Landmarks of Tompkins County, New York : including a history of Cornell University, Part 93

Author: Hewett, Waterman Thomas, 1846-1921; Selkreg, John H
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1194

USA > New York > Tompkins County > Landmarks of Tompkins County, New York : including a history of Cornell University > Part 93

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FAMILY SKETCHES.

Mary Bodle, of Mecklenburg, where he began the practice of medicine. He was a graduate of the New York College of Medicine, was appointed physician to Sing Sing Prison, and was president of the New York State and the Westchester County Medi- cal Societies several years. By invitation of President Lincoln he attended the wounded at Antietam after the battle there, among whom were some confederates, who afterward gave him an ovation on his visit to South Carolina. Dr. Fisher was the author of several medical works, at one time the editor of a medical journal, and the founder and president of the Ossining Hospital, where he contracted blood poi- soning in amputating a limb of a sick patient, and died in February, 1893. His wid- ow, a son Fred, and one daughter, Mrs. Carpenter, survive him. Dorinda A. Fisher, born in April, 1828, married Henry Haight, of Enfield, has two daughters living, and died November 4, 1881, at the home of her brother, Charles W., where she spent the greater part of her life.

Brink, Andrew James, was born in Burdette, Schuyler county, July 24, 1845. He is the son of James Brink, of Genoa, born in Sullivan county, October 21, 1804, who was the son of Cornelius and Lydia Brink, of Long Island, who came to Sullivan county about 1800, and later to Orange county, where they reared eight children : Mrs. Smith, of Bloomingburg; Mrs. Miller, of the same town; Mrs. Harding; Elsie Brink, all of the same town ; James, Abram and Hiram. He married second a widow whose maiden name was Drake, by whom he had two children Cornelius and Will- iam. James. father of Andrew J., was reared to farm life, and remained with his father until about twenty-one, when he bought a small farm in Sullivan county, on which he lived. Some years later he bought a hotel at Bloomingsburg, which he conducted about three years, when he sold out and returned to farming. He spent some time in Schuyler county, and some time in traveling, finally locating in Genoa, where he has since resided. He has always been a Democrat. His first wife was Jane Horton, of Orange county, by whom he had six children: Maria, widow of Solomon Williams, of Burdette; one who died in infancy; Leander, of Middletown ; Martha; Ann Eliza; Francis Hollister, of Five Corners; Harriet, who resides with her father. His wife died in Schuyler county, September 23, 1840, and in March, 1841, he married second, Delilah Marton, of Burdette, and they had seven children : George W., Andrew J., Charles H., Margaret Jane, Augusta, William C., and Elsie. March 20, 1891, Mr. and Mrs. Brink celebrated their golden wedding, they being the par- ents, grandparents and great-grandparents of forty-eight living children. Our sub- ject resided with his parents until the age of twenty-one, then engaged in work for himself for some time, returning to his father's farm later. In 1871 he was engaged in the sewing-machine business in New Jersey, and remained three years, and for the next three years engaged in farming. He married in 1871, and removed to Tomp- kins county. He married, September 26, 1877, Frances J., daughter of Roswell and Isabel (Conrad) Beardsley, of North Lansing, born June 2, 1847. Mrs. Brink's father has held the office of postmaster ever since the time of President Adams, a term of sixty-six years, he having been born in 1809, this being the longest term of contin- uous office on record. Mr. and Mrs. Brink are members of the North Lansing Grange. Mr. Brink has been a Free Mason since the age of twenty-one. In politics he is a Democrat, having held the office of inspector of elections several terms.

LANDMARKS OF TOMPKINS COUNTY.

Anderson, B. B., of Newfield, was born August 15, 1815, in Sullivan, bordering on Orange county, a son of James N. Anderson, a farmer, and also a native of the county, who married Mary Solomon, of Long Island, and had five children, of whom our subject was the third. The occupation of the latter has been that of blacksmith for the past thirty years, though he has followed farming for some time, and given up his trade. In 1845 he married Margaret McCorn, of Newfield, by whom he had four children, two daughters and two sons. In 1865 he married Emiline McCorn, of Newfield. He was educated in the common schools and in politics is a Democrat.

The late Daniel Johnson was born in Orange county, October 28, 1801, and eame when a young man to Taghannic Falls, where he built the first house. He married, August 29, 1847, Sarah M. Lee, of Ulysses, and they had six children; Elsie, Fred- erick, Mary, Diantha, Edwin S. and Sarah. Mary died aged five years; EIsie mar- ried Henry Blanchard and lives in Ithaca; Frederick married Maria Follett, of Ulysses, and they reside in Ithaca; Diantha lives at home with her mother; Edwin S. married Anna Smith, of this town, and Sarah married Dr. John Kirkendall, of Ithaca. Mr. Johnson died November 1, 1885. Mrs. Johnson's grandfather, Jep- tha Lee, was born in Dutchess county, March 1, 1764, and was a soldier in the Revo- lution, and the farm now occupied by Mrs. Johnson is part of the grant which he received for his services. He married Esther Franklin, born February 8, 1764, and they had twelve children, two of whom died young, the others being as follows: John, Delilah, Daniel, Amos, Lucy, Polly A., Sally A., Hannah, Franklin and William.

Ives, Charles A., was born in Ithaca, December 9, 1849, the only son of the late Joseph N. Ives, who was born in the town of Lansing September 23, 1823, and died November 23, 1891. He was always a member of the Republican party, and at one time a trustee of the village of Ithaca. He was a carpenter by trade, and his later years were spent in the car shop of the Lehigh railroad. For a number of years he was interested with W. W. Esty in building canal boats in Ithaca, always connected with the fire department, and a life-long member of the Presbyterian church. The mother of our subject, Fannie MI. Cooley, was a descendant of the old New England stock. She died November ?, 1891. Charles A. was educated in the public schools and graduated from the Ithaca Academy. Hc was for ten years employed in the hardware store of John Runisey, and in February, 1877, was appointed by the L. V. Railroad Co. city agent to handle their business in this town. He is a Republican in politics and was town clerk for two years, was the last village clerk, and first city clerk. He was also, for a term of years, assistant chief of the fire department. He married in March, 1878, Janet L., daughter of M. F. Brown, of Ithaca, and they have a son and a daughter,

Johnson, Harlan P., was born in Ithaca, in October, 1838, son of Benjamin L. John- son, a native of Delaware county, who was for a number of years engaged in the transportation business on the Erie canal, running a line of passenger and freight boats between Ithaca and Buffalo, N. Y., which he followed until the building of the first railroad through New York State, when he engaged in mercantile business in Ithaca, which he followed until 1870, when he retired from business. He was always active in church and temperance work, and died July 6, 1883. The mother of our subject, Lucinda Newcomb, was a native of Vermont, of English descent, whose an- cestors came to this country about the middle of the 17th century. She died in April,

FAMILY SKETCHES.

1891. The grandfather of Mrs. Johnson, Daniel Newcomb, was a lieutenant in the army of the Revolution. Our subject is the oldest son of a family of three sons and two daughters. He was educated in the Ithaca Academy, and on leaving school was three years in his father's store. In 1860 he went to New York where he engaged in business, first as a clerk and rapidly rose to partnership, living there fourteen years. Returning to Ithaca in 1874, he has been engaged in various enterprises, now a dealer in real estate and investment securities, and representative of some of the old line insurance companies.

Jennings, Frank S., was born in Moravia, February 16, 1857, and was educated in the Moravia High School under Prof. C. O. Roundy. He also attended the Medical Department of the Syracuse University for one year and afterwards graduated from the Medical Department of the University of the City of New York, receiving a phy- sician's diploma from that institution, and has been a practicing physician since. At the age of twenty-three he married Mary Given, daughter of William R. Given, of the town of Dryden, to which town he removed in the spring of 1884. He has one daughter, Laura Jennings. In addition to his regular practice, he has added the con- ducting of a drug store with a full line of drugs, toilet and fancy articles. In 1888 he received the appointment of postmaster, and for four years the post-office was located in his present store. He takes an active interest in educational and religious matters, being a member of the Board of Education.

Jones, M. E., was born July 4, 1864, in the town of Ithaca and educated in the com- mon schools. After leaving school he learned the miller's trade, going into partner- ship with J. E. Van Natta, then went to Ohio, and built a hundred-barrel mill for the North Jackson Milling Co. Our subject married at the age of twenty-six May Rhodes, daughter of George Rhodes, of Ithaca. He is a Republican in politics, and takes an active and intelligent interest in church and school matters. In March, 1892, he bought the Pugsley farm of seventy acres, where he now resides, raising the usual farm crops of hay, grain and stock. Also he makes a specialty of lumbering, cutting pine and hemlock, for which he finds a ready market in Ithaca. Mr. Jones is known as an energetic and prosperous young farmer.

Janson, Henry, was born in Caroline, January 15, 1823. Daniel, his father, was a native of Ulster county, and came here with his parents when three years of age. He followed farming all his life on the place now occupied by our subject. His wife was Sallie Bush of Tompkins county, and Henry was their oldest son. The latter has been twice married, first to Miss Mc Whorter, by whom he had one son, now living on a farm near his father. His present wife was Miss Silsby, of Tioga county. Mr. Janson is a Granger, and a Republican.

Jervis, Benjamin Franklin, son of Timothy and Phoebe Bloomfield Jervis, was born at Rome, Oneida county, July 2, 1816. Hewaseducated at the Grosvenor Acad- emy in Rome. At the age of seventeen he engaged as clerk in the hardware store kept by Jas. Sayre & Co. at Utica. In 1834 he was appointed clerk in the Bank of Rome. In 1836 he received appointment in the Albany City Bank. His heath fail- ing he accepted the place of teller in the Madison County Bank at Cazenovia, N. Y. remaining there about two years. These places were filled with satisfaction to him- self and to his employers. At the suggestion and under the advice of his oldest

LANDMARKS OF TOMPKINS COUNTY.

brother, John B. Jervis, he engaged in mercantile and milling business at Rome, Annsville and New York City, about twelve years. In 1856 he was appointed cashier of the Bank of Cazenovia and held this appointment about fifteen years, at the end of which time the affairs of the bank were in very satisfactory condition. He was then elected president. Soon after this the bank suffered heavy losses from the failure of parties to whom large consignments had been made and from the fire at Chicago which nearly destroyed the city and in which the bank held large amount of property, making this portion of his experience distressingly unfortunate. From Cazenovia he went to Toledo, Ohio, and engaged as auditor of the Toledo, Ann Ar- bor and North Michigan Railway Co. He remained with that company fourteen years, acting in the capacity of auditor and treasurer and secretary-the last two years being as secretary and located in New York City, which office he resigned in 1891 and removed to Ithaca. He was married in 1840 to Miss Louise M. Chandler, of Cazenovia, who died at Toledo, July 3, 1879. From this marriage there was one son, John Bloomfield, Second, who died March 10, 1869, aged nineteen years. He was again married on November 28, 1852, to Miss Martha Marsh, daughter of the late Doctor Richard and Rebecca Jacques Marsh, of Rahway, N. J. The Jervis family are of French descent. dating back in this country to the seventeenth century.

Janson, John, was born in Caroline, April 4, 1825, a son of Daniel, who was born in Ulster county, and moved to this county when three years old. Daniel married Sallie, daughter of D. Bush, and of their nine children our subject was the second. he being sixty-eight years old at the present writing. He worked at carpentry for about five years, and since that has followed it more or less, together with farming, during the past forty years. August 21, 1853, he married Anna M., daughter of William Van Iderstine, of Caroline, and they were the parents of four children, one being deceased at the age of eighteen years. In politics Mr. Janson has always voted with the Republicans.

Hall, John L., was born February 10, 1844. in the town of Danby and educated in the district school, to which he has added by reading and close observation. He married at the age of twenty-two Fannie M., daughter of Almond Pitts, of East Charleston, Tioga county, Pa., by whom he has had two children, a son and a daughter. He is a Republican in political views, and has held the office of school trustee for eight years. In 1868 he bought the farm of 100 acres where he now lives, and on which he raises large quantities of grain, hay and stock. Our subject is known as a conservative man of high principles and as a man who takes great inter- est in the welfare of his town, being one of the leading members of the old Farmer's Club, of which he was presiding officer several years.

Houtz. Col. George H., was born in the town of Dryden, July 16, 1835. His father, John H. Houtz, was engaged in the merchandise and milling business, building the Etna mills in 1835, which at his decease, which occurred in 1869, was continued by his son, Col. George H. Houtz. Our subject received his education in the common schools and after leaving school at once joined his father in his many business inter- ests. He takes the Republican side in politics and has been town clerk for twenty- five consecutive years, but an active business life has prevented the acceptance of many nominations tendered him. Our subject is one of the prominent business men

FAMILY SKETCHES.

in his town, a man noted for his ability and energy, prominently identified in advance- ing its best interests and in educational and religious matters.

Houpt, Theron, was born in the town of Ovid, Seneca county, June 22, 1849, and received his early education in the common schools, finishing at the Dryden Acad- emy, under Jackson Graves. At the age of thirty he married Laura E. Tyler, daughter of Richard C. Tyler, of Virgil, Cortland county. In 1890 Mr. Houpt bought the R. C. Tyler property, and in 1893 purchased a part of the Anson Stickle estate, owning eighty-six acres in all, and raising hay, grain, etc. He however makes a specialty of winter dairving. He is a well-known citizen, and takes a thorough in- terest in educational and religious matters.

Farrington, Warren G., was born at Jacksonville, Ulysses, January 19, 1840, was educated in the public schools and follows farming. December 27, 1865, he married Charlotte Tichenor, of Trumansburgh, and they have had five children: W. Sherman, Edgar H., Clarence M., George L., and Leroy. W. Sherman married Nettie Craw- ford, of Ithaca, and they have two children, W. Russell and Ruth. Edgar H. mar- ried Anna Riddle, of Jacksonville, and they have a daughter, Hazel. Mr. Farring- ton's father, William, was born in Dutchess county, November 15, 1807, and was a shoemaker in early life, later taking up farming, but returning to the boot and shoe trade again in Jacksonville. He married Catherine Kelley, formerly of New Jersey, and came to this county in 1832. They had four children; George K., Warren G., Martha M., and Mary C. William died in 1892, and his wife in 1890. Mrs. Farring- ton's father, Sherman Tichenor, was a native of Dutchess county, who came to this region, where he married Amy Rudy, of Trumansburgh, by whom he had three daughters: Charlotte, Lucy, and Emma. Mr. Tichenor died in 1887, and his wife in 1880.

Cormish, Mary, widow of Dyer Cormish, was born in Newfield in 1839. Dycr Cormish, her deceased husband, was born in Lansing July 20, 1829. His occupation through life was that of a farmer. His father, Hiram, was a native of Tompkins county, always following farming, owning his farm until within a few years of his death. He married Abigail Patchen, of Lansing, and they had seven children, the husband of our subject being next to the oldest. He died at the age of sixty-four years. He was always an active Republican.

Cole, Frank C., was born in the town of Caroline, April 30, 1853, a son of William D., a native of Pompey; Onondaga county, who died in Ithaca in 1889. William D. was the father of nine children, of whom Frank was the third son. The latter was educated at the public schools and at the age of seventeen he began learning the tinner's trade. He afterwards came to Ithaca, where he was employed with Mr. Fillingham for eight years, and then went with Treman, King & Co., as foreman, where he has ever since been engaged. Mr. Cole is a member of the K. of P., the I. O. R. M., and of the R. A. In 1871 he became a member of the Fire Department, and he is now serving his fifth term as chief. In 1876 Mr. Cole married Lydia A. Kings- bury, daughter of John H. Kingsbury, a retired grocer of this city, and they have had two children, both deceased.

Cooper, William, was born in Ulster county, September 29, 1808. His father, Charles, was a native of Connecticut, who settled in Ulster county on a farm, and

LANDMARKS OF TOMPKINS COUNTY.

moved in 1816 to this county, where in 1864 he died. He married Betsey, daughter of Orsemous North, of Ulster county, and they had eight children. William, our subject, lived at home until his twenty-third year, when he started for himself. He also worked for the D. L. & W. Railroad a short time. At the age of twenty-five in November, 1832, he married Abigail, daughter of Henry Seely, of this county. He has had four children: Charles H., Ezelia, Elosia, and Homer, the latter two de- ceased. Mr. Cooper's education was acquired in the common schools and he has lived on his present farm ever since his marriage. He is Republican in politics.

Chase, D. Wesley, was born in Groton, April 6, 1827, a son of David K., a native of Vermont, born June 5, 1797, an axmaker and shoemaker by trade, who came to Groton with his parents about 1800. In 1819 he married Bathsheba Leonard, born in 1803, a daughter of Andrew and Anna (Morton) Leonard, natives of Vermont, and they had four children: Leonard W., Hardin W., D. Wesley, and Anna Jane. In 1838 Mr. Chase went to Toledo, O., where he spent the remainder of his life. His widow married Aaron Hotchkiss, and died in Cortland. The parents of David were Amariah and Sophia Chase, of Vermont, who came to Groton and settled on the soldier's claim of Mr. Chase, he having served in the Revolution, and been in General Washington's service. The family dates back in America, to one Aquilla Chase, son of Sir Robert Chase, who was grandfather to Sir William Townley, who joined Charles Stewart at Manchester and was taken prisoner at the Battle of Bannockburn. He was executed for high treason, his property confiscated, and in 1844 the estate was released from confiscation by Lord Brougham. Aquilla came to Hampton, N. H. from Cornwall, England, in 1639. He was born in 1618. D. Wesley Chase was bound out at the age of seven to a farmer named Martin Howe where he remained until fourteen years of age, then learned the blacksmith's trade, farming on shares, etc., and in 1852 went to California where he engaged in mining for two years, then returned to Lansing. Later he bought two farms in Homer, which he conducted for seven years then sold and went to Groton, where he bought and sold again. In 1870 he removed to Lansing and bought a place of 106 acres, where he has since lived, and to which he has added fifty acres. In 1846 he married Phoebe Ann Howe, daughter of Martin and Zillah (Buck) Howe, of Lansing, who was born in 1823. Mr. and Mrs. Chase have had five children: Lovinus and Lovina (twins), born in 1847; Oscar E., born in 1850; John Wesley, born in 1852; Marietta, born in 1860, wife of George H. Strong, of Lansing. Lovina married J. J. Chase, of Mason, Ill. Lovinus died at the age of eleven. Oscar was killed by the cars in Cincinnati, O.

Beers, Fred E., was born in Waverly, June 29, 1861, and came to the town of Danby with his father, A. J. Beers. In 1863 he bought what was known as the George Adriance property, comprising 260 acres, and here he now resides. A. J. Beers died February 24, 1891, leaving his estate to our subject and his brothers. In 1885 he bought the property known as the Allen place, of eighty acres. Fred E. was edu- cated in the district schools, to which he has added by reading and intelligent obser- vation, also taking a course of business preparation at Eastman's College, Pough- keepsie. Mr. Beers is a Republican in politics, and takes much interest in educational matters, having served as trustee of the school for some time. He is also steward of the M. E. church of South Danby. He handles fertilizers, etc., and his principal crops are hay and grain. At the age of twenty-one he married Annie, daughter of George Denniston, and they have one daughter, Mertie.

FAMILY SKETCHES.

Mandeville, the Rev. Gerrit, was born at Pompton Plains, Morris county, N. J., on the 9th day of April, 1775. Of his ancestors, we only know that they came from Holland at an early day and settled near New Amsterdam. His father was a far- mer, presumably a good one, certainly a careful one, as we learn from an anecdote which has come down from Revolutionary times, in which it is said: General Wash- ington, while making his house headquarters, paid his farming a compliment by tak- ing him to task as being unduly particular, in taking up and resetting one of a long line of posts in a new post-and-rail fence, because it had not been set quite deep enough. According to the Dutch custom of that time, of educating the bright boy for a preacher, Gerrit seems to have been dedicated to the ministry while quite young, and his studies directed towards it. He entered Hackensack Academy at an early age, and made so good progress that at the age of thirteen he was fitted for the high school of Flatbush, Long Island, known as Erasmus Hall. Here he completed his classical studies; becoming very proficient in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, as well as Dutch, in which language he preached much of the time while on his first charge; in fact, Dutch was his mother tongue, and English the second language he acquired. He studied divinity under Dr. John Livingston, and entered the ministry of the Re- formed Protestant Dutch Church when twenty-two years of age. He was first set- tled in the town of Warwarsing, Ulster county, N. Y., where, and in the adjoining town of Rochester, he preached alternately about five years. While there he married a Miss Maria De Witt, of Warwarsing, a cousin of Simeon De Witt; and there his first son was born. At that time the conquest of the western wilderness had become the great ambition of the enterprising of the East; and Central and Western New York were the Great West to New England and New York then. Scouts went thither and brought back wonderful stories of the grandeur of its forests and the fertility of its soil; often bringing some of the earth with them to prove their statements. Ar- mies for the conquest of this northern El Dorado were being recruited in every ham- let of the East; and Warwarsing contributed its full quota, no doubt stimulated in this by their townsman, Simeon De Witt, surveyor-general of the State, who had taken much interest in the settlement of Central New York. The subject of this sketch concluded to join the army of occupation ; so one day in 1804 he mounted his horse and started for the wilds of the West-more wild then, perhaps, than now can be found between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. After a long ride through the wild- erness he reached the hamlet of Ithaca at the head of Cayuga Lake. Here he found a Presbyterian Church newly organized, consisting of thirteen members, to whom he preached, and from whom he received a call to be their settled pastor. In the follow- ing year he brought his family from Ulster county, and was installed pastor of the little church. He held service here and at Trumansburgh on alternate Sundays until about 1812, when he removed to the town of Caroline in the same county, where he organized a Reformed Dutch Church-the church of his fathers-with which he re- mained connected during the remainder of his life, as pastor for twenty-five years, and as occasional supply until his death. Mr. Mandeville was a man of much learn- ing and ability ; and his influence was for good, in the literary advancement of the town of his adoption, as well as were his moral and religious teachings. He taught school, preached, and cleared up a new farm, leading a life uneventful, perhaps, but active and useful. The Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler was one of his pupils; and that eminent divine tells with pleasure of the years he spent in study, on the farm among

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Landmarks of Tompkins County, New York : including a history of Cornell University, Part 93

Author: Hewett, Waterman Thomas, 1846-1921; Selkreg, John H Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1194

Author: Hewett, Waterman Thomas, 1846-1921; Selkreg, John H
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1194