Landmarks of Orleans County, New York, Part 105

Author: Signor, Isaac S., ed
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1084

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the canal at Rochester in 1876, and for a period of nearly seven years, beginning in the fall of 1885, was in the railway mail service. In the years 1891 and '92 he carried on a meat market at Holley, and is at present engaged in the stone business and farming. Mr. McCarthy was married in 1879 to Miss Margaret Kelley, of Warren county, N. Y. Their children are : Anna E., James, Julia E., Mary A. and John P.

McCargo, Robert, was born in St. Andrews, Canada, in 1847, his father, Alexander, being a son of Robert McCargo, who was a native of Scotland, and by trade a ship builder. Robert McCargo came to British America and married the daughter of a Mr. Mckay, who was a prominent member of the Hudson Bay Fur Company for many years, Alexander McCargo, himself, being connected with this company for many years. Alexander McCargo, on arriving at manhood, came to this State and for several years carried on a meat market in Holley. He then removed to Berlin, Canada, re- turning again to this State about 1860, and settled in the town of Greece, Monroe county, removing to Holley in 1865, where he was engaged in the meat business for a time. He had five children, James Annie, Mary, Alexander and Robert. Robert Mc- Cargo in 1863, at the age of sixteen, enlisted in the Eighth N. Y. Cavalry. He was wounded in the battle of Cold Harbor and taken prisoner, but was recaptured soon after. In 1871 he settled in Holley and engaged in the meat business, and with the exception of brief intervals has followed it to the present time. He was elected super- visor of the town of Murray in 1880 by the Democratic party. He is a member of the Eighth N. Y. Cavalry organization, the I. O. O. F., and Murray Lodge 380, F. & A. M. Mr. McCargo is a member and trustee of the Presbyterian Church. He married Ori Morgan, and they have five children.

Nelson, John S. (deceased), was born June 19, 1822, a son of John, who was a son of James Nelson, a soldier in the Revolution. The latter married Hannah Post, and re- moved from near Poughkeepsie to Romulus, Seneca county, in 1811, thence to Greece, Monroe county, and later to Murray, this county, where he bought a farm near the Transit. Late in life he removed to Somerset, Niagara county, where he died. His children were: John, Abraham, James, Peter, George, Jane, Elizabeth, Richard and Elijah. John, our subject's father, came from Ovid at an early day and took up a farm in this town, which he sold later to Joseph Pratt. He died on the farm where he first settled in Clarendon. He married Elizabeth Brink, and they had nine children, of whom six grew to maturity : John S., Sarah, who married Orville Bennett; Abigail, who married John B. French; James, Daniel, Ann, who married Ira J. French. W th the exception of a short residence in Michigan and Holley, John S. has always lived in Clarendon, his chief occupation being farming. He kept a hotel at Holley for several years, and was in that business in Clarendon for a time. He was a member of Holley Lodge I. O. O. F., and also of the Masons. Mr. Nelson's first wife was Lucinda Fletcher, by whom he had two sons, J. Pratt and Lyman. In 1889 he married second Mrs. M. E. Matson of this town. His death occurred December 29, 1890.

Pugh, John, was born in the north of Wales, March 23, 1821, and came to America in 1847, settling in Canajoharie, where he resided till 1854. He then came to Orleans county and settled a mile south of Holley, in the town of Clarendon, where he soon purchased a small farm, and five years later bought a farm on the Hulberton road in the town of Clarendon, and here lived for five years, building barns and making many im- provements on his place. In 1864 he bought of A. L. Salisbury the farm where he has since resided, in the southwest part of the town. Here he erected a substantial house and otherwise improved the property and by economy and untiring industry has ac- quired a competency. For several years Mr. Pugh owned a boat, and was engaged on the canal. He is a member of the United Brethren, and also contributed towards the building of the church in Clarendon in 1869. In 1847 he married Elizabeth Goff, who died in 1890.

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Post, Roswell W., was born in Monroe county October 11, 1832, and lived on the farm till 19 years of age. He then went west and was employed as brakeman, bag- gageman and conductor, successively on the Michigan Central. In 1861 he went out to the far west and saw a great deal of western life as it was in the earlier frontier days. He returned east and settled in Shelby in 1868, and in 1880 came to Medina engaging in the hay and general produce business. In September in 1892 he formed a partner- ship with Mr. Moore, his brother-in-law. Mr. Post has been a town assessor and is a member of the Board of Education in Medina. 1n 1869 he married Vesta Moore, and their children are : Myron A., Grover and Mary L.

Parmaly, Sylvester, was a native of Manlius, Oneida county, and was a blacksmith. He settled in Albion, where in 1852, he began farming. His first wife was Isabella Carr, by whom he had one child, Milton K., born at Enfield, Tompkins county, where the family lived a few years. In 1835 they settled in Albion, where these children were born : Jane and William A., of Albion. The second wife of Sylvester Parmaly was Mary J. Buxton, by whom he had one child, Sarah Louise, now Mrs. Todd of Al- bion. Mr. Parmaly died February 9, 1882. His first wife died in 1844, and his second in 1892. He was a strong Abolitionist, a Republican, and was one of the deacons of the Baptist Church. Warren S. Slawson was a native of Delaware, and a resident of Albion about seven years. In Tompkins county, in 1860, he married Jane Ann Parm- aly and came to Albion in 1868. He died August 3, 1876. His children were Mary Isabella, John W., and Emma Louise, wife of A. E. Hatch. September 18, 1883, his widow married Myron J. Sexton, a native of Madison county, who came to Albion in 1883. Mrs. Sexton has been prominently connected with the W. C. T. U., was one of its founders, and has always been one of its most active members. William A. Parm- aly was born in Albion September 13, 1839. At the age of sixteen he went to Mar- cellus where he was clerk in a store, after which he occupied a similar position in Syra- cuse. Later on at Buffalo, he was connected with a wholesale and retail store. At the beginning of the oil excitement he visited that region and became an extensive operator, after which he returned to Buffalo. August 26, 1868, he married Cynthia, daughter of Ephraim Hill of Knowlesville. After several years he went to New Mexico to look after business interests, and during his absence his father died. Returning home, Mr. Parmaly remained in Albion for a time, then received an appointment in the custom house at Rochester. During his four years of service in that place he received two well merited promotions. Returning home he became proprietor of the Baker- Rose Cold Cure, with which he has since been connected.

Potter, Capt. Albert J., was born in Crawford county, Pa., December 13, 1832. The family is of English descent, and Job, the father, was a native of Hamden, Conn. He married Amelia Ford, of that place. Job Potter went from Hamden, Conn., to Penn- sylvania in 1816 and was engaged in the milling business there until 1846, when he removed to Orleans county and settled in Clarendon, where he was a farmer. He was a Whig and held the office of justice of peace in Clarendon. In 1856 he settled in Albion, where he spent the remainder of his life. Job and Amelia Potter were the parents of eight children : Thomas was a merchant at Erie, Pa., and died there; Esther E. died in Batavia. She married Israel Harmon; Lydia A. married George C. Ken- dall of Pennsylvania and died in Ohio; Job L. was inspector in the New York Custom House for several years, and died at Rochester ; Eunice P. married Fortunatus Hubbard and died in Clarendon ; Mary A. married Thomas Parker and resides in Gaines. Albert J. is a farmer, and with the exception of a short period has resided in Clarendon since 1846. He was first a Whig, and then a Democrat in politics, was justice of the peace four years and supervisor in 1877. He was appointed enumerator for the census of 1890. He was commissioned a recruiting officer in the fall of 1861, and in August, 1862, enlisted in Co. G, 151st N. Y. Inf., and was commissioned captain of the com- pany serving until October 31, 1863. Captain Potter married in 1856 Laura, daughter

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of Col. N. E. Darrow of Clarendon, and their children are: Alfred M., Anna L., Fred E., and Mary E. Alfred M. is a farmer in Clarendon, and married Bertha Root.

Pollay, William C., was born in Elmira, N. Y., September 18, 1837. He learned his trade of candy maker in Ithaca, and came to Medina in 1870 where he has since car- ried on a successful business. He is a Mason, a member of the A. O. U. W., and of the Protective Legion. He married Esther Porter, and they have one daughter, Addie. Mr. Pollay is the only life member of the Masonic Blue Lodge in Orleans county. His father was Miles Pollay, and his mother Adeline (Eaton) Pollay.

Poler, A. H., was born in Shelby in 1846, and was educated at the Medina Academy. He has followed farming all his life, and is a noted raiser of Poland China hogs, Plym- outh Rock poultry, etc. He was supervisor of the town in 1893. He married Flor- ence Stoddart. Mr. Poler's parents were Simon and Fannie (Sales) Poler, who settled in the town of Shelby in pioneer days.

Podgers, Philip, is a son of James, born in Devonshire, England, who came to America in 1864 and settled in Carlton, where he died June 5, 1881, aged seventy- eight. He married Mary A. Somers, of his native town, and she died in 1885, aged eighty-two. Their children were: Mary, born in 1824, John, born in 1830, Ann, born in 1832, James, born in 1833, William, born in 1835, Henry, born in 1836, Philip, born in 1837, Elizabeth J., born in 1839. Our subject came to this county at the age of eighteen, and settled in Middleport, where he worked for Jeremiah Colton at the black- smith trade. After four years he removed to Two Bridges, this county, and worked at his trade for himself until 1891, when he bought the Two Bridges Hotel, of which he is now proprietor and owner, owning besides this a blacksmith shop, and a house and lot in fine condition. Mr. Podgers is a member of the A. O. U. W., of Two Bridges, No. 247. In 1860 he married at Middleport, Harriet Mortimer, who was born in Dev- onshire, England in 1844, a daughter of Thomas Mortimer, who was born in 1807 and is still living, having served in the late war, and losing an eye at Gettysburg. He mar- ried Mary Pratt, who was born in Devonshire, England, and died in Middleport, in 1856, aged fifty years. Mr. and Mrs. Podgers have had four children : John J., born March 26, 1861, married Sarah Stone ; Mary E., born August 6, 1863; Henry Eugene, born November 14, 1871, married Ellen Bailey, and has one child, Philip, born Febru- ary 17, 1894; and Flora J., born June 13, 1874.

Proctor, Carlton S., was born in Barre July 3, 1826, and was the son of Gershom Proctor by his marriage with Emily Holland. Gershom Proctor came to this region a few years after the settlement made by his pioneer brother, John Proctor, who came and settled in Gaines in 1811. The children of Gershom and Emily were as follows : Carlton S .; Emily, who married Walter Balcom and died in Murray ; Maria, who was the second wife of Walter Balcom; John N. ; Elvira S., wife of Delphi Thompson ; and Milton G., who met an accidental death in Michigan. Gershom Proctor was a tanner in Gaines for about fifteen years. He died in the town about 1844. Carlton S. Proctor, our subject, was brought up in the family of his grandfather, his own father having died when Carlton was a boy. At the age of fourteen he began for himself, working at whatever employment he could find. In 1852 he married Jane M. Beebe, the latter dying one year after their marriage. On August 26, 1858, Mr. Proctor married Mary Achor, who was a native of Albany county, and who came to Fairhaven with the Tyler family. Of his second marriage three children were born, viz: Emily May, wife of Fred Wells, of Albion; Julia M., a teacher in the Albion district school, and John C., who died in infancy. Carlton S. Proctor came to his present farm in 1872. At the beginning of his business life he had some small assistance from John Proctor, but gener- ally his success has been the result of his own personal efforts. When a young man he had a thrashing machine and with it worked all through this region of the country. In politics he was formerly a Whig but now is a Republican. He takes no active part in

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public affairs yet has held the office of pathmaster in the town of Albion for the past twenty years.

Paine, Christopher, was a Rhode Islander, born August 8, 1787, and was a peddler on the Ridge as early as 1812. In 1814 he settled where Albert H. Paine now lives. Laura, wife of Christopher Paine, was born July 2, 1802. Their children were : Celinda, who married John Lewis; Albert H., of Albion ; Orville, who died young ; Christopher, who went to Canada; William, who went in the army and died in the hospital ; Phoebe Cornelia, who married William Hale, and John W., of Albion. Christopher Paine took an article for 100 acres and cleared np a fine farm. He died December 13, 1855, and his widow January 27, 1874. Albert H. was born July 23, 1824. December 24, 1845, he married Irene H. Hubbard, and they had three children : Mary, who married Jerome Warner and died in 1888; Nettie, who married C. E. Fox and lives in Kansas City ; and Emeline, who died young. Allen Hubbard came to Livingston county from Con- necticut and in 1844 came to Albion and occupied the farm now owned by A. H. Paine. The children in the Hubbard family were: Esther, who married William Carr ; Irene, who married A. H. Paine and Ebenezer, who is now dead. Allen Hubbard died in February, 1875, and his wife in 1877.

Paine, Carlton A., whose excellent farm property is located on the main road leading from Albion to Barre Center, and which is known as one of the best farms in this sec- tion, was born in Barre April 2, 1834, and was one of six children of Angel Paine, the latter the pioneer of the region. At twenty-one Carlton began for himself and earned his first money teaching school. Later on he worked his father's farm on shares for five years, and from that until the present time he has been a successful farmer. Jan- uary 26, 1860, he married Martha E. Wolcott, and soon after bought the "Society lot " from Eldridge Hubbard, where he now resides. In politics Mr. Paine is a strong Republican. The children of Carlton A. and Martha E. Paine were: Oliver A., and Carlton Jerome, the latter of whom died in infancy.

Plummer, Abel, born in Londonderry, N. H., June 8, 1804, came to Carlton in 1837 and settled on the farm now owned by his daughter, Mrs. Mary E. Platten, of Yates. He died January 1, 1886. February 4, 1833, he married Sophia Sargent, who was born May 25, 1810, and died April 20, 1887. Their children were: Alfred, born August 12, 1834; Reuben L., born September 14, 1835; Clarissa, born September 21, 1838, died young ; Zenas, deceased ; John W., born September 17, 1843; Arley F., born November 5, 1846; Mary E. (Mrs. Thomas Platten), born December 9, 1849; and Calista, born October 25, 1851, deceased. Reuben S. Plummer married Rosalia A. Ferris and has four children : Anna S., Cora R., Leon R., and Isabel. He has lived on his present farm in Yates twenty-two years, and upon it he has the most modern house and barns in town. August 12, 1862, he enlisted in Co. A, 151st N. Y. Vol. Inf., his company being equipped as sharpshooters, and served till June, 1865, in the Army of the Potomac. He was promoted corporal, and was wounded at Monocacy Junction, hit by a shell at Cold Harbor, taken prisoner after the battle of Gettysburg, and paroled. During his entire service he kept a diary.

Pratt, Capt. James B., was born in the city of Rochester, March 18, 1818. He is a son of Barney, who was a native of Taunton, Mass., and came to Rochester during the early part of the present century. He was a carpenter and builder, and was deputy sheriff of Monroe county many years. He married Hannah Blake of his native place. When Captain Pratt was only six months old his mother died and he was taken by his father to Taunton, Mass., they making the entire journey in a wagon. He was left in his grandmother's care, his father returning to Rochester, where he married a Mrs. Shaw of that city. When Mr. Pratt was eight years old he joined his father in Rochester. Leaving Rochester when about sixteen years of age he came to Clarendon, Orleans county, where he resided with an uncle until he was twenty-one, since which time he

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has been principally engaged in public works. He had charge of the building of the embankment on the old canal at Holley. He left his men at the breaking out of the war, enlisted in Co. K, 129th Inf., under Colonel Porter, and was stationed at Baltimore for a time. In August, 1862. he was appointed captain of his company. When Grant assumed command of the army his regiment was transferred to the 8th Heavy Artillery. He was in the battle of Cold Harbor. May 2, 1864, the 8th was transferred to the Second Brigade, General Tyler's Division, under General Hancock. Captain Pratt, served until the fall of 1864, when he was discharged on account of failing health. Upon his recovery he went to Cleveland, O., and had charge of the building of the reservoir of the Cleveland Water Works, where he was employed eight years. He was foreman on the Mahoning railroad for two years, and was one year conductor on the Beloit & Mil- waukee Railroad. In 1875 Captain Pratt purchased a steamboat on Green Lake near Whitewater, Wis., erected a hotel and opened a summer resort. In 1880 he exchanged this property for a farm in Ridgeway, Orleans county, and since 1881 has resided in Holley. Captain Pratt is a Republican, has been village trustee, highway commissioner, and is a trustee of the Hillside Cemetery Association. He married in 1882 Mrs. M. A. Ray, of Holley.

Pierce, Joseph B., was born May 25, 1836, in Murray. His father, Aretus, was a son of Aretus, who was a native of St. Johnsburg, Vt., and came with his family to Orleans county in 1815, settled in Murray, and took up 100 acres of land two miles west of Holley. He married Rebecca Blood, and their children were; Betsey, Aretus, Daniel, Jerusha, Rebecca, Amanda, Joseph, and Casper. Betsey married Isaac Cady and set- tled in Clarendon ; Daniel settled first in Murray and afterward in Monroe county, and died there. He married Mary Daggett; Jerusha married a Mr. Chapman, settled in Michigan, where she died: Rebecca married Charles Farnsworth, and settled in Niagara county; Amanda married Hunt Farnsworth and also settled in Niagara county ; Joseph settled in Michigan; Casper settled in Holley, and married Louisa Warren. Aretus Pierce lived and died in Murray. He was always a farmer, and took an active interest in political affairs He was originally a Whig and later a Republican, was highway commissioner, and was several times a candidate for supervisor. Was a member of the Holley Presbyterian Church, and married Matilda Steadman. Their children were: Sophronia, George W., John Z., Maria, Joseph B., and Caroline A., all of whom are living. Joseph B. Pierce has always lived in Murray, and has always been engaged in farming. He married in 1860 Emily, daughter of Solomon Brown, cf Murray, and their children are: Edith, who married Elmer Hamilton ; Fannie, who died in 1887; Florence E., and Nettie M., who married Howard Handy.

Pratt, John H., is a lineal descendant of Nehemiah, who was born in Whitestown' Oneida county, and settled in the town of Gaines in 1816. He died in Eagle Harbor in 1859. He married Demis Rowley, by whom he had these children : Winslow, father of our subject, was born in Oneida county in 1809, and died in Gaines in 1879 ; Reuben, Judith, John, Mary, Nehemiah, Alvin. Of these children, Winslow married Harriet N. Gunn, born in Auburn. N. Y., and died in Gaines in 1890. . Their children were : Fan- nie, born in 1834; Sylvia, born in 1838; Eliza, born in 1843; John N., our subject, born in Gaines in 1846 ; Mary, born in 1849; Willis, born in 1851; and Hattie N., born in Gaines in 1859. John H. attended the public schools at West Gaines, then attended Albion Academy three terms, also the high school at Olcott, Niagara county, after which he took up farming. He now owns over 900 acres and has dealt in real estate quite extensively, having owned more than thirty farms in this county at different times. He also is largely interested in the wool trade, and is a dealer in sheep. Mr. Pratt is prominent in town affairs, having served on the board of supervisors four years, and has been assessor four years. February 17, 1878, he married Mary E. Britt, of Perryville, Madison county, born November 13, 1852, and they have had two children : Florence H., born October 27, 1886; and John Howard, born August 15, 1890. Mrs.

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Pratt's father, Cortis Britt, was born in Madison county, and married Loretta Davis, of Chautauqua county. They now reside in Ridgeway.

Prusia, William J., was born in Henrietta, Monroe county, January 11, 1824, a son of Jacob, born in Lancaster county, Pa., who died in Gaines in 1859, aged sixty-nine years. Jacob married Elizabeth Maurer, born in Lancaster county, Pa., who died in Pennsylvania in 1857, aged sixty- seven years. They had ten children: Eliza B., born i: 1810; John, born in 1812, died in 1833; David, born in 1814; Maria, born in 1816, died in 1845; Harriet S., born in 1822; William J., born in 1824; Samuel G., and Sarah (twins), born in 1826, Samuel dying in 1864; Lucinda S., born in 1828, died in 1861; Angeline, born in 1831, and Daniel M., born in 1834, (who was a soldier in the late war). William S. attended the public schools of Ridgeway, and later in Crawford county, Pa., and has followed farming and dealing in cattle. He is a Republican, and has served as commissioner of highways, overseer of the poor, and for thirteen years has been director of the Farmers' Mutual Life Insurance Company. December 14, 1847, he married Louisa Parker, who was born March 1, 1824, a daughter of Samuel Parker of Delaware county, who died in 1862, aged sixty years. Mr. and Mrs. Prusia have children as follows: Frank J., born July 7, 1849, married Rachael Crandall, and died in 1892; Gertrude L., born August 2, 1850, married William R. Lattin (deceased), by whom she had three children; and Charlie, born December 31, 1858, married Ida Fellows, and had three children.

Ross, Captain S. A., was born in Medina, August 21, 1863, and learned the trade of jeweler here. He went into business for himself in 1886, which he sold out in 1893. He was elected captain of the 29th Separate Company December 28, 1891, on which date the company mustered in. They were accepted by the State November 28, 1892. Captain Ross received his commission October 28, 1892, with rank from December 28, 1891. The company aggregates sixty-two men rank and file, the officers being: First lieutenant, Seymour J. Brainard; second lieutenant, Lewis L. Bacon ; first sergeant, T. H. Agnew ; second sergeant, A. B. Shattock; third sergeant, T. H. Owens; fourth sergeant, A. B. Eddy ; fifth sergeant, A. E. Reynolds; corporals, G. H. Shattock, H. K. Burnim. F. M. Smith, George Wilcox, and J. Cunningham.

Ryan, Patrick, was born in Ireland in 1852 and came to America in 1872. He worked at quarrying four years, and then went into the liquor business. He has been in his present stand nine years, and has also been in the grocery business. Mr. Ryan is a member of the C. B. L., and C. M. B. A. In 1878 he married Mary Collins, and they have three sons and five daughters.

The Root Family .- The grandfather of Thomas was born in Massachusetts, and died in Carlton, and his father, Reuben, was born in Massachusetts and died in Yates in 1876, aged eighty-two years. The wife of Reuben Root was Betsey Hastings, who was born in Toronto, Can., and died in Yates, and their children were: Mary, born in Yates in 1822, and resides in Barry county, Mich. ; Annice, born in Yates in 1824, and died in St. Louis, Mo., in 1882; Nathaniel, born in Yates and died in Lapeer county, Mich., in 1867, and was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion ; Rosanna, Reuben of Van Buren county, Mich., Thomas (our subject) born in Yates June 24. 1832 ; Edward, Eliza Jane, George. Thomas Root was educated in the common schools of Yates and then engaged in farming, owning seventy-two acres. He was a member of the I. O. G. T. of Fountain Lodge. October 10, 1853, he married Johanna Fuller, daughter of Reuben Fuller. She was born October 29, 1834. Reuben Fuller was born in 1800 and his wife, Fannie Moorehouse, was born in 1806. Reuben died May 14, 1891, and his wife September 17, 1854. The children of Thomas and Joanna Root were; Reuben Marion, born September 20, 1854, married Jessy Very, of Buffalo, and they reside in Buffalo ; Frank Eugene, born November 10, 1856, married Addie Robinson, and they have one son, Fred ; Lewis T., born April 23, 1859, married Clara Weaver; William R., born

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Landmarks of Orleans County, New York, Part 105

Author: Signor, Isaac S., ed Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Syracuse : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1084

Author: Signor, Isaac S., ed
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1084