Landmarks of Steuben County, New York, Part 54

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 54

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LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

in the same. April 23, 1837, Mr. Murdock married Sarah Wambough, by whom he had nine children: Jane E., William, Edward, Elizabeth, Henry, Martha, Adeline, Mary and Emma. Mr. Murdock has been supervisor of the town five years, post- master almost continually since 1850, and has held other minor offices in the town. He represented his district in the Assembly in 1872.

Mckay, James S., was born in Ireland, in 1817, and came to the United States in 1836. He settled in Bath and learned the trade of a miller, which business he fol- lowed up to 1891, when he was compelled to abandon it on account of failing health. He has been superintendent of the poor for fifteen years and held other prominent positions. He married Hester Hamblin of Bath, by whom he had four children. In politics he is a Democrat.

Mark, Alfred, was born in the town of Pomfret, Chautauqua county, September 16, 1831. Aaron Mark, the father of Alfred, was a native of Massachusetts, and came to this State when a young man. He was a resident of Rochester when it was only a small village. He afterward moved to Chautauqua county where he took up farming and spent the remainder of his life. Alfred was the second son of a family of seven children. He was given a good common school education and remained on the farm with his parents until reaching his majority. November 8, 1852, he entered the em- ploy of the Erie R. R., for the first four months as brakeman, and from that time as fireman with H. G. Brooks and R. R. Hamlet, occupying that position for two years and four months. August, 1854, he was given control of his first engine which was No. 77 of the old Swinburne class, hauling the way freight. He run this train until the fall of 1856 and then, October 4, he left the Erie R. R. to take an engine on the Ohio & Miss. R. R., where he remained until 1861, when the war broke out, and then came back to Dunkirk. He was then given charge of engine 51, the first coal burner ever on the Western Division, and the first of that class to enter the city of Hornells- ville. He ran that for three years, and then took No. 120 on passenger service. He was also for years the engineer of No. 62. the engine that holds the record of the greatest number of miles in the United States. Mr. Mark returned to Hornellsville in 1879 and has since made this his home. November 15, 1860, he was married to Miss Carrie Snider of Cincinnati, Ohio. They have two daughters, Emma M. Mark of Rochester, and Lutie B., wife of David E. Fleming.

McNamara, William F., was born in Corning in 1860, and graduated from the Corning Free Academy in 1875, and from the Albany Law School in 1884, having won the first honors of his class in both institutions. He was admitted to the bar in the latter year, and has since been engaged in the active practice of his profession as an attorney and counselor-at-law. He was clerk of the old village of Corning in 1880, and corporation counsel in 1885-86. He was a candidate for member of assembly on the Democratic ticket in 1885, and again in 1887, and spoke throughout the State in the presidential campaigns of 1884-88.

Miller, Martin Rumsey, was born in Bath, April 24, 1848. Rev. L. M. Miller, D.D., his father, was a native of Rochester, and was Presbyterian minister for forty years in Ogdensburg, and fifty years in the ministry. He married Lydia, daughter of David Rumsey. M. R. Miller was educated at Ogdensburg, and graduated from Hamilton College in 1868, and from Albany Law School in 1869, when he came to

FAMILY SKETCHES.

Bath and entered the employ of D. & W. Rumsey, afterwards the firm of Rumsey & Miller. In 1886 he formed the partnership of Miller & Nichols, which still continues. He was elected surrogate in 1888, re-elected in 1894. In 1876 he married M. Louise, daughter of Henry H. Cook, of New York. They have four children, Henry C., Lena L., Louise and Janet.

Minier, Thornton F., was born in Bradford county, Pa., December 6, 1824, son of George' and Susan Minier. George Minier was in the Wyoming massacre. His grandfather, Daniel Minier, was an officer in Sullivan's army, and was in the battle of Newtown August, 1779. Thornton F. is a trusted employee of the Erie R. R. Co., and has been in continuous service since 1852, and has been agent at Painted Post since 1870. In early life he was in the mercantile business in Elmira, and later a clerk in a wholesale house in New York city. He is a cousin of T. L. Minier, who was general paymaster of the Erie Co. in 1850 and 1852, and who represented the district in the State Senate in 1870 and 1871. Thornton F. married May, daughter of Deacon John Watts, by whom he has one child, Mary Ida. Mr. Minier is a trustee of the school, and takes great interest in education. He delivered the historical oration at the dedication of the Indian Memorial Monument at Painted Post, June 21, 1894. He is a Mason.

Coss, D. M., was born in New Jersey, and came to Steuben county about 1820 with his father, William Coss, and settled at Coss Corners, four miles from Bath. D. M. Coss was engaged in lumbering, stock dealing and farming, at one time owning 600 acres of land. He retired from business in 1868 and moved to the village of Bath. John W. Moore was born in Yates county, N. Y., March 23, 1835, a son of Samuel Moore, a grandson of James Moore, who was one of the pioneers of Bath, where he conducted a grist mill as early as 1820. In 1863 J. W. Moore came to Bath and was married to Eliza A. Coss, April 9. They have three sons: Edward S., Dan C. and Charles H. For the last twenty-five years he has lived on the old homestead, farm- ing and dealing in stock. For the past seven years he has been superintendent of the Steuben Agricultural Society.

Moore, Edwin B., was born in Canisteo, April 23, 1822, and was educated in the common schools. He is a farmer and lumberman, and has followed the latter busi- ness over forty years. He married Helen L Bunker, daughter of Warren and Sarah Bunker, of Rensselaer county, N. Y., born January 7, 1832. They have had three children: Joseph A., born April 7, 1858; James W. (deceased), born June 4, 1861 ; Edward B., jr., born October 3, 1865, who lives at home with his parents. Mrs. Moore is member of the Christian church.

Newman, Smith H., was born in the town of Lima, Livingston county, N. Y., July 27, 1840. Isaac Riley Newman, the father of Smith, was also a native of Livingston, and he was a son of Joel Newman, a farmer and one of the pioneers of Livingston county. Isaac Riley Newman kept a hotel in East Avon, Livingston county, for over thirty years and died in Hornellsville in 1885. Smith was the oldest of a family of three children. He was given a common school education, and being reared in a hotel, it was natural he should take that as an occupation. His first hotel business was the management of the Knickerbocker Hotel at Avon for one summer, and during the war conducted a restaurant at Avon Springs, and then became proprietor h

LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

of the American Hotel in Lima for four years; then was landlord of the Wilson House at Batavia, and then spent three years with his father. In 1876 he opened the Newman House in Avon and conducted it for four years, and in 1880 became pro- prietor of the Highland House at Dansville, which he conducted for four years, and in 1884 came to Hornellsville, where he took the proprietorship of the Osborne House, and is now serving his eleventh year as landlord. He was married in 1861 to Miss Frances E. Hall, of Avon, Livingston county. They have no children.

Nixson, Joseph, was born in Chemung county, N.Y., June 17, 1838, son of James Nixson, a native of Sussex county, N. J., who married Susan Kimble. He died in 1846, in his thirty-seventh year. Joseph was educated in Haverling Academy, after which he taught school for some time, and then returned to Chemung county He was elected supervisor in February, 1865, and filled the town quota of eighteen men on the last call for recruits, and was re-elected in 1866, serving two years. In 1871 he came to Bath and purchased part of the D. M. Coss property, to which he after- ward added the Jonathan Towle farm. In 1860 Mr. Nixson married Sarah Gunder- man, and they are the parents of two sons: James and William. He is one of the successful farmers of the town, and has served as assessor, and a member of the Board of Auditors.

Noble, Martin W., was born in Bath, August 22, 1828. Lay Noble, his father, was a native of Otsego county and came to Steuben county in 1828, and the family trace their descent from Thomas Noble, who came from England in 1632. Lay Noble married Lucinda Brooks, and his life was identified as a farmer and cabinetmaker, and he died in 1879, in his eightieth year. Martin W. Noble was educated in the common schools, and his life has been identified as a farmer and stock raiser, mak- ing a specialty of fine sheep. In 1854 he married Lucinda J., daughter of Peter Hunter, by whoni he had three children: Albert, Clarence, and Mary. Mr. Noble is one of the representative men of his town, holding several positions of honor and trust, and taking an intelligent interest in educational and religious institutions.

North, Truman S., was born in Candor, Tioga county, N.Y., April 13, 1839, the only son of James E. North, a blacksmith and farmer of that town, who is still living in his eighty first year. Truman was educated in the common schools and made his home with his parents until he was of age. At the time of the breaking out of the war we find him clerking in a dry goods store. In July, 1862, he enlisted in the 109th Regiment, N. Y. Vols., and was with the Army of the Potomac all through the war. Among the great battles, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg are thoroughly impressed on his mind. He was also in many minor battles. At the close of the war he engaged in mercantile business in his native town, and continued in that until 1869. That year he accepted a position on the platform of the United States Express Company at Owego, N. Y., where he spent three years, and then spent nine months with the Erie Railroad Company. Returning, he went with the Express Company at Penn Yan for twelve years, seven years as clerk and in 1880 was given the agency. In 1886 he was appointed the city agent for the United States Express Company at Hornellsville, and has ever since occupied the position. Mr. North was married in 1877 to Miss Anna A. Weeks, of Owego, Tioga county. They have no children.

FAMILY SKETCHES.

Nicholson, William, was born in Scotland in 1856, and from 1871 to 1873 was clerk for the Erie general passenger agent; for the next two years he was clerk in the au- ditor's office of the New York Central; then one year secretary to assistant general freight agent, and from 1876 to 1883 was voucher clerk in auditor's office of the same road; from January, 1883, to the present time he has been auditor of the Fall Brook system. For the past nine years he has been secretary of the New York Central Board of Auditors, and chairman of the Nickel Plate Line Auditing Committee and is also chairman of the Standing Freight Committee of the Association of American Railway Accounting Officers. Was alderman of the city of Corning, 1891 and 1892.

Nichols, William H., was born in Hammondsport, July 6, 1852. George W. Nichols, his father, was a native of Yates county, where the family were pioneer settlers. He married Clarissa, daughter of William Hastings, whose ancestors came to the United States from England in 1630. George W. Nichols was identified in the mercantile business at Hammondsport, and died in 1884, in his fifty-ninth year. William H. was educated at Lima Seminary, and graduated from Rochester Uni- versity in 1874, and then entered the office of William Ramsey and M. R. Miller. In 1879 he was admitted to the bar, and in 1880 formed the firm of Miller & Nichols, which still continues. In 1885 he married Caroline, daughter of C. D. Champlin, and is one of the leading business men of his county, serving as supervisor for seven years, and chairman of the board for two years and a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1894.

Northrop, W. H., was born in Oswego county, N. Y .; came to Corning in 1887, and was appointed passenger agent for the Fall Brook Railway Company in 1888. He had previously been connected with the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad of Florida. In 1888 he married Miss Frances Brown, of Elbridge, Onondaga county, N. Y.

Nowlen, George F., was born in Avon, N. Y., June 29, 1864. George H. Nowlen, his father, was also a native of Avon, where his grandfather, Capt. Asa Nowlen, settled in 1812; he was engaged in the merchant marine trade, and was one of the proprietors of the stage line from Albany to Buffalo, before the building of the rail- road. George H. Nowlen married Helen, daughter of J. W. Fowler, and through life has been identified as proprietor of the Avon : ulphur Springs. George F. was educated at Avon and Rochester, and in 1889 came to Bath and formed a partnership with T. W. Gould, plumber, steam heating and electrical supplies. Mr. Nowlen is one of the representative business men of his town, identified in advancing its best interests and in the leading events of the day, and having learned his business of Samuel Sloane, of Rochester, has made it his life's study to the exclusion of all other interests.

Olmsted, Samuel, was born in Columbia county, N. Y .. December 15, 1829, the youngest of six children born to Samuel and Lydia (Wellman) Olmsted, both natives of Sidney, Delaware county, N. Y., born in 1789 and 1796 respectively. The parents of Samuel, sr., were Samuel and Lorena (Bunce) Olmsted, he a native of East Had- dam, Conn., and she of Columbia county, N.Y. The great-grandfather of Samuel (our subject), Samuel Olmsted, came to East Haddam, Conn., in 1767, afterward settling in Columbia county, N. Y., and received a deed of land from King George of

LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

England. He was in the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars. The father of our subject was reared on a farm at Canaan, where he was engaged in farming until 1857, when he came to Troupsburg, where he died in July, 1872. Mrs. Olmsted died in 1846. Samuel, jr., was reared on the farm and was for six years engaged in railroading, since which time he has followed farming. His farm consists of 200 acres and he makes a specialty of dairying. In 1859 he married Abigail D., daughter of Henry and Louisa (Bartow) Bates, both natives of Greene, Chenango county, born in 1806 and 1810 respectively. Mr. Bates is one of the pioneer settlers of Troupsburg, having settled here in 1835. Mr. and Mrs. Olmsted have had five children: Lydia L., born October 21, 1859, and died July 3, 1863; Nettie, born Sep- tember 10, 1863, wife of G. H. Symonds, a farmer of Troupsburg; Emily, born March 27, 1865, wife of Millard M. Paul, a carpenter of Woodhull; Loreno M., born January 22, 1874, and died April 19, 1880; and Phoebe D., born November 20, 1877. Mr. Olmsted has been assessor, and postmaster of East Troupsburg for twenty one years.

Powell, Edmund K., was born in the town of Chemung, Tioga county, Septem- ber 9, 1821, son of Frost Powell, who was born in Dutchess county. The parents moved from Tioga county to Hartsville in 1723, and settled near where Edmand now lives, on what is known as the Daniel Tucker farm, clearing a space of about 100 acres. Frost Powell married Rebecca Gleason, by whom he had six children: Caro- line, Asa, William, Edmund, Charlotte, and Lucy. At the present time only three of the above are living. Edmund K. was educated in the schools at Hartsville, is a farmer by occupation and is the owner of 100 acres of land. He was married, first, to Mary Baird, by whom he had one son, George R. Powell, a druggist by profes- sion. The second time he married Francis Baird, and they had one daughter, now in Canisteo. His third wife was Sarah E. Moore, and two children were born to them: James, and Angeline L. The latter graduated from the Academy at Canis- teo, and has been engaged in teaching. Mr. and Mrs. Powell are members of the M. E. Church.

Paul, John, was born in Irwin, Steuben county, N. Y., June 8, 1829, and is the ninth of ten children born to Ira and Mary (Pierce) Paul, both of Massachusetts, who came to Prattsburg in 1805, thence to Painted Post, and in 1833 settled in Jas- per, whence they removed to Erwin in 1842, where he died in 1854, and she in 1850. 'The maternal grandfather, Abner Pierce, of Massachusetts, settled at Prattsburg where he died. He was a blacksmith by trade. John Paul was reared on the farm after which he engaged in the lumber business for seven years, but his main occupa- tion has been dairy farming. In 1850 he married Almeda Johnson of Oxford, by whom he had eleven children: Sarah S., born February 20, 1851, wife of James C. Ford, a machinist of Knoxville, Pa .; Matilda, born January 16, 1853, wife of H. J. Miller of Troupsburg ; Frances R., born February 19, 1854, wife of R. E. Pruksman of Woodhull; Millard W., born April 21, 1858, a carpenter and joiner; John P., born April 23, 1861; Charles A., born February 16, 1864, a carpenter of Woodhull; Ida J., born April 17, 1866, died December 22, 1894, and was the wife of G. W. Tisk; Fred E., born June 26, 1869, a teacher and scaler of logs in a saw mill in Potter county, Pa, ; George P., born May 5, 1873, and died aged one year and ten months ; Arthur H., born May 18, 1875, a teacher who was educated at Woodhull and State

FAMILY SKETCHES.

Normal School. Mrs. Paul died August 8, 1894, and he married the second time in April, 1895, Miss Rosine A. Gridley, of Guilford, Chenango county.

Ordway, Enoch, came here from New Hampshire. His wife was Hannah Whiting, by whom he had three children: Luther, Charles and Enoch. He was a farmer in the town of Jasper and was a member of the Presbyterian church there, devoting a great deal of his time to church work. Enoch, jr., married Hester A., a daughter of William and Sallie (Travis) Clark, by whom he had three children: Brunette, wife of Leslie D. Whiting; Minerva, wife of Edson H. Prentice, and, second, Byron H. Backus; and May, wife of James B. Scutt. Mr. Ordway is engaged in farming. He is an attendant of the M. E. Church and is a member of the Grange and an ex-gate- keeper and ex-chaplain.

Peck, James Milton, was born in the town of Howard, Steuben county, N. Y., March 14, 1833, son of William R. Peck, a native of Massachusetts, who came to New York when he was sixteen years of age. His father, James Peck, took up a farm of eighty acres in the town of Howard, where he lived most of his life. He died in 1845. William R. bought a farm of fifty acres near the homestead and later fifty acres more. He died in the town of Avoca, March 16, 1895, at eighty-five years of age. The mother of James Milton, Joanna Head, was a native of Rhode Island. She died August 14, 1885, leaving three children. An interesting story is told of Mr. Peck as to how he went to New Berlin, 300 miles east, and collected $300 for his uncle and got his dog, making a successful journey on foot at an expense of thirty- six cents. James, the eldest son, was educated in the common schools and followed farming for nine years. November 2, 1866, he entered the employ of the Erie Rail- road Company as first watchman, then in the shop six years, and four years as fire- man. November 4, 1876, he suffered an accident in the yard at Hornellsville, by which he lost his left arm, and then was made foreman of the transportation gang, remaining in their employ until Christmas, 1891. Since that time he has been on the farm of 100 acres, purchased in 1872, on lot 5 in the town of Hornellsville, where he now resides. In 1880 Mr. Peck commenced raising Jersey stock and butter making, and has made exhibitions at State and county fairs for ten years and always was awarded a premium, and has been considered the best butter maker of this section. He has been trustee of schools and road overseer. He has been a member of the Masonic fraternity for twenty years. In 1855 he married Mary A. McClary, daughter of James McClary, and they have four children: James R., of Rochester; Laderna, a boiler maker of Hornellsville; Sarah, wife of R. Hempbell, a farmer of Hornellsville; and Marcus, a fireman on the Erie.

Phillips, W. H., D.D.S., was born in Union Hall, Franklin county, Va. H. R. Phillips, his father, came to Bath in 1880, and engaged in the profession of dentistry. He married Pamelia A. Redner, and now resides in Penn Yan. W. H. Phillips was educated at Howard Academy and Haverling Free School at Bath, and graduated from Baltimore Dental College in 1888, and then established his present practice in Bath. In 1886 he married Lizzie, daughter of Dr. James Black, by whom he had three children: William H., Edgar W., and Leon R. William H. is one of the leading members of his profession, serving as trustee of the village, and taking an intelligent interest in educational and religious institutions, and identified in ad- vancing the best interests of his town and townspeople.

LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

Parker, J. Elliott, is descended from an old Massachusetts family and a son of John A. Parker, a farmer, who came from Chenango county to Jasper, Steuben county, in 1840, where he remained eight years. He then went to Woodhull, where he purchased a country hotel which he conducted for several years, then built a. saw mill, but later engaged in farming. He died in 1893, six days after his wife passed away. She was Betsey M. Gates, of Chenango county, whose father came from Vermont. They left three children: Horatio, a farmer, of Rathbone; Mary, wife of John F. Dawson, of Woodhull; and J. Elliott. The latter was born in Woodhull in 1857. He first engaged in farming, teaching school in the winter. Since coming to Addison in 1888 he has operated a hay pressing plant on Front street, carrying on an extensive business. He uses steam power and employs several men. In 1893 he established the East end coal yard, which does a good business .. Mr. Parker married, in 1883, Lida A., daughter of Robert E. Harder, a farmer, by whom he has three children: Eva May, Elmer N., and Reba M. He is a member of the Masonic order.

Patchill, O. C., was born in Corning, educated there, and since December, 1877, has- been in the employ of the Fall Brook Railroad Company as chief time-keeper and head clerk. O. C. Patchill, his father, was born in Philadelphia in 1831, and came to Corning in 1853, where he was master mechanic for the Fall Brook and Blossburg & Corning Railways, which position he held until his death, which occurred July 13, 1885.

Pierce, William O., was born in Olean, Cattaraugus county N.Y., July 31, 1866, the son of William B. Pierce, of Olean, who in early life was a mechanic and later- engaged in mercantile pursuits. William was educated in the common schools, and his first occupation was in connection with his father, who was then conducting a bakery. This was about 1878 or 1879. He remained with him until 1884, and the firm was composed of his brother and himself until 1886; that year they sold and William removed to Hornellsville, where he established the business which has grown from a very small start to assume a great factor in the business enterprise of the city. The Telegram Bread is known in every house in this city and is truly celebrated. He also makes a specialty of salt-rising bread. He is a member of the First Presbyterian church. He was married, June 22, 1882, to Sadie, daughter of John K. Chapman. They have two children, Raymond Chapman, now in his eighth year, and Bernice Rose. in her fifth year.

Preston, Othaniel, was born in the town of Howard, Steuben county, August 6, 1850. The history of the life of the above can be found in the chapter of manufac- turers, with which he has been prominently identified. He was for three years a trustee of the village before the city was organized. He is a member of the Episco- pal church. Was married to Sarah Elizabeth, oldest daughter of P. C. Hufstader. They have four children, one son and three daughters. The son bears the family" name of Othaniel.

Phillips, Mrs. Margaret .- Libbius Phillips was born in Addison, March 16, 1829. In the early part of his life and at the time of his marriage in 1855 to Margaret Young, of Addison, he was engaged in an extensive lumber business at Canisteo, where he achieved a great success in this enterprise and acquired a considerable for-

FAMILY SKETCHES.

tune. A little later he was subjected to financial reverses, but by his integrity and faithful devotion to his work he promptly recovered himself. For a number of years he was a resident of Pennsylvania, where he was landlord of a hotel at Fall Brook. He was associated with the Red Men, aud also a member of the Masonic fraternity for nearly twenty-five years. The last years of his life he was engaged in farming and hotel keeping. He died in 1888, aged sixty years. He had one brother, Ran- som, and one sister, Mrs. Seth Mullen, both residents of Addison.

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Landmarks of Steuben County, New York, Part 54

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