Landmarks of Steuben County, New York, Part 64

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 64

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).

127

FAMILY SKETCHES.

He married Eveline, daughter of John Clark, a pioneer of Pulteney, by whom he had these children: Arvesta, Franklin, Hettie who was drowned when nineteen years of age, Bandis, Eva, Chauncy, and Georganna.

Campbell, William M., was born in Bath, May 19, 1822; he was the youngest child of Robert Campbell, who was a native of Scotland and came to Bath in 1795. Will- iam M. was married in 1846 to Francis Miller, daughter of Samuel Miller of Williams- ville, Erie county, N. Y., by whom he has four children, two sons and two daughters. He has always followed the occupation of farming, and still lives on the home he made fifty years ago.

Minard, J. H., was born in the town of Locke, Cayuga county, November 4, 1842, and is the fourth of six children born to Henry T., and Annie (Hill) Minard, both of Cayuga county, and who came to Troupsburg in 1846 and settled on the State road, where they died, he April 22, 1867, and she July 3, 1848. The grandfather, Henry Minard, died in Locke. The paternal grandfather, Thomas, was a soldier in the Rev- olutionary war. J. H. Minard has always followed farming, and now owns a farm which he bought in 1881. In 1866 he married Cornelia, daughter of Lewis and Julia (Martin) Olmstead, by whom he had three children: Lewis H., who bought the Clark farm, which joins the homestead, which he works in connection with the home farm ; Gertie, wife of George Fox, who died July 25, 1886; and Lizzie E., wife of Bradshaw White. Mr. Minard enlisted September 17, 1861, in Company E, 75th N. Y. Vols., and was honorably discharged November 25, 1864. He was Port Hudson, all through the Red River campaign, and was wounded at Winchester by a minnie ball, Septem- ber 19, 1864, and prior to this was on duty every day. He is a member of Post Baily No. 351, G. A. R.

Emery, Frank H., was born on the farm where he now lives in the town of Horn- ellsville, January 19, 1859. James P. Emery, the father of Frank H., was also born in this town. The grandfather of Frank, Wm. Emery, was a native of Pennsylvania, and came to this country about 1824. James P. Emery was a farmer and March 17, 1852, bought a farm of 103 acres on lot 28, where he spent the balance of his days and died November 12, 1870. He was twice married, first to Elizabeth who bore him two children, neither of whom is now living. His second wife and mother of Frank H. Emery, Mary C. Labour, was the mother of three sons. Eugene and Albert both died in infancy. Frank H. was educated in the common schools, attending in summer till fifteen, and the winter time until nineteen. He has always been a farmer, and was the manager for his mother until twenty-one years of age; he then bought the in- terest of his half sister's children in the farm, aud is now the proprietor of seventy acres in his own name and his mother's one-third interest. His principal product is potatoes; he also conducts a dairy of seven cows. He has always taken an active interest in the success of the Democrat party and its principles. He has made many valuable improvements to the property since coming into possession, and has one of the finest properties of the town. February 29, 1894, he wasmarried to Miss Clara Oliver, daughter of the late Horatio Oliver of Almond.

Richardson, C. W., was born in Bath, May 7, 1848. John Richardson, his father, was also born in Bath. John Richardson, sr., his grandfather, came from Maryland to Bath in 1808, and was head miller for Mayor William Helm and was afterwards

128

LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

identified as a farmer. John Richardson, jr., married Sarah, daughter of Samuel Oxx, and followed in his father's footsteps, making farming his life work. He died in 1893, in his sixty-sixth year. C. W. Richardson was educated at Haverling Acad- emy, and for eleven years gave his attention to the manufacturing business, and in 1887 invented the celebrated loose bottom tins, now so widely known as the " Per- fection CakeTins,"and at once began their manufacture, which he is now carrying on, together with a large line of housefurnishing specialties, under the firm name of Richardson Manufacturing Co. In 1875 he married Della, daughter of R. W. Davis, by whom he had two children.

Ross, Emmett B., was born in Springfield, Bradford county, Pa., January 20, 1853. Andrew J. Ross, his father, was born in Burlington, Bradford county, Pa., in 1826, and came to Steuben county in the spring of 1868, and settled in the town of Camp- bell, on the Mead's Creek road. In 1850 he was married to Mara Grace, of Spring- field, Bradford county, Pa., by whom he had six children: John W., Emmet B., Dallas F., Bruce E., Olin and Andrew. The two last named died in infancy. Em- met B. remained at home, attending the public schools at Burlington, Pa., Cooper's Plains and Painted Post, N. Y., and the Susquehanna Collegiate Institute at Towanda, Pa., until he was seventeen years of age, when he began teaching, which vocation he followed for three years. In the spring of 1873, when he was twenty years of age, he commenced reading law with Messrs. Bradley and Kendall, in Corning, N. Y., remaining with them until the spring of 1876, when he was admitted to the bar, after successfully passing the required examinations before the General Term of the Su- preme Court then sitting at Rochester, N. Y. After his admission to the bar he practiced law at Corning, N. Y., until 1882, when he located at Campbell village, where he has since remained in the active practice of his profession. In the fall of 1876, he was married to Miss Alice Palmer, daughter of Joseph G. Palmer of Cooper's Plains, N. Y., bywhom he has three children: Raymond C., Vance O., and Glenn P. In politics Mr. Ross is a Democrat. He has twice been honored by the voters of Campbell with an election to the supervisorship of the town by handsome majorities, although the town has a large Republican majority. In 1887 he was the candidate of his party for member of assembly in the First district of Steuben county. For several years he has been a member of the Board of Education at Campbell, and is now the postmaster there.

Beckerman, Herman D., was born Ankum, Hanover, Germany, in 1834. Herman H., his father, was an only son, a farmer by occupation, who married Marie Kock, by whom he had these children: Herman, Dietrich, Margaret, Anna, Arnold, Eliza- beth, and Minnie, all of whom, including the father, came to America, but the father returned to Germany after two years' residence here. Herman D. landed in New York in 1854, when twenty years of age, and was married three days after his arrival to Mary Krumpleman, who came over on the same ship from Germany. He engaged employment in a sugar refinery, where he remained for three years, when he went to Illinois and engaged in farming, having purchased, through his brother, 160 acres of his land, and two years later, having found the title to the land worth- less, he returned to New York where he again engaged in the sugar refinery at an advanced salary and with a better position, where he remained four years longer. The next seven years he spent as cartman, when he purchased a team and engaged

129

FAMILY SKETCHES.

in the business for himself, and being successful in this, he purchased more teams and went in more extensively for seven years, and while thus engaged he purchased a tract of 112 acres of heavily timbered land in Wheeler, where he now resides, and in 1875 removed to this place and began clearing and farming. He has added to his original purchase from time to time, and now owns 358 acres of fine farm land, one farm of 154 acres lies in the town of Avoca, and on his home farm he has made many improvements, and erected buildings essential to a well equipped farm. He has received several injuries from vicious horses, at one time having an arm broken, and at another seven ribs and both collar bones, yet he recovered and attends actively to his business. His wife died in April, 1869, before he left New York. Their children are Elizabeth, wife of T. P. Sharer of New York, Peter, Jacob, and Anna, who died when twenty-two years of age. Peter resides on the Avoca farm, is married and has five children. Jacob resides on the home farm, is married and has one son.

Everett, Charles H., was born in 1859, in Wheeler, on the farm which was known in the early days of this country as the Wheeler deer lick, where the old hunters used to go to hunt deer. His grandfather, Jesse Everett, was born in Massachu- setts, in April, 1784, a cousin of Edward Everett, and came to Wheeler about 1815, and settled in the forest. He was a great hunter, and as the country became more settled, he moved farther into the wilds and settled on the farm on West Creek which is now owned by Charles H. He cleared a great deal of land in this town, and reared six sons. Levi Everett, father of Charles H., was born in Wheeler in 1817, where he spent his life as an active and successful farmer. He married Miss Caro- line Sampson, daughter of Christian and Catherine Bonstead of Herkimer county, by whom he had these children: Mrs. Alida Billings of Wheeler, and Charles H. Mrs. Everett had one daughter by her first husband, Ellen Sampson, now Mrs. Castor of Avoca. Charles H. Everett has spent his life thus far on the farm of 160 acres, which he came into possession of after the death of his father, and which he ably and successfully operates. He takes much interest in the breeding of fine grade Jersey cattle, and chickens; the latter he raises in large numbers. In 1884 he married Carrie A. Smith, a music teacher of Campbell, and daughter of Silas S. and Eliza (Everett) Smith, by whom he had one child, Nellie. Her grandfather, Barna- bas Smith, was a pioneer settler in the town of Campbell, and the Everett family is noted for their interest in the temperance cause.

Thacher, T. J. O .- Nathaniel Thacher, the grandfather of the present generation, was a native of Rhode Island and came with his family to Troupsburg about 1807. He was a shoemaker by trade. Judge Otis Thacher, the father of the present gen- eration, was born in Gloucester, R. I., August 6, 1800. Otis Thacher suffered all the hardships of the early pioneers. He took up farming, and his father first owned the Hart farm, coming here in 1810. Nathaniel Thacher conceived the idea of moving to the West, and going through the south, died at Florence, Alabama, August 24, 1824. Judge Otis Thacher was a self-educated man. He was only twenty-five years of age when he bought a farm of one hundred acres, where the first ward of the city of Hornellsville is now. He was appointed as associate judge of the county in 1840, and was one of the founders of the Presbyterian society of this county, and the prime mover of the Presbyterian church. He was one of the leaders of the Masonic

130

LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

fraternity of the county until the Morgan excitement, when he withdrew from the organization, He was always foremost in educational institutions and was one of the trustees and the procurer of the charter of Alfred University. He was an old- time Whig, and was the census taker of eight towns in 1851. He continued in farm- ing the whole of his life, but in 1860 built what is now the Valley Roller Mills. He died March 14, 1868. He was a wise counselor and an impartial judge. He mar- ried Hannah K. Graves at the age of twenty-six, when she was twenty-three. She was a daughter of Deacon Amos Graves, the owner of the large farm in what is now the second ward. They were the parents of five sons and two daughters, only three now living: Judge Solon C. Thacher, of Lawrence, Kansas, who represented this district in the Legislature for one term in 1857, and moved to the West the year fol- lowing and has since been candidate for United States senator two terms, governor one term, and has filled the position of State senator, and is now district judge. T. Scott Thacher, the next youngest living, was born July 29, 1833, and has always made his home here; educated in the common schools and Alfred University, and following farming until 1856 when he took charge of the mill, conducting it until 1872, since which time he has been engaged in the manufacture of mowers and reapers now located in Corning. He has always been prominently identified with church work and has been a deacon for thirty years. He was unfortunate in being injured in the mill at the age of twenty-eight, but it has not deterred him from being one of the most active business men of this county. He has always been char- itable to a fault and has an unlimited number of friends. Mr. Thacher tells of buy- ing two hundred bushels of wheat in 1866, for which he paid $3.60 per bushel. No- vember 16, 1875, he married Sarah M., daughter of Charles N. Hart, by whom he had four children. Theodore J. O. Thacher, the youngest son of Judge Otis, was born November 15, 1844. Educated at Alfred University and Union College, and has been engaged in mercantile pursuits most of his life. From 1869 to 1876 he was on a ranch in Kansas. The latter year he returned and engaged in the manufacture of brick. In 1882 he bought back the old Thacher mill, conducting it until 1891, when he exchanged with George W. Morris for farm land in Michigan. After spending one year in that State he returned to his native town, and in November, 1894, opened a real estate office in Hornellsville. Mr. Thacher was alderman for the First ward for five years. He was one of the organizers of the Hartshorn Pres- byterian church, and Sabbath school superintendent for fifteen years. While a member of the City Council he was the first to agitate the question of pavements. In 1873 he married Agnes M. Goodwin of Michigan, who died December 1, 1883, leaving one son, W. F. Goodwin Thacher, now in his sixteenth year and a student of Alfred University.

Ackerson, Charles N., was born in Pulteney, February 25, 1826. Henry Ackerson, his father was a native of New Jersey and came to Steuben and settled in the town of Pulteney in 1813, and his life was spent as a farmer; he was a man who took an active interest in school and church matters and in the development of his county. He married Lydia Updegraff of Orange county, and died in 1866, in his seventieth year. Charles N. was educated in the common schools, and in 1854 he married Ruth, daughter of Sherman H. Rose, by whom he had three children: Frank H., Burton S., and Mrs. Helen Beekman. Charles N. is one of the representative busi-

131

FAMILY SKETCHES.

ness men of Steuben county, taking an intelligent interest in educational and relig- ious institutions, serving as general superintendent of Steuben County Agricultural Society for eighteen years, and vice-president for one year, and has ever been ready to advance the best interests of his town.

Kilbury, Eli C., was born in the town of Fremont, June 29, 1823. His grand- father, Robert Kilbury, a farmer in Vermont, removed to the town of Fremont, Steu- ben county, about 1823, and thence to Indiana in 1838, where he spent his remaining days. In politics he was a Whig. Robert 2d, Eli's father, was born in Vermont, in May, 1796, and in 1820 came to the town of Fremont. He was a millwright by trade, and also conducted a farm, being ably assisted by his wife, who took charge of the farm during his absence while plying his trade, and for many years he also owned and operated a distillery and potash factory on his farm. His wife was Eunice Carrington, whom he married in March, 1821. She was born in Washington county, in January, 1804, and was one of thirteen children born to Capt. Eli Car- rington, who was a soldier in the War of 1812. He settled in the town of Dansville, and died in Cohocton, at the residence of one of his children, aged 100 years. To Robert and his wife were born eight children; Mrs. Sarah Faulkner, Eli C., Edwin, Mrs. Phœbe Gates, of Iowa, Smith, Joel, Mary, and Andrew, all of whom are liv- ing. Eli C. worked in a saw mill for a short time, and later followed the canal, and in 1845 went to the town of Howard, where he purchased a farm. Two years later he removed to Bath, where he engaged in farming for twelve years, and then re- moved to the town of Wheeler and purchased his present farm of two hundred acres. He has raised many fine Durham cattle, and also Jersey. In 1894 he erected a saw mill and box factory, which he operates. In 1848 he married Mary, danghter of Alexander Gilchrist, of Howard, and they have had one child, La Fay- ette, who grew to manhood, and was killed on the railroad. Mrs. Kilbury died in 1849. For his second wife he married Isabel Gilchrist, a sister of his first wife, and they were the parents of one son, who grew to maturity, and was also killed on the raailroad. His wife died in 1854. For his present wife he married Jane Blakely, who was born in Gorham, Ontario county, in July, 1830, daughter of William and Maria De Goff Blakely, and they have had the following children: Robert, Eli, de- ceased, Mrs. Mary McGlynn of Avoca, Frank, Mrs. Eunice Mattice of Bath, Joel, deceased, and Smith. The latter married Clara, daughter of Daniel Morgan, and they had one daughter, Lena. His wife died in 1892. In politics he is a Republi- can, and served two terms as constable, and is a member of the Odd Fellows. Mr. and Mrs. Kilbury are members of the Baptist church. The grandchildren are as fol- lows: Fred Kilbury; William, Lafayette and Eli, sons of Mr. and Mrs. McGlynn ; Bertha, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Kilbury; Jennie and Lottie, daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Mattice.

Gardner, William, was born in Wheeler, Steuben county, N. Y., May 25, 1834, and has spent his whole life thus far on the farm on which he was born, and of which he became the possessor after the death of his father. To the original farm of 170 acres he has added twenty-seven acres, and also owns another farm of eighty acres, and in connection with his farming for some years he did an extensive lumbering business. He has filled nearly all the town offices, and in 1874-75 served on the Board of Supervisors, and at different times was sent as county committeeman. He

132

LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

stood the draft during the war, and contributed liberally to the support of soldiers and their families in his town, and for which, to them, his memory will ever be dear. In 1863 he married Emma, daughter of William and Polly (Seager) Rice, by whom he had three children: Della, wife of M. C. Myrtle, of Wheeler; Mittie, wife of Frank Hathaway, of Wheeler; and Sarah Edith. Firman Gardner, father of William, was born in Albany county, N. Y., in 1793. He was an only son, left an orphan, and was brought to the town of Wheeler when seven years of age by Capt. Silas Wheeler (this town was named in honor of him), with whom he lived until he reached his ma- jority, when he married Elizabeth, daughter of Philip Myrtle, of Wheeler, by whom he had eight children. He settled on the farm now owned by his son, which was then covered with forest, which he cleared and made a farm of 170 acres, where he died June 6, 1856, and his wife in 1885, aged eighty-five years. He was a soldier during the war of 1812.

Tuthill, David, was born in Romulus, Seneca county county, N. Y., October 11, 1819. His great-grandfather, John Tuthill, was a great-grandson of John Tuthill, only son of John Tuthill, the Pilgrim, who was one of the colony of twelve families that came from England to America on account of religious persecution, and settled on the east part of Long Island, N. Y., in 1640, and founded the town of Southold. He was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, and at one time was detailed with four other resolute, adventurous soldiers to skirmish among the islands of Long Island Sound. They, "with each a good rifle, ran a boat to Long Island and other islands, wherever they could get the advantage of the British, and annoyed them so much that they offered thirty guineas a head for them, dead or alive; but they got none of them." After the war he moved to Westminster, Windham county, Vt., where he spent the remainder of his days. David's grandfather, John Tuthill, was born on Plumb Island, June 30, 1766. He went to. Otsego county when it was a wilderness and took up land in the town of Maryland, where he spent his days clearing up and tilling his farm. He was a man of influence, and served his town many years as justice of the peace. He married Lucy Fuller of Westminster, Vt., and his oldest son, John, was a soldier in the war of 1812; was taken prisoner during the battle of Lundy's Lane, and it is not known what became of him. David's father, Tyrus Tuthill, was born in the town of Maryland, Otsego county, March 30, 1794. When twenty-two years of age he went to the town of Romulus, Seneca county, N. Y., and engaged in teaching school, which he followed there for three or four years. In the mean time he and Elizabeth Brown were married, and in the spring of 1820 they moved on to the wilderness farm in the town of Pulteney, where they continued to live the remainder of their lives. For a few years his only business was clearing up his farm, though his service as school teacher was frequently applied for, and after a number of years he engaged in the business and taught several winter terms in different districts in the town of Pulteney. He was a man of strong religious and political convictions, and one who had the courage to announce them; and was ever ready to render a reason for the faith that was in him, whether religious or political. He was much opposed to slavery, a staunch advocate of the right as he saw it, and an occasional newspaper correspondent. Their family of children were Mandeville, David, Phoebe, Harriet M., Lucy, Cynthia and Charles, of whom only David is now living. He died in 1892, nearly ninety-eight years old, having lived under the ad-

133

FAMILY SKETCHES.

ministration of every president of the United States. His wife died in 1884, aged over ninety-one years. David Tuthill received his education in the common school in the school district in which his father lived and at the Franklin Academy. In 1844 he married Annis H., daughter of Richard and Mary Stewart Francis. The names of their children are John M., deceased; Mary E., deceased; Mandeville E., Spencer F., and Harriet M., wife of Alfred Brown. From 1846 to 1852 he lived in the town of South Bristol, Ontario county; from 1852 to 1866 in the town of Bath, Steuben county, since which time he has resided in Prattsburg. In politics Mr. Tuthill was first a Whig, and a Republican since the organization of the Republican party. His occupation through life has been farming, in connection with which, in his younger days, he taught school thirteen winter terms in school districts adjacent to the different localities in which he lived. By giving his undivided attention to business he has been fairly successful. His brother Charles enlisted in the fall of 1863, was in Wilson's raid in Virginia, taken prisoner by the rebels and sent to Andersonville prison, where he died from exposure, inhuman treatment and starva- tion.

Dygert, Peter, was born in Montgomery county, December 20, 1824. George Dygert, his father, was a native of the county, where the family came at a very early date and formed a settlement known as the Dygert settlement, before the Revolutionary war. Peter Dygert came to Steuben county in 1859 and settled in the town of Wheeler, and in 1867 came to Bath and bought the Jason Stone farm, where he now resides. In 1845 he married Rosa Van Evera, who died in 1846 and by whom he had one child, George; and in 1858 he married Susan Wagner, by whom he had one child, James.

Tolbert, John F., was born in Savona, July 3, 1823, son of John Tolbert, who came to Steuben county in 1809 and devoted his time to lumbering and farming. He mar- ried Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Trovenger. John F. Tolbert was educated in the common schools. In 1860 he married Mary R. French. who died in 1871. For his second wife he married Sarah A. Tillott, and they have one son, James. Mr. Tol- bert is one of the conservative men of the town, identified as a contractor, builder, and farmer, and taking an active interest in school and church work.

Quigley, James, was born in of Magherafelt, County of Londonderry, Ireland, February 7, 1853. His grandfather, William Quigley, was a man of wealth and in- fluence, a 33d degree Mason, a sturdy Presbyterian, and took an active part as a volunteer and yeoman with the English government in assisting the Protestants in the North of Ireland in their terrible struggle for religious peace and liberty from 1790 to 1803, during which period occurred the Rebellion to overthrow the act of union between Great Britain and Ireland, the outcome of which was its firm establishment. He also took part in the establishment of the public school system of that country. His wife was Jane Campbell, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and they were the parents of six sons and three daughters. He died at the age of sixty-five years, and his wife lived to be one hundred and one years old. John Quigley, father of James, was the youngest of the family, and also did much toward establishing free public schools in Ireland, and was a high Mason. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Ben- jamine and Martha Ellison Booth. Mr. Booth was of English parentage, a high

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Landmarks of Steuben County, New York, Part 64

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