Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 129

Author: Wager, Daniel Elbridge, 1823-1896
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston history co.
Number of Pages: 1612

USA > New York > Oneida County > Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York; > Part 129

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Costigan, W. H., was born in New Hartford, N. Y., May 24, 1861. He followed farming until 1891, at which time he opened a furniture and undertaking establish- ment in Sauquoit, which has steadily increased in volume and popularity from its in- ception under his able management. Mr. Costigan's parents were Daniel and Catherine Costigan, of the town of Paris. Their children are W. H., Francis I., and Mrs. William McGuirk, of North Bridgewater.

Carpenter, W. H., was born in Oneida county, where he has lived all his life, May 17, 1847, and was engaged in farming until 1880, when he retired, but later went into the saw mill business, and also conducts a wagon shop and a cider mill, his three industries forming a prominent and notable factor in the manufacturing in- terests of the Sauquoit Valley. Mr. Carpenter is a thorough and enterprising busi- ness man, who not only holds a front place among the business men of this part of the county, but is also highly respected for his integrity and progressive ideas. He possesses a great deal of literary ability inherited from his mother, who was a cultured and literary woman. Mr. Carpenter's parents were Lucas and Alphea (Radford) Carpenter. His great-grandfather Carpenter came from England and was

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one of the early settlers. His grandfather, Oliver Carpenter, was a native of Con- necticut, and settled in Oneida county, so that this family has been associated with the growth and progress of Oneida county during its entire history. October 26, 1870, Mr. Carpenter married Mary E. Jones, by whom he has one son, Arthur L., who is associated with his father in the conducting of their various enterprises. He is a popular and talented young man, and is a member of the Clayville Band.

McGurk, William, was born in Ireland, June 14, 1841, and came to America when seven years of age. His parents settled in Clayville, and his home has been in this State all his life. September 6, 1862, he enlisted in Co. G, 146th N. Y. Vols., and served until the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged in July, 1865. He served in the Fifth Army Corps, and participated in all the battles in which his regiment engaged, including Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Mine Run, Gettys- burg, Cold Harbor, all the battles of the Wilderness, and was at Appomattox when Lee surrendered. In the battle of Gettysburg he was shot through the hand with a buck-shot, and was in the hospital one month and twenty days. Mr. McGurk mar- ried for his first wife, Annie Leary, who died leaving eight children: William J., John, Francis, Emma, now Mrs. William Kerwin, Maggie, Florence, and Leo. October 19, 1893, he married his present wife, Mary Costigan, by whom he has one daughter, Grace. He is a member of the G. A. R. Post and of the Patrons of In- dustry.

Loomis, U. L., was born in Cassville, July 6, 1856, son of George R. and Clarissa (Maxson) Loomis. He began for himself by first engaging as clerk in the store he now owns; and has been twenty-seven years in this stand, seventeen of which he has been in business for himself, and in 1888 he purchased the property. He is an active Republican and has been a member of the town committee for five years, and has been justice of the peace for over ten years. In 1778 he married Julia Nichols, by whom he has one daughter, Martha L. Mr. Loomis was postmaster of Cassville under President Harrison.

King, A. E., was born in Clayville, January 21, 1855, son of Harmon H. and Hannah King. Mr. King has been connected with the foundry business all his life, and the enterprise which he now conducts was founded in Holman City by his father, and Mr. King has been sole proprietor for nine years. The plant consists of a machine shop and foundry, and with the outlying premises comprises three acres of ground. In 1876 he married Jennie Talcott, by whom he has two daughters: Florence and Dora. Mr. King proposes to move his foundry to Clayville in the near future.

Johnson, Charles H., was born in the town of Paris, N. Y., July 11, 1827, son of Lloyd, a native of Connecticut, and Laura (Luce) Johnson, a native of Vermont. His grandfather, Sampson Johnson, was one of the first settlers in the town of Paris, In 1852 he married Kate A., daughter of Eleazer and Fidelia (Eldred) Brace, by whom he has two sons: Bert C. and Fred. The latter is a member of the Patrons of Industry, and is a prominent Odd Fellow, in which he is noble grand. Mrs. Johnson's grandfather was Capt. Asel Brace of Revolutionary fame. Mr. Johnson has been engaged in farming all his life, and has been inspector of elections for nearly forty years in succession.

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Latus, George F., was born in the town of Bridgewater, N. Y., August 11, 1852, son of George and Sarah (Stokes) Latus, natives of England. His grandfather, Henry Latus, came to Bridgewater about seventy years ago. After receiving a lib- eral public school education, he engaged in farming for about seven years. At the age of twenty two he went west and engaged in the mercantile business; and May 1, 1894, he engaged in business in Clayville, Oneida county, and conducts one of the best general stores in the town of Paris. He conducted a store in Chicago for twenty years previous to settling in Clayville, and is a thoroughly experienced and successful business man. He married Mary Ann McDevitt, of Belvedere, Ill. by whom he has eight children, four sons and four daughters.

Chapman, W. H., was born in New Hartford, N. Y., April 19, 1844, son of Gates W. and Elmira (Robbins) Chapman. In 1861, at the age of seventeen, he enlisted in Co. B, 121st N. Y. Vols., and served in the Sixth Army Corps, participating in all the battles in which his regiment was engaged up to Fredericksburg, where lie was terribly wounded in seven places by bullets and shell. He was two years in the hospital, and was honorably discharged at the close of the war. In 1891 Messrs. W. H. & E. T. Chapman opened the Cottage Hotel at Clayville, which they have since successfully conducted. January 2, 1867, Mr. Chapman married Mary E. Johnston. He is a member of the G. A. R., Chadwicks Post, and in politics a staunch Repub- lican.

Biggar, Rev. David I., is a native of Quebec, Canada, but has spent the greater part of his life in the United States. His father, James Biggar, came from Roxboro- shire, Scotland, where he was born in 1790. He engaged in teaching until 1819, when he came into possession of a land grant of several hundred acres from the Brit- ish government, and settled upon it at Huntington, where David I. was born. After settling in Canada he married Janette Murray, also a native of Scotland, but a resi- dent of the province of Quebec, who was born in 1800, and died in 1855. Mr. Big- gar died in 1851. David I. was one of a family of eleven children, all of whom were born at the original homestead. He attended the Huntington Academy, and pre- pared for college at the Burr Seminary, at Manchester, Vt. He then entered Am- herst College, from which he was graduated in 1862. After spending three years at Auburn Theological Seminary, he preached a year and a half at Norwich Corners, near Utica, and then acted as pastor for the Presbyterian church at Vernon for ten years. From that place he went to Camillus, where he remained for seven and a half years, and from there he was called to the Owasco church, where he preached for five years. In 1890 the Vernon Center Presbyterian Society called him to the church there, and he is now engaged in building up and strengthening the church society. He married Mary E. Wood, who was born in Litchfield, N. Y., June 27. 1843, by whom he has had four children, three of whom are now living.

Butterfield, Charles, was born in the town of Vernon in 1830, and has lived in the town since; his residence since 1844 being at Skenandoah, a small settlement one mile north of Oneida Castle. He is descended from a family eminent in history as soldiers and generals, from the early English wars down to our late Civil war. His father, Samuel Butterfield, moved there at that time and built up a large industry, which he carried on for more than twenty years. It was there that he started the

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manufacture of ingrain carpets, this being one of the first in the country. Previous to this he was a partner with S. Newton Dexter in the same line at Oriskany. Mr. Butterfield was the leader and means of Skenandoah becoming an important busi- ness point in early times. He was born in England in 1792, and died in 1879. He married Elizabeth Laister, also a native of England, who died in 1863, leaving a family of seven children. Charles Butterfield is now occupying the old family house at Skenandoah. Since his father's death and for some time previous he has carried on a large farm. He has always been an active Republican, and has held several important offices, being at the present time justice of the peace.

Coon, Luke H., was born in Fabius, Onondaga county, N. Y., November 13, 1835, son of Samuel Coon, who was born in Cherry Valley, N. Y., in 1805. He was prin- cipally engaged in farming, and accumulated considerable property. While in Fa- bius he was a hatter, but in 1843 he moved to Homer. Cortland county, and bought the farm upon which he spent all but the last two years of his life, having at that time retired from active labor, and he died in 1892. He married Sarah Thompson, also a native of Cherry Valley, who was born in 1801, and died in Oneida Castle in 1893. Luke H. was the fifth child in a family of nine, and after his school days in Fabius and Homer, he remained at home until he was twenty one years of age. He then worked for some time on a farm in summer, and attended school in winter. He afterwards learned the painter's trade, and devoted some time to that vocation, mostly in Homer and vicinity. In 1860 he entered into the hotel business in Canada, at the same time speculating in horses. Returning to Lockport, he spent a year in a paper mill, and twenty-one years ago he bought the Sherman House at the Castle, and has been proprietor since, having one burned out and rebuilt. In 1864 he mar- ried Perice Conger, who was born in Ovid, N. Y., in 1846, and by whom he has one daughter, Grace A., born May 27, 1878.

Cody, Francis A., jr., was born at Vernon Center, N. Y., June 19, 1852, son of Francis A. Cody, who was also born at Vernon Center in January, 1820. His great- grandfather was one of the pioneers of the town, having settled near what is now Vernon Center before the close of the last century, and the family has ever since been identified with the growth and progress of the town. Peter Cody was the first postmaster appointed at the Center. Francis A. Cody devoted his life to agriculture in Vernon until 1879, when he retired from active business and moved to Oneida Castle, where he is now living. He married Phoebe Faulkner, who was born in the town of Fenner, Madison county, in 1823, and died in Vernon, in January, 1868. Her ancestors were of Scotch descent. Francis A. Cody, jr., attended the Vernon Center school and afterwards took a course at the Whitestown Seminary after which he returned home and engaged in farming, in which he has since been eminently successful. Mr. Cody is a Republican in politics, and for two terms was elected to represent his town on the Board of Supervisors. February 4, 1880, he married Mary R. Carey, daughter of James A. and Rosetta H. Cary, who was born January 26, 1855, by whom he had two children : James C., born March , 1884, and Francis A., born February 26, 1888.

Risley, John R., was born in the town of Marshall, Oneida county, June 4, 1856, son of Herman G. Risley, who was engaged in farming in Oneida county until 1866,

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when he moved to Jefferson county, and is now a resident of Ellisburg, that county. He was a soldier in the army from 1862 till the close of the war. He married Juliette Vanswall, who was born in the town of Marshall, August 3, 1840, and died July 7, 1862. John R. attended the Deanville Academy, after which he engaged as clerk with Hatheway & Reynolds, merchants at Oriskany Falls, for one year. After this he conducted the Vanswall farm near Oriskany Falls until 1887, at which time he moved to Vernon Center and bought the farm upon which he now resides. January 26, 1887, he married Estella S., daughter of George W. and Harriet E. Klock, who was born in Oneida, March 10, 1860, by whom he has one son, Lawrence G. Mrs. Risley received her education at the Onondaga Valley Academy, and the Oneida public schools.

Lewis, Marion P., is a native of Sennett, Cayuga county, N. Y., where he was born February 1, 1851, and his father, Edward J. Lewis, was born in the town of New Hartford, N. Y., in 1820; and his father, Russell Lewis, came to New Hartford from Connecticut in the latter part of the last century. Edward J. lived in that town till 1840, when he removed to Cayuga county, after which they moved to the town of Vernon in 1859, where they have since resided. Mr. Lewis married Jane Stevenson, who was born in the town of Sennett in 1825, and died in Vernon in June, 1892. Marion P. attended the school in Vernon, subsequently spending some time at the State Normal School at Albany, N. Y., after which he engaged in farming, and still continues. He married Alice D., daughter of Alfred and Mary Mason, who was born in Vernon, in November, 1849, and by whom Mr. Lewis has two children: De Verny, born June 8, 1878; and Winifred, born May 8, 1881. Mr. Lewis was engaged in the meat business in Waterville for about four years, and retired from that to en- gage in farming.

Olmsted, Henry L., was born in New Hartford, Oneida county, N. Y., May 8, 1811, and spent his early life there, but since 1842 has been a resident of the town of Ver- non, living continuously upon the same farm, which is situated near Kenwood sta- tion. His father, Gamaliel Olmsted, came from Connecticut, where he was born in 1760. He served four years in the Revolutionary war, and in 1782 emigrated to Utica, and a little later settled in what is now New Hartford. He was the first to purchase land in the town, the receipt for payment thereon being now in the possess- ion of Henry Olmsted, dated 1788. He finally moved to Willowdale, where he died in 1832. His wife was Elizabeth Downer, a native of Vermont, who died in 1870. In 1835 Henry L. married Samantha Budlong, by whom he had six children, four of whom are living, one in California and three at home. Mr. Olmsted's farm was at one time a part of the Indian lands, he having bought it at auction in 1842.

Hamilton, William, was born in Stockbridge, Madison county, N. Y., in 1814, and received his early education at the district school on Stockbridge Hill. He came from Stockbridge in 1842 and has since resided in the town of Vernon, near Sherrill. His father, Elias Hamilton, was one of the pioneers in Stockbridge, where he came from Massachusetts in 1808. In 1842 he moved into the town of Vernon and lived there until his death in 1844. He was born in 1776, and his wife, Amy Lamb, was also born in Massachusetts in 1777, and died in 1832. Mr. Hamilton has long been one of the leading farmers of Oneida county, now owning three farms in Vernon

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adjacent to Sherrill. He first married Amanda Smith, a native of Vernon, who died in 1858, after which he married his present wife, Helen Garlock, also a native of Vernon, by whom he had four children, one of whom, a daughter, is now living in Sherrill, and was married to Mr. Thurston, now deceased.

Watson, James was born in England in 1843, and received his education before coming to this country. He came from England in 1866 and settled at Kenwood, N. Y., in the employ of the Oneida Community. His father, John Watson, was also a native of England, where he was born in 1813, and died in 1895; and his wife, Jane Garner, also died in 1895. After coming to this country Mr. Watson engaged for a time on the farm, and then in the dye house in connection with the silk depart- ment of the Community; he there learned the trade, and for the past twenty years has had charge of the dye works of the silk departmeat. He married Eliza Coaks, born and educated in Ramsey, England, by whom he has four children: Rhoda, Maud, Clarence and Clara. Mr. and Mrs. Watson are members of the Presbyterian society of Oneida Castle.

Smith, George W., was born in the town of Vernon, April 19, 1844, and although a native of the town, he has lived as much outside as within its borders. His father came from Turin, Lewis county, and settled, when a young man, about three miles south of Vernon village, living there until his death. His wife, Mary A. Leffingwell, is a native of Vernon, and was born in 1815, and she is still living in Vernon. George W. is the second in a family of four children, and finished his education at the Vernon Academy when nineteen years of age, and after which he returned to the farm, remaining three years. Ile then entered the store of J. Harry Walters in Oneida, as a clerk, where he continued for three years, after which he again re- turned to the farm for six years. After that he was employed for some time as a manager of the bakery of the Oneida Community, and this continued for three years. He was next engaged as proprietor of a bakery in Lyons, N. Y., and at the end of two years, the Vienna Pressed Yeast Company requested him to act as their travel- ing salesman, which position he accepted and continued for ten years. In 1888 he started a bakery, confectionery and lunch room in Oneida, N. Y., and by good busi- ness management has built up a large wholesale and retail business, having the finest bakery and café in Oneida. In 1867 he married Marie Winchell, a native of Gouverneur, N. Y. In addition to his business in Oneida, he also conducts a farm of 315 acres in Vernon.

Scott, W. I., was born in Brookfield, Madison county, April 8, 1849, son of Giles Scott, who is a native of Madison county, and Elizabeth G. (Babcock) Scott He has resided in Oneida county for the past eight years, and has an attractive residence at Bridgewater Center. In 1888 he married Alice R. Robbins, whose parents are na- tives of Connecticut. Mr. Scott's grandparents on both his mother's and father's side, are eastern people.

Robinson, Henry, was born in Bridgewater, N. Y., January 2, 1840, son of Henry L. and Mary A. (Maxson) Robinson. At sixteen years of age he engaged as clerk, and followed that occupation for four years, at which time the war broke out, and he enlisted in Co. A. 4th Mich. Infantry, and participated in all the engagements of the regiment, including Bull Run, the battles of the Peninsular Campaign, Chancel-

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lorsville, Fredericksburg, Antietam, and Gettysburg, where he was wounded the second day's battle. He was then in the hospital for nine months, after which he rejoined his regiment, and served out his three years time. In 1866 he married Sarah A. Brockway, by whom he has two children: Mrs. Burton Bryant of Buffalo, N. Y., and Lynn Robinson. Mrs. Robinson's family came from Connecticut, and her father settled on the land where the Robinsons now live; and their residence and farm known as Maple Dell, is one of the prettiest places in Oneida county. Mr. Robinson is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and G. A. R. He was postmaster under President Johnson, and has been town clerk, and also supervisor of Bridge- water.

Leonard, Franklin, was born in the town of Smyrna, Chenango county, N. Y., Feb- ruary 6, 1837, son of Rufus and Navagal (Green) Leonard. He wss employed in the Springfield armory during the war, and made 60,000 gun barrels for the United States government while there. He was one of ten men selected for special work in the armory, when the English experts struck. After leaving Springfield he was foreman of the Stearns Manufacturing Works in Erie, Pa., for two years; and was then with the Otis Forge & Iron Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, for over two years. He next had charge of the smithing department of the city forge and iron works for nine years, then came to Schenectady, N. Y., and had charge of the frame work in the locomotive works for over nine years; when he took the position of foreman of the forge and blacksmith department of the Rogers Locomotive Works. Leaving there he came to Bridgewater and purchased a farm where he settled down, and he has now one of the finest farms in this part of the State. Mr. Leonard is an inven- tor of note, and has taken out eleven different patents. He invented the first time lock for safes ever used, an improved corn harvester, also a link machine, and many other notable devices. Mr. Leonard married Fannie Bates, by whom he has two sons: Cassius, who married Grace Joslyn, and they have one daughter, Jessie; and Rufus, who married Alice Randall, and they have one son, Louis.

Burgess, George H., was born in Otsego county, August 23, 1839, son of Hiram and Mahala P. (Morey) Burgess, who was a native of Connecticut. George H. was engaged in farming, and in 1864 he came to Oneida county, settling in the town of Bridgewater. In 1858 he married Larinda A. Loomis, who died leaving one daugh- ter, Mrs. Flora E. Crist. He married for his second wife Addie L. Allen, who died January 19, 1895. Mr. Burgess is a successful and highly respected gentleman, and and he has one of the finest farms in the town of Bridgewater. He was justice of the peace for ten years, and has been delegate to county and State Republican con- ventions.

Luther, Thomas and Mary .- The late John Luther was born in the parish of Dun- barton, Scotland, November 14, 1814, and was educated there, coming to the United · States in 1849, remaining for a time in New York city and then locating near Philadelphia, Pa., where he resided several years. He was a machinist by trade. In 1852 he purchased the homestead in the town of Rome, and came to reside upon it about the year 1855. July 3, 1860, he married Janet Robertson, of the town of Cam- den, by whom he had four children: Mary B., Nettie, John H., and Thomas W. Mary B. is a school teacher, and is now principal of the school in New London, N. Y.

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Mr. Lauther died May 30, 1884. Mrs. Lauther's father, John Robertson, was born in Scotland in 1787. He married Mary Lawson, who was born in the same year and place, by whom he had eleven children. They came to the United States in- 1852, locating in Camden, N. Y. Both father and mother are dead.

Thomas, Hugh E., son of Ellis, was born in Utica, October 22, 1860. His father, a blacksmith by trade, came here from Wales, England, in 1852, was foreman of the New York Central Railroad repair shops, and died in 1818, aged fifty-six. Mr. Thomas, after leaving the public schools at the age of fifteen, became a clerk in the clothing store of T. Solomon Griffiths, with whom he formed a partnership in 1883 under the firm name of T. S. Griffiths & Co. In 1891 he succeeded to the business. He is an active Republican, was a delegate to the State Convention at Rochester in 1891, and at Saratoga in 1895, and is now and has been for several years city and county committeeman from the Tenth ward of Utica.

Georg, Emil J., was born in Utica, November 9, 1871. His father, Joseph Georg, a native of Alsace, Germany, came to America in 1858, and settled in Utica, where he was first a teamster for a few years. He then started in the wood business on a small scale and in 1877 engaged also in the retail coal trade, in which he successfully continued till his death, May 17, 1892, at the age of fifty-five. In 1890 his son Joseph L. became his partner under the firm name of Joseph Georg & Son. He was a member of the C. M. B. A., the Germania Industrial Association, and other benevolent movements. He married Frances Ilurstell, a native of Alsace, Ger- many, who survives him. Their children were Joseph L., and Emma M., both de- ceased, and Sophia M. and Emil J., of Utica. Emil J. Georg was educated in the Utica public schools and Business College, learned the trade of brass turner, and upon his father's death became a partner in the coal and wood business with his brother Joseph L., as Joseph Georg's Sons. His brother died April 25, 1895, and since then he has continued the business alone under the name of Joseph Georg's Son. He is a member of the Utica Maennechor, the Knights of St. George, the Y. M. C. A., the Utica Cycling Club, the Young Men's Sodality of St. Joseph's church, and the Coal Exchange.

Lindsley, Smith M., was born in Monticello, N. Y., in 1847. His grandfather, Eliud Lindsley, was a pioneer settler of Sullivan county, and is prominently men- tioned in the histories of that county. His father, Rufus B., was a well known farmer and stock dealer while his mother was a daughter of Smith Weed, of whose family the famous Smith Weed, of Clinton county, is a member. Mr. Lindsley was graduated from the Monticello Academy as valedictorian of his class and completed his studies at the Wyoming Seminary and College in Pennsylvania, and was after- wards a member of the faculty of that institution for one year. He then read law in Wilkesbarre, Pa .. till 1869, when he came to Utica and entered the office of Hon. Francis Kernan. He was admitted to the bar in 1870 and immediately entered upon . his successful professional career in Utica. A Democrat in politics he was elected city attorney by popular vote in 1872 and served two terms. Since then he has declined many political honors and devoted himself assiduously to his extensive law practice. In 1885 he became president of the First National Bank of Chittenango and still holds that position. He is a Mason, an Odd Fellow, and a prominent niem-

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Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 129

Author: Wager, Daniel Elbridge, 1823-1896 Publication date: 1896 Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston history co. Number of Pages: 1612

Author: Wager, Daniel Elbridge, 1823-1896
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston history co.
Number of Pages: 1612