USA > New York > Madison County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Madison County, New York > Part 82
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97
Sadler, George S., was born in Ingham Mills, August 31, 1845. His father, Samuel Sadler, was a native of England and came to the United States, settling in the town
120
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
of Elmira with his parents. Later he moved to Herkimer and in 1844 purchased Ingham Mills and was one of the pioneer millers of the Mohawk valley. He mar- ried Lavinia, daughter of John F. Bellinger. George S. Sadler was educated in the common schools and the Little Falls Academy. In 1872 he became interested in railroad building and was engaged with the Lehigh Valley road for twenty-five years. In 1868 Mr. Sadler married Melissa C., daughter of Ephraim Claus. Mr. Sadler was one of the progressive business men of Madison county, serving as pres- ident of the village, water commissioner eight years and was elected supervisor in 1898.
Stroud, Hon. R. W., was born at Canastota, town of Lenox, Madison county, N. Y., February 13, 1842, where his father and grandfather were early settlers. He was educated in Canastota and McGrawville, and was prepared for civil engineer under the personal supervision of Hon. John B. Jervis, an eminent and widely known member of the profession. whom he succeeded as chief engineer of the Canastota and Cazenovia Railroad. Two years before the completion of the Chenango Valley road he accepted the position of chief engineer, and in 1872 was nominated and elected canal commissioner. In 1872 he married Ella, daughter of Gen. B. F. Bruce. He died in Syracuse December 2, 1875. Mr. Stroud's strong individuality, and en- ergy, with superior judgment, were characteristics which contributed largely to the rare qualifications which made his comparatively young life unusually successful. His acquaintance was broad especially among public men and his genial nature and fidelity to friends made him universally popular.
Sikes, John H., p. o. Canastota, was born in Waterville, Oneida county, N. Y., Oc- tober 26, 1801, a son of Daniel and grandson of Judge Reuben Sikes of Somers, Conn .; his brother, J. Warren Sikes, started the first stage in the United States. Daniel Sikes was born in Somers, Conn., removed to Waterville. Oneida county, and in 1811 to Lenox, where he lived and died. John H. Sikes came to Lenox when ten years old and died there March 25, 1889; his wife was Ruth Darby of Tolland, Conn. Mr. Sikes was a farmer and brick maker; he and his wife had three chil- dren: Reuben C. of Stockbridge: Ellen L., wife of Merton Smith of Syracuse, and Nancy L., wife of McCleary Lockhart who was born in Albany county, May 31, 1840, a son of William and Sarah (McCleary) Lockhart, and came to Madison county in 1843, and later to Lenox, where he died in 1886, and his wife May 16, 1877. To Mr. Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart were born three children: Ella R., Ernest W., and Louis M.
Stephens, Albert G., was born in Durhamville. December 6, 1844. His father, Dewitt C. Stephens, was born in Stephensville, Albany county, in 1810, which town was named after Archibald Stephens. Dewitt C. married Sarah, daughter of Thomas Conkling. He came to Durhamville in 1826, where he built the glass works, a twenty-five mile section on the Erie Railroad, and a section of the Erie Canal, through the Montezeuma marshes. He was member of Assembly and supervisor of his town. In 1865 he moved to Oneida, where he died in 1889. Albert G. Stephens was educated in Cazenovia Seminary, and entered upon the glass trade in Constantia, taking charge of the works and purchasing one-half of the
121
PERSONAL REFERENCES.
plant, which he operated until 1876. In 1877, with his brother Clinton he purchased his father's property of 700 acres. In 1870 he married Mary A., daughter of John R. Mitchell; their children are Dewitt C., Mrs. D. G. Chrisman, and Irma. Mr. Stephens is one of the progressive business men of Madison county, taking an intelli- gent interest in school and church matters, and has ever advanced the best interests of his town and townspeople.
Souter, John W., was born in the town of Sullivan, December 13, 1865. His father, William Souter, was a native of Johnstown, and his father, Isaac, of Germany. Isaac first settled in Johnstown and came to Canastota in 1802, where he was engaged in the jewelry business. His son William followed him in the business, and was one of the first to build a boat on the old canal; he was engaged in canal transportation up to 1880. He married Matilda, daughter of Leonard Whitney; he died January 2, 1894. John W. Souter was educated in the common schools and at Chittenango. He engaged in the produce business at Clockville in 1886, and in 1892 came to Canastota, where at the present time he is one of the largest shippers in New York State of hay, grain, potatoes, apples, onions and other produce. In 1885 Mr. Souter married Martha, daughter of E. A. Bridge, and they have one daughter, Myrtle. Mr. Souter is one of the progressive business men of Madison county, served as trustee of the village two terms, and merits and receives the respect of the community.
Stimson, John E., was born in Caughdenoy, N. Y., October 4, 1854. His father, John F. Stimson, was a native of Chittenango, N. Y., born in 1822, and his father, Jonathan, was a native of Scotland and came to the town of Canastota, settling at Quality Hill, when a boy, being one of the first white people to come to the Mohawk valley, and one of the first settlers in Madison county; he died in 1833, in his 94th year. John F. Stimson married Nancy, daughter of Elder Deacon. John E. Stim- son was educated in the common schools, and engaged in dealing in hay and grain and canal transportation. In 1871 he married Lydia A., daughter of Christopher Van Slyke, and they have two sons, William H. and Reuben L. Mr. Stimson is one of the self-made men of Madison county, serving as deputy sheriff and chief of the police force twenty years and deputy U. S. marshal for eight years.
Sherwood, J. T., was born at Oneida Lake, February 14, 1855. His father, Joseph Sherwood, was a native of England and came to the United States in 1850, settling in Madison county; he married Ann Rhodes, and through life was engaged in deal- ing in live stock; he died in 1862. J. T. Sherwood was educated at Oneida Valley and was engaged in canal transportation. In 1892 he established his coal business, handling 2,000 tons per year. In 1875 Mr. Sherwood married Flora A., daughter of Harrison Allen, and they have one daughter, Grace, aged fifteen. Mr. Sherwood is one of the self-made men of Madison county, and has served as street commis- sioner, trustee and poormaster of his town.
Stanton, Albert C., p. o. Georgetown .- William A. Stanton's genealogy of the Stanton family in America, to which we are indebted for the following particulars, shows Albert C. Stanton to be a descendant, in the eighth generation, of Thomas
122
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Stanton, the emigrant ancestor, who came to this conntry in 1635 on the merchant- man Bonaventura, being then twenty years of age. He first located in Virginia, but the records show that in 1636 he was serving as a magistrate in Boston. He served through the Pequot War, acting as an Indian interpreter. He married Ann, eldest daughter of Dr. Thomas and Dorothy Lord. The exact date is not known, but it was between the years 1638 and 1639. They had ten children, one of whom was Capt. John, the subject's lineal ancestor. He was born in Hartford, Conn., in 1641, and married Hannah Thompson in 1664. February 18, 1675, he was commissioned captain of one of the four Connecticut regiments in King Philip's War. There were six children born of this union: Joseph, son of Capt. John, was born June 22. 1668, married Margaret, daughter of Nathaniel and Hannah (Denison) Chesebro. They had nine children. Lieut. Joseph Stanton, seventh child, was born May 1, 1712, married Ann Wheeler of Stonington, Conn., November 6, 1735, and died March 14, 1773. Their issue was eleven children. Joseph, born May 31, 1739, married Han- nah Chesebro, April 22, 1767, and died in 1832. Amos, son of Joseph, was born in Groton, Conn., June 10, 1773, married Sabra Palmer of Edmeston, N. Y., December 13, 1795. Amos C., father of the subject, was born in Otselic, N. Y., May 7, 1798. He married and by his first wife had children, Samuel and Sally. He married sec- ond, Azubah Duncan in February, 1818. To this union were born two children: Har- rison M., and Albert C., the latter being born in Otselic, July 30, 1835. He was edu- cated in the district schools and when he was twelve years old his father died and he with his mother removed to Georgetown. He was thrown on his own resources and served an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade, which he afterward followed until 1867, when he retired from active work. On January 29, 1853, he married Susan Brown of Georgetown. She was born March 30, 1837, a daughter of John and Emily (Hawks) Brown. They have two children: Mary E. (who married Har- vey E. Priest), and died November 3, 1884, and Minna B. (now Mrs. Charles E. Thompson). Mr. Stanton is a prominent member of Cautious Lodge No. 726, A. F. & A. M. He has a pleasant home in the village of Georgetown. He has been a most successful business man and has accumulated a handsome competency wholly by his own energy and industry, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of all those who know him and especially those who have had business dealings with him. Po- litically he supports the principles of the Republican party. He has held the office of justice of the peace for eighteen years and town clerk for ten years. Mr. Stanton has been faithful to every trust confided to his care, and the citizens recognize in him one to whom they may safely confide the highest public interests.
Stoddard, Albert A., p. o. Georgetown, was born in the town of Otselic, Chenango county, N. Y., March 9, 1828. He is a descendant in the eighth generation of John Stoddard, who is known to have been a large landholder in Wethersfield, Conn., as early as 1639. The line of descendants is as follows: (1) John, (2) John, (3) John, (4) Moses, who was one of the petitioners for the incorporation of Newington as a separate ecclesiastical society, (5) Aaron, who served in the Revolutionary war, and was captured by the British, and died a prisoner; he was born in Litchfield, July 15, 1739; (6) David, born in Litchfield, Conn., November 15, 1773; in 1803 came to New York with his family, bringing his household effects in a covered wagon drawn by
123
PERSONAL REFERENCES.
oxen, and his wife, Dorcas Kent Stoddard, rode horseback, carrying her youngest child in her arms. They were the second family that settled in what is now the town of Otselic, Chenango county; (7) Harmon, father of the subject of the sketch, born in Litchfield, Conn., June 27, 1797, and was but six years of age when he came to this State with his parents. He married Clarissa Maria Brown, who was born in Stephentown, Rensselaer county, and they had eight children: Albert A., Clarissa Maria, Cordelia, Sarah, Mary L., Noyes W., Elvira M., and Dever. Albert A. was educated at the common schools of his district, afterward at De Ruyter In- stitute, and at seventeen commenced teaching in a neighboring district, receiving eleven dollars per month and board. He was thus engaged until March 11, 1851, when he married Julia A., daughter of William P. and Betsey (Bartlett) Hare. A year later he engaged in farming and kept a public house in Otselic on the farm on which his grandfather first settled. Mr. Stoddard was successfully engaged in farming until 1870, when he retired and removed to the village of Georgetown, where he has since resided. Mr. and Mrs. Stoddard have an only child, a son, J. Floyd, a successful merchant in Georgetown. Politically he is a Democrat. At the age of twenty one years Mr. Stoddard was elected superintendent of common schools of the town of Otselic for a term of two years, and was re-elected for the two suc- ceeding terms. He was elected supervisor of the same town in the spring of 1860, defeating the popular young Republican, David B. Parce by twenty-three majority ; he was re-elected in 1861 by an increased majority, although the town was largely Republican at that time. He refused a renomination in 1862. He served as chair- man of the railroad commissioners of the town of Otselic, and as such signed the coupons of the railroad bonds of that town. He represented Georgetown two years as a member of the Madison county board of supervisors. He was elected justice of the peace in 1873, but refused to qualify. Under each of President Cleveland's terms he held the office of postmaster of Georgetown. Fraternally he is a member of Cau- tious Lodge No. 736, F. & A. M., and was its first master. An upright, honorable and conscientious man he has the esteem and good-will of all who know him.
Stoddard, J. Floyd, p. o. Georgetown, a public-spirited and useful citizen of Mad- ison county, an enterprising merchant of the village of Georgetown, is the only son and child of Albert A. and Julia A. (Hare) Stoddard, was born in the town of Otse- lic, Chenango county, N. Y., July 24, 1857. His education was begun in the district schools of his native town and in 1870, he removed with his parents to Georgetown, where he attended the public schools. He afterward took a year's course at the Utica high school, and subsequently at the Cazenovia seminary. After finishing his schooling he engaged in the flour and feed business in Georgetown, which business he conducted two years. He then sold his business and removed to Otselic on his father's farm, where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits three years; but not be- ing satisfied with that vocation he returned to Georgetown and in 1884 established what is now the leading mercantile house in Georgetown. In 1890, in company with Arthur E. Drake, he bought another stock of goods belonging to W. A. Hare and the two were consolidated. The firm of Stoddard & Drake carried on business un- til April 5, 1895, when Mr. Stoddard succeeded the firm and has since conducted the business alone. Mr. Stoddard is a good business man and his prosperity is largely
124
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
due to his own industry and thrift. He is held in high esteem by a large circle of social and business acquaintances. On February 15, 1877, he married Nettie A., youngest daughter of Epaphroditus and Susan (Conant) Whitmore. They have two children: Lonnelle M., born May 2, 1880, and W. Marie, born June 22, 1893. Mr. Stoddard has been shown the high appreciation in which he is held by his towns- men, by being elected to the office of justice of the peace three terms, justice of ses- sions two terms, and three years inspector of election. He is now serving his third year as secretary of the Board of Education in this village. Fraternally he is a mem- ber of Cautious Lodge, No. 726, F. & A. M., and the Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets, Hamilton, N. Y. In every department of life Mr. Stoddard has ably filled the sta- tion in which he has been placed, and is regarded by his townspeople as a thoroughly honorable and upright man.
-
Smith, Ira E., belongs to a family originally from Holland, who were settled in the eastern part of this State at an early period of its history. His immediate pro- genitors lived in Chatham, Columbia, county, N. Y., and afterward removed to De Ruyter and then to Lincklaen, Chenango county, where he was born August 29, 1855. His grandfather, Henry Smith, was born in Chatham and died at the ripe old age of ninety-one years. He married Margaret -, who was also born in Chatham, and they had nine children, one of whom was Richard P., father of Ira E. Richard P. Smith was born August 16, 1806, in Chatham, and died October 6, 1883, at Lincklaen. He married Eliza, daughter of Luther and Elizabeth (Wagner) Justice, December 31, 1835. She was born November 28, 1817, and died July 3, 1892. To this union were born ten children: Mary J. (Mrs. W. S. Haskell); Pheba M, (widow of Albert Bald- win); Philip N., who married Ellen Williams; Spencer (deceased); Byron B., who married Emmer Williams; Marcia E., married William Dana; Nelson A. (deceased); Eunice L. (deceased); Frank A., who married Ida Wells; Ira E., and Kitty A. (widow of Samuel G. Keim). Ira E. Smith received a good education in the com- mon schools and remained at home on his father's farm until December 6, 1886, when he removed to De Ruyter and engaged in the furniture and undertaking busi- ness, which he still carries on with unusual success. On October 2, 1889, he married Blanche M., daughter of Frank D., and Nancy (Angell) Wire. Mr. Smith in politics is a sound Republican and has held the office of town clerk two terms. Fraternally he is a member of De Ruyter Lodge, No. 692, F. & A. M. He is a trustee of the village corporation, one of the originators of the village water works, and a stock- holder in the village gas plant. Mr. Smith is a man of good business qualifications and of industrious and thrifty habits. He is popular among his townspeople and is well known as a wide-awake, enterprising merchant, looking not only to his own in- terests, but to the advancement and progress of his town.
Spear, Mrs. Annie Augusta, a resident of the village of De Ruyter, and widow of the late Lyman F. Spear, and was born in Cayuga, N. Y., October 4, 1848. Her grandfather, David Reynolds, was a native of Rhode Island, who with his wife, Susan (Bentley) Reynolds, came to New York State at an early date. Mrs. Spear is a daughter of the Rev. Schuyler and Amanda A. (Johnston) Reynolds. When she was a child of thirteen she went to live with the family of Joseph Stafford, and on
125
PERSONAL REFERENCES.
November 24, 1865, at the age of twenty, married Leroy P., a son of Joseph and Polly A. (Jones) Stafford. He was for many years a dealer in horses, grain, produce, etc., and died May 21, 1891. On November 19, 1892, she married Lyman F. Spear, who was for a number of years, or up to the time of his death, a successful harness dealer in the village of De Ruyter. Mr. Spear was a prominent member of De Ruy- ter Lodge, F. & A. M., the A. O. U. W., and the fire department. His death oc- curred in August, 1897. Mrs. Spear is a lady possessed of all true womanly virtues and one of those that prefers the quiet of home life to the empty honors and exacting demands of social life. She is an active member of the Congregational church, has a wide circle of friends in her town and county, and the good will and esteem of all.
Scoville, J. Edward, is a native of Pompey, N. Y., where he was born January 17, 1860. His father was Charles Edwin Scoville, a contractor on the Syracuse, Bing- hamton & New York Railroad, and latterly a farmer. The Scoville genealogy is traceable to Sir Arthur Scoville of the fourteenth century, in England. The first American ancestor was James Scoville, who settled in Pompey, Onondaga county, at an early date. J. E. Scoville spent his boyhood in Manlius, N. Y., where his father had purchased what is known as the Scoville homestead in 1864, and is now occu- pied by a brother, Addison E. Scoville. His mother was Mary Putnam Gould, a lineal descendant on her maternal side of the famous Gen. Israel Putnam, and a daughter of one of the pioneers of the county of Onondaga. Mr. Scoville early showed a marked genius for the mechanical arts and for adventure. He came to Canaseraga in 1888 and operated a general milling business, having previously been engaged in the same line at Chittenango and elsewhere. In 1895 he installed a tele- phone line from mill to mill, now grown into a large system, having lines to Lake- port, Bridgeport and to Syracuse, in all no less than sixteen long distance lines. In July, 1897, he went into the Klondike region and established a telephone exchange at Dawson, the first one in that territory, and the most northerly exchange in the world. He is now general manager of the Yukon telegraph and telephone company, also owning several undeveloped gold claims. After a winter within the Arctic cir- cle Mr. Scoville was suddenly recalled by the illness of his wife, who died here August 4, 1898. She was Eva, daughter of Horace Wheeler of Fayetteville, and left two children.
Smith, Lucian B., son of William and Lovina (Conglin) Smith, was born in the town of Taylor, Cortland county, N. Y., June 10, 1844. His father, who was a tan- ner and currier by trade, was a native of Chatham, Mass., and one of the early settlers in Corland county. Of his union with Lovina Conglin eleven children were born, of whom seven survive: Maria, wife of James Allen of New Woodstock; Emeline, wife of William Petrie of Cuyler, Cortland county; Harriet, widow of Dr. L. Greene of Taylor, Cortland county; Willis, of Chenango county; Gerrett, of Ellenville, Ulster county, and Lucian B. Smith. The latter was educated at De Ruyter academy and has always followed the occupation of farming. He located on his present farm of 200 acres near New Woodstock village in 1875. A Republi- can in politics, Mr. Smith is one of the representative men of the town of Cazenovia. He has served the town as highway commissioner three years, and while a resident
126
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
of the town of Lincklaen, Chenango county, served as assessor three years. He is a member of De Ruyter Lodge, F. & A. M. Mr. Smith married Eunice A. Barber, daughter of George Barber of Cazenovia. They have one son, William H. Smith, a resident of New Woodstock village.
Smith, Charles Edward, p. o. Hamilton, was born at Mobile, Ala. At fifteen years of age he left the South and was educated at the Troy Polytechnic School. When the war of the rebellion broke out he went with the Confederate army as a lieuten- ant of engineers and served through the entire war. After the war he located in New York and resided there until 1889, when he settled in Hamilton. Mr. Smith is a prominent Mason, being a member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council, and Com- mandery and of the Veiled Prophets. His parents were Charles and Martha B. (Todd) Smith. His great-great-grandfather was in the French and Indian wars, and Capt. Abijah Smith was a soldier in the Revolutionary war.
Thompson, Luther Brownell, son of Jervis J., and Jane (Brownell) Thompson, was born in Cazenovia, November 21, 1833. He was educated in the district schools and has always been a farmer, cultivating seventy-five acres. Mr. Thompson enjoys a large measure of the respect and esteem of his fellow townsmen and as a citizen is actively interested in all measures designed to promote the welfare of the town. He is a Democrat in politics but never held public office. He married, in 1861, Joanna A. Wagner, daughter of Aaron Wagner of Cazenovia. Of this union four children were born: Jennie E., wife of Norton S. Hall of Norwich; Hattie E., wife of Her- man Woodworth of Cornwall-on-the-Hudson; Fannie E. and Cora A. Thompson.
Truax, James, was born in Albany, N. Y., in 1804, and when a boy came to reside on the farm of Gerrit Smith, at Peterboro, where he remained until 1832. In that year he purchased a farm in Peterboro and conducted it until 1843, when he removed to Cazenovia and for about five years lived in what was known as the Krumbahr cot- tage, having the care of General Ledyard's farm. Then for twenty years he owned and occupied the farm on the east shore of the lake which became known as the Truax farm. In 1867 he retired, owing to advancing age, and took up his residence in Cazenovia village, where he became known to almost every resident as a genial and kindly gentleman. After his death Rev. Lyman Eddy, who had known him well, pronounced the following eulogy of him: " I should do violence to my own feelings were I to let this opportunity pass without offering a grateful tribute to his memory, in view of the evidence which many years' residence opposite my own dwelling have furnished of his sterling integrity in his business transactions, the excellence of his character as a peace maker, as a sympathizer and helper in afflic- tion, and as an unostentatious good-doer in behalf of the needy. More than once have I seen him quietly, I had almost said stealthily, ministering to the suffering and feeding the hungry, and when doubtless he was unaware that any eye, save that of the Infinite one, was witness to his kindness." Mr. Truax married, in 1832, Lovina Cleveland, daughter of Nehemiah Cleveland of Peterboro, who belonged to an ancient English family and numbered Sir Guy Cleveland among his ancestors. Of their union three children were born: Mrs. M. L. Ingersoll of Ilion, N. Y., James C.
127
PERSONAL REFERENCES.
Truax of Ilion, and Florence B. Truax of Cazenovia. Mr. and Mrs. Truax were the first family in Cazenovia to receive into their home people in search of the quiet of country life. Their farm by the lake was beautiful for situation and natural charms and many guests found a welcome there. Thus they were the practical founders of Cazenovia as a summer residence village.
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.