Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 92

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 92

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).

Barton, Seth E., was born in the town of Marshall, N. Y., December 16, 1839, son of Eliphaz and Polly M. Barton, Polly, a daughter of Wardwell Barker, who came from New Lebanon, N. Y., about 1797, when three years old. Eliphaz, a son of David, who came from Granby, Mass., in 1793, and was the first white settler in the town of Marshall, and he was engaged in pioneer farming, lumbering, and custom milling. Seth E. Barton married Mina (deceased), daughter of Martin and Elizabeth Brigham, by whom he had one child, Mary E., wife of Gardner T. Wells. In early life, Mr. Barton was engaged in general merchandise business at Deansville and Clinton, and later years has been engaged in farming. He is interested in educa- tional work, and was formerly a member of the Board of Education of Holland Pat . ent, and president of the village.

Brown, Thomas S., was born in the town of Vienna, December 8, 1838, son of John and Jane Brown. John Brown was a native of the county, a son of Asa, who settled here about 1800. Thomas S. Brown married Margaret, a daughter of Robert and Mary Bentley, who came from England and settled in Rome about 1843. Mr.

OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

and Mrs. Brown have six children; Alberta, Cora, Jessie. Gracie, Seymour, and Maggie, all natives of Oneida county. At the age of twenty-one Mr. Brown en- gaged in farming, which he still follows. He has served as justice of the peace and assessor for two years. He was formerly president of the Patrons of Industry.

Birdsey, George L., was born at Leyden, September 7, 1864, son of the late Linus Birdsey of that place, who was a citizen of much local prominence, having repre- sented the town in the county legislation, for a number of years. George Birdsey completed his education at Cazenovia, graduating in 1887, and for a time was en- gaged in teaching school in the vicinity of his boyhood home. In 1892, he embarked in the retail business now operated under his name. He carries a large stock of millinery, furnishing goods, books, jewelry, and toilet goods. In 1891 he married Ora Wardell, daughter of a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church, and of which he and his wife are both valued members. Mr. Birdsey has been superintend- ent of the Boonville Sunday school since 1888. On February 1, 1806, Mr. Birdsey transferred his entire stock from Boonville to Waterloo, N. Y., where he is now do- ing a thriving business.

Chassell, George G., was born in Newport, N. Y., August 30, 1840, son of Rev. David Chassell, D.D., and Eliza A. (Griswold) Chassell. David was a native of Scotland, where he was born in 1778, and came to Vermont when eight years of age. He was a graduate of Dartmouth College and ordained by the Presbyterian church. He was principal of Fairfield Academy many years and was a man who was re- spected by all who knew him. George G. married Sarah E., a daughter of John and Eliza Hutchinson, and they have one child, Frances, who attends Emerson College of Boston. Mr. Chassell engaged in dairy farming in 1861, aud at which he still continues. He is president and director of the Bank of Holland Patent, and has been since its organization. From 1876 to 1881 he was interested in cheese manu- facturing. He is president of Black River Fish and Game Association, and a mem- ber of the State Association.

Clark, Charles H., was born in the town of Trenton, Oneida county, N. Y., Sep- tember 12, 1852, but with his parents moved to the town of Marcy in 1858, where he has since resided. His father, William E., in early life was a farmer and cheese- box manufacturer. He w selected supervisor two terms, highway commissioner, and was also captain of Home Guards many years. Ile was president of the State and County Apiarist Association, and has been worthy master of Floyd Grange and Pomona Society. Mr. Clark married Sylvia Davis, by whom he had these children : Charles H., Hattie E. (deprased), Ida May (deceased), William (deceased), Bertie manufacturer by occupatio

(deceased), and George H. Charles H. is a farmer, lumberman and cheese-box He married Estella Bartlett, -/ May. Mr. Clark has been c

also a member of the Stittville Canning Company. whom he had two children: Lynn Roy and Hattie ror and supervisor, and was a member of the build- ing committee of the new On -- County Home for the Poor, is a member of United Friends, and in 1895 was a, egate to the Grand Council of the State of New York. He is also a member Of The K. P., and was a delegate to the Grand Lodge in Watertown in 1894.

Curtiss, Heman, was born in Mie town of Camden, February 18, 1859, son of the

FAMILY SKETCHES.

late Linus Curtiss, who was born in this town April 16, 1818, where he engaged in farming in connection with the saw mill business, which he followed up to the time of his death, which occurred October 29. 1891. He married Nancy B. Upson, Janu- ary 12, 1848, by whom he had six children: Ibri (who died in childhood), Lyman W., Angeline E., Heman D., Hiram L., and Addie M. The death of Nancy B. Curtiss occurred April 9, 1895. Heman Curtiss now owns the mill which was built by his father, and is also engaged in farming and lumbering, owning a farm of 242 acres, including a portion of woodland. He married Lizzie M., daughter of O. C. Woods, of Camden, by whom he has two children: Ralph W., and Louise B. Mr. Curtiss is a member of Camden Grange, and in politics is a Republican.

Curtis, Lyman W., was born on the old homestead farm, which adjoins his farm, May 18, 1850, son of the late Linus Curtis (mentioned elsewhere). Lyman W. was educated in the district schools of West Camden, where, like many others of this town, he acquired a knowledge that has been useful to him in his life as a farmer and lumberman. Mr. Curtis married Ella, daughter of Gaston Comstock, of the town of Florence, by whom he had two children: Flora aud Maud. In politics Mr. Curtis is a Republican.

Coombs, Orville, was born in West Stockbridge, Mass., in 1807, and came to Trenton with his father, Solomon Coombs, about four years later. With very limited school advantages, but with unlimited determination and energy and a natural bent for mathematics, he fitted himself for a land surveyor with such success that in the last year of his life he was able to say that in nearly fifty years of practice no line or bounds in his surveys had ever been set aside. He also conducted a farm, upon which his entire life was passed until his death in 1876. Although with decided opinions on political as well as other matters he had no taste for political methods and never aspired to hold other than town offices.

Crossman, George H., jr., was born in Deerfield, Oneida county, N. Y., December 29, 1846, son of George H. Crossman. In 1869 he married Hester A., daughter of Orin and Lois (Powell) Smith. Mr. Smith was born in Deerfield, N. Y., and his wife in Trenton; both died in Westmoreland, she October 24, 1886, aged seventy-two years, and he January 19, 1885, aged seventy-two years. Mr. and Mrs. Crossman have three children : Cora, Curtis, and Clara. Mr. Cross an has 250 acres of land, and rents part for the Hygienic Dairy, keeping about thirty cows, and selling milk in the city. He is also engaged in threshing, and runs a fodder cutter, also a machine for cutting standing corn and does custom wo.k.

Colton, C. W., was born at Turin in 1832, son of Ler ard Colton, a farmer, who came from Springfield, Mass. C. W. Colton is of E lish descent, and was edu- .ving taught school in that ed the business he has been l'Grdware dealers of the place. 1869 Mr. Colton became sole 3, where he has three floors sehold goods, hardware and cated at Turin, and Whitestown Seminary. Afte locality, he came to Boonville in 1858, and estab! successfully engaged in, and is one of the leadin The firm was first known as Riggs & Colton, b. proprietor. He came to his present location in containing a large stock of furniture, general 1. crockery. Mr. Colton is a prominent member of he Methodist Episcopal church, having been a steward most of the time for thirty years. He has been president

OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

of the Board of Education, and has also been village president for several years. In 1859 he married Louise M. Riggs, daughter of C. G. Riggs, a hardware mer- chant of Turin, by whom he has had five children: Julia, wife of G. A. Willard ; Louise G., Florence, Charles, and Frederic (deceased).

Cox, Truman, was born in the town of Deerfield, N. Y., December 14, 1829, son of John and Mary (Smith) Cox, natives of Oneida county. The parents of John Cox were Joseph and Catherine (Sterling) Cox, who were natives of Herkimer county and pioneers of Deerfield. The parents of Joseph Cox were John F. and Katrina (Petre) Cox. The father of Mrs. Katrina Cox, Daniel Petre, came from Holland to Little Falls prior to the Revolutionary war, where he built a grist mill. He was killed in the mill during the war by Indians and his mill burned. His daughter and husband, J. F. Cox, were in the mill when the attack was made. Mr. Cox went for help and while he was gone the mill was fired, Mr. Petre killed and Mrs. Cox taken prisoner with her two children, one being Joseph Cox, the above mentioned; and they were to be carried to Canada, but Mrs. Cox bought her free- dom. Joseph Cox was a farmer and miller, and John Cox, father of our subject, born March 21, 1799, was also a farmer and miller. He died in 1857, and Mrs. Cox died in 1871. Mr. Truman Cox has been engaged in farming and milling in the town where he has always resided. In 1849 he married Eliza R., daughter of Dr. Thomas (born November 15, 1809, died November 1, 1847) and Maria (Coppernall) Pell (born April 15, 1806, died November 1, 1869), who was born in Herkimer county, June 9, 1831. Dr. Thomas Pell was a native of Lee, and son of Thomas and Mary (Cook) Pell of Long Island. Thomas was born March 1, 1775, and came to Lee at an early day; and he was a son of Thomas Philip Pell, who was born in England De- cember 5, 1731, and emigrated to Long Island. His father, Thomas H. W. Pell, Duke of York, was born August 13, 1701, and died in England. Mrs. Cox's maternal grandfather was George Coppernall, an early settler at Little Falls. Mr. and Mrs. Cox have three children: Truman H., born November 16, 1853, a graduate of Cincinnati Medical College, and a physician at Lee Center; John T., who was born August 20, 1857, and educated at Whitestown Seminary and Poughkeepsie Business Institute. He died April 3, 1893; and Frances E., who died in infancy.

Cogswell, George, was born in Steuben, Oneida county, September 29, 1834, a son of John and Eliza (Grimshaw) Cogswell, grandson of Job and Rebecca (Pike) Cogs- well, natives of Vermont who settled in Western in 1801, cleared a farm and died there, and is a descendant in the ninth generation from John Cogswell, who came from England to America in 1635, and settled at Ipswich, Mass. John Cogswell father of George, was born in Western, April 22, 1806, and died in March, 1892. He was a harnessmaker and saddler by trade, having served his apprenticeship in West- ernville. In 1834 he embarked in business for himself in Steuben, where he remained for eight years. He then removed to Western, where he engaged in farming during the summer and worked at his trade during the winter. Mr. Cogswell was thrice married: first, to Eliza, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Grimshaw, by whom he had five children : George, Elizabeth (Mrs. J. M. Ballou); Sarah P. (Mrs. Sylvester Hartson); Orris W .; and Eliza R. (Mrs. Leonard Bullock). His second wife was Catherine Eychanaer, by whom he had two children: Albert J. and Alfred M. His third wife was Mrs. Olive (Sizer) Webster. George Cogswell was reared in Western

FAMILY SKETCHES.

from eight years of age, educated in Holland Patent and Whitestown academies, be- gan life as a clerk, in which he continued for twelve years, and worked at the car- penter trade twenty years, but since 1885 has been engaged in farming. January 26, 1859, he married Ellen M., daughter of Joseph and Catherine (Wager) Halleck, a pioneer of Western who lived to the age of 103 years, and a sister of the late Gen. Henry Wager Halleck, a distinushed officer in the civil war. Mr. and Mrs. Cogswell have two children: Henry W. and Elizabeth W.

Courtney, Humphrey, was born in Ireland, March 25, 1836, and came to the United States with his parents, Humphrey and Catherine Courtney, in 1839. Hum- phrey Courtney, sr., was employed in an iron foundry in the State of Connecticut, where he had charge of a coal yard until 1844, when he came to Florence and cleared a portion of the farm now owned by his son, which consists of 265 acres mostly im- proved land. He was much respected by his townsmen and held many important offices of trust in his day. Humphrey Courtney was educated in the town of Flor- ence, after which he engaged in farming, keeping a dairy of twenty cows, besides young cattle and horses, and is a prosperous and successful farmer. He married Ellen Boland of Florence, by whom he has had twelve children. Mr. Courtney has been a prominent man in politics, was assessor of the town for three years, and super- visor for the same number of years. While supervisor he caused to be made many wholesome changes in the local government of his town which was and is a benefit to the taxpayers then and for years to come.

Durr, Charles J., was born in the village of Camden, N. Y., July 12, 1871, son of Patrick Durr, who was born in Ireland and came to the United States in 1855, first settling in Florence, but later coming to Camden, where he engaged in the hotel business, and was proprietor of the Durr's Hotel for about twenty-five years. Pat- rick Durr married Mary Lewis, by whom he had six children. Charles J. was edu- cated in the Camden Union school, since which time he has been engaged in the merchant tailoring business and also carries a fine line of ready made clothing and gents' furnishing goods. He married Hettie Ford.

Denton, Alonzo, was born in Sandyhill, Washington county, in 1843, son of Daniel C. Denton, a native of Saratoga county and one of five children born to - Denton, a soldier in the war of 1812: Richard, Daniel C., Clinton, Benjamin, and Phoebe. Daniel C. Denton spent most of his life in the lumbering business, principally in Washington and Oneida counties. He removed to Oneida county in 1854. He mar- ried Harriet Hovey, and their children were Melissa and Alonzo (twins), Charles, Mary E., William E. and Walter, of whom the two latter are deceased. Mr. Denton died in 1864 and his wife in 1889. In August 1862, Alonzo Denton assisted in rais- ing Company K, 117th Reglment N. Y. Vols. and went out as a private under Cap- tain Baggs. He was promoted to first lieutenant; was in the battles of Bethel, Bermuda, Drury's Bluff, Charleston, S. C., Petersburg, Cold Harbor, Fort Fisher, and Chapin's Farm, where he was wounded in the leg. He was transferred to Chesapeake Hospital at Fortress Monroe and from there returned home. After the war he attended business college at Utica for six months, then engaged as clerk in a general store at Forestport. Two years later, in partnership with Mr. Thurston, he engaged in the general mercantile business, and two years and a half later his

OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

brother-in-law, N. G. Waterbury, purchased the interest of Mr. Thurston and the store is now carried on under the firm name of Denton & Waterbury. They also carry on a large and extensive lumber business, which Mr. Denton superintends. They erected a large mill, which was burned in 1882, and then erected their present mill of a capacity of 40,000 feet daily, and a large sash and door manufactory at Whitesboro, N. Y. They also own 10,000 acres of timber land. Mr. Denton has served as commissioner of highways, town clerk, and was postmaster for many years. He is serior warden of the Masonic fraternity and is a member of the Henry Walker Post G. A. R. of Forestport. In 1869 Mr. Denton married Carrie A., daughter of Stephen N. Waterbury, and their children are Elmer A., a graduate of Cornell Uni- versity, now of the law firm of Halliday & Denton, of Ithaca, N. Y .; Lena R., a graduate of the musical department of Hamilton Seminary; C. Mildred, now a student in the Sage College, of Ithaca, N. Y .; and Nathaniel W. Mr. Denton and his wife and children are members of the Presbyterian church.

Evans, Charles H., was born in the town of Floyd, January 28, 1856, son of Owen J. and Rose Evans, who settled here about 1830. Their children were Jane, John, William, Owen J., Mary Jane, and Charles H., all natives of Floyd. Charles H. Evans married Ruth L., daughter of Rev. John R. Griffith. by whom he had three children: Flora R., Edwin J., and Erwin O. Mr. Evans has been trustee and is now secretary of Camroden Congregational church, also superintendent of the Sunday school. He is interested in educational affairs, also in town affairs and is post- master at Camroden, appointed by President Harrison May 11, 1892.

Ellis, Hugh M., was born in Wales, October 9, 1844, son of Ellis and Mary (Morris) Ellis, natives of Wales, who came to Deerfield about 1847. Mr. Ellis died in Deer- field, December 18, 1888, at eighty-two years of age. The grandfathers, David Ellis and Hugh Morris, both died in Wales. Hugh M. Ellis has always been engaged in farming, owning a farm of 117 acres in Deerfield, which he bought in 1871, and keeps from thirteen to fifteen cows. In 1890, he married Emily M., daughter of Albert T. and Mary F. (Sharp) Wight, of Forest Hotel, Deerfield, and by whom he has three children: Morris Walter, Laura Maud, and Iva Frances. August 12, 1862, Mr. Ellis enlisted in Co. F, 117th Regt. N. V. Vols., and was honorably discharged at New York city, June 2, 1865; and he was in many hard fought battles. He is a member of Post Thomas 39, G. A. R. at Prospect, and they attend the Methodist church.

Fox, Henry, was born in Marcy, Oneida county, September 20, 1830, a son of Abraham and Nancy (Vanderwarker) Fox, natives of Connecticut and Oneida county, N. Y., respectively, grandson of Abraham Fox, son of Abraham Fox, who settled on Tug Hill, Lewis county, N. Y., in 1806. His maternal grandfather, John A. Van- derwarker, a native of Schoharie county, N. Y., was a pioneer of Western. Henry Fox was reared in Western from ten years of age, and was educated in the common schools and Whitestown Seminary, and is a basket maker by trade, which he has followed more or less for forty years in connection with farming, and has lived ou the farm he now occupies since 1841. In 1854 he married Polly, daughter of Uriah Fitch, of Steuben, by whom he had three children: Ernest L., an M. E. clergyman of N. Y., Lucy A., and Sylvia F., a city missionary in New York city since 1889. Mr. Fox married for his second wife, Margaret A., daughter of Jacob Wollaber, of Sten- ben. Mr. Fox is a member of the M. E. church, of which he is a local preacher, and in politics is a Prohibitionist.

FAMILY SKETCHES.

Fiske, Hon. L. W., was born at Boonville, in 1835, son of John M. Fiske, and grandson of Jeremiah Fiske, of the widely known Rhode Island family. After ac- quiring a good academic education at Worcester and Fairfield, he entered the law office of George W. Smith, where diligent application and inherent ability resulted in admission to the bar, October 4, 1860, and the establishment of an extensive prac- tice at Boonville. He went to the front with Company D of the 146th Regiment in August, 1862, but exposure and hardship resulted in disability and almost total deaf- ness; an unfortunate handicap for his talent as an attorney. In 1866, Mr. Fiske was elected to the Assembly, where he acquitted himself to the credit of himself and satisfaction of his constituents. The late Roscoe Conkling was an intimate personal friend of Mr. Fiske. In local affairs, he has taken an active place in village govern- ment; in establishment of the N. V. State Soldier's Home; in the administration of the Grand Army organization ; and as librarian of the Erwin Library.

Farley, George R., was born in Prospect, N. Y., December 3, 1840, son of Darius and Ann Farley, she is a daughter of Richard and Ann Jones, and a granddaughter of Richard Jones, familiarly known as Priest Jones, who settled in Trenton about 1800. Darius Farley was a son of Rev. John and Susan Farley, who settled in Pros- pect about 1825. He was a farmer, and his children were John C., George R., Horace O., deceased, Garrett, Eliza, wife of Dr. Minor Wiggins, Abbie, deceased, Dean, deceased, and Julius, deceased. George R. Farley married Jennie, daughter of James and Mary Roberts, by whom he had two children: Frank, deceased, and Mabel. August 9, 1862, Mr. Farley enlisted as a private in Co. F, 117th Regt., and was discharged as a sergeant December 31, 1864. He was wounded at Chapin's Farm. He is a charter member and commander of Thomas Post, No. 39, which position he held for eight years. He is also a member of Trenton Lodge, I. O. O. F., and I. O. R. M., No. 221, of Prospect. He was supervisor of the town of Trenton for three terms.

Gallagher, James, jr., was born in Forestport, May 19, 1855, son of James Gallagher. who was born in Ireland, in 1825, and came to Forestport in 1845, where he now re- sides on a farm; he married Mary Gallagher, a native of Ireland, by whom he has seven children: John, James, Frank, Henry, Anna, Mary and Sarah E. James Gallagher, jr., began life for himself when he was twenty-one years of age, by work- ing in the woods, and also owned two boats, which he conducted until 1888, when he disposed of them, and erected a saw mill on Black River in the town of Wilmurt, where he manufactured hard wood lumber for five years; in 1895 he erected his pres- ent mill, where he has been actively engaged in cutting pulp wood and manufactur- ing lumber, and he now owns 3,000 acres of timber land in the Adirondacks, and ships on the average of one boat load consisting of forty cords a day. In 1885 he married Mary Ella, daughter of Michael and Catherine Donovan of Ireland, and they have five children: Elizabeth Maud, Jennie Frances, Ellen Cecelia, Margaret Allena, and Charles Austin.

Garrett, Henry L., was born in South Trenton, August 12, 1848, son of Henry W. and Sarah D. Garrett. Mrs. Garrett was a daughter of Aaron Savage. Henry W. was a son of Cheney and Lorena (Plant) Garrett, and Cheney was a son of John Garrett, one of the pioneers of Utica. Henry W. was married March 30, 1837, and Mr. and Mrs. Garrett have eight children: Frederick E., born January 1, 1838;

OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

Emma C., born February 28, 1840, and who died June 28, 1855; C. Olivia, who was born March 12, 1842, and died February 29, 1852; Orrin R., born March 26, 1844; Julia L., born September 14, 1846, and died August 7, 1853; Henry L .; Sarah R., born March 26, 1850; and Lewis Seymour, born April 24, 1853, and died November 18, 1893. Mr. Garrett was a farmer and a brick manufacturer at South Trenton, and taught school ten years. He enlisted in Co. E, 97th Regt. N. Y. Vols., on Sep- tember 13, 1862, and was discharged from service June 16, 1865. Henry L. married Minnie Waite, and is also engaged in farming and in brick manufacturing.

Griffith, William Penn, was born in Boonville in 1846, son of Arthur Griffith, who was born in Cairffonshire, Wales, in 1814; was left an orphan at an early age and emigrated to America in 1824 with his grandfather and first settled in Steuben, Oneida county. In 1837 he started for the far west; he took passage on the lake from Buffalo to Detroit, and from there he walked across the State of Michigan, a part of Indiana and to Chicago, where he found a small muddy village where loaded teams would get mired in the street; then he returned to Boonville, where he en- gaged in farming, an occupation he pursued through life. In 1843 he married Eleanor Hughes, daughter of William R. Hughes of Lee. He was the father of three children ; Jane and Ellen, both of whom are deceased, and William Penn, with whom he now resides. William Penn Griffith has devoted his life to farming and has always resided in Boonville, where he has a farm of 200 acres. He married Fidelia Platt, of Steuben, N. Y. Mr. Griffith is possessed of sound common sense and unfaltering energy and has led a remarkably busy life.

Gue, Jerome V., was born in Boonville, Oneida county, January 15, 1828, a son of David C. and Lucina (Jillson) Gue, natives of Ulster county, N. Y., and Massachu- setts, respectively. His maternal grandfather, Levin Jillson, a carpenter by trade, was among the first settlers of Boonville, where he resided until his death. David C. Gue, father of Jerome V., settled in Boonville in 1817, where he cleared a farm, and in 1865, removed to Durand, Wisconsin, where he died in 1873. Jerome V. re- mained in Boonville until he was fifteen years of age, when he removed to Western. He is a boat builder and carpenter by trade, which business he has followed since he was twenty-three years of age, and has also had a dry dock for boats at North West- ern since 1865. In 1853 he married Clarissa, daughter of George and Rebecca Keech, of Western, by whom he has three children: Elmia (Mrs. Jay McOmber); Nellie (Mrs. Dr. Gilbert L. Lear); and Charles. Mr. Gue has been supervisor of Western one term, and held the office of justice of the peace twenty-seven years. In politics he is a Democrat.

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Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 92

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