USA > New York > Madison County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Madison County, New York > Part 88
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Brown, Enoch D., was born in Perryville, August 7, 1833. His father, Walter Brown, was a native of Connecticut, and his grandfather was one of the first settlers in the town of Fenner. Walter Brown married a daughter of Enoch Dykeman and learned the cabinet maker's trade; he died in 1850. Enoch D. Brown was educated in the common schools and Cazenovia Seminary. He entered mercantile circles and in 1852 went to California, in 1854 to Missouri, and in 1857 settled in Canastota. In 1854 Mr. Brown married Catherine, daughter of William Thompson, and their chil- dren are Norton, Charles and Mrs. E. M. Petrie. Mr. Brown is one of the progres- sive men of his town; takes an intelligent interest in public affairs and enjoys the re- spect of the community.
Fearon, George T., p. o. Pratt's Hollow, who is known throughout this section of the State as one of the largest and most successful fruit growers of the region, was born in the vicinity of his present splendid residence, April 21, 1835, and was the grandson of George Fearon, the latter one of the respected early settlers of this part of Eaton : he is the son of Robert and Ann (Christian) Fearon, and lived at home with his parents until 1860, when he began work for himself by setting out a ten acre lot with apple and pear trees in Pratt's Hollow. Four years later he bought his father's 160-acre farm and began developing it as a fruit farm. As years passed the fruit acreage was increased and in 1876 Mr. Fearon discontinued hop growing and devoted his energies wholly to fruit growing and farming. The result of this busy life is now seen in a vast orchard and vineyard, of which fifty acres are devoted to berries and sixteen acres to grapes. On his land, and his son's adjoining, are 1,000 cherry trees, 1,000 peach trees, 200 plum trees and several thousand apple trees, con- stituting one of the largest orchards in the State. Mr. Fearon is known as a pro- gressive and successful business man. He is a Prohibitionist from principle, inter- ested in all worthy causes, yet takes no active part in public affairs. He is a mem- ber of the Independent church at Kenwood. On June 25, 1860, Mr. Fearon married Adella Thurston, and to her earnest co-operation has in good part been due his suc- cess in life. Of their three children, two are still living: David C., and Fred M., the latter of whom lives on the old Fearon homestead farm.
Gostling, G. & E., p. o. Morrisville .- William Gostling came to this country from
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Norfolk, England, in 1867, and brought with him three sons and two daughters. The family first settled in Pratt's Hollow, but at the end of the year Mr. Gostling bought a forty-acre farm west of Morrisville, on which he afterward lived and died. In England he had been an extensive farmer, managing 900 acres of land, and he was well on in years when he came to the United States. He died in 1878, aged eighty-four years, and his wife in 1883. The children in this family were John, who lives in Fenner; Maria, who married R. T. Jones; Susanna, widow of Alva Cole; Mary, who married Charles T. Bicknell; and George and Edward Gostling, both of Eaton and among that town's most industrious and thrifty farmers. Their present farm was purchased about 1881, and is well located at Williams' Corners. It con- tains 140 acres.
Coons, Charles A., p. o. Morrisville .- Darius Coons was born of sturdy Dutch stock in the Mohawk valley, and removed with his parents to Smithfield many years ago. The older generations of the family are now passed away, and distinct recol- lections of them are meagre. Darius was a farmer and lived in Smithfield until about a year before his death in 1879. His wife was Susan Perkins, by whom he had three children: Charles A., Samuel H., and Jane. Charles A. Coons was born in Smithfield in 1860, and spent much of his early life on a farm, In 1881 he came to Morrisville, and for the last thirteen years has been connected with the sheriff's office, having served under Sheriffs Burroughs, Manchester, Perry, and Carpenter. He is a strong Republican, and in whatever duties have fallen to his lot he has been an active and reliable official. In 1879 Mr. Coons married Margaret Caton.
Kelloway, W. M., p. o. Hamilton, was born in Hamilton, Madison county, N. Y., a son of Isaac and Ann Maria (Elliot) Kelloway, natives of England. He was edu- cated in the old academy under Professor Campbell, and began his business career as a dry goods clerk for A. T. Slocum, and subsequently studied medicine for a time with Dr. Oakes; but the death of this physician terminated Mr. Kelloway's medical studies. He then opened a restaurant and became a prominent caterer. In 1882 he embarked in the grocery business, which he has since conducted successfully. Mr. Kelloway is one of the oldest Masons in Hamilton, having joined that order when twenty-one years of age. He is a member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Command- ery and is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason; he is also a member of the order of Odd Fellows On June 28, 1872, Mr. Kelloway married Hattie M. Foster, and they have one daughter, Lyra C., who is a trained nurse in the Utica hospital.
Coman, E. R., p. o. Hamilton, was born at Morrisville, N. Y., October 26, 1840, and reared on his father's farm. In 1872 he learned the carpenter's trade, which he has since pursued with such success that he is the leading man in that business in Ham- ilton to-day. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is an active Republi- can, having served as delegate to many conventions. In 1862 Mr. Coman married Maria, daughter of Sheriff W. F. Bonney. They have four children: Mary, Cath- erine, Harriet, and Grace. Catherine Coman is a teacher in the high school at East Orange, N. J. Mr. Coman's parents were Stephen and Dorothea (Phelps) Coman. His mother was a native of Connecticut, and some of her ancestors were Revolution-
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ary soldiers. His father was a New York State man and his grandfather, Winsor Coman, was a native of Massachusetts.
Tackabury, N. J., was born in the town of Eaton, May 28, 1821. His father, James Tackabury, was a native of Ireland and settled in the town of Eaton in 1805, with his parents, Nathaniel and Sarah Tackabury. James Tackabury married Ann Bel- ton and through life was a farmer. He was prominent in the growth and develop- ment of his town, in both school and church, and was trustee of the M. E. church for many years; he died in 1885. N. J. Tackabury was educated in the common schools and Cazenovia Seminary. In 1848 he married Ellen, daughter of Robert Bowers, and their children were John B., I. Newton, Julia I. Moffet, Elizabeth G., and Anna A. Avery. Mr. Tackabury is one of the self-made men of Madison county, serving as assessor and taking an intelligent interest in school and church matters. He is a man of high character, and is respected and esteemed by the community.
Tyler, W. I., p. o. Chittenango, the progressive and successful funeral director of Chittenango, has been a resident here but six years, but is already counted among the representative business men of the place. He has no competitor as undertaker, and carries a large and elegant stock of furniture. Of an old Connecticut family, his father, the late D. C. Tyler, was a clergyman of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Tyler was born in this town November 4, 1868. He is a Republican in politics, and when placed in nomination last year for the position of collector of taxes, was the only successful nominee of that party. Mr. Tyler recently graduated from the Champion School of Embalming.
Green, A. W., p. o. Chittenango Station, for the last twenty-one years a merchant at Chittenango Station, was born at Lakeport, Madison county, March 1, 1840. His father, William L. Green, by trade a carpenter, came here from England, the land of his birth. Mr. Green had just attained his majority when the urgent call for vol- unteer soldiers came in 1862, and he at once enlisted, ranking as a corporal. After a little more than a year's service he was discharged by reason of serious illness. After the war he engaged in mercantile business at Lakeport for several years, then for about six years he conducted a farm in the same vicinity. On November 1, 1865, he married Gertrude E. Sayles, daughter of Brown Sayles, a contractor of Bridge- port. Mr. Green conducted a general store at Cicero two years and another at Can- aseraga about the same length of time, and in 1877 opened a store at Chittenango Station, at his present location. Here he deals in dry goods, groceries, hats and caps, boots and shoes, etc. Mr. Green is a stalwart Republican in politics and one of the representative men of his party. For fifteen years he has officiated as notary public and for nearly five years as justice of the peace.
Knowles, James H., p. o. Chittenango, one of the old time residents of the town of Sullivan, was born in this town on the farm which he yet owns, November 1, 1827. His father was James Knowles, a farmer, who was an early settler near Bridgeport, subsequently locating in the southern part of the town, where he died in
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1871. His paternal grandfather, John Knowles, was captain of a merchant ship. James H. Knowles learned the trade of wagon making when a young man; also operating a farm until quite recently, when he removed to the village of Chittenango, having a wagon repair shop next Carl's Opera House. He is a Republican, but not an active politician. His wife was Olive C. Yorke of Cazenovia, and they have four children.
Beckwith, Brevet Brigadier General Edward Griffin, son of Judge Barack Beck- with, and Polly (Kennedy) Beckwith, his wife, was born in Cazenovia, January 25, 1818. His father came into Cazenovia in 1803, bringing his own family and also his father, Rev. Roswell Beckwith, a Presbyterian minister, who afterwards affiliated with the Baptists. Roswell was a son of Elisha, who was killed at the battle of White Plains, whereupon his four sons immediately enlisted, including the minister, an uncommon procedure. Judge Barack Beckwith took up a farm on the lake which is the only one adjoining the lake still owned in the name of the original settler. He became a man of prominence in this region, representing the district in the State Legislature and holding various local positions of public trust; he died in the prime of life, in 1844. General Beckwith obtained his preliminary education at Cazenovia Seminary and entering West Point in 1838, was graduated with the class of 1842. He was assigned to the 3d Artillery, a regiment which was officered by many men who, during the civil war, became conspicuous on both the Federal and Confederate sides. He served throughout the Mexican war; in 1849 commanded the escort to the first governor of California, and in 1853 was appointed to succeed Captain Gunnison, who had been killed by the Indians, as commander of the survey of the Union Pacific railroad. During the civil war he served as chief commissary on the staffs of Gen- erals Patterson, Pope and Banks and was three times breveted for meritorious services. After the close of the war he was brought to Washington to settle the claims held against the commissary department throughout the country. His record of fidelity and ability in the accomplishment of this arduous task is too well known to need comment. He was retired upon his own application in 1879 and died in Washington in 1881, in the sixty-third year of his age. General Beckwith married in June, 1850, Cornelia Williamson, daughter of John P. Williamson of Savannah, Georgia. Two children were born to them: Madeline Beckwith and Nellie Beckwith.
Mitchell, Thomas H., p. o. Chittenango, the enterprising and popular proprietor of the Mitchell & French market in Chittenango, was born in this vicinity November 24, 1855. His father, the late Benjamin C. Mitchell, was of English birth and by trade a miller. He came to this country in 1854 and after leaving Chittenango in 1866 operated custom and flouring mills at Little Falls and at Middleville, N. Y. Thomas H. Mitchell lived at Little Falls from 1866 to 1873, when he returned to this place and learned the machinist's trade with Hon. Peter Walrath, in whose employ he remained until 1880. At that date he went into the market then conducted and owned by Clement Cook and soon took charge of the business, Mr. Cook retiring re- cently by reason of increasing age. December 24, 1879, Mr. Mitchell married Nellie L., daughter of Mr. Cook. They have one daughter, Clara L. Mitchell, born June 12, 1882. All are members of the Presbyterian Church of Chittenango. Mr. Mitch-
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ell is a Democrat in politics and has filled several minor offices with credit. He is recognized as a citizen of sterling worth, and commands a large proportion of busi- ness patronage.
Van Valkenburgh, A. T., D. D. S., was born in Chatham, October 9, 1829. His father, Burger Van Valkenburgh, was a native of New York State, his ancestors com- ing from Holland. He was a tanner and currier. A. T. Van Valkenburgh was edu- cated in the public schools at Stittville and Holland Patent. He studied dentistry with Dr. D. W. Perkins of Rome. In 1881 he came to Canastota. He has one son, J. G. Van Valkenburgh, a graduate from the Buffalo Dental College and now practicing in Canastota. Dr. Van Valkenburgh is one of the progressive men of Madison county, serving as president of his village and taking an active interest in the build- ing of the Canastota and Camden Railroad. He is a member of the Canastota Lodge No. 531, F. & A. M., the Camden Chapter and Rome Commandery No. 45.
Fort, William M., Ph. B., p. o. Chittenango, the efficient principal of Yates High School, Chittenango, was born at Stamford, Conn., January 18, 1867. The nativity of the family is Norman-French, and his Huguenot ancestors accepted the hospitali- ty of American shores about 1725. Soon after this time Abram Fort, the progenitor of that branch of the family now found in the Mohawk and upper Hudson valleys, located near Troy, N. Y., from whom the subject of our sketch is descended. Prof. Fort's father, Louis H. Fort, now resides near Schenectady. His boyhood was spent in Saratoga county, and his education, begun in the vicinity of Schenectady and con - tinued in Troy Conference Academy, was completed at the Albany Normal College and the Illinois Wesleyan University, from which institution he took his degree. Meantime he had acquired invaluable experience in teaching in the district schools of Saratoga and Schenectady counties, which led him upon the completion of his education to choose the profession of teaching as his life work His first work after his graduation was as an instructor in the Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn. The year following this he took charge of the union school at Baldwin, L. I., and in 1895 came here as principal of Yates High School, where his success has been marked and sub- stantial October 20, 1896, he married Grace O. Denny of Cold Spring, Putnam county, N. Y. Prof. Fort hold high standing in the fraternity of Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Good Templars, and of various educational societies, among the latter the Onondaga County Educational Council, and the As- sociation of Academic Principals of New York. He esteems it not the least among his honors to be president of the local chapter of the Theta Phi Fraternity, main- tained by the young men of Yates High School.
Matterson, H. H., p. o. Hamilton, was born in Otsego county, N. Y., a son of Nel- son W. Matterson, a native of New York State, and Sophia Hall, his wife, a native of New England. Mr. Matterson was reared on a farm, and subsequently went into the mercantile business and in 1887 came to Hamilton, where he established the business of which he is now the head. In September, 1897, he associated with him Frank Tooke, under the firm name of Matterson & Tooke. They are dealers in all kinds of wagons, cutters and sleighs, harnesses of every kind, robes and blankets
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and are the only house of their kind in Hamilton. Mr. Matterson is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is a Republican in politics. He married Harriet M. Prosser and they have one daughter, Florence S., now Mrs. F. B. Soden of Bain_ bridge.
Bushnell Addison, p. o. Lakeport, one of the oldest and most prominent citizens of Lakeport, was born in the vicinity of his present home, March 26, 1818. His fam- ily is one which has been identified with local history since the earliest settlement of northern Sullivan. His father was Reuben Bushnell, of Connecticut birth, and the family nativity is English. Mr. Bushnell has passed so much of a long and useful life in the immediate vicinity of Lakeport and owing to hereditary powers, as well as to pure and wholesome habits of life, carries his more than eighty years lightly. Always engaged in farming, he has prosecuted that avocation with the result of accu- mulating a large property and a cluster of choice farms aggregating over 400 acres. His lands have been, and still are, devoted largely to cattle and dairy products. When Reuben Bushnell first settled on the shores of Oneida Lake the primeval for- est was yet practically unbroken; now it is a smiling expanse of arable fields. Mr. Bushnell's handsome home, built about thirty years ago and on a site which has been his home for nearly half a century, commands a delightful expanse of lake and shore from its verandas. Mr. Bushnell first married, in 1842, Amelia Keeler of Chatham, Columbia county; she died in 1877 One daughter was born to them, who died in 1861. The lady who since 1878 has dispensed the hospitalities of his home, was before her marriage, Mrs. Emma C. Harpham She yet mourns the loss of an only son by a former marriage, Hermon Harpham. Mr. Bushnell was formerly a Republican, but for nearly thirty years has been an active and consistent member of the Prohibition party. Despite his many years, those who count a full score less might well envy him his physical stamina and unclouded intellect.
Shepardson, Frank Lucius, A. M., p. o. Hamilton, principal of Colgate Academy, was born at Princeton, Me., April 10, 1861, a son of Rev. L. F. Shepardson, a Bap- tist minister in New Hampshire, and Maria L. (Gage) Shepardson. Prof. Shepard- son was prepared for college at the high school in Providence, R. I., and after grad- uating from that institution in 1879 he entered Brown University, from which he was graduated with honors in the class of 1883. In his junior year he was made a member of the Phi Beta Kappa, an honor conferred for the highest scholarship. In 1884 Mr. Shepardson taught in a private school at Cumberland, and in the fall of 1885 he became instructor in Worcester Academy. In 1887 he was elected assistant principal. He remained in the Worcester Academy until 1896, and during 1894 and 1895 he was acting principal and in that capacity demonstrated his high abilities as an executive as well as an educator. In 1896 Prof. Shepardson became principal of Colgate Academy, and the institution is expanding in every way under his able di- rection.
Warrick, J. C., was born in Albany county, February 27, 1831. His father, Asa T. Warrick, was a native of the same county and the family trace their descent from Asa Warrick, who came from England about 1780. Capt. Asa T. Warrick married
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Elnora, daughter of Ezra Champion, and was a prominent man in Albany county. J. C. Warrick was educated in the common schools and in 1851 went to Syracuse and worked with his brother Harvey in the wagon making business, learning the trade. In 1857 he came to Canastota and worked at his trade until 1861, when he enlisted in Co. C, 101st N. Y. Volunteers, served six months, when he resigned and returned to Canastota. Since that time he has been engaged as a furniture dealer and undertaker. He is now employing the most approved and scientific methods for the care and preservation of the dead; he also carries a full line of carpets. In 1854 Mr. Warrick married Sarah Lawrence, who died in 1885, and later he married Jennie Spencer. Mr. Warrick is one of the leading business men of his town, and has served as trustee and treasurer of his village.
Rockwell, Hiram L., son of Thomas B. and Lucy (Lindley) Rockwell, was born in the town of Stockbridge, this county, February 21, 1833. His father was an extensive farmer, known throughout a large section of Madison county as Captain Rockwell, having commanded a company of artillery in the State militia. His grandfather, Thomas Rockwell, came from Connecticut and was among the earliest settlers of the present town of Stockbridge. Mr. Rockwell was educated in the district schools, and at the Albany Normal School, from which he was graduated with the class of 1855. For one year he taught a union school in the town of Dryden, Tompkins county, N. Y., and the following year taught in the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. In 1857 he entered the Albany Law School where he was graduated LL. B. in 1859. In the same year he was admitted to the bar and took up his residence in the village of Munnsville, where he continued in active practice until 1867. Subsequently he en- gaged in teaching and in fruit culture. In 1872 he moved to Oneida where he has since resided, and has given his attention to insurance and real estate. He has been prominent in support of many worthy public enterprises and at different periods has been honored with positions of public trust. He served six years as School Com- missioner of the second district of Madison county, embracing the towns of Stock- bridge, Smithfield, Cazenovia, Fenner, Sullivan and Lenox; in 1877 as supervisor of the town of Lenox; for six years as a member of the Oneida Board of Education ; one term as village trustee; and was a member of the first sewer commisson four years, a position to which he has lately been reappointed. He is a member of the First Presbyterian church, and has officiated as one of its trustees. Mr. Rockwell married in 1861, Esther A. Hait, and four children have been born to them: Adeline Benson; Mrs. Mabel H. Schubert; Grace H. (deceased December 11, 1888); and Charles W. Rockwell.
Eggleston, Jerome, who died in Cazenovia, February 23, 1898, in the seventy-fifth year of his age, was for many years a respected and useful citizen of Cazenovia. He was born in Morrisville in 1824, a son of Amos and Polly (Anderson) Eggleston. His father died when he was a youth, and his education was limited, for he early had to contribute to the support of his mother and the family, consisting of three younger children. At the early age of eight he worked on a farm and secured enough money to partially buy a team. He then moved with his mother and her children to Caze- novia, and found employment drawing ashes from the surrounding country to the
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ashery in Cazenovia village. This occupation afforded him a livelihood, as well as enabling him to entirely support the family and he continued in it until the decline of the potash business. He was proprietor of the old Park House two years. He then removed to Morrisville, where he engaged in the livery business, having ob- tained enough capital to enable him to start on a small scale. He gradually enlarged his business as his means warranted and continued successfully for about fifteen years, when he sold out and removed to Peterboro to take the management of the Gerrit Smith Hotel which he conducted for over ten years. The State of Wisconsin was then largely undeveloped and with his characteristic enterprise he decided to locate there, settling at Oak Grove, in Dodge county, and taking up some 250 acres of land. Here he lived about ten years and then returned to the east, coming again to Cazenovia, the scene of his earlier struggles. For a time he had charge of the Ten Eyck farm, later conducted a restaurant for about four years, and still later en- gaged in the grocery business in company with a brother, Dwight W. Eggleston, under the name of Eggleston Brothers. In time they added a livery business and continued their association until 1875, when the grocery and livery establishments were disposed of and they dissolved partnership. In the same year Mr. Eggleston took the stable in the rear of the Lincklaen House, which he conducted until his death, when it passed into the hands of his sons, A. L. and C. M. Eggleston, who conduct it under the name of Eggleston Brothers. Mr. Eggleston was a Republican in politics. He was an honorable and upright man and held to the strictest integrity in his business transactions. He was well known throughout Madison county and made many strong friends. He married Emeline Fitch, a daughter of Captain Der- rick Fitch, a veteran of the war of 1812. Of this union were born four children, three of whom survive: Adelbert L., Charles M., and Caroline J.
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