Landmarks of Steuben County, New York, Part 113

Author: Hakes, Harlo, 1823- ed; Aldrich, Lewis Cass. cn
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 1180

USA > New York > Steuben County > Landmarks of Steuben County, New York > Part 113

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Sick, 2d, Philip, was born in Prussia, in 1841, and is a son of Philip Sick, whose father was also named Philip. The subject of this sketch came to America with his father and grandfather in 1845, and settled in the town of Wayland. In the old country the father was a weaver, but upon his settlement in Wayland, became a farmer. He married Christiana Keiffer, by whom he had seven children: Chris- tiana, Caroline, Philip, Rhoda, Louis, Christian, and Louise. Christiana married Paul Knodle, and settled in Michigan. Caroline married Thomas Jones, and settled in Castile, N. Y. Rhoda married John Gearing, and settled in Livingston county. Louis settled first in Wayland, and later at Canaseraga. He married first, Melissa Haynes, and for his second wife, Diantha Higgins. Christian married Louisa Bill, and settled in Wayland. Louise died unmarried. Philip Sick enlisted in 1862 in the 28th Independent Battery, and served until the close of the war. For several years before and following the war Mr. Sick was engaged in lumbering. In 1867 he engaged in farming and in 1870 purchased a farm in the northwestern part of Co- hocton, where he settled, and is one of the prominent farmers of the town. He mar- ried Louisa Sick, by whom he had two children: Elizabeth L., who married John

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Ream, of Cohocton; and John H., who is a farmer in Cohocton, and he married Lura Newfang.

Strobel, John G., was born in the town of Cohocton, February 18, 1855, son of Jacob Strobel, a native of Germany, who came to this country about 1830, and first located at Dansville. He settled in the town of Cohocton soon afterward, purchas- ing a farm on Lent Hill and became an extensive and prosperous farmer. He died in 1879. He was one of the founders and prominent members of the Zion Lutheran church of Cohocton. He married Elizabeth Bolster and to them were born ten chil- dren: George, a farmer, who married Libbie Switzer; John G., a farmer and a staunch Democrat, who married Caroline, daughter of Philip Zimmer of Cohocton, and they have six children: Edwin, Frank, Paul, Arthur, Walter, and Sarah; Charles, who married Mary Bettinger; Jacob, who married Minnie Fogel; Henry, who married Annie Fogel; Peter, who married Annie Zimmer; Christopher, who married Sophia Zimmer; Fred; Louis; and William.

Schiefen, William F., was born in Germany, in 1865, son of Joseph and Anna (Sable) Schiefen. Joseph: Schiefen came to America in 1868, and settled in the town of Cohocton, three miles west of Cohocton village, where he resided until 1888, when he settled in Cohocton village. Their children were Mary (Mrs. James Conly) of Newburg, N. Y .; Anthony, deceased; Gertrude (Mrs. Frank Gherig) of Cohocton ; Lizzie (Mrs. John A. Shults) of Cohocton; Peter, who settled at Elmira and married Mary Bower; and William F., whose early life was spent on the farm. In 1884 he entered the employ of Shults Brothers, of Cohocton, as clerk in a store, where he remained until 1890, when, with John A. Shults, he engaged in the mercantile busi- ness at Cohocton, and is recognized as one of the enterprizing business men of the town. He is a member of the St. Pius R. A. church, and the C. M. B. A. In 1893 he married Louise Mang, of Rochester, N. Y.

Wilcox, A. H., was born in Springwater, Livingston county, N. Y., February 9, 1844, son of David H. Wilcox, who came from Homer, N. Y., and settled in Spring- water Valley, where he was engaged in the milling business, and he also had mills at Slab City and at Perry, N. Y. In the spring of 1850 he came to Cohocton and purchased a grist mill, which he enlarged, and in 1856 added a saw mill, and was actively engaged in business until 1867, when he sold out. His death occurred in June, 1868. He was a Republican, and held the office of supervisor seven times. He was one of the founders and prime movers in the formation of the Universalist Society and the building of the church. He was a member of Liberty Lodge, No. 510, F. & A. M., and also of the I. O. O. F. He married Delia A. Hopkins of Spring- water, and they were the parents of nine children, all of whom are living: Carlos H., Albert H., Luther H., Harriet (Mrs. Oscar Johnson), Martin H., and Alice A. Al- bert H. Wilcox came to this town with his father in 1850, where he was educated in the public schools. In 1868 he became superintendent and manager for the late Thomas Warner, continuing in that capacity until 1882, when he became a partner with Mr. Warner in the lumber business at Kanona, continuing until 1885. In 1883 he became a member of the firm of Turner, Warner, & Wilcox, lumber dealers at Elmira and Pennsylvania, continuing until May, 1885. In 1886 Mr. Wilcox returned to Cohocton and engaged in the coal and wholesale and retail lumber and shingle

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trade, also running a saw and planing mill. In 1892 his son, Henry P. Wilcox, be- came a partner, the firm becoming A. H. Wilcox & Son. Mr. Wilcox is a Republi- can, and was supervisor in 1891-92, and has held numerous minor offices. He is a member of Liberty Lodge, No. 510, F. & A. M. He was a member of the first board of water commissioners and was president of the board for two years, and has been president of the Cohocton Dime Loan Association since 1892. In 1864 he married Fannie, daughter of Edward A. Parmenter, and their children are Alice L., Henry P., Helen L., and Edward. Martin H. Wilcox was born May 17, 1851. He is a Re- publican and in 1895 was elected highway commissioner. He is a member of Lib- erty Lodge, No. 510, F. & A. M., and a member of the Universalist church, being one of its trustees. He married Phebe Root, and they are the parents of four chil- dren: Edith, Ione, Guy, and Archie.

Wallace, James, was born in the town of Cohocton, January 8, 1860, and is a son of Gratton H., and grandson of James Wallace, whose father was a native of Scot- land and came to America at an early day. James came from Massachusetts, and settled in the town of Wheeler, N. Y., in 1820, and soon after removed to Cohocton and located on the road between Atlanta and Wayland, where he engaged in farm- ing. He married Margaret Aulls of Wheeler, and their children were William, who was a physician in Steuben county; Jay, who located in Iowa; James, who is a farmer in Cohocton, married Alice A. Burris, and they are the parents of three chil- dren: Lelia, Mabel, and George; Samuel, who lives in Churchville, N. Y .; Porter, Barney, and Warren all settled in Iowa; Amorette; and Eliza. Gratton H. Wallace settled in Cohocton, where he was a successful farmer. In 1858 he married Mary A. Andrews, and their children were James; Margaret (Mrs. George Seymour) of Cohocton ; Francis (Mrs. William E. Otto) of Atlanta, N. Y. ; and Mary (Mrs. Almond H. Plumb). Mr. Wallace died March 17, 1881. In 1887 Mrs. Wallace married J. D. Hendryx, who was born in Cohocton village, May 20, 1843, son of Thomas Hendryx, who was born in 1807. He came from Connecticut about 1813 with his father, who settled in the Cohocton Valley, south of Cleland's Mills, where he took up a farm. Thomas learned the cabinetmaker's trade, and from 1836 to 1857 engaged in the mercantile business at Cohocton, where he was one of the leading business men. He married Harriet Bishop, and their children were Charlotte (Mrs. Albert Campburn) of Michigan; J. D .; Mary (Mrs. Eugene Campburn) of Michigan; Hattie; Charles; Adella; and Edorn. J. D. Hendryx was engaged in the mercantile trade at Cohoc- ton from 1856 to 1858, and in 1869 he removed to Atlanta, where he continued for sixteen years. He was appointed postmaster at Atlanta under Hayes's administra- tion and held that office for eight years, but is now engaged in farming. For his first wife he married, in 1859, Eveline Hall, and they were the parents of three chil- dren: Frank H., of Bath, N. Y .; Cora (Mrs. George Bancroft) of Madison, N. Y. ; and William W. of Avoca, N. Y.

Wright, Mark, was born in the town of Springwater, N. Y., June 26, 1851, son of Sanford, whose father, Erastus Wright, came from England and settled in Onon- daga county prior to 1800, and afterward settled in Naples, N. Y. Sanford Wright came from Onondaga county to Springwater early in life, and afterward settled in Naples. He removed to Cohocton in 1876, where he engaged in farming. He was a licentiate of the M. E. Conference, and for many years preached in various places

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in Western New York. He married Lorinda Proctor, by whom he had thirteen chil- dren: Loomis, who married Mary A. Bartholomew, and settled in the town of Naples; Caroline; Emeline, wife of Thomas Hall, of Springwater; Mary, wife of Charles Briggs, of Naples; Chauncey, who married Marietta Walling, and resides in Wayland; Hiram, who married Margaret Goondry, and settled in Naples; Aaron, who married Ida Whitman, and settled in Naples, but who now resides at Atlanta; Newton; Horatio, who married Lydia Bryant, and settled at Hornellsville; Loren, who married Ida Small, and settled in Springwater; Mark; Martha, wife of Clinton Walling; and Charles, who is unmarried. Mark Wright settled in Cohocton, and is a substantial farmer. He is a strong Republican, and takes an active part in party affairs. He married Ida Gardineer, of Cohocton, by whom he had four children: Dana, Clarence, Jennie and Archie.

Webster, Lester G., was born on a farm in the town of Urbana, September 6, 1844. His father, Guerdon L. Webster, was a native of Herkimer county, born in 1810, and came to Steuben in 1815. He married Jane Gartinghouse, a native of New Jersey, by whom he had three sons: Lester, as above; Byron, who lives in Wayne; and Dr. Webster, of Painted Post. Mr. Webster died February 26, 1889, but his wife is still living, and is eighty-one years of age. Lester G. was educated in the common schools and at Hammondsport Academy, and has always been engaged in farming. In 1869 he started for himself and bought a farm of ninety-seven acres, where he made his home until 1876, when he came on to the old farm of 157 acres, which he has increased and improved until now he owns a farm of 180 acres of as good appearance as any in that part of the town. In 1869 he married Matilda, daughter of William Aber, by whom he had one daughter, Nettie A., a graduate of Haverling Academy, who lives at home.

Wright, Benjamin Jacob, was born in the village of Hammondsport, August 8, 1852. His father, John Wright, was a native of County Kildare, Ireland, who came to this country about 1849. He was a gardener by occupation, and the most of his life was spent in grape culture. He died in 1881. He married Lucy Strong, by whom he had thirteen children, three of whom are living: Mrs. E. T. Hollis, of Woodhull; Mrs. W. H. Edwards, of Bath; and Benjamin Jacob, who was educated in the common schools and Hammondsport Academy, after which he spent three years in the study of law with his brother in Woodhull. May 17, 1874, he married Nancy Irene, daughter of George McLean of Prattsburg, and then settled on a farm in Woodhull, where he remained until 1884, when he returned to this village and engaged in the cultivation of grapes. In February, 1888, he was appointed to fill a vacancy as justice of the peace, and in February, 1889, was elected to the same office and re-elected in 1892 and 1895 without opposition. He has been admitted to prac- tice in all the government departments as a pension attorney. Mr. and Mrs. Wright have three children: Nancy Irene, Grace, and Preston,

Wheeler, Grattan H., was born in the town of Wheeler, March 12, 1813, grandson of Silas Wheeler, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and also of the war of 1812. He was a native of Concord, and came to New York State about 1799 and bought a tract of land in what was later named the town of Wheeler, to which he and his son, Grattan H., added until the family were the owners of over 4,000 acres.

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In connection with the name Grattan, an interesting story is told by Mr. Wheeler. Silas was taken prisoner by the British after the "Boston Tea Party," with which he was supposed to be connected, and made a prisoner in Kingsale Castle, Ireland, from which he was assisted to escape by Lord Henry Grattan, who requested that a son should be named after him. Silas was the father of three children, two daugh- ters, who were twins, one of whom married Nathan Rose, and the other married William Holmes, and the only son, who was named Grattan H. Grattan H. was nineteen years of age when the family settled in the town of Wheeler, and he always made his home there, cultivating the soil which was purchased by his father and himself. In politics he was a staunch Whig, and has been supervisor of the town, member of the State Legislature, and a member of Congress from this district. He married Fanny Baker of the town of Cameron, by whom he had three children: Mrs. Sarah Brundage of Bath; Silas, who died in 1855, aged forty-four years; and Grat- ton H., our subject. Grattan H., sr., died March 11, 1852, aged sixty-eight years, six months, and sixteen days. Mrs. Wheeler died March 22, 1813. Grattan H., our subject, was given a common school education in the schools of seventy years ago, and followed farming in Wheeler, raising wood and lumbering until December 9, 1857, when he removed to Hammondsport and engaged in the grape and wine industry, being the projector of the Pleasant Valley Wine cellar, the first wine cellar of this section. He was the president of the company for nine years and then established an individual cellar which was first known as the Hammondsport Cellar, and continued as such until 1880 when it became the Hammondsport Wine Company. He was also engaged in farm- ing in Wheeler and Urbana until 1880. In politics Mr. Wheeler was first a Whig, and upon the formation of the Republican party espoused their cause. He has held nearly all of the town offices and was one term supervisor of the town of Wheeler, and was also a candidate for the State Legislature. March 30, 1837, he married Nancy D. Sayre, a native of Benton, Yates county, who died May 27, 1889. Ten children were born to them, nine of whom are living.

Smith, Joseph Shepard, was born in Smithboro, Tioga county, N. Y., April 15, 1845, the second son of a family of seven children of David Smith, a farmer and lumberman, who died in the town of Barton, in 1869. Joseph Shepard was educated in the common schools of his native county, and his first occupation was farming, which he followed in Tioga county until January 13, 1872, when he removed to Hammondsport and bought a vineyard of nine acres on the west shore of Lake Keuka, where he has since been engaged in the culture of grapes. He also has a half interest in sixteen acres in the corporation limits of the village. In the fall of 1893 he purchased the Judge Larrowe farm of fifty-nine acres west of the village, thirty acres of which is in vineyard and the balance he devotes to general farming and fruit. He is also connected with L. M. Lyon, of the firm of Lyon Bros., com- mission merchants of New York city, under the firm name of Smith & Lyon, packers and dealers in grapes, an establishment that employs from fifty to 100 hands. He also has a farm of 100 acres, the old homestead, which is devoted to dairy produc- tions. Mr. Smith has been prominently identified with local politics since coming to this town, and though not considered a politician, is a staunch Republican and a worker. He was for two terms president of the corporation, and was the leading

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spirit in the movement that resulted in the straightening and grading of the streets. December 27, 1871, he married Florence Taylor, of Barton, Tioga county, a native of Newfield, Tompkins county.

Masson, Linn D., was born near Cincinnati, Ohio, October 10, 1860. His father, Joseph D. Masson, was a native of France. Lynn is the oldest of a family of four children. He was educated in Lima Seminary, and his first occupation was in his father's vineyard, where he remained until 1888, when he formed a copartnership with Joseph C. Freidell and established a hardware store in the Davis warehouse on Water street in Hammondsport, where he has since been located. He is at present a member of the Water Commission, and also has charge of the old homestead vine- yard of fifty-six acres. September 12, 1894, he married Lela C. Sackett, of Watkins.

Layton, John R .- Isaac Layton was born in the town of Sandystone, Sussex county, N. J., May 9, 1804. Thomas Layton, his grandfather, was also a resident of New Jersey, where he was engaged in farming. In 1812 he sold his farm and came to Steuben county, N. Y., and bought a number of farms for his sons, and settled on 100 acres of the farm now occupied by our subject where he died June 9, 1824, aged eighty-six years. Mrs. Layton, the grandmother, was of Scotch descent and was born in 1743, and died in 1835. They were the parents of ten children, of which John, the father of Isaac, was the fifth child. John Layton was born in New Jersey, May 3, 1771, where he remained until about 1850 when he removed to Bradford county, Pa., where he spent the balance of his days, and where he died May 4, 1865. He married Abby Brink of New Jersey, who was born January 7, 1779, and died Oc- tober 2, 1827, leaving ten children, of which Isaac was the fourth child. The second wife of John Layton was Sally Shay, who died without issue. November 22, 1820, he married Sally M. Snover of New Jersey, and they were the parents of three chil- dren, one of whom, the oldest son, acquired considerable prominence, being sheriff of Bradford county, Pa. Isaac Layton was given a common school education and followed in the footsteps of his ancestors on the farm, making his home with his father until 1831, when he was married and removed to Steuben county, N. Y., where his uncles were living, and secured the farm of 176 acres, where his grandfather first settled. In early life he was a Whig, but later became a Republican, holding some of the minor town offices. January 22, 1831, he married Maria Rutan of Sussex county, who died February 4, 1888, at the age of seventy-five years. They were the parents of six children, two of whom died in infancy. John R. Layton is now the proprietor of the homestead farm. January 16, 1884, he married Jennie Wixom of this town. He is a Republican and has held some of the town offices. Abram and Lorenzo D. are farmers of this town; and Allen Layton died in 1886, aged forty- seven years.

Horton, John T., M. D., was born in the town of Howard, June 25, 1857. The first of the family to come to Steuben county was Thomas Horton, who was a native of Connecticut, and came to this county in 1835. He took up a tract of land in the town of Howard, where he spent the balance of his life. Lyman Horton, father of John T., was eighteen years of age when the family settled in this county. He learned the carpenter's trade and built a large portion of the residences of the town of How- ard. He died January 25, 1866. His wife was Cordelia Brasted, who was the oldest

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of a family of eleven children of John C. Brasted, one of the pioneers of the town of Howard. She died July 22. 1883. John T. is the youngest of a family of five chil- dren, and was educated in the common schools of Howard, Hornellsville Union school, and Alfred University. When twenty-four years of age he took up the study of medicine with Dr. W. E. Hathaway, who was his preceptor for three years, dur- ing which time he attended the Cleveland Homeopathic Hospital College, from Hammondsport. where he has since been engaged in regular practice, with the ex- ception of six months in Mount Morris and eight months in Hornellsville. He is a member of the Southern Tier Society, Urbana Lodge, No, 459, F. & A. M., Knights of the Maccabees, Tent No. 316, also was ten years with the A. O. U. W. In politics Mr. Horton is a Republican, and in 1891 was elected coroner for the Northern Dis- trict, with a very large majority. March 25, 1884, he married Irene, daughter of George W. Lewis, of Hornellsville, by whom he had two sons: Ralph E. and Ly- man C.

Hallenbeck, Orrin, was born in the village of Hammondsport, July 13, 1847. Jer- emiah Hallenbeck, father of Orrin, was a native of Montgomery county, who came to this town first in 1838, and went into partnership first and later was employed by the day, and then established a shop for himself. He died January 2, 1879, aged sixty-six years. He married Betsey Ann Conklin, a native of this county, who died in 1857. They had three sons: William A., a mechanic of Binghamton; Henry A., a wheelwright of Hammondsport; and Orrin, who was educated in the common schools, and in his boyhood served an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade, but was really reared at the forge. April 25, 1873, he established a shop on the main street of this village and a year later moved across the park. In 1878 he bought the old Rosenkrans shop on Mechanic street, where he conducted business for seventeen years. It burned in 1894 and the same year he built the present building where we now find him. Mr. Hallenbeck has been a member of the village board for one term. In 1866 he bought a vineyard of five acres on the west side of the lake. In 1873 he married Emma A. Snow, of Brooklyn, N. Y., by whom he had two sons: Robert, who lives at home; and Edward Leroy, a student of Hammondsport Union school.

Gleason, Ezra C., was born on a farm in the town of Thurston, N. Y., March 31, 1862, and is the oldest son of Ezra and Sarah (Clark) Gleason. He was educated in the common schools and Haverling Academy, and made his home with his father one year, conducting a farm of 133 acres which he bought in the spring of 1883, where he remained about two years In 1885 he bought a piece of vineyard land on the east shore of the lake, where he now has seventeen acres of vineyard. In 1894 he had about forty tons of Concords and Catawbas. Mr. Gleason is a Democrat in poli- tics and has held some of the minor town offices. In 1885 he married Ida Loveridge, who died in 1886, and in 1888 he married Estella Robinson, by whom he had three children: Carl R., Edmund, and Mildred V. The beautiful residence on the lake shore was erected by Mr. Gleason in 1890.

Brown, John Randolph, was born in the town of Fabius, Onondaga county, N. Y., March 24, 1821, son of Meigs Brown, who was a native of Massachusetts, and from that State removed to Ohio, where he remained for a short time, and then located in New York State, where he spent the balance of his days. He died in Naples, On-

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tario county, August 28, 1861, aged eighty-six years. The latter years of his life he was a shoemaker. Meigs Brown married Clarissa Goodrich, who was a native of Onondaga county. She died in 1827. John R., the second son of a family of five children, was educated in the common schools, and learned the shoemaker's trade with his father. When he was ten years of age his father married and took him to Yates county, where he resided until November 14, 1856, when he located in Ham- mondsport and bought the store which he now runs. Until 1865 he manufactured largely, but since that time has devoted most of his time to the store, with a small manufactory. In politics he was first a Whig, and at the formation of the Repub- lican party espoused the cause of John C. Fremont, and has since been a warm sup- porter of that party. He was justice of the peace of Hammondsport for six years, and trustee of the village for two terms. He has been an elder of the Presbyterian church for six years and a member for ten years. He has been a member of the Masonic fraternity since 1874, and was master of Urbana Lodge, No. 459, in 1879-80. May 14, 1841, he married Sarah Ann Peck of Penn Yan, who died July 4, 1889, at sixty-eight years of age. They are the parents of eight children: John Quincy, who is a commercial traveler of Denver, Col .; Stimson Joseph, a professor in the Naval Observatory at Washington, D. C .; Llewllyn Harmon, who is the editor of the Ham- mondsport Herald; William Smalley, who is in the office with his brother, Llewllyn Harmon; Frank E., a printer; Edward E., who is an officer of the Weather Bureau; Margaret J., who died in 1877, and Josephine, who died in 1878.

Foster, Edwin M., was born on a farm in the town of Wheeler, N. Y., September 17, 1844. His parents moved to the town of Urbana when he was but a child. He was educated in the Hammondsport village school and Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, after which he engaged in farming, and soon began to take an interest in the culti- vation of grapes. He first bought a vineyard in Urbana, and has since set out about thirty acres of vineyard. In 1880 he bought a part of the J. N. Crane property, known as the second section of the Depew place, and has cleared a spot in the woods and erected a fine residence, where he makes his home. He has now seventeen acres of vineyard in Urbana, nine acres in Pulteney, and the balance of his seventy- five acres is devoted to farming. Mr. Foster has been trustee of Urbana school since its formation, and was also justice of the peace in Pulteney. October 28, 1869, he married Ellen, daughter of Barnet Rupert, of the town of Pulteney, by whom he had three children: Jesse R., a student of Geneseo Normal school; Nellie Estelle, and Edwin Carleton. Mrs. Foster died June 24, 1895, aged fifty years.

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Landmarks of Steuben County, New York, Part 113

Author: Hakes, Harlo, 1823- ed; Aldrich, Lewis Cass. cn Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co. Number of Pages: 1180

Author: Hakes, Harlo, 1823- ed; Aldrich, Lewis Cass. cn
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 1180