Landmarks of Orleans County, New York, Part 87

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

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LANDMARKS OF ORLEANS COUNTY.

children : Edwin and Harriet living, and Frances Emma and Sarah who died young. Edwin married Miss Dell Wickiser and resides in Ohio; Harriet E. married Wilben L. Ferry of Holley. Horace B. Perry was one of the most popular and highly esteemed men of this day and took a deep interest in the growth and welfare of the village. He died May 18, 1861.

Porter, Joshua, was born August 9, 1771, and was a native of Franklin county, Mass. He came to Onondaga county early in the present century. After four years he went to Ontario county, locating in the old town of Seneca. His wife was Jane Luce, born May 18, 1771, and to them were born the following children : Lucinda, who married Thomas Ottley ; Allen; Betsey, who married George Gates ; Elkanah ; Polly, who married Ira Peek; Joshua, now living in Phelps and aged ninety years ; Jane (deceased), and Samuel. In 1815, Joshua Porter, the pioneer, came to the old town of Barre and located three farms, which were taken and improved respectively by his sons, Allen, Samuel, and Elkanah, though the latter did not come to the town till several years later. Allen and Samuel cleared their land and built a log house, and 1816 they became permanent residents of the town. Allen was born August 24, 1795. He served in the War of 1812. December 22, 1819, he married Electa Scott, and to them were born ten children, five of whom died young ; those who grew to maturity were: Eliza, who died at 28; William H., of Knowlesville ; Wells, of Minnesota; Sarah J., who married Sheldon E. Warner; and Henry S., of Albion. Allen Porter died on the old farm in December, 1883, and his wife in 1866. Mr. Porter was one of the foremost men of the town, and was active in political affairs, holding office as constable and justice many years. Elkanah Porter was born August 18, 1799, and came to old Barre (now Albion) January 20, 1829. In Ontario county he married Miranda, December 31, 1828, daughter of William and Submit Dinsmore and to them were born seven children: Carlos D., born September 26, 1831, Willis, born December 19, 1832, who died October 17, 1854, at twenty-one; Miron, born August 10, 1834, of Medina; Mary, born May 30, 1838, who married John Stocking, of Barre, died March 7, 1874; Perry, born April 30, 1836, who died October 21, 1858, at twenty- one; George W., born December 26, 1840, died in Michigan, in 1893, and Esther, born April 4,1872, who married Jared Stocking. Elkanah Porter lived on his farm only a short time that his father took up, but later traded with his brother Allen and took the farm where Carlos D. Porter now lives; and on this place he died December 16, 1875, and his wife died January 31, 1888. Carlos D. Porter was born September 26, 1831. At the age of twenty-one he began for himself working out by the month the first year, worked the home farm for two years, and three years later bought forty-five acres from his father and still later bought the old homestead, and from that small beginning has become one of the most successful farmers of the town. On February 7, 1856, he married Clarisa B. Lee, born March 31, 1834, and to them these children were born: Willis M., born June 2, 1857, who died April 30, 1858; Nettie L., born April 20, 1858, who died April 6, 1873; Cora B., born November 28, 1860, wife of David L. Parker, and Alice M., born July 21, 1863, wife of Artimas Gooding of Barre. Mrs. Porter died October 6, 1889.

FAMILY SKETCHES.

Preston, Hiram W., was a native of Dutchess county, born October 23, 1831, and was the youngest of eight children. His wife was also the youngest of eight children in her father's family. Hiram's father died when he was an infant, and when but a youth he went to Brockport, where his early life was spent and where he became a practical jeweler and watchmaker. About 1853, having in the meantime located at Norwalk, Ohio, and accumulated a small sum of money, Mr. Preston opened a store with a fine stock of jewelry and started with good pros- pects for future success, but in 1858, the region was subjected to the ravages of chol- era, which destroyed and unsettled all business interests. In 1859 or '60 Mr. Preston came to Albion and assumed charge of the jewelry store of his brother-in-law, E. J. Hill, which he continued until the death of Mr. Hill, and upon that event he succeeded him in business. From that time for a period of more than thirty years, Mr. Preston was one of the leading merchants of the county seat and one of the most popular men in the vicinity. In Masonic circles he was especially prominent and advanced through all the subordinate lodges to the 32d degree and held the chief offices in all the various Masonic organizations. Mr. Preston was a member of Christ's Church, and one of its vestrymen and wardens. A beautiful memorial window in the church edifice was the gift of his wife. On June 29, 1854, he married Emily, daughter of Daniel and Eliza- beth (Comstock) Butler. Of this marriage one child was born, Adele A., a charming daughter whose untimely death at the age of nine years was a serious blow to the parents, and from which Mr. Preston never fully recovered. Mr. Preston died in Albion September 9, 1888, and is survived by his wife. Mrs. Preston is actively interested in charitable and church work, and has been a member of the Union Chari- table Society twenty-six years,

Parsons, Joel C., was born in Conway, Mass., April 7, 1803, and died in Yates April 12, 1885. In 1813 he came with his father's family to Madison county, but in June, 1814, returned to Massachusetts to live with his grandfather until he attained his ma- jority. After attending Ashfield and Wilbraham Academies he taught school several years, and in April, 1827, removed to Orleans county, living in Shelby and later in Barre, In 1833 he settled in Yates, where he became a prominent resident. He was converted November 27, 1821, and ever afterward was an ardent supporter of the M. E. Church. In 1829 he married Phoebe Clark, who died in 1870. Two children sur- vive them-Mrs. Richard Barry, of Lyndonville, and I. Clark Parsons, of Medina. Ed- ward H. Parsons, a nephew of Joel C., and a son of C. D. Parsons, was born in Con- way, Livingston county, Mich., and came from Michigan to Barre in 1871, moving thence in 1872 to his present farm in Yates, northeast of the Center. He married Miss Minerva E. Manson and has two daughters and a son : E. May Parsons, Emma E., and Richard N. Parsons.

· The Parker family trace there ancestry to the north of Scotland, whence some of its members in feudal times emigrated to Londonderry. Ireland. They came thence to Londonderry, N. H., as very early settlers of that town. Asel Parker, born March 13, 1775, died December 19, 1847, lived in Delaware and Rensselaer counties, N. Y., and came with his family to Ridgeway, July 4, 1816, settling where Hollis M. Parker now lives, in the north part of the town. He located on this farm, which has never been

LANDMARKS OF ORLEANS COUNTY.

out of the possession of the family, on account of the presence of one of the largest springs in Orleans county, He was a typical pioneer, six feet tall, and being a carpen- ter by trade did considerable building for the early comers. He articled 150 acres of land of the Holland Land Company and converted it into fine farm. His first wife, Nancy Warren (born June 27, 1768, died September 22, 1828), bore him these children : Amanda, born August 27, 1799, died September 8, 1831; Livonia, born March 22, 1801, died November 15, 1875; Laura, born May 21, 1802, married January 4, 1821, Elisha Weld ; Velina, born June 23, 1804, married February 22, 1827, Jacob L. Weld ; and Horatio N., born February 21, 1807, died June 21, 1865. Asel's second wife was the Widow Burlingame. Horatio N. Parker married October 11, 1835, Mary Ann Taylor (born February 16, 1817, died August 28, 1891), and his children were: Hollis M., born April 3, 1838; Ellen M., born August 30, 1839; Franklin H., born July 17, 1841 ; Orren H., born October 9, 1843, who enlisted July 21, 1862, as corporal in Company A, 8th N. Y. H. A., and was killed at Ream's Station August 25, 1864; Laura A., born November 23, 1846, died March 5, 1856; Maria T., born December 19, 1848, died October 25, 1852, and Everett L., born February 9, 1859, died April 13, 1862. Ellen M. married, first, John Waterbury and second Martin T. Rowley. Hollis M. Parker married January 29, 1861, Mary Morehouse, of Yates.

Parker, Livonia, the eldest son of Asel and Nancy Parker, was born March 22, 1801, and moved with his father's family to the north part of the town of Ridgeway in July, 1816. January 18, 1829 he was married to Jane, daughter of William Cochran, who died November 6, 1830. In 1832 he married Sophronia, only daughter of Ann Bar- rett, and took up his residence on the premises now called Spring Brook farm, on the south town line of the town of Yates. In the autumn of 1861 he moved to the village of Medina, where after a residence of two years, returned to the town of Yates, estab- lishing a home in the village of Lyndonville, where he died November 15, 1875. Sophronia, the wife, survived her husband eleven years, her death occurring Novem- ber 12, 1886. Myron L. Parker, born September 6, 1837, was the eldest of the two sons of Livonia and Sophronia Parker, his brother Chauncey N. being five years his junior. With the advantage of the district school in winter and three terms attendance at Yates Academy, he essayed teaching school at the age of nineteen, enduring the martyrdom of boarding around and warming spare beds. After two winters thus spent he entered upon the active management of the farm from which his father now retired. In 1861 he married Anna E., daughter of Martin T. and Annie (Whitmarsh) Rowley. Mrs. Parker was born on the farm now owned by her brother George, which joins Spring Brook farm, the one where she has spent the whole of her married life. Mr. Parker was one of the pioneer directors of the Orleans County Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company, and for the last two years has been its vice-president, In politics he has always been a Republican. In 1892-93 he served his town as supervisor. At the Republican Twenty- ninth District Senatorial Convention held at Rochester, October 5, 1893, he was nom- inated as one of the district delegates to the convention which assembled in Albany in May, 1894, to revise the State Constitution. His majority in the district over the Democratic candidate from Orleans county was 6453. Mr. Parker takes great pride in his calling, and aspires to nothing higher in a worldly way than to be worthy of the

FAMILY SKETCHES.

name of an intelligent American farmer, such a one as is able to organize and direct the latest and best methods of rendering the farms which our fathers wrested from the virgin forest, both profitable and pleasant homes for ourselves and our posterity.

Parmelee, James, was born December 13, 1787, came to Yates October 17, 1832, and settled where his son Walter E., now lives, where he died January 17, 1884. He married Cynthia Clark of Haddam, Conn., and their children were: Betsey A., Susan C., Hezekiah S., Jared H., Walter E., Catherine L., and Jane E. Walter E. Parmelee was born January 15, 1827. He married Melissa E. Burton, who was born April 13, 1830, and their children were: Fred B., Charles C., and Clara L. Mr. Parmelee has been assessor since 1892, has served as town clerk and as constable and collector, and was supervisor of Yates in 1874. He resides on the homestead farm at Yates Centre. He was born at Durham, Middlesex county, Conn.

Roberts, Ziba, was born on the farm he now owns, July 31, 1840. In 1867 he mar- ried Cynthia Dewey, and they have seven children : William Z., John D., C. Merrill, May C., Calla D., Grace L., and Iva. Mr. Roberts enlisted November 8, 1861, in Com- pany D., 28th N. Y. Infantry, and served nineteen months. He was with the Army of the Potomac, was taken prisoner in the Shenandoah Valley during Banks's retreat, May 25, 1862. He was taken to Lynchburg and kept there until August 8, when he was transferred to Belle Island where he was kept until September 14, when he was parolled and afterwards exchanged. He is chaplain of the S. J. Hood Post of Medina, and has been commander of the post. He is also class leader and recording steward of the M. E. Church at East Shelby, also assistant superintendent of the Sunday School. Mr. Roberts's father was Ziba Roberts, and his mother Susanna (Wolcott) Roberts William Ziba Roberts is a graduate of Buffalo Medical University, and is a practicing physician in Buffalo.

Ryan, John J., was born in Medina, N. Y., November 14, 1856, and soon thereafter moved with his parents to a farm north of the village, where he lived till 1866, until the death of both of his parents. Afterwards he lived and attended school at Medina, Lockport and Buffalo. Again returning to Orleans county, he spent two years in the then flourishing Yates Academy ; and was afterwards educated at the Ionia High School, Ionia, Mich., and at the Rochester University, Rochester, N. Y. He graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan in 1883, then in charge of Judge Cooley, and was admitted to the bar in that State the same year. In 1884 he again returned to New York and was admitted to practice there. Mr. Ryan has ever since been a member of the law firm of Whedon & Ryan, of Medina, N. Y., and is a member of the Board of Education of the village. In 1887 he married Alberta C. Davis, and they have two sons and a daughter.

Remde, William, was born in Germany, September 28, 1824, and came to America in 1852. He worked in a brewery in Rochester for two years and came to Medina ın 1854, where he followed his trade until 1869, when he embarked in the brewery busi- ness for himself. He owns his own brewery and residence and makes 2,400 barrels of ale annually, selling entirely at wholesale. In 1848 Mr. Remde married Louise Remde,

LANDMARKS OF ORLEANS COUNTY.

and they have two daughters, Louise and Lena. Mr. Remde has lived in Medina forty years, and has not only been a successful man, but his career has been honorable.

Rhodes, Nathaniel P., was born at Sand Lake, Rensselaer county, N. Y., in 1800 (died November 8, 1890), and was a son of Walter Rhodes. Mr. Rhodes came to Or- leans county in the spring of 1834, and purchased a farm a half mile east of the Transit Church in the town of Murray. Daniel Rhodes, his brother, had come to the county several years previous and settled a short distance west in the town of Gaines. Both brothers were musicians and accomplished fife players, being members of a military band ; this band accompanied Captain Achilles and his company of volunteers to El- mira in 1861, which joined the regiment of (Colonel) afterwards General Slocum; the colonel tried to induce them to go with his regiment to the seat of war, but they being men of advanced age declined the offer. They next heard of the regiment was they had taken part in the battle of Bull Run. Mr. Rhodes's widowed mother lived in his family about forty years, and died at the ripe age of 101 years. Richard Rhodes, a younger brother, settled in Chautauqua county about 1830, and in 1850 came to Murray, and afterwards removed to Illinois. Nathaniel P. Rhodes married a daughter of the Rev. Alderman Baker in 1828, and they were the parents of ten children, nine of whom are still living, viz. : Martha, Walter, Sarah, Mary, Eliza, Nathaniel, Josephine, Lorenzo and Selecta, Franklin (deceased). Nathaniel Rhodes was born in 1843, and with the exception of two years has always resided in Murray. He is a Democrat and has served his town as assessor from 1885 to 1891, and supervisor in 1891 and 1892. Mr. Rhodes was married, February 14, 1866, to Miranda Salisbury of Murray, and they have two children : Arthur and Nettie. Daniel Rhodes was born in 1802, he married Emaline King, and they had two sons and three daughters, viz. : William, Silas, Mary, Maranda, and Laura; William was a singing teacher of note and they all were ac- complished musicians.

Reed, Daniel, the first of the family to settle in Orleans county, was born July 26, 1786, at West Chesterfield, Hampshire county, Mass., the son of Samuel and Betsey (Smith) Reed. Samuel served during the last three years of the Revolution. He was a son of Ezekiel Reed. In 1803 Daniel, when only seventeen, came to Jefferson county, where he remained one summer, then returned to Massachusetts and married Lucy Bates. The following spring he and his wife moved to the Black River country, where he took up land and cleared a home. On account of ill health he was compelled to return to Massachusetts, where he remained until the winter of 1812-13, then came to Orleans county and took up sixty-eight and a half acres of land in the town of Murray, to which he added later and then sold at an advance. He became one of the leading far- mers of the town. He was soon followed to Orleans county by his brothers Samuel and Joseph and two sisters, Mrs. Betsey Nash and Mrs. Susan Stearns, who later went to Ohio and Wisconsin. . Daniel Reed was a public-spirited man and helped in every way to open up the new country. With two others he laid out and cleared the direct road from Sandy Creek to Lake Ontario. He was instrumental in laying out the straight road from Holley to the Ridge. Settlers moving into the country often found a shelter at his home until their own log cabin was ready. As the forests were cut down and the sun shone full on the stagnant pools of water it became very sickly. Sometimes

FAMILY SKETCHES.

every member of the family was sick at the same time. There were hardly well ones enough to care for the sick in the settlement. During one fall Mr. Reed watched with the sick over thirty nights, and often walked two miles to the sick neighbors' houses after a hard day's work. His wife died August 3, 1814, the first death in Orleans county. She left four children : Fordice, Daniel W., Lucy and Horace, the last, a babe nine weeks old. Leaving Fordice with his brother Samuel and taking the three youngest children and his brother's wife to care for the babe, he retraced his steps to. Massachusetts. There he married his second wife, Mercy Nash, and returned to Mur- ray in 1817. Their children were: Mercy and Napoleon B. The hardship of a new country brought on a lingering disease and his second wife died May 2, 1821, and in the same year he married Marilla Knapp. Their children were: Alonzo, Susan M., Samuel, Sylvester F., Nelson K., Juliaett and Ellan R. His third wife, Marilla Reed, died June 2, 1862, and his own death occurred February 28, 1864. In politics Mr. Reed held strong anti-slavery views, often saying "Liberty and slavery can never grow together, one will destroy the other." Although he had never belonged to the "Under- ground Railroad" his sentiments were so well known by those who did, that many a fugitive slave was sent to him for directions, counsel and aid, which was never refused. He was an organizer and a deacon of the Holley Baptist church, which office he held at his death. He gave $600 toward the building of the old church, besides work with men and teams. All his children lived to grow up, and most of them settled in Orleans county. Fordice was a carpenter and settled in Murray. He married Eunice Swan. Daniel W. married Electa Hubbard, of Massachusetts, and settled in Murray. He was a member of the old State militia and color bearer. He was highway commissioner of the town at one time. The children of Daniel W. and Electa Reed were: George M., who died young ; Pamelia, who married John Seeley, and Fordyce D., who settled in Michigan. Daniel W. died April 1, 1885. His second wife was Martha Weatherbee. Lucy married Cyrus Stearns and settled in Murray. Horace settled in Murray. He married Mahala Hitchcock. Napoleon B. married Czarina H. Glazier and settled in Murray. Mercy married Owen Moffit and settled near Mukwonaga, Wis. Alonzo married Celia A. Sprague and settled in Murray. Celia A. died March 28, 1858, and November 8, 1860, he married Abigal E. Halsenburg,. Susan M. married Amos R. Sprague and settled on Narrow's Prairie, Sauk county, Wis. Samuel married Sarah M. Partridge, of Massachusetts, and settled in Murray. Sylvester F. married Louisa M. Underhill. Nelson K. settled in Ridgeway, June 1, 1853, and married Julia A. Weeks, who died May 22, 1862; and second Juliaette A. Dikeman, who died September 17, 1888. He married third Mrs. Ann H. Smith, April 7, 1892. Juliaett married Martin C. Dawes and settled in Owosso, Mich. Mr. Dawes enlisted in the 20th Regiment, Michigan Infantry, in 1862, and served to the close of the war. He was promoted captain of Company I, 20th Michigan. Daniel Reed and two sons, Horace and Samuel, and two grandsons, Lyman A. Reed and Sabastian Stearns, in Company C, 105th N. Y. Volunteers, and one grandson, Marion Stearns, in the 2d Ohio Battery.

The Re Qua family in America descended from a father and four sons who came from France at an early date. Elijah Re Qua was a soldier in the Revolution. His son, Na- thaniel Martin Re Qua, was born in Westchester county, N. Y., August 22, 1795, and

LANDMARKS OF ORLEANS COUNTY,

for several years was a boat captain on the Hudson River between New York and Albany. In 1839 he left Tarrytown, N. Y., and came to Kendall, where he settled on a farm now owned by Gideon Randall. He died at Kendall Corners, July 27, 1867, and his wife, Nancy See, August 21, 1889. Their children who attained maturity were: Emily (Mrs. R. P. Vorce), deceased; Harriet (Mrs. Warren Elmore), who died in November, 1890; Ann Angusta (first Mrs. Obed W. Clough and afterwards Mrs. Frederick Hatch) ; Sarah T. (Mrs. Menzo W. Butler), of Kendall, and George C. of Illinois

Rowley, Seth G., was born in Bolivar, Allegany county, July 30, 1847. He started to work in the lumber business at sixteen years of age and has been in it ever since, excepting a short time spent with the Western Union Telegraph Company. He was with L. Gordon in Brockport one year and had charge of his mills in Cattaraugus county for five years. He then returned to Brockport for a year and thence to Port Allegany for about one year. He established his business in Middleport in 1873 and in 1880 came to Medina, where he has yards covering one and one-half acres of ground, and does a large business. His partner, G. W. Eddy, looks after the Middle- port branch of the business. Mr. Rowley is a prominent Mason, and has been a mem- ber of the Medina Board of Education nine years. In 1875 he married Nevada Jus- tina Holmes, and they have four children : Harry E., Lena A., Anna T., and Nevada E.

The Royce family in Albion was descended from three brothers who left Wales about 1730 and settled in New England. Origen and Julius Royce, who for many years were identified with some of the best interests of Albion, and who alone of the family came to this county, were sons of Origen and Hannah (Fay) Royce. Origen Royce, sr., left Mansfield, Conn., about 1818 and settled in Broome county, thence moved to Cortland county. In his family were seven children, and of them Ozro, James Fielder, Julius Heath, and Origen, jr., came to Western New York, Ozro being the pioneer. Origen Royce, jr., was born January 11, 1811, and when a young man learned the car- penter trade. He came to Albion in 1853, and thereafter engaged in the hardware business, and was known as one of the enterprising and successful men of the county seat. He was ore of the strong Abolitionists of the county and later an equally strong Republican. At the time of his death he was an elder of the Presbyterian Church. October 6, 1833, he married Frances Henrietta Havens, and to them these children were born : Elizabeth, who married George Frederick Sawyer, and Charles, who married Alice Casey Carrington and now lives in New York City. Frances Havens Royce died December 4, 1870, and two years afterward Origen married Keziah Dunn, by whom he had one child, Orriette Stewart Royce. Origen Royce, jr., died April 19, 1884. George F. Sawyer and Elizabeth H. Royce were married November 5, 1866, and two children were born to them-Charles Royce Sawyer, of Albion, and a daughter who died in infancy. George F. Sawyer was a native of this county and spent several years of his life in the naval service. In Albion he was a merchant. He died Decem- ber 8, 1878. Julius Royce was born in Broome county, January 16, 1819. His life in Albion was devoted to mercantile pursuits, he being for many years in the hardware business, a part of the time in partnership with his brother Origen. He was also iden- tified with other interests and associated with many public improvements. Julius was

FAMILY SKETCHES.

the pioneer of the family in this county, first locating in Clarendon, thence coming to Albion in 1848, where he died July 2, 1888. In Hartford, Oneida county, October 25, 1848, he married Harriet Amelia Wells, by whom he had three children : Sophia, who married Talcott Williams in Philadelphia ; George Fay, now in the West, and Harriet, wife of George N. Bliss, of New York City. Harriet Wells Royce died April 21, 1891.

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Landmarks of Orleans County, New York, Part 87

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