Landmarks of Steuben County, New York, Part 62

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 62

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Lathrop, Gen. Austin, superintendent of State prisons, was born in Tioga county, Pa., in 1839, received a common school education at Lawrenceville, Pa., and in 1859 came to Corning. In 1862 the firm of Walker & Lathrop was formed, and an exten- sive hardware and lumber business was carried on for twenty-five years. For nine years he was a member of the Board of Supervisors of Steuben county; in 1882 he was appointed to Governor Cleveland's staff as commissary-general of subsistence; was quartermaster-general under Hill in 1885; and in 1887 appointed superintendent of State prisons by Governor Hill, which position he has since held, being reappointed in 1893 by Governor Flower.

Smith, Justin M., was born in Delaware county, in 1817, and at seventeen years of age he came to Painted Post, and from there to Corning in 1850. From 1840 to 1846 he was engaged in dry goods business at Painted Post, also went to California in 1849. From 1850 to 1852 he was bookkeeper for a foundry firm in Corning, and after that in the employ of the Fall Brook & Blossburg Railroad for one year. In

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February, 1854, he went into the dry goods business in connection with the late William W. Hayt. Since 1862 the firm was Smith & Waite, the oldest firm in con- tinual business in Corning. On account of impaired health he sold his interest in the business to N. E. Waite, his partner, and T. W. Kuger, who will continue the busi- ness under the name of Waite & Kuger. He was for thirty years trustee of the Presbyterian church.

Robinson, Hon. Frank N., who succeeded Hon. Harlo Hakes as county judge, January 1, 1894, was born in Cuba, Allegany county, May 23, 1855. His ability as an attorney has made him popular with the people throughout the county. He served as district attorney for two terms previous to his election as county judge. He read law with Champlain, Armstrong & Russell, of Cuba, finishing with Sickles & Miller, of Albany. He graduated from the law department of Union University in 1876, and was soon after admitted to the bar, settling in Canisteo in 1879. As a lawyer Judge Robinson ranks among the leading members of the bar.

Allen, Edward, was born in the town of Howard, Steuben county, April 3, 1847. J. W. Allen, his father, was born in the same town in 1822. His grandfather, Will- iam Allen, was a native of Rhode Island, and when he first settled in Howard the land was covered with large timber. He was considered one of the rich men in those days, as there were few who were able to even buy a barrel of salt, and he used to sell it to the neighbors by the pound. He cleared 165 acres of land for farming, and later built a hotel which he run for a number of years. J. W. Allen spent two years in Illinois, farming, and in 1865 he returned to Canisteo, where he spent his last years and died at the age of seventy-one. He married Jane, daughter of Christo- pher Meeks of Howard, by whom he had seven children: Polly, Edward, Monroe, Ira, Adelbert, Martha, and Eliza. Edward Allen is a farmer, owning a fine farm of 100 acres, and makes a specialty of hay raising. He married Anna, daughter of Benjamin Mericle, by whom he had six children: Charley, May, Ida, Fred, Morti- mer, and William W.

Mead, Sanford, was born in Greenwood, July 25, 1835, the youngest son of San- ford and Annie Everett Mead, and grandson of Enos Mead (see W. F. Mead else- where). Mr. Mead was a farmer by occupation, and went west and settled in Michi- gan, where he died. Sanford is also a farmer, and owns a farm of about 203 acres. He is president of the Farmers' Alliance Co-Operative Insurance Company, of Steu- ben county, and is a member of Andover Tent No. 57, K. O. T. M. In 1856 Mr. Mead married Elvira, daughter of Solomon Pingery, of Andover, and they have two children : Ward B., who was a student at Alfred University and a graduate of Eastman Business College, was a teacher for a number of years, and is now a postal clerk on the N. Y., L. E. & Western railroad at Hornellsville; and Mubel, wife of Perry Stephens, a farmer of Greenwood. Mr. and Mrs. Mead are members of the Methodist church.

Atkins, jr., Jesse T., was born in Greenwood in 1860, son of Jesse T. Atkins, a native of Enfield, Tompkins county, born January 29, 1820, who married Harriet Scott, who was born in Genoa, Cayuga county, December 21, 1836, by whom he had three children. The paternal grandparents, William and Rosina (Townsend) Atkins, were pioneers of Greenwood, where they died. The maternal grandparents, John and Roby (Baker) Scott, were natives of Genoa and Connecticut, respectively. He

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died in Genoa in 1839, and Mrs. Scott came to Greenwood, where she died February 21, 1876. Jesse T. Atkins was one of the most successful farmers and business men of the town of Greenwood, and died April 13, 1868. Mrs. Atkins still resides on the homestead. Jesse T. Atkins, jr., was reared on the farm in Greenwood, and has always followed farming and speculating. He has about 650 acres of land, and re- sides on the homestead which contains about 195 acres. In politics he is a Republi- can, and is a member of Sentinel Lodge, No. 150, F. & A. M.

Burton, Lynn G., was born in the town of Greenwood, N. Y., July 6, 1857, is the second of seven children born to William and Lydia (Stewart) Burton, he a native of Dryden, Tompkins county, and she of Penn Yan, N. Y. The grandparents, William and Elizabeth (Vankirk) Burton, came from Eastern New York to Dryden, thence to Greenwood in 1838, where they died. He was a farmer and hotel-keeper in the vil- lage of Greenwood. William Burton, jr., learned the blacksmith trade which he followed in Greenwood for over forty years, and was also deputy sheriff for many years. He was a member of Sentinel Lodge, No. 151, F. & A. M., at Greenwood, and was master several years. He died November 24, 1892, and Mrs. Burton March 5, 1883. Lynn G. Burton was reared and educated in the village of Greenwood, and learned the trade of his father, in which he has succeeded him. In 1885 he married Hattie, daughter of Jackson and Erella King of Greenwood, by whom he had two children: Maud and Stewart. Mr. Burton was for seven years justice of the peace at Greenwood, and at the caucus of 1893 he resigned for the nomination for super- visor, which office he still holds. In the fall of 1894 he has made chairman of the board. He is a member of Sentinel Lodge, No. 161, F. & A. M., of which he has been master for one year.

Rodgers, Thomas D., was born in Tompkins county, N.Y., June 12, 1840, is the eighth of ten children born to Levi F. and Elinore (Davis) Rodgers, he a native of Orange county, N. Y., and she of Wales, who came to America with her parents, David and Elizabeth Davis, and settled in Sullivan county, where the father and mother died. The paternal grandfather, Benjamin Rodgers, was a native of Orange county, where he died. Levi Rodgers was a cooper and farmer, and came to Greenwood in 1840, but removed to Andover, where he died in May, 1890. Mrs. Rodgers died in Greenwood in 1859. Thomas D. Rodgers was reared on a farm, and in 1861 he married Clarissa, daughter of Ames and Louisa (Jones) Spicer of Allegany county, by whom he had four children: Ames L., born August 22, 1860, and educated at Alfred Business College, and is a farmer in Andover; Vanie, born November 3, 1866, educated at Alfred, and is the wife of Oliver Whitcomb, farmer and well-driller of Scio, Allegany county; E. Park, born October 6, 1876; and T. Clark, born August 25, 1878. Mr. Rodgers has been justice of sessions two years and justice of the peace twenty years. He is director of Farmers' Alliance Co-Oper- ative Insurance Company, Steuben county, and is also a member of Lodge 558, F. & A. M., at Andover, and the K. O. T. M. of Andover.

Lane, A. Eugene, was born in Hornby in 1856, and is a son of David H. and Mianda C. Weed Lane, who came from Erie county, Pa., about 1860. The father died in 1857, aged forty, the mother resides with A. Eugene. In 1880 he married Lottie Thomas of Schuyler county, and in 1883 located where he now lives on the

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farm of 130 acres. In connection with farming he follows bridge building for the Vulcan Road Works. His children are: Norma S., Ray T., and Ralph D.

Smith, D. D., born in the town of Lodi, Seneca county, N. Y., August 23, 1842, is the oldest of eleven children born to Elijah and Elsie Ann Dilts Smith both of Seneca county, N. Y. Mr. Smith died June 28, 1887. Mrs. Smith is still living in the town of Sweden, Pa. The grandparents, Elijah and Abigail Wilson Smith, came from the town of Greenwood to West Union about 1840. He was a sculptor and mason by trade, and a soldier in the War of 1812 He died in Bradford and she in Fremont. Both were members of the M. E. church. David D. was reared on a farm and settled in the town of West Union in 1868 where he has since resided. In 1868 he married Amelia N., daughter of J. W. and Sallie Young Barber, farmers of West Union. He died May 2, 1894, aged seventy nine. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith were born five children: Ada, born November 20, 1868, wife of George Sluyter, a liveryman of Harrison Valley; Jay Hile, born March 7, 1871, a farmer; Bertha, born September 10, 1872, wife of Grant Brownell, of Troupsburg; Mable, born April 21, 1878; and Sarah Edith, born August 21, 1889, and died April 24, 1890. D. D. Smith enlisted in Company C, 67th New York Volunteers, April, 1861, and was honorably discharged October, 1862. He was at Little Bethel, Williamsburg, and wounded by gun shot at Fair Oaks, May 30, 1862. Mr. Smith is now excise commissioner. He is a member of William H. White Post, No. 561, G. A. R., at Greenwood. His farm consists of 145 acres, and he makes a specialty of dairy farming. Jay Hile Smith married Miss Eva Myrtle Sherman of Troupsburg, March 7, 1894.

Dutcher, James R., was born at Penn Yan, May 23, 1851. Henry Dutcher, his father, was born in Schoharie county, N. Y., May 9, 1827. He was a machinist by trade and later became the owner of a farm in Yates county. He married Sophia, daughter of Adonijah Kirkham of Schoharie county, by whom he had these chil- dren: George of Corning, William also of Corning, Mrs. Kenfield of Avoca, Della of Dundee, and Charles, present residence unknown. James R. was educated in Penn Yan, Dundee and Hammondsport, graduating from the High School of Penn Yan. He was engaged in the railway mail service for twenty-one years, apprenticed in 1874, and still continues in the service, and prior to that time was in the post-office in Avoca. He married Ida A., daughter of Clark Charlesworth of Avoca, by whom he had these children: Charles A., Oliver C., and Clarence C., deceased. Mr. Dutcher is a member of Avoca Lodge of Masons, No. 673.

Pierce, Byron, was born in the home he now owns, which was built by his father, April 15, 1839. Alson Pierce, his father, came to the town May 23, 1815, and settled on the place which is now occupied by his son. He cleared sixty acres where at one time the old Williams Hotel stood. The family dates back to Capt. Michael Pierce, of England. Alson Pierce married Silvia Corbin of Vermont, by whom he had four children: Benjamin C., born in 1820, died 1844; Mary A., born May 21, 1823; Mar- tha A., born October 25, 1825. Byron was educated in the district school, and at eighteen years of age commenced the study of medicine with Dr. Floyd Morse of Painted Post, and graduated from the Buffalo Medical College in 1860. In June, 1862, he entered the service as assistant surgeon, where he remained for six months, when his business called him home, and he resumed his practice, farming and manu-

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facture of lumber, and at present is out of practice. In 1870 he married Sophia E. Stilson of Delaware county, N. Y., by whom he had six children: Lucia S., born born October 11, 1871; Helena E., born March 29, 1873; Benjamin S., born May 14, 1874; Frank F., born March 11, 1876; Alfred C., born March 22, 1878; Clarence J., born December 31, 1888. He is a member of the Baptist church, and in politics is a Republican.

Ackerson, David H., was born on Wheeler Hill, in February, 1838, son of Henry Ackerson, a native of New Jersey, born in 1792, who, when a young man, came to the town of Pulteney, bought a tract of land in the woods, and cleared him a farm. He later removed to the town of Wheeler, and some years later removed to the town of Prattsburg, where he remained five years, continuing his farming, then retired to the village of Bath where he spent his remaining days. He served for a short time in the 1812 war. He married Lydia Uptigrove, a native of New Jersey, by whom he had these children: Mary A., Catherine, Eliza, Martha, Charles, and David H. The latter was educated in the common school: his mother died when he was fourteen years of age, and he then began life for himself at farm work, and from that time has led an active, energetic life. When twenty-four years of age he purchased a farm in Pulteney, thence he removed to Starkey, Yates county, where he conducted a large stock farm for Clark Bell for two years, when he moved to Wheeler and some years later to the village of Bath, to educate his children in the school at that place. He again returned to Starkey and bought a fine farm, but sold it and returned to Bath, and in the fall of 1886 returned to Wheeler and purchased a farm of 300 acres near the village, where he has since resided. For a number of years he was an ex- tensive sheep grower, and also interested in raising fine horses. Mr. Ackerson is a member of the Steuben County Agricultural Association, in which he has held offi- cial positions. In 1860 he married Sarah D., daughter of Ephraim Aulls, who occu- pied and spent his life on the homestead now owned by David H., and Mr. Aulls was for forty years poormaster in the town of Wheeler. Thomas Aulls, his father, came to the town of Urbana with his father, William Aulls, in 1793, and in 1800 came to Wheeler and settled in the forest. Mr. and Mrs. Ackerson have two children: Herbert, who is head accountant in the office of Bacheller, Johnson & Bacheller, in New York city ; and Mrs. Kate M. Allen of New York city. Mr. Ackerson also owns a farm of eighty acres in the town of Bath.

Shader, William Henry, was born in the town of Wheeler on the farm he now owns, January 13, 1862. John Shader, his grandfather, was a native of Massachu- setts, born in 1803, in early life was a shoemaker, and came to Steuben county about 1840, and to the town of Wheeler in 1845, where he spent his remaining days as a farmer. He married Mary Drum, who was born in Columbia county, N. Y., in 1802, daughter of Nicholas and Margaret (Houk) Drum, by whom he had these children: Adam, James, Clara, Caroline, David, and William. He died in May, 1885; his wife died October, 1877. Adam Shader, father of William Henry, was born in Columbia county in 1829. He was a farmer, and about 1853, in partnership with a brother, James, purchased a farm of 110 acres in Wheeler, and later added thirty-five acres, which they paid for after years of energetic toil. He married Elsie M. Smith, July 4, 1858, who was born in Ohio, daughter of George W. Smith, by whom he had one child, William Henry, and Mrs. Shader died November 4, 1862, when he was nine

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months old. Mr. Shader died April 9, 1876, and from that time William Henry was obliged to care for himself. When twenty-one years of age he purchased his step- mother's portion of the farm, where he has since resided. In April, 1884, he married Sarah Elizabeth, daughter of Otis Smith of Savona, now of Hornellsville, by whom he had one child, Floyd, born October 31, 1887.

Fox, Oliver R., was born in that portion of the town which was later called Avoca, in 1835. Joseph Fox, his grandfather, was born of German parents. He was a farmer and a prominent man in his town, much interested in public affairs, and filled many town offices. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and spent most of his life in Montgomery county, where he reared seven children. Peter Fox, father of Oliver R., was born in Montgomery county in 1808. He is a carpenter by trade, and came to the town of Wheeler in 1834, and purchased a tract of wild timber land where he plied his trade at one dollar per day, hired men to chop and clear his land for fifty cents per day, and thus cleared his first farm of ninety acres, which he later sold, and in 1856 purchased his present farm of 150 acres where he has since resided. He served as poormaster many years, and is a member of the Grange Lodge at Avoca. He married Lany Shaut, who was born in Herkimer county, a daughter of Jabob Shaut, by whom he had six children: Almira, Chauncy, Oliver R., Mary J., Harvey, and John, all dead except Oliver and Harvey. His wife died in 1893, aged eighty-three years. Oliver R. has spent his whole life with his father, assisting him in clearing and paying for the farm; he now assumes full charge and operates the farm and cares for his aged father. For many years he raised sheep and cattle, later years his chief crop has been potatoes. He has served as justice of the peace continuously for twenty years, and is a member of the Grange Lodge in Avoca, in which he has served in several official capacities. In 1864 he married Eliza Graves, who was born in Prattsburg, a daughter of the pioneer, Almeron Graves, by whom he had one son, John. She is also a member of the Avoca Grange Lodge.

Olmstead, James E., was born in the town of Wheeler, on the farm he now owns, in 1845. Erastus Olmstead his grandfather, was born in Connecticut, and later moved to Montgomery county where he devoted his life to farming. He was a prominent Mason, and held many offices in his lodge. He married Jane Coven- hoven, by whom he had ten children, all of whom lived, except one, aged sixty- six, to be over seventy years of age. He died about 1852, aged eighty-six years, and his wife about 1865, aged eighty-nine. James F., father of James E., was born in Montgomery county in 1798, and in the fall of 1820 he moved to Wheeler where he took up land which was then a forest. The following year he and his brother John took up 100 acres and worked together several years, and later James added sixty-three acres. Their first autumn in the town they cut two acres of timber and boarded four miles from their work. He assisted in the building of the Lutheran church of Avoca, in which he was later made, deacon; he also filled other offices in the church. He married Harriet, daughter of Emanuel Gunsolous, by whom he had these children: Jane, Elizabeth, Hannah, Dimis, Sarah, who died at eighteen years of age, and James. He died in August, 1883, and his wife in February, 1884. James E. has spent his life on the homestead, which he now owns, and cared for his par- ents. During the year 1875, in connection with his farming, he run a grocery wagon through the country, and for some time later engaged in buying and butchering

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cattle and supplying Hornellsville market from one to two tons of meat a week. He has been elected overseer of the poor for three terms. He is a member of the Ma- sonic fraternity, Avoca Lodge, No. 673, and was the organizer of the Avoca Grange Lodge, P. of H. in 1876, of which he was the first master, to which office he was elected several years. In 1868 he married Dema, daughter of Benjamin and Jane (Fero) Voorhees, pioneers in Steuben county, by whom he had these children: Elmer H., Hattie J,, who died at nineteen years of age, James B., and Iona. The Olm- stead family is traced back in America to 1632, when James and Richard Olmstead came from England on the ship Lion.

Hall, Royal A., was born in Corning, N. Y., September 1, 1841, and is a son of George H. and Mary J. (Spaulding) Hall. George H. was born in 1811 and died in Troupsburg in February, 1887. Royal A. was educated at the Troupsburg and Alfred Academies, and was then engaged in teaching for a while. He has since followed farming. In 1866 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Hon. J. B. Murdock (mentioned elsewhere), by whom he has three children: Emma E., wife of Ira Miller, of Elmira; W. B., of Syracuse, who married Anna, daughter of Rev. A. J. Hurd; and Mazie, who is at home. Mr. Hall settled on the farm he now owns in 1867. It consists of 175 acres, and he carries on general farming, January 1, 1864, he enlisted in Co. H, 96th N. Y. Vols., and was discharged February 6, 1866. He was clerk in the post-office department for three months. He went to Yorktown and joined the Butler expedition up the James River to City Point, and was wounded at Drury's Bluff, May 16, 1864, and was in the hospital until February, 1865. Mr. Hall is a member of Post Bailey No. 361, G. A. R., and Mcclellan Lodge No. 649, F. & A. M.

Cooley, Charles, was born in Hartford, Conn., July 31, 1820. He was the second son of Hanan Cooley, a furnace man and moulder of the New England States, who moved from there to Rochester, where he built the first foundry of that city. Charles learned the moulders' trade and followed it all his life. He was engaged in many different cities until 1870, when he came to Hornellsville and took charge of the iron moulding in the Erie shops. He died September 29, 1887. He was married January 18, 1840, to Miss Lucy Louisa Martell, of Canada, and they have been the parents of nine children, seven of whom are living: Mrs. J. W. Corbin, of Friendship, N. Y .; Mrs. L. D. Hazard, of Hornellsville, N. Y .; Mrs. Isaac Carley, of Galeton, Potter county, Pa .; Mrs. Frank McPhee; Edmund C. Cooley, a machinist of Dunkirk, N. Y .; Charles H. Cooley, a machinist of Brockville, Pa .; and Walter M. Cooley, an engineer of Alaska, now engaged in the gold mines of that country. Edmund C. Cooley bought the Wright farm of forty acres in the spring of 1886, now occupied by Mrs. Cooley. Frank C. McPhee was born in Tioga county, Pa., January 17, 1854. Daniel McPhee, the father of Frank, was a farmer. He was for a few years a resi- dent of South Addison, Steuben county, N. Y. Frank was the fifth of a family of eleven children. He was educated in the common schools, and has been for twenty- one years a sash cutter of McConell Mills in Hornellsville. He was married March 14, 1881, to Miss Mary C. Cooley, daughter of the late Charles and Lucy Louisa (Martell) Cooley. Mr. and Mrs. McPhee have one son, Nelson Lawrence, now in his fourteenth year, a student of Hornellsville Academy.

Bentley, John L., was born in Elmira, September 24, 1829, a son of Darius, a native

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of Rensselaer county, who came to Chemung in 1814, and owned a large tract in what was then a part of Elmira. He was prominent in town and county affairs, and was known as Judge Bentley. He died at the age of ninety-four. Of his six surviving children John L., the third son, was educated in the public schools and by private teachers, and his first occuption was on a farm. His father was a surveyor, and John did considerable work in that line of business. He was one of the civil engineers of the Canandaigua and Niagara Railroad at the age of twenty-five. He then engaged in railroading, and for seventeen years was conductor on the western division of the N. Y., L. E. & W. R. R. In 1873 he formed a partnership with George Griswold, which lasted a year, and in 1874 the store was burned, and afterwards our subject continued the business alone. Mr. Griswold rebuilt, and Mr. Bentley moved into his store, which he conducted until 1875, then sold out to Mr. Griswold, and bought the store of Seymour & Davis, and in 1888 removed to his present location, 91 Main street, conducting a grocery and crockery store. He served as alderman for five years, and also as assessor, and was city engineer for two years. For thirty years he has been a prominent Mason, and has passed the chairs of the Blue Lodge, Council and Commandery. In 1855 he married Jane Shute, of Horseheads, and their children are Edward S., a clerk, and Harry S., a partner in the business.

Bowlby, George K., was born in the town of Bath, June 15, 1855, son of James N. W. Bowlby and Emily King Bowlby. James N. W. Bowlby, a native of Dryden, Tompkins county, N. Y., who came to Steuben county in 1837 with his parents, James and Catherine Bowlby. George K. was educated at Haverling Academy. In 1878 he married Sarah, daughter of Edward S. Hardenbrook, of Bath; they are the parents of three sons, James Edward, George Albert, and Charles Ernest. Mr. Bowlby was elected assessor in 1895.

Burt, John M., was born in Warren county in 1831, son of Amasa Burt, who came from Warren county to Chemung county in 1845, and to Steuben county in 1854, where he died in 1875, aged seventy-five years. He married Sarah Ward, who died in 1878, aged seventy-one years. In 1851 John M. Burt went to Minnesota, where he engaged in the mercantile business until 1858, and has since resided on the farm. While in Minnesota he was clerk of the House of Representatives. He has 105 acres in his home place and also owns a farm of 140 acres in Chemung county, and has real estate interests in Minnesota. He has never married. His sister, Miss Cordelia, lives with him, while another sister, Mrs. Lucius Tuttle, lives on an ad- joining farm.

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Landmarks of Steuben County, New York, Part 62

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