Landmarks of Steuben County, New York, Part 114

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 114

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Fawcett, Fred C., was born in the town of Norwich, Chenango county, N. Y., May 10, 1862. The early ancestry of this family were New England people. William Fawcett, father of Fred C., was a millwright by trade. He died in 1874, at Mount Upton, Chenango county. Fred C. was educated in the common schools, and his first occupation was as a clerk in a general store in Laurens, Otsego county, where he remained for about three years. The year 1879 he spent in Morris, Otsego county, and in 1881 he came to Hammondsport and entered the employ of Delos Rose, who was then conducting a general store, where he remained four years, then returned to Otsego county, and was for two years in part- nership with his brother-in-law in the hardware business in Laurens. In 1889 he bought the furniture and undertaking establishment of R. Beck, and has since

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about doubled the business, carrying a general line of furniture and undertaking goods, and is able to compete with the larger towns surrounding. His store is 25 by 65 feet, with use of three floors. In 1886 he married Lillian, daughter of Robert Beck, by whom he had four children: Robert W., Bertha L., Charles B. and Ellis, who died in April, 1894, aged six months.

Frey, Henry, was born in Rochester, N. Y., May 24, 1859. His boyhood was spent in attendance at the village schools of Hammondsport and assisted his father in the grape and wine business until he was sixteen years of age. In 1875 he made his first venture for himself in the conducting of an agency in New York city for the sale of wines. During this time he spent three years in the New York Evening High School, making a special study of business, and was graduated in the first degree. In 1881 Henry Frey & Co. established a branch office in New York, which Mr. Frey conducted for six years, and then spent two years as a traveling agent for the Ger- mania Company. In 1889, in company with Seymour Hubbs, he bought the Colum- bia Wine Cellar, where we find him to-day conducting the business with the greatest success. Mr. Frey is a staunch Democrat, and he is now serving his second term as a member of the village council. January 5, 1882, he married Lina Mohr, of New York city.

Champlin, Charles A., was born in the village of Hammondsport, N. Y., March 27, 1862, youngest son of C. D. Champlin. He was educated in the common schools and Stanford Seminary. He also spent a year in Riverview Military Academy, after which he returned to the village of Hammondsport, and began his career as mer- chant in the store of W. H. Hastings. In August, 1887, he bought the store, which he conducted as a general store until 1889, when he decided to divide the stock, and established a dry goods store and grocery in separate establishments. He has been a member of Urbana Lodge, No. 459, F. & A. M., for eight years. In 1884 he mar- ried Georgie M. Malburn, of Denver, Col., by whom he had three children: Charles D., Gladys H. and Malburn.

Casterline, David, was born in Deckertown, New Jersey, April 12, 1820, and was the third son of Phineas Casterline, who located in Steuben county in December, 1835, and bought the tannery in Pulteney of George King, and also followed shoe- making. David attended the common schools, and when a boy of nine years went to live with a prosperous farmer, who failed three years later, and David then went to live with D. D. Gould, until their removal to New York State, when he came with them, but lived at home only a few months. In the spring of 1836 he hired out with a farmer on Mount Washington for ten dollars per month, and continued in the em- ploy of different farmers until 1856, the spring of which year he entered the employ of Hastings & Nichols in their warehouse, being with them for twelve years, during which time he, in company with Mr. Nichols, bought fifty acres on the west side of the lake and set out a part of it to vineyard, and sold and bought in other places and set out other vineyards. He continued in partnership with Mr. Nichols until the latter's death, which occurred in 1884, and since 1885 has managed his vineyards, and is living a retired life. In politics Mr. Casterline was a Democrat until the formation of the Republican party in 1856, since which time he has been a Repub- lican. He was postmaster from October, 1884, until December 31, 1888, and has

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also been a justice of the peace, a trustee of the village, and a trustee of the Methodist church for six years. In December, 1870, he married Mrs. Mary Glann, daughter of Horace Atwell, of the town of Milo, Yates county, N. Y., and they have one adopted daughter, May.

Cushing, John, was born in Goshen, Orange county, December 18, 1852. His father, Rev. John T. Cushing, was a native of Boston, Mass., born in August, 1812. He was reared in his native town and educated in the college at Hartford, and his theological course was taken at New York Theological Institute, from which he was graduated. When thirty-three years of age he began to officiate, and was rector of the church of Meriden, Conn., for three years. From there he went to Goshen, Orange county, where he remained eight years, and during this time he built St. James church. He then went to the South for his health and preached at Baton Rouge, La., for six years; returning in 1860, he held the parishes of Speedsville and - for four years, and the fall of 1863 came to Steuben county, locating in the town of Urbana. He continued to assist the clergy in this town up to the time of his death, which occurred December 27, 1891. He was a very deep student and a brilliant speaker, and a brother and friend to Bishop Coxe and other eminent divines. Of his ancestry we can say he was a descendant of such Cushings as Judge William Cushing and Col. John Cushing, celebrated in the history of the Indian wars of the eighteenth century. Mr. John Cushing married Hannah Ives Cur- tis, of Meriden, Conn., by whom he had six children, five of whom are living: Maud, wife of Medas Maxon, of Kentucky; John, as above; Frank C., a lawyer of the firm of Wright & Cushing, of Urbana; Pierre, rector of St Mark's church of Leroy, and Mary, an artist in music and painting, of Hammondsport. John has given his at- tention to the manufacture of wine and grape growing, with fifty acres of vineyard. December 17, 1893, he married Alice Jacobus.

Ainsworth, Henry C., was born in Prattsburg, January 1, 1854. His grandfather was Isaac Ainsworth. George R. R. Ainsworth, father of Henry C., was educated in Prattsburg Academy, after which he engaged in the mercantile business in Pratts- burg, which business he followed about forty years. He married Mary E. Smith, a native of Connecticut, by whom he had seven children, six of whom are now living. Henry C. was the second son, and was educated at Prattsburg Academy, after which he engaged with his father in the store, where he remained until 1874, when he went as cashier in his father's bank in Prattsburg. In 1876, in partnership with his father, he established the Bank of Hammondsport, Henry locating there and managing its affairs. He continued as manager until August 22, 1894, when he sold to the pres- ent owner. Mr. Ainsworth is now devoting his attention to the cultivation of grapes, his vineyard being located about one mile north on the west side of the lake. In politics Mr. Ainsworth has always been a Republican, and was treasurer of the vil- lage from 1877 until 1894.

Champlin, Harry M., was born in Hammondsport, N. Y., October 3, 1860. He was educated at the Hammondsport Academy, Bath Union School and Holbrooke Mili- tary Academy at Sing Sing, after which he engaged in farming and milling, and for a couple of years took charge of the homestead farm and mill. In the fall of 1894 he built a flouring mill, box factory and lumber yard, employing from ten to fifteen

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hands. He also has a vineyard at Rheims, and is one of the directors of the Pleas- ant Valley Wine Company, also owns a farm of 110 acres at Pleasant Valley, the old homestead. Mr. Champlin is a Republican in politics, and has always been a worker for the party, In 1894 he was elected to the office of supervisor, and is serving in that office at the present time. He was also delegate to the County Convention in the fall of 1894, In February, 1891, he married Eva Drummer, of Bath.

Tripp, Murry, was born in the town of Cohocton, N. Y., January 29, 1853, son of Charles Tripp, and grandson of Charles Tripp, sr., and great-grandson of James Tripp, who came from Clyde, N. Y., to Patchinsville about 1835, where he was en- gaged in lumbering for a time, and in 1839 he settled in South Dansville, and fol- lowed farming. Charles Tripp, sr., located in South Dansville, and also engaged in farming. He was a great hunter, and up to his fiftieth year killed over 500 deer. In 1840 he shot a bear in a neighbor's garden in South Dansville, which he stuffed, and during the political campaign of that year he drove into Dansville to attend a political meeting with a large load of voters and with the bear standing erect on the wagon, which strange sight attracted much attention. His children were Daniel, who was a physician and practiced in Cohocton and the surrounding towns; Simon and Uriah, who settled in South Dansville, where they died; Elizabeth, wife of Henry Lane of Michigan; Charles; and George, who was a farmer in Minnesota. Charles Tripp, jr., settled in the town of Cohocton about 1847, where he has since lived, and is a farmer by occupation. In politics he is a Republican, and has been collector and deputy sheriff. He married Lorinda Munroe, and their children were Helen, who married Luther Wilcox of Cohocton; Murry; Charles, who died in early manhood; Elmer E., deceased; and Myra B., wife of George Rocker of Cohocton. Murry Tripp is a farmer by occupation and conducted a meat market for some time at Co- hocton. He is a Republican and has held the offices of collector and highway com- missioner. He is a member of Adair's Cornet Band. He married Nettie Hurd, of Honeoye, N. Y., and their children are: Leon D., Bessie, Floyd, deceased, and George.

Clark, James P., was born in Fleming, Cayuga county, N. Y., October 5, 1822, son of Rev. Henry R. Clark (deceased), a Baptist clergyman. The family is of English ancestry, the pioneer of this branch being one of three brothers, who came to America prior to the Revolutionary war and settled in Westchester county, N. Y. Thomas Clark, the grandfather of James P., was a soldier in the Continental army during the Revolutionary war. James P. came to Livingston county when a boy and lived with an uncle for several years, and in 1836 they removed to South Dans- ville, N. Y., where he built a saw mill and engaged in that business for several years, and at that time pine lumber brought only $2.50 per thousand. In 1847 Mr. Clark sold out and went to Ohio, where he purchased a farm of Charles C. Paine, from whom the town of Painesville, O., took its name. Three years later he re- moved to Wisconsin, and in 1854 returned to Steuben county and purchased a farm in the town of Wayland, near Loon Lake, and about 1867 he purchased a farm on the west side of the river in Cohocton, where he settled. He also purchased 1,000 acres of timber land in the western part of the town, and became one of the foremost farmers and business men, and at about this time engaging in the buying and shipping of hay and straw, soon extending his business to grain and potatoes. He

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shipped the first carload of produce ever sent from Cohocton. In 1879 his son, A. H. Clark, became a partner, and has since been a member of the firm, and they are very largely engaged in farming and potato growing. Mr. Clark is an active Repub- lican, and was supervisor of the town of Wayland in 1863, '64, '65 and 1868 was elected supervisor of Cohocton. He is a member of Liberty Lodge, F. & A M., of Cohocton. He married Eunice Colton, and they were the parents of seven children: Sarah (deceased), who married H. C. Pierce; Albert H .; Lydia, who died young : Huldah, wife of Orange Mckay; Jennie, who married Charles Oliver; W. H., and one that died in infancy.

Fox, James, was born at Palatine, Montgomery county, N. Y., October 11, 1844, and is a son of Jesse Fox, and grandson of Daniel R. Fox, the family being of German descent. Daniel R. served in the war of 1812. In his native country he was a brick- maker, and also kept hotel, and in 1842 he came to Bath, N. Y., where he kept hotel for two years, and then removed to Illinois. Jesse Fox came to Steuben county in 1855 and settled in Avoca, where he engaged in farming. He married Elizabeth Saltsman, and their children were Andrew, who married Catherine Wagner, and is a farmer in Avoca; Ann, wife of John A. Wagner of Avoca; Catherine, who mar- ried E. R. Brigleir and settled at Orleans, N. Y .; Mary, wife of August Hoeffner of Newark, N. Y .; James, and Fannie, wife of George W. Mark. James Fox was edu- cated at Franklin Academy, Prattsburg, graduating in 1868, from which time until 1874 he was engaged in teaching, after which he engaged in the drug trade at Cohoc- ton, and from 1875 to 1884 he taught school, and in the latter years he again engaged in the drug business, continuing it until 1895, when he retired from trade. Politically he is a Democrat and was elected town clerk in 1888. He took an active part in se- uring the incorporation of the village and was a member of its first board of trus- tees, and has been a member of the school board since 1891. He is a member of Liberty Lodge No. 510, F. & A. M. In 1885 he married Mrs. Louisa McDowell of Cohocton, and they have two children: Jessie C. and Fannie F.

Fox, Christopher, sr., was born in Prussia in 1823, son of Christopher and Kath- erine (Wergley) Fox, with whom he came to America in 1842. His father settled in the town of Wayland, where he engaged in farming. He was one of the founders of the Lutheran church at Perkinsville. His children were Nicholas, who settled in In- diana, where he died; Katherine, who married Nicholas Drum of Cohocton; Eliza- beth, who married Christopher Folts, and settled in Wisconsin; Jacob, who settled in Wayland; Adam, who settled Wisconsin; and Christopher, who has has always followed farming, settling first in Wayland in 1869, thence to Cohocton, where he has since lived. He married Catherine Fogal, by whom he had seven chil- dren: Christopher, who settled in Cohocton and engaged in farming; Sophia, who married Charles Cross, of Dansville; Caroline, who married Christopher Fox, of Naples; Catherine, who married Henry Woodward of Cohocton; Barbara, who married John Weaver, of Cohocton; Conrad, who settled in Naples, and married Elizabeth Pritting; and George, who is unmarried.

Finch, Henry, was born in Cohocton, N.Y., December 21, 1853. Daniel, his father, was a son of Philetus Finch, who came from Orange county, N. Y., at an early day and settled at Benton, Yates county, and served in the war of 1812. In 1830 he re-

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moved to Cohocton and settled in the east part of the town. He was a shoemaker and also followed farming. He married Elizabeth Pettis, and they were the parents of seven children: Cornelius, who was a farmer of Cohocton and removed to Atlanta, where he engaged in the produce business, and died in 1894; Edward and Silas, who settled in Cohocton, where they died; William, who located at Atlanta; Thomas, who located at Adrian, Mich., where he died; Daniel; and John, who settled at Atlanta. Daniel Finch, who is a farmer in Cohocton, married Mahala Showers, and their chil- dren are Harriet (Mrs. Mary Barney) of Cohocton; Lois (Mrs. Norman Crawford) of Wheeler, N. Y .; Henry; Silas, a resident of Cohocton; and Charles, who is in the produce business at Wallace, N.Y. Henry Finch has always lived in Cohocton, and was in the grocery business for about eight years. In 1891 he opened a meat market, which he has since conducted. He is a strong Democrat, and a member of Liberty Lodge No. 510, F. & A. M. In 1893 he was he was elected town clerk. He married Angeline Fronk.

Graser, Valentine, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., June 11, 1854. His father, Valentine Graser, sr., was a native of Germany, who came to America about 1840, and settled at Buffalo. Valentine Graser, jr., learned the cigarmaker's trade when a boy. He spent twelve years in St. Louis, and in 1878 came to Cohocton, where he has since resided. He entered the employ of S. H. Leavitt, and later the T. R. Harris Cigar Company. He was one of the organizers of the Cohocton Valley Cigar Company, of which he was vice-president and director. In 1888, with several others, he organ- ized the Cohocton Cigar Company. Mr. Graser is a member of Kanawha Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Atlanta. and of Wayland Encampment. He is also a member of the Maccabees and the E. K. O. R. In 1879 he married Emma Wagner, of Cohocton, by whom he had three children: Jessie M., Lottie L., and George W. The first of the Wagner family to settle in Steuben county was Jacob, son of Lewis Wagner, of Prussia. Jacob came to America in 1837 and settled in the village of Dansville. He was a cabinetmaker and cooper by trade, and in 1841 he removed to Patchinsville, in the town of Wayland, where he resided until 1853, when he purchased a farm in the town of Cohocton, west of the village, and engaged in farming until 1866, when he settled in Cohocton village, where he died in 1871. He married Maria Grob, by whom he had eleven children, two of whom died in infancy: Mary (Mrs. Jacob Hart) of Cohocton; Elizabeth (Mrs. William M. Cridler) of Fremont; Catherine (Mrs. H. C. Tripp) of Cohocton; Emma M. (Mrs. Valantine Graser) of Cohocton ; Nicholas J., who enlisted in August, 1862, in Co. I, 161st N. Y. Vols., and served until the close of the war, was wounded at Sabine Cross Roads April 8. 1864; Jacob, a farmer of Cohocton, who enlisted in 1864, in Co. G, 189th N. Y. Vols., and served until the close of the war; Wallace, who is a carpenter by trade; and George E., who has been engaged in the produce business at Cohocton since 1877. Nicholas J. and Jacob are both charter members of R. E. Harris Post, G. A. R., of Cohocton.

Gray, Clarence G., was born in Dansville, N. Y., December 17, 1857, son of Jesse Gray, whose father, Mahlon Gray, came from New Jersey and settled in Livingston county, and about 1840 came from Conesus and settled in the town of Dansville. Jesse Gray settled first in Dansville and later in Fremont, and still later at Wayland where he is engaged in farming. He married Hannah Faulkner, by whom he had six children: William, Clarence G., Robert E. (deceased), Herbert J., Sadie B.

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(deceased), and Bernica H. Clarence G. settled in Cohocton in 1886, on the Wayland Road, and is one of the enterprising farmers of the town. He is a member of Liberty Lodge No. 510, F. & A. M., also of North Cohocton M. E. church. He married Ida E., daughter of Lyman Shepard (deceased), by whom he had four children: Jessie, Franc, Lyman, and Sadie V.

Harter, Leonard, was born in the town of Howard, September 25, 1826, and is a son of Adam, and grandson of Jacob Harter, who was a resident of Herkimer, N. Y. Their ancestors came from Holland at an early day and settled in the Mohawk Val- ley, and several of Jacob Harter's brothers served in the Revolutionary war. About 1820 Adam Harter came to Steuben county and settled in the town of Howard, where he engaged in farming, and in 1855 he took up 170 acres, at $5 per acre, in the southwestern part of Cohocton. He married Matilda Helmer, and their children were Jacob, who settled in Mckean county, Pa .; Mary A., deceased; John A., de- ceased; Leonard; Lavina, wife of Mr. Van Wormer ; Salome, who married Gilbert Glover and settled in Wayland; James H., who married Julia Clark, and located in Cohoc- ton, and later in Avoca; Samuel, who migrated to Wisconsin, and later to Dakota; and Solomon J., who was a farmer by occupation and died in 1894. Leonard Harter resides on the homestead and has always followed farming. September 1, 1864, he enlisted in Co. G, 189th N. Y. Vols., and served until the close of the war. He is a member of R. E. Harris Post, G. A. R., No. 240, of Cohocton. He married Sarah J. Ragey, and their children are David H., who is a farmer of Fremont; Ertane, a resi- dent of Wayland; Dilla, wife of Harvey Teed of Wayland; Harriet, who married Henry J. Bill; May, and D. P. Mrs Harter died in 1892.

Mehlenbacker, C. J., was born in the town of Wayland, September 13, 1850, son of Conrad Mehlenbacker, who came from Germany in 1846, and settled in the town of Wayland, where he engaged in farming. He married Christine Smith, by whom he had nine children: Christine, wife of Conrad Cornbau, of Bristol, Ontario county, N. Y .; Louis, who married Mary Cornbau, and settled on the homestead farm; Catherine, who married Jacob Wolfanger, and settled in Springwater; Charlotte, who married John Pragel, and settled in Dansville; Augustus, who married Hattie Holcomb, and settled in South Bristol, N. Y .; C. J .; Conrad, who married Ivy Daniels, and settled in Michigan; Jacob, who married Augusta Marvin and settled in Salamanca, N. Y .; and Henry, who married Alice Fidler, and settled in Grand Rapids, Mich. C. J. Mehlenbacker settled in Wayland and began life as a farmer. In 1883 he settled in Cohocton village, purchasing the Cohocton Hotel, of which he was the proprietor for nine years, and in 1892 he engaged in blacksmithing and car- riage making. In 1876 Mr. Mehlenbacker married Hannah Fleischman, by whom he had five children: Bertha, Almina, Henry L., Alfred and Arthur.

Moulton, Rice T .- The pioneer of the family in Steuben county was James Moul- ton, who came from Saratoga county as early as 1815, and first settled on the road between Liberty and North Cohocton, and shortly after took up a farm on the Way- land road two miles west of North Cohocton, where he resided until his death, which occurred in 1843. He married Mary Crouch, by whom he had twelve children: Abbie, who married James Armstrong, and settled in Cohocton; Richard, who mar- ried Harriett Ellis, and came from Saratoga about 1818 and settled near his father;

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Rice, who married Annie Cameron, and settled in Cohocton, where he died; Theda, who married William Tyler, and settled in Naples; Nelson; Cynthia, who married Asahel Tyler, and settled in Cohocton; Warren, who settled in Michigan, where he died; Maria, who died unmarried; Thomas, who settled in Michigan, and later in Alabama; Eliza, who married L. Ashley, and settled in Springwater; Hiram, who married Betsey Haight, and settled in Cohocton; and Myron, who settled first in Cohocton and afterward in Michigan. Nelson Moulton settled in Cohocton and about 1852 removed to Tyrone, Mich., where he died. He married Triphenia Morehouse, by whom he had five children: Marilla, who died unmarried; Ireton, who died in early manhood; James, who married Mabel Van Wormer, and settled in Cohocton, where he died; Margaret, who married John Wheaton; and Rice T., who settled in Cohocton, where he is a successful farmer. He is a strong Republican, and was elected highway commissioner in 1893. He is a member of Kanawha Lodge, I. O. O. F., No. 566, of Atlanta. He married Elizabeth Wilson, by whom he had one son, James.

Miller, Robert, was born in Norfolk county, England, January 17, 1839, son of Robert Miller, who came to America with his family in 1843 and settled in the town of Seneca, Ontario county, and in 1850 removed to Steuben county, purchasing a farm on Lent Hill, where the remainder of his life was spent. He was a shoemaker by trade, which business he followed in his earlier years, and was afterwards a farmer. He was a leading member of the Lent Hill Wesleyan Methodist church. He married Martha Middleton, and they were the parents of five children: William, who married Minerva, daughter of John Bush, and settled on Lent Hill, where he has been extensively engaged in farming, and has been the minister of the W. M. church for many years; Martha, wife of William Caward, who settled in Seneca, On- tario county ; Robert, Ann, and John, who settled in Cohocton, and was extensively engaged in the produce business for about twenty-five years, and married Celia Hatch. He died in 1890. Robert Miller, jr., settled on Lent Hill, where he has large farming interests, and has done much toward the clearing of that part of the town. Since 1875 he has been engaged in the produce business and for sev- eral years was the partner of his brother, John. Several years since he settled in Jersey City and is engaged in the produce business at New York city. He married Anna Bolles of Swains, N. Y.

Roth, John, was born in Bavaria, Germany, April 3, 1835, son of Andrew Roth. John Roth came to America in 1860, and settled at Perkinsville, N. Y., and in 1866 purchased a tract of land in the western part of Cohocton, which he cleared and en- gaged in farming, bringing it up to a high state of cultivation. He is a staunch Democrat and a member of Avoca Lodge, No. 519, I. O. O. F., also of Bath Encamp- ment. He married Margaret Grossman in Bavaria, by whom he had seven children : Barbara (Mrs. John Nash of Cohocton), Katie (Mrs. Louis Zeh of Cohocton), Libbie (Mrs. Farley A. Stamp of Thurston), Emma, Julia, who married Dwight Upton, and died at Bath; Jennie (Mrs. Bion Slayton of Cohocton), and Annie, who died in in- fancy.

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Landmarks of Steuben County, New York, Part 114

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