Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 87

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 87

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MORGAN BUTLER.

MORGAN BUTLER Was born in the town of New Hartford, Oneida county, June ?, 1807, and died in the village of the same name August 3, 1892. Hle was a lineal descendant of Deacon Richard Butler, who came from County Essex. England, with the so-called Hooker company in 1632 and settled in Newtown, near Boston, Mass. Before 1639 Richard and William Butler, the latter being a brother of the deacon, moved with Rev. Thomas Hooker to Hartford, Conn., where William died, leaving no children. From Deacon Richard descended Eli Butler, grandfather of Morgan, who started in the spring of 1789 to visit his old neighbor, Judge Hugh White, the proprietary founder of Whitestown. Before returning to Middletown, Conn., he purchased lands in what is now the town of Paris, Oneida county, on which he settled three of his sons, Ashbel, John, and Sylvester, in the fall of that year In 1792 Eli Butler, sr., came with his son Eli and settled permanently upon the farm in New Hartford that has ever since remained and still is in the possession of the family. It is located one mile south of the village, and is one of the most valuable and beautiful farms in Oneida county. The dwelling is located in the village one- half a mile from the Hill. It was purchased from Solomon Kellogg, the deed being dated April 17, 1795. Eli, sr., was captain of cavalry in the Revolution- ary war, and died April 19, 1802. He was born in Middletown, Conn., January 26, 1740, married Rachel Stocking, of the same place, and had four sons and seven daughters, of whom only Sylvester, John, and Eli have descendants living in Oneida county. Eli, jr., father of Morgan, was born in Middletown, Conn., March 28, 1779, came with his father to New Hartford in 1792, and upon the latter's death in 1802 inherited the homestead. In 1806 he married Rachel, daughter of Truman Kellogg, and died in 1832, when fifty-three years of age.

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BIOGRAPHICAL.

Morgan Butler, the eldest son of Eli and Rachel (Kellogg) Butler, was twenty-five years of age when his father died and the farm came into his possession. He re- mained on the homestead until 1890, when he came to the village to reside. He was widely known as a progressive farmer and as a public spirited citizen. Nothing new in the line of farming appliances escaped his attention or was refused a trial. He owned the first mowing machine brought into Oneida county, and an unbroken meadow of forty acres lying in front of the house was the scene of many large and wonderful gatherings to witness the then novel method of cutting grass. He became the agent of the machine and sold large numbers of them throughout the country. Other kindred appliances, such as the hay rake, the tedder, the field loader, the barn fork, etc., found in him their first patron in this locality. His chief fancy in farming was for fine cattle, of which he was an expert judge, and in which he dealt largely. So deeply was he interested in agriculture, and so widely was he known in this respect that when the Central New York Farmers' Club was organized in 1870 he was honored with the vice-presidency, and upon the death of its president, Hon. Samuel Campbell, Mr. Butler succeeded to that office, which by successive re-elec- tions he held until his decease.

Mr. Butler was a man of noble contentment, and one whose active spirit and en- terprise led him into numerous spheres of benefaction. From early life until death cut short his usefulness he entered with enthusiasm into the affairs of the com- munity. During his youth and young manhood the State militia was an important factor in every neighborhood, and the meadow in front of his father's house was long the favorite parade ground. Here was aroused and developed the military spirit which made him a member of that organization while yet in his teens. When eighteen years old, as bugler of his company, he accompanied the troops to Oriskany and with them formed a part of the escort to General La Fayette on the occasion of that distinguished veteran's visit to this country in 1825. Mr. Butler was always identified with the affairs of the town and liberally encouraged every movement which promised benefit to the community. He was a man of tireless energy, enter- prising, progressive, and benevolent, a kind and generous neighbor, a sympathetic friend, and a wise counselor and adviser. Upon his father's death he purchased the interest of the heirs in the homestead and assiduously devoted his life to farming, an occupatiou he both loved and honored. He was characterized for his integrity, for his sound judgment, and for his progressive methods, and throughout his life he en- joyed universal respect and esteem as well as the entire confidence of all with whom he came in contact. He was content to do the duty he found at his door, and sought no advancement through politics or public station. He did much that was commendable, much that was worthy of emulation, and set a most excellent exam- ple. He spent his career in New Hartford: he loved the place and its people, and his fortunes were identified with theirs. An enduring illustration of this fact is offered in the Butler Memorial Hall, the erection of which was commenced by him in 1889. The structure, including the lot, represents a cash gift to the town of about $20,000, and was formally presented to New Hartford by him on May 13, 18! 0, less than three years before its honored donor's death. It is a handsome brick building, located on Genesee street in the center of the village, and contains not only a large hall for general assemblies, but offices for the town and village officers and post-

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master, a reading room, a library, etc. An excellent library was furnished by Mr. Butler's sisters. The remainder of the property constituting this magnificent gift was paid for and donated by Mr. Butler himself. It is governed by a board of seven self-perpetuating trustees created under a special act of the Legislature, and is the only institution of the kind in the county. In a tribute to his memory the board said of him:

"Morgan Butler ended his earthly career on the 3d day of August, 1892, at the patriarchal age of eighty-five years. Born in the town of New Hartford at an early period in its settlement, of parents distinguished for industry and probity, and living all his days at the place of his birth, he was identified with every interest of the town, and his death leaves an open gap in the community like that which would fol- low the disappearance from the physical landscape of one of our grandest hills. He was a man of tireless energy, enthusiastic in all his pursuits, and looking to the benefit of his fellow men rather than to his own grandizement. A farmer by in- heritance and taste, the tillage of the soil was his best recreation, and he always took the lead in improved methods. He had no vague or visionary theories, but with a quick and keen perception of true principles he came readily to right con- clusions, and it was always safe to follow where he led. To his intelligent example is due in a great degree the pre-eminence which his town holds in agriculture. The benefits of his work are not confined to home limits. In all things pertaining to his chosen calling he was a recognized authority in county and State. He had no greed for wealth, for power or fame, but was content to keep the even tenor of his way by a life of daily usefulness unmarred by shams or vain show. He was generous in his benefactions to worthy objects, he was charitable in his judgments, and he was just to all men. He was a king and safe counsellor, and one who heeded his advice never had occasion to regret he had sought it."

In politics Mr. Butler was very independent, though he generally voted with the Republicans. He never held any office except that of assessor for one term. He was baptized a Presbyterian, but later was confirmed in St. Stephen's Episcopal church, New Hartford, and for many years served it as senior warden and treasurer. His interest in the welfare of this body was akin to that manifested in all his work or undertakings.

Mr. Butler was married February 10, 1841, to Miss Marianne Howard, daughter of Rufus and Nancy (Hungerford) Howard, who survives him. They had no children. She was a native of Litchfield, Herkimer county, where her father was an early and prominent settler. She is also a sister of Gen. Rufus Lombard Howard, of Buffalo, N. Y.

WILBUR H. BOOTH, M. D.

WILBUR HIRAM BOOTH, M. D., is a son of Hiram and Catharine (Wheeler) Booth and was born in Huntington, Fairfield county, Conn., December 11, 1852, his ancestors having settled in Stratford, Conn., early in the seventeenth century. He received his preparatory education at the Connecticut Literary Institute in Suffield

Willst. Stooth

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BIOGRAPHICAL,

and the Providence Conference Seminary at East Greenwich, R. I., and early in life decided upon medicine as a profession. After leaving college he entered the medical department of Yale and was graduated therefrom with the degree of M. D. in June, 1874, being valedictorian of his class. In the following October he became house surgeon in the New York Charity Hospital and served in that capacity with ability and credit until April 1, 1876, when he came to Utica, where he has since resided.

Dr. Booth, upon coming to Utica, began the active practice of his profession and rapidly won a foremost position among the leading physicians and surgeons of the city. His genial personality as well as his recognized professional ability soon made for him a wide circle of friends, while his contemporary practitioners accorded him that eminence which talent and skill always inspire. For several years he has made general surgery a specialty, a sphere in which he has acquired high distinction, not only in Utica and Oneida county, but throughout Central New York. In this branch he has built up an extensive practice, one of the largest ever enjoyed by a Utica surgeon. He also became thoroughly identified with the city's institutions and its prosperity, and took a deep interest in all that pertained to the public wel- fare. For one year he had charge as surgeon of St. Elizabeth's Hospital, with which he has ever since been prominently connected. He was formerly consulting surgeon to Faxton Hospital and the Utica Orphan Asylum and is now senior surgeon to St. Luke's Hospital. For six years he was a member of the Board of Health of the city of Utica and has recently declined to serve another term in that capacity. He is a member of the New York State Medical Society; the New York State Med- ical Association, the Oneida County Medical Society, and the American Medical Association, and a member and formerly president of the Utica Medical Library Association. He was also United States examining surgeon for pensions for four years.

Dr. Booth was one of the first surgeons to advise the removal of the appendix vermiformis for inflammation of that organ, and he successfully performed this ope- ration in June, 1876. He was also one of the first operators to revive the then out of date, but now very successful operation for stone in the bladder, known as the high or supra pubic operation.

Dr. Booth has contributed various articles covering a wide range of medical and surgical literature to many of the leading medical journals of the country, and is a recognized authority on a number of subjects pertaining to the profession. He is public spirited, progressive and benevolent, a generous supporter of all worthy movements, and as a citizen takes commendable pride in the advancement of the community.

July 10, 1878, Dr. Booth was married to Miss Sarah Leah Lynch, daughter of James S. and Sarah Adams (Johnson) Lynch. of Utica. She died in Florida on the 15th of February, 1882.

JEDEDIAH SANGER.

HON. JEDEDIAH SANGER will ever occupy a conspicuous place in the history of Oneida county, not only on account of his prominence as a citizen, but because of his

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

sterling qualities of manhood, his eminence as a leading pioneer, and his foresight in planting in the community a standard of culture and enterprise which exists at the present day. He was a descendant of Richard Sanger, who came to Hingham, Mass., about 1636. His father, Capt. Richard Sanger, was a member of the Pro- vincial Congress which convened at Cambridge on the 1st day of February, 1775, and also one of the gentlemen comprising the "committee from every town and district in the county of Middlesex and Province of Massachusetts Bay, held at Con- cord in the same county on the 30th and 31st days of August, 1774, to consult upon measures proper to be taken at the present very important day."1 The Rev. Dr. Sanger, great-grandfather of Col. William Cary Sanger, of Sangerfield, was a brother of Judge Jedediah Sanger.

Judge Jedediah Sanger was the ninth of ten children of Richard and Deborah Sanger, and was born in Sherburne, Middlesex county, Mass., February 29, 1751,2 "consequently he had a birthday but once in four years." He received a common school education, interspersing his studies with work upon the farm.

In March, 1788, he arrived, the first white settler, in what is now the town of New Hartford, Oneida county, where he had purchased a thousand acres of land lying on both sides of Sauquoit creek, which divided the tract about equally. Upon this he at once began making improvements. His purchase included the whole of the site of the present village of New Ilartford. Under the judge's able management the immediate country was rapidly settled with a class of enterprising and intelli- gent men and women. He was the foremost man in all this section. In March, 1789, a year from the time he made his first improvements, he brought his family to his wilderness home, and the same year he erected a saw mill. In 1790 he built a grist mill, which was used for the purpose for nearly a century.

Judge Sanger possessed a master spirit of energy and decision, and was a man of strict integrity. Endowed with wonderful perseverance, imbued with the sterling principles of honesty and uprightness, he won universal respect and esteem and left a name which will forever grace the annals of local history. He was a man of in- domitable enterprise. In 1796 he erected, through an agent, the first grist and saw mill on the outlet of Skaneateles Lake, now in the beautiful village of Skaneateles, Onondaga county. He was also one of the active and leading partners in the Paris furnace, which was erected in 1800 and went into operation in 1801. In 1805 he en- gaged in the manufacture of cotton. The town and village of New Hartford owed much to his efforts, and his death was greatly deplored.

In politics Judge Sanger belonged to the school then known as Federalist. He spent eleven winters in Albany as a member of the Senate and Assembly, having been elected to both of these bodies by the people He wasthe first supervisor of Whites- town and held the office for three consecutive years. He was appointed first judge of Oneida county upon its organization and served in that capacity until 1810, when he resigned on account of the age limit. He died June 6, 1829, and upon his monu- ment in the village cemetery was placed the following inscription :

"Sacred to the Memory of HON. JEDEDIAH SANGER, who died June 6, A. D., 1829.

1 See History of Sherborn and Holliston, by Abner Morse, and Journals of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts.

2 Jones's " Annals of Oneida County." Must have been 1752 to be a leap-year.

WILLIAM CARY SANGER.

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The founder of New Hartford. His charities are widely extended, and his munifi- cence has reared and supported several edifices devoted to the service of his Maker. His virtues are indelibly impressed upon the hearts of his countrymen."

The members of his family raised a cenotaph in St. Joseph's Episcopal church, New Hartford, with this inscription :

"Sacred to the memory of JEDEDIAH SANGER; born Feb. 29, 1751, died June 6, 1829. ' He, being dead, yet speaketh.'"

Judge Sanger was married, first, in May, 1771, to Sarah Rider, by whom he had four children. She died September 26, 1814, and on August 31, 1815, he married Sarah B. Kissam, who died April 23, 1825. October 3, 1827, he married, third, Fanny Dench, who survived him and died in May, 1842.

WILLIAM CARY SANGER.

COL. WILLIAM CARY SANGER, of Sangerfield, Oneida county, descends from Rich- ard Sanger, who came to Hingham, Mass., about 1636. His great-great-grandfather was Capt. Richard Sanger, a member of the Provincial Congress which convened at Cambridge on February 1, 1775. His great-grandfather, the Rev. Dr. Sanger, was a brother of Hon. Jedediah Sanger, the first settler of the town of New Hartford and first judge of Oneida county, whose portrait and biographical sketch appear in this volume. Dr. Sanger was graduated from Harvard College' in 1771 and his portrait is in Memorial Hall of Harvard University. The Rev. Zedekiah Sanger, son of Dr. Sanger and grandfather of Col. William Cary, was graduated from Brown Univer- sity and became one of the early settlers of New Hartford, N. Y., where his son Henry was born. Henry Sanger, when a young man, went to New York city and became a successful merchant. He held many positions of trust and responsibility. He married Mary E. Requa, a descendant of a Huguenot family who came from New Rochelle, France.

Col. William Cary Sanger, son of Henry and Mary E. (Requa) Sanger, was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., May 21, 1853, and was graduated from Harvard University in 1874. He received the degree of M. A. from the same institution in 1875 and the degree of LL. B. from Columbia College in 1878. He studied law in the office of Evarts, Southmayd & Choate, and after practicing his profession for a few years made his home in Sangerfield (so named in honor of Col. Jedediah Sanger when the town was founded in 1795), where he has a large farm.

Colonel Sanger is prominent in military circles and has been a member of the Na- tional Guard of the State of New York for many years. He was at one time major of the 13th Regiment and is now assistant chief of artillery of the State with the rank of colonel. He has written several articles on military subjects, all of which had the true ring of high merit. He has also taken an active interest in politics. He represented the second assembly district of Oneida county in the State Leg- islature in 1895 and 1896, and in this capacity he won distinction as an able and conscientious advocate of the people's rights. He is also vice-president of the New York State Agricultural Society and the representative of the society from

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his district. Colonel Sanger takes a deep interest in all public matters and liberally encourages every good movement. Public spirited, progressive, and energetie he is noted for his patriotism as well as for his activity in furthering the general welfare. As a writer he has won laurels of rare distinction ; as a soldier he ranks among the best disciplinarians of the State; as a public officer his efforts have been character- ized by faithfulness to duty; as a citizen he is loyal, enterprising, and highly es- teemed.

Colonel Sanger was married on February 23, 1892, to Miss Mary Ethel Cleveland Dodge. daughter of Gen. Charles Cleveland Dodge, of New York city, granddaugh- ter of Hon. W. E. Dodge, also of New York, and a descendant of John Haynes, the second colonial governor of Massachusetts and the first colonial governor of Con- necticut. They have three children : William Cary, jr., Henry Lawrence, and Mary Ethel.

SPENCER KELLOGG.

THE ancestry of Spencer Kellogg, the subject of this memoir, dates back to the early settlement of New England, where several of the members distinguished them- selves in civil, military and commercial life. Lient. Joseph Kellogg came to Con- nectient from England probably in 1651, and joined the church in Hartford on Octo- ber 9, 1653. In 1662 he moved to Hadley, Mass., where he died in 1207, aged eiglity years. As lieutenant he led the men of Hadley in the Falls fight in May, 1676. On May 9, 1667, he married Abigail Terry, daughter of Deacon Stephen Terry, of Dor- chester, Winsor, and Simsbury. She was born in Simsbury. September 21, 1646. Lieutenant Kellogg left fourteen children, of whom Nathaniel was married on March 28. 1692, to Sarah Boltwood, granddaughter of Robert Boltwood, one of the original settlers of Hadley. Their son, Nathaniel Kellogg, jr., born September 26, 1693, died August 6, 1770, became a noted surveyor, and was made a lieutenant in 1748. He served as selectman of Hadley most of the time from 1735 to 1761. He married Sarah Preston, and their son, Joel Kellogg, born in 1724, was married in 1748 to Joanna Clark, and died at Whateley, Mass., October 22, 1698. Levi Kellogg, son of Joel, was born in Hadley, Mass., October 3. 1760, was married on August 30, 1782, in Northampton, Mass., to Cynthia Wright, and died in Utica, N. Y., January 30, 1848. His wife was born September 3, 1764, and died in Plainfield, Otsego county, October 19, 1813. They were the parents of Spencer Kellogg and several daughters. Levi Kellogg was drafted in the summer of 1776, when only fifteen years of age, as a soldier in the Revolutionary war from Northampton. He served four months under Capt. Oliver Lyman and Colonel Dyke. In 1777 he was under Capt. Simeon Clapp. He then volunteered and served in the same company and regiment under Colonels Tup- per and King and Captains Fairchild, Porter and Strong, until the surrender of Burgoyne. Late in life he drew a pension. About the year 1800, or before, he moved to Plainfield, Otsego county, N. Y., and settled on a farm.

Spencer Kellogg, the only son of Levi and Cynthia (Wright) Kellogg, was born in Williamstown, Mass., September 19, 1786, and died in Utica, N. Y., December 31, 1871. When a small boy he came with his parents from Williamstown to Plainfield,

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Otsego county, where he was reared on a farm and received a common school edu- cation. Endowed with qualities of a high order he early manifested an aptitude for business pursuits, and for several years prior to 1824 he was engaged in the general merchandise business in Plainfield. Here he acquired the rudiments of that mercan- tile training which won him eminent success in after life. In 1824 he removed to Utica and for a long time conducted a large dry goods trade with remarkable energy. His first partner was S. H. Reynolds. Later he was associated with his son, Palmer Vose Kellogg, and with others. He was also prominently identified with other enter- prises of importance. He was largely instrumental in the building of the Utica and Black River railroad, and was one of its first board of directors. He was also one of the prime movers in inaugurating steam manufactures in Utica. In these as well as in other movements for the advancement of the city's material interests he took a foremost part and contributed both means and influence. No man's enthusiasm and public spirit exceeded his in its constancy and application, and none took deeper pride in the general welfare.

In politics Mr. Kellogg was an old line Whig and an ardent admirer of Henry Clay, and afterward became a staunch Republican. He was also a strong abolition- ist and an active promoter of non-slavery principles. He held various local offices, and in 1841 was mayor of the city of Utica. He was especially prominent in relig- ious circles, being an invaluable member, elder, and trustee of the First Presbyterian church, and taking also an active part in its Sunday school and Bible class as long as his age and health permitted. He was for many years a beloved Bible teacher, and signally illustrated a Christian spirit, not only in his words, but by his deeds. Ile sought earnestly the correction of prevailing evils and the redress of wrongs. His strength of mind, his boldness and indomitability, and his power of execution presented him to strangers chiefly as the embodiment of force, and his friends rec- ognized him as personifying delicacy and sensibility. He was affectionate and more tender of heart than irresistible of hand. During the cholera epidemic of 1832 hc devoted his time, energy, and sympathies to the suffering and dying and to comfort their afflicted families, and on one occasion took some bereaved daughters to his own home. Throughout a long and useful life, replete with good deeds and kind acts, and uniformly successful from every point of view, he lived as a model citizen, er - joying universal respect and esteem, and winning the confidence and approbation of his fellow men.

Mr. Kellogg was married in Plainfield, Otsego county, on October 7, 1810, to Miss Margaret Stewart Palmer, daughter of Vose and Celinda (Stewart) Palmer, who was born in Plainfield, Conn., June 18, 1791, came to Plainfield, N. Y., with her parents when very young, and died in Utica May 29, 1876. Their first home in Utica was on Whitesboro street; later they built and occupied the brick house on the south side of Court street, near Cornelia; and still later they erected the dwelling on Genesee street, now owned by their son, Charles C., and where both their deaths occurred. They had nine children: Palmer Vose, who died in Chicago, Ill .; Levi, who died aged four; a daughter who died in infancy; Cynthia S. (Mrs. James Rockwell), of Utica; Levi Spencer, who died at the age of twenty; Mary A. (Mrs. James K. Hitch- cock), who died in Orange, N. J , February 21, 1896; Gustavus A., who died in 1850; and Charles C., and Sarah S. (Mrs. Frederick W. H. Sheffield), both of Utica.

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Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 87

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