only a bright intellect can endure. He early developed a rugged constitution and studious habits, and from a youth inclined toward a professional life. Leaving the academy, he taught school for five winters and worked on the farm summers. He then began the study of medicine in the office of the late Dr. E. B. Potter, of Webster, and after thorough preparation there entered Dr. Camp's office in Buffalo, where he attended lectures at the Buffalo Medical College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1852. Immediately afterward he commenced the practice of his profession in Web- ster, with his former preceptor, Dr. Potter, with whom he remained one year. He then practiced alone until 1891, when he formed his present partnership with Dr. Charles Reitz. For more than forty-three years Dr. Dunning has attended the sick in his own and adjoining towns, administering to their comfort day and night, in all kinds of weather, and regardless of poverty or affluence. At the bedside, in the sick room, in cases of life and death, his skill and counsel have cheered many a sufferer, and scores of patients are indebted not only to his remedies but to his genial pres- ence and encouraging advice. He has always kept abreast of the times, and in doing so took a post-graduate course at the medical department of the University of Penn- sylvania in Philadelphia in 1871. In 1884 he was appointed one of the original Fel- lows, and consequently became a charter member of the New York State Medical Association, and in 1885 was sent by that society to the American Medical Associa- tion, which elected him a permanent member. In 1887 he was admitted a member of the Ninth International Medical Congress at Washington. He is also an honorary member of the Rochester Pathological Society, and for many years has been an active member of the Monroe County Medical Society.
As a citizen Dr. Dunning has ever been intimately associated with the growth and progress of the community. and in this connection he may be justly considered a public benefactor. With a pride and patriotism born of love for native surroundings he has earnestly labored for the advancement and welfare of his village and town, both of which owe him a debt of gratitude. He has been a life-long Democrat, ever staunchly advocating the cause of his party, and supporting its candidates when the town contained but twelve other voters of that political faith. In 1871 he was appointed one of the first railroad commissioners of Webster, which position he has held ever since, and in which capacity he has served with rare fidelity to local inter- ests. He long advocated the construction of the Lake Ontario Shore (now the R., W. & O.) Railroad, and labored unceasingly in realizing its completion. He was one of the founders of the present Webster Union Free School and Academy about nine- teen years ago, and was president of its first Board of Education, serving in that
David Toda
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
capacity during the organization of the institution, the erection of the building, and until the school was firmly established. His efforts in founding an adequate educa- tional system in the village have placed him in the foremost ranks of local benefac- tors, and he has been a member of the board almost continuously since its inception. Through his influence and individual labors, also, the Webster Rural Cemetery Association was incorporated and acquired the old village burial ground, one of the oldest burial places in this section, together with adjacent land, which has been im- proved, platted, and beautified, making it one of the prettiest rural cemeteries in the county. Being the prime mover in securing this result he was president of the asso- ciation for several years, and has always taken a lively interest in its development. Dr. Dunning is practically a self-made man. Public spirited, enterprising, and gen- erous, the cause of education, religion, and all worthy institutions find in him a firm friend and liberal supporter. He has accumulated a competency, and owns not only a pleasant residence and farm in the village, but also a valuable farm in the town.
Dr. Dunning married, first, Miss Luna E., daughter of Lewis Stratton, of Webster, who died April 23, 1870, aged thirty-six. Their three children died in infancy. December 11, 1872, Dr. Dunning married his present wife, Hattie Curtice, daughter of Luther, was born in Webster, July 8, 1847. Their children are Polly Hicks, born January 30, 1883, and John Donald, born July 29, 1889.
DAVID TODD.
THE Todd family is of Scotch origin and dates back to the eleventh century, when its progenitors, who spelled the name "Tod," left the "banks and braes" of Old Scotia for Pontefract, England. In native lore the word signifies "fox," and on the family crest was a picture of that wily animal. In 1639 Christopher Todd and his wife, Grace Middlebrook, emigrated to America, being among the earliest settlers of New Haven, Conn. Samuel Todd, their son, married Mary Bradley, and their son Jonah wedded Hannah Clark. Abram Todd, sr., son of Jonah, was born February 18, 1710, and on November 13, 1727, married Hannah Dickinson. He preached in the Congregational church at Greenwich, Conn., about forty years. His son, Abram Todd, jr., was born December 21, 1738, and subsequently settled in Lewisboro, Westchester county, on a farm which is now owned by his lineal descendants. On August 24, 1757, he married Lydia Husted, and their son David was born July 29, 1776. David Todd was married December 24, 1793, to Hannah Sutherland, and in 1795, settled in Westchester county on a farm that is still in possession of the family. Wright Todd, son of David and father of the subject of this sketch, was born Feb- ruary 14, 1798, and in 1826 removed to the Genesee country, settling in the town of Greece, Monroe county, on a farm of eighty acres, now owned and occupied by his son, Orin W. Wright Todd was a man of considerable native ability, inheriting the characteristics of a long line of worthy ancestry. He spent his long life in farm- ing, and always took a lively interest in town und public affairs. In old age he retired and removed to Rochester, where he died April 12, 1875. He married Betsy Denike, whose death occurred January 17, 1876. Her father came over in the
C
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LANDMARKS OF MONROE COUNTY.
British army during the Revolutionary war, but deserted, and was afterward a gar- dener on Long Island. Mr. and Mrs. Todd had born to them six sons and one daughter, namely: David, of Rochester; John, Sylvester, Jackson, and Mary Ann, who died young; Albert, of Ypsilanti, Mich .; and Orin W., who occupies the home- stead in Greece.
David Todd was born in Peekskill, Westchester county, N. Y., April 15, 1820, and removed to the Genesee country with his parents in 1826. He was educated in the district schools of Greece, and remained on the paternal farm until he attained the age of twenty-three. His early life was not unlike that of other farmer's boys. Inured to hard labor on the tree-covered acres of what was then little better than a frontier, he developed a rugged constitution and acquired the habits of thrift which characterize old-time inhabitants. In 1843 he married Eliza, daughter of Abram Speer, an early settler of Greece, and engaged in farming for himself on a seventy- acre tract near the homestead. After three years he purchased a wood lot of about eighty acres of his father, and soon added to this an adjoining sixty acres. He con- tinued to buy and sell adjacent real estate until he finally owned some 340 acres of as fine farming land as can be found in Western New York. It was situated on the famous Ridge Road, about seven miles from Rochester, and contained substantial buildings, prolific orchards, and every modern improvement-all the result of Mr. Todd's individual labors and active management. In 1888 he sold this handsome property for $40,000, and moved to the city of Rochester, where he has since lived a retired life, enjoying the fruits of a profitable career.
Mr. Todd has always affiliated with the Democratic party, and for two years rep- resented the town of Greece on the Board of Supervisors. Public spirited, ever manifesting a deep interest in local affairs, supporting with marked liberality all good movements, and lending his influence in the cause of progress and advancement, he has always borne the respect and esteem of his townsmen and enjoyed the intimate friendship of a wide circle of acquaintances. His estimable wife died May 11, 1884, leaving two daughters: Mary Frances, at home, and Sarah Elizabeth (Mrs. Thomas Pryor), of Greece.
CHARLES H. CARROLL.
JOHN CARROLL, the great-grandfather of the subject of this memoir, descended from one of the most ancient and honorable families of Ireland, and was born in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1752. With his brother Daniel, the wealthy shipowner of that city, he was very active in the cause of American Independence, contributing both labor and means for freedom from English tyranny. He was a cousin of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and manifested great patriotism throughout the Revolutionary war. Before the close of that struggle he came to New York State and married Marie Van Alstyne, daughter of the famous Mohawk Valley patriot of that name. Their son William married Appylonia, daughter of Col. Charles Ingersoll, of Great Barrington, Mass. Hamil- ton Merritt Carroll, son of William, wedded Martha Kenwood, daughter of an officer
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