USA > New York > Onondaga County > Pompey > Re-union of the sons and daughters of the old town of Pompey > Part 27
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Their children in the order of their ages, were Lucretia, Joseph, Betsey, Daniel, Jared, Onor and Manoah, Jr. Lu- cretia, the eldest, married Chester Howard, and they in turn became pioneers, moving to Ohio in 1836, and settled in Westfield, about thirty miles from Columbus. At ages above eighty years both have gone beyond the final river,
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leaving them surviving four sons. Two of these have since died. One lives in Ohio, and the residence of the other is unknown to the writer. So runs the stream of life until it is lost in eternity. Joseph Pratt was a farmer, and lived and died upon the land inherited from his father. He married Eunice Smith, who is also dead, and three children survive them, one son, Joseph, resides upon a part of the old home- stead. Two daughters are also living.
Betsey Pratt married Henry Cook, a son of Truworthy Cook, who was a pioneer of Pompey. When her father's family came to Pompey a severe accident happened to Bet- sey on the journey. It was near Schenectady, where they had stopped for refreshments. Active as children will be, she was on the street engaged in play, when a loaded sleigh came down a hill with such speed as to prevent her getting out of the way. She was thrown down and the loaded sieigh passed over her leg grinding it to a jelly. The limb was amputated and yet the accident only detained them three days. Although thus crippled she would dance with ease. They moved to a place near three river point and settled near the Seneca river. They too, are both dead, and their daughter Jerusha also. Freelove lives with her aunt Onor, and of the remaining two, Henry lives in Antwerp, and Mun- son in Philadelphia, Jefferson County, N. Y.
Both of the sons are wealthy farmers, engaged extensively in dairying and dealing in cattle.
Daniel Pratt married Mary Morgan, and they lived in Pompey till their death, engaged in farming. They left five children, of whom Mrs. Hodge, widow of the late John Hodge, of Fayetteville, and Eugene D. Pratt, reside in Fay- etteville, N. Y., S. D. Pratt, in Penn Yan, N. Y., Edward Pratt, at Oran, in Pompey, and Homer D. Pratt, at Manlius Center, N. Y.
Jared Pratt, resided in Pompey till about the year 1830, when he moved to Jeffersen County,'N. Y. After a resi- dence there about five years he moved to Michigan, upon
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the territory in dispute between Michigan and Ohio. The ·dispute terminated in favor of Ohio, and this left him in the latter State, where he remained engaged in farming till his failing strength obliged him to abandon that vocation. He «died in Ohio, and only one grand-child now remains of his family.
Onor Pratt married Joseph Chase, a wealthy farmer who resided in Jefferson Co., N. Y., till his death. His widow survived him and is still living on the farm at the age of eighty-one years. Although blind, in which condition she has been for several years, she carries on a dairy farm of three hundred acres, with sixty to seventy cows. A sister's daughter, Freelove Cook, lives with her, giving the old lady the benefit of her sight in the management of the farm. Mrs. Chase has no children.
Manoah Pratt, Jr. was born in Pompey, in 1798. He early showed an interest in books, and was sent to the Acad- emy, where he received a liberal education under the tuition of Burchard and Leonard. After he had completed his Academical course he entered the law office of Daniel Wood, Esq., the father of Senator D. P. Wood, of Syracuse. With him, and subsequently with Samuel Baldwin and Victory Birdseye in succession, he finished his legal studies and was admitted to practice in 1823. Before this, in 1819, he had engaged in teaching school in connection with his studies. He taught in the common schools and the Academy, and among his pupils were Governor Seymour and other Pom- pey boys of his age, who cherish the remembrance of their school boy days when he was their teacher, with the great- est pleasure.
About the time he was admitted to the practice of law his father's advanced age incapacitated him to attend to his farming and other duties. His older brothers were mostly settled and he was pursuaded to abandon the law and em- bark in agriculture. Accordingly, having married Miss Charlotte Ball, he became a farmer, and settled upon the old homestead, taking care of his aged parents for nearly the
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remainder of their lives. His fellow citizens, however, would not allow him to remain entirely in retirement upon his farm, and for four years he representeed Pompey in the Board of Supervisors, and for one year was a Member of the State Legislature. In all his public official duties he manifested capacity and integrity that would be refreshing in these days of venality and corruption.
His first wife lived only ten years after their marriage, and she left five children who were in the order of their ages- Othello C., Calvin B., Helen C., Mary E. and Leonidas E. A few years after the death of his first wife, he married Miss Pamelia Slauson, by whom he had one child, Marcus M. Pratt. With her he lived twenty-two years and she died. It was during this latter married life that a severe affliction came upon him, the nerve in his right leg became dis- eased to such an extent that he was obliged to submit to a painful surgical operation by which a part of the nerve was taken out, and he became again comparatively strong but to some extent lame.
After the death of his second wife, he married a Mrs. Adams with whom he is now living in the village of Pom- pey Hill, having sold his farm some twenty years ago. By his third wife he has one child, Carrie D. Pratt, now eleven years of age, the pride and comfort of her parents. During the past few years the nervous affection of his leg returned to trouble him, if possible, with redoubled fury. This time the attack was in the lower extremity. of the limb, and the excrutiating torture which he suffered was beyond the en- durance of any ordinary man. Although he had the most skilful medical aid and the best of care, his limb finally be- gan to mortify and a counsel of Physicians gave him up to die. It was, however, determined to amputate the lower part of the leg, that it might be endurable to nurse him. This being done, to the surprise of all, his unconquerable tenacity for life mastered the difficulty, and he became well again. He manages to get about with the aid of a chair, re- fusing to use crutches,
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But his suffering did not end. Last winter as he was go- ing home from Capt. Taylor's store, he fell and injured the unlucky limb and received a great shock to his nervous sys- tem. Again his life is in iminent danger, but again that iron will and tenacious clinging to life overcomes the diffi- culty, and to-day, (Summer of 1875,) having a full head of black hair and black whiskers with a sound limb to help his locomotion, he would pass for a man of forty-five. Physi- cally incapacitated as he is, he cultivates his garden, saws his own fire-wood, takes an interest in public affairs and keeps posted on all the current topics of the day. His mind is vigorous, and his memory retentive. In politics he has always been a democrat, and hopes to see the day when the people will wake up to the necessity of demanding of their public servants honesty in the administration of govern- ment, or if otherwise, to require them to step down and out. He is, probably, the oldest living person who was born in Pompey, and nothwithstanding his physical afflictions, is quietly passing down the declivity of life with apparently as much enjoyment as falls to the lot of man. Othello C. Pratt his eldest son, like his father, received a liberal education at the Pompey Academy, as did all Mr. Pratt's children. He was in 1849 a pioneer Californian, and knows much of the hardships of pioneer life. Having seen the golden State arise from infancy to a condition of wealth and influence, and having himself acquired a competency, he returned in 1857 to his native town, and married Lucinda, eldest daughter of O. J. Wheaton, of Pompey, and he is now a resident of the healthtul village of Pompey Hill.
Helen C. Pr att married E. Beard, of Pompey, and they reside in Syracuse, N. Y. He is engaged in the furniture trade with Seley Hayden, also a son of Pompey.
Calvin B. Pratt went to California among the early ad- venturers, and died in Nevada.
Mary Pratt married Orville Slauson, of Pompey, a far- mer, and resides on the old Slauson homestead, about two miles north of Pompey Hill.
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Leonidas Pratt, a lawyer, and married, resides in San Francisco, California. He has acquired some distinction in the golden State, having held the office of District Attor- ney, Supreme Court Judge and State Senator.
M. M. Pratt resides in Phoenix, Oswego Co., N. Y. He is adjuster of claims, and assistant Secretary of the Onondaga and Oswego Insurance Company.
Carrie D. Pratt, the youngest child, remains with her pa- rents. So closes an imperfect record of a family that has kept the ancestral name untarnished. So should it be with all the families of our land.
MILLARD ROBINSON.
The old residents of Pompey will remember the earnest and impressive singer at the Methodist Camp Meetings. That singer was Millard Robinson. His father, Isaac Rob- inson, was a soldier in the revolutionary war, and died in Otisco, Onondaga Co., having early come to that town from Saratoga Co., N. Y. Millard was born in the town of Ed- inbury, Saratoga Co., Nov. 13th, 1792. At the age of 16 he became converted, and united with the Methodist Epis- copal church, of which he was an carnest and prominent member till death called him away. October 10th, 1810, he was married to Electa Grimes, a daughter of Thomas Grimes, Esq., and in 1811, moved to Pompey, and settled two and a half miles south of Pompey Hill. He served as a musician in the war of 1812. Built a section of the Erie ca- nal, and afterwards purchased a farm of one hundred acres, three miles east of Pompey Hill, about the year 1825, on Lot No. 65. Here he raised a large family of children and remained on this farm till his death, which occurred in 1867.
JOHN SMITH.
Almost every community has its John Smith. The list of the pioneers of Pompey would be incomplete without a
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John Smith, but of him who was among the first settlers of Pompey there is more than simply the name John Smith. Pompey's John Smith was born in Buckland, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts, July 20th, 1787, and died in Pompey, Sep- tember 15th, 1872, in the 86th year of his age. His father having heard a good report of the country in central New York, resolved to send his son John on a tour of inspection, that he might know from him what advantages the new coun- try offered. Accordingly, there being no public convey- ance, he came all the way on horseback to Pompey, through the wilderness, oft times having no companions but the wild denizens of the forest. Having explored the country to his satisfaction, he returned to his eastern home on foot, having sold his horse. His report fully corroborated all that had been before related of Pompey's healthful clime and fertile soil. His father then resolved to find a home in the "wes- tern world," and called to his aid some neighbors, who as- sisted him to make a " sled." Soon they were on their way, his father with the other members of the family, and he, with a "yoke of stags," and the "sled," with their house- hold goods. There was a gathering of neighbors, the fare- wells were spoken, and they were off. Scarcely had they started when the sled broke down. It was quickly repaired again, kind wishes were exchanged and very soon the "old homestead" was lost to view. The route they pursued lay over the Hoosac mountains to Williamstown, when they came upon bare ground. Here they purchased a cart, un- loaded and repacked their goods, and left the " sled " at the hotel at Williamstown, where, long years after, the subject of this notice saw it in the same yard where it was left.
Before they got to Litchfield the axletree of the cart was broken. Again the goods were unloaded, and while the re- pairing was going on, some unruly swine made a raid upon their commissary department, and the good things prepared for their journey as was the custom in those days, were either consumed or greatly disarranged. When they came to Litchfield, snow again appeared, and they were obliged to
ENDICO: 1 & CO LITH, N Y.
JOHN SMITH ESOR
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change from wheels to runners. With such incidents as usually happen to persons traveling in a forest region, they continued to the end of their journey upon runners, and arrived in Pompey early in 1804, having been upon the road fifteen days. They moved into a log house about one mile northwest of Butler Hill, now Pompey Hill, on the road towards Syracuse, near where Baxter Knapp now re- sides. Mr. Smith was a resident of Pompey from that time up to the day of his death. He was twice married-first to Alcemena Anable, of Aurelius, Cayuga county, N. Y., by whom he had eight children, and secondly to Mrs. Betsey Wright, by whom he had three children. He was a man of sterling integrity, and enjoyed in a large degree the confi- dence of his fellow citizens. He was elected and held the office of Justice of the Peace for fifteen years, and was ap- pointed Associate Judge of the Common Pleas, which posi- tion he held five years, when the courts were held in Onon- daga Valley, and about the time of the removal of the Court House to Syracuse. He was a member of the Board of Su- pervisors several years, and gave the casting vote to locate the " old Court House," between Syracuse and Salina. He held the offices of Associate Judge, Supervisor, Justice of the Peace, and was a member of the Court House building commission all at the same time; and when the Court House was finished he resigned all his official positions and devoted the remainder of his active life to the pursuit of agriculture. His father, Elisha Smith, Sr., was a revolutionary soldier, and was in the army of Gen. Gates, and at the capture of Burgoyne. His father-in-law, Edward Anable, was also a soldier of the revolution, and fought in the battle of Bun- ker Hill. He continued in the service till the close of the war, and was one of six men who attempted to blow up a British frigate in the North river, barely escaping with their lives.
John Smith's children, eleven in number, were Ansel A., Calvin E., Isabella, Alcemena Holbrook, Angelina Ellis, Cleopatra Ellis, John Q., Andrew, Dexter, Hesiey and Frank.
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The names of those living can be found in the directory near the close of this volume.
THOMAS D. SAFFORD
Was born at Preston, Conn., and at the age of 18 years le came to Pompey, and worked at the carpenter and joiners trade for some time. In 1807 he purchased a farm of 80 acres, only four of which was cleared. The same year he married Huldah Palmer, daughter of Rev. Nehemiah Pal- mer, of Brookfield. He served in the war of 1812, having been drafted. Their children numbered twelve, two of whom died quite young. In September, 1832, the oldest son was taken with typhoid fever, and the whole family one after another, were taken down with the fever except the mother and one daughter. Three of the family, the husband and two daughters, died with the fever, and the family was afflict- ed from September till the last of February. Five years later, a daughter died with consumption. Seven children and the mother are yet living, and Mrs. Safford attended the re-union of Pompey's children June 29, 1871. She was 84 years old the 18th of March previous. The eldest son, Barnard C., married Laura A. Palmer, and they reside in Wayne, Erie Co., Pa. He is a farmer. Charles P. married Lorinda Bently, in Michigan. Warren D. married Irene Bogardus, of DeWitt, N. Y. They live near Janesville, Wis., and are both farmers.
One daughter, Harriet S., married Rev. Geo. M. Jenks, and resides at Centreville, Iowa. He is the pastor of the Congregational church at that place. Malinda A. married Chapin M. Holbrook, and resides in Pompey. He is a far- mer. Alonzo T. married Miss Lydia Peet, of Conn., is a far- mer. His mother and youngest sister Sarah L., live with him a short distance west of Pompey Centre.
JOSEPH SHATTUCK.
Joseph Shattuck with nine sons, "grown up men," came
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to Pompey at an early day, and settled on the lot Conrad Bush had drawn. He bought his land of some person who had no legal title, and paid eleven'shillings per acre. Soon with the help of his sons he cleared sixty acres and put up a double log house, but was ejected from the land by Conrad Bush when he came to settle on his section. And he refused to remunerate Mr. Shattuck for the improvements made. He then bought and settled on what was known as the Mory farm from which he was also ejected. Feeling that there was no security in purchasing on the Military tract, he with six of his sons, Sabina, Joseph, Alfred, Truman, Eli and another, left Pompey and went to the town of Cohocton, Genesee Co., on "The Holland Purchase," and there they made a settlement. The misfortune of Mr. Shattuck was that of many others who purchased "Soldier claims." The government had so often failed to keep faith with the soldier, that they ceased to have faith in it, and believing the titles to lands which were promised at the time of enlistment, were likely never to be given, they would offer them for sale at a nominal price. Speculators bought these claims in great numbers. Often the soldier repeatedly sold his claim. After the war the lands having been surveyed, were drawn and awarded to the soldier, who having been honorably dis- charged from the service could present a valid claim. They found the previous sales and transfers were not binding, and in many instances sold again. Parties who bought these lands were subject to great annoyance and often loss.
This fact for a time retarded the settlement of this portion of the State. The Legislature finally made a law establish- ing a commission called " The Onondaga Commission," whose duty it was to settle the conflicting interests of the claimants. After this work was accomplished, settlers feel- ing they could be secured in their purchases, and allured by the richness of the soil, healthy climate, and central loca- tion came on rapidly,and the "Military tract" was in a short time fully settled.
Three of Mr. Shattuck's sons, Stephen, Chester and An-
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sel remained in Pompey, declaring " they were determined to fight it out." The last named of these brothers, Ansel, and others, Thomas Eldridge being one, settled upon the lot upon which Col. Henry Tiffany had located. Each buying of the Colonel a fourth of the section. They built and lo- cated each on a corner of the lot. The other two brothers located on farms south of Pompey Hill, where they lived long, exerting a salutary influence upon the societyin which their lot was cast. Stephen lived to be 90 and Chester 70 years of age.
SWEETS.
Mary Sweet, the widow of Isaac, came to Salem, Mass., in 1631, with her three children, John, James and Meribah. She removed to Rhode Island in 1636; had land granted to her in 1637. For a second husband she married Ezekiel Holliman, the first minister of the colony under Roger Wil- liams.
Jolin Sweet, son of the above, born in England, followed the fortunes of his mother. He settled about three and a half miles south-east of Greenwich village, on Warwick Neck. He built a mill on the Kingston side of the stream. In 1638 he received land of Roger Williams, was a commissioner of Warwick in 1653, a Freeman in 1655, had permission to buy land of the Indians in 1663. In 1675 his mill was burnt by the Indians, and descendants of the family say the stones still remain, showing the site of the mill. His children were John, Daniel, James, Henry, Richard, Benjamin, William, Jeremiah and a daughter. His wife was named Eliza.
James Sweet, son of Mary, born in England, settled in Warwick, near his brother. He was a commissioner of Warwick, in 1653, purchased land of the Indians in 1662, was a commissioner from Providence in 1657, and was called General in 1658. He married Mary Green, the daughter of the 1st John Green. Their children were Phillip, James, Mary, Benoni, Valentine, Samuel, Jeremiah, Renewed and Sylvester.
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From some one of these seventeen Sweet families that ex- isted in 1690, the Sweets of Pompey claim to be descendants.
Joseph Sweet, the son of Henry and Mary, was born March 7, 1687. He married Rachel. His eldest son Henry, born August 9, 1710 ; and 2d son Timothy, May 27, 1713; he married Alice, the daughter of William and Thankful Sweet. She was born February 18, 1721. Her first husband was Thomas Mitchell, married November 20, 1739; and chil- dren, George, Dorcas and Deborah; married Timothy, about 1750, children : Charles, who was killed in the Revolution, Timothy and Oliver. He removed to Virginia, on the forks of the Potomac, was killed by the Indians, when Alice re- turned to Rhode Island, with her two children, on horse- back, Oliver unborn, a nine day's journey in 1757. For her third husband, she married Sherwood,and had one son Seth, who was an early settler in Wyoming county. She died in Pompey, May 6, 1814, aged 93 years three months.
Timothy Sweet was born in East Greenwich, R. I., Oct. 24, 1753. Of his early life we know nothing, but at the dawn of the revolution, he enlisted under Col Seth War- ren, and was at the taking of Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point. In the autumn of 1775, he was captured at " the cedars," in the expedition against St. Johns, Canada, and was taken to Halifax, and afterwards to New York, and placed in the Sugar House Prison. Here he lay for years, and in the fear of death from the inhumanity of his keepers, he enlisted into the British army as a servant to Captain Miles. As soon as health and strength permitted, he escaped from Long Island to the Connecticut shore, but not daring to join the Continental army for fear of a recapture, he visi- ted Salisbury, Conn., where in September, 1780, he married Eunice Woodworth. They emigrated to Saratoga, were with- in the sound of the great battle, and Eunice personally saw the surrender of Burgoyne. They emigrated to Pom- pey in 1794, reaching what is now the " Old Homestead," on the 28th of January, where within eight days, Kneeland Sweet, was born.
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Within three months after his arrival, he was elected to the office of fence viewer, and at the next town meeting to the office of Commissioner of Highways. In this capacity he labored for many years, and assisted in laying out most of the roads in the original township.
HIe soon became a prominent if not the leading farmer in the town, and one of the first in the county. In 1803, he purchased of Dr. Mordecai Hale, of New York city, two cows of Mr. Livingston's importation. These were of the best short-horned stock of that day; one came to Pompey in calf, which proved to be a male; Mr. S. paid $500 for the cow and calf, an emormous sum for that day. The other cow, equally good when she started, was injured on the passage, and she was sold for $60. She entirely recovered, and from these three sprang the celebrat- ed " Sweet breed." The "dam" of the bull was red and he the same, the other was spotted. The bull was sold in 1808 to Israel Chapin, of Canandaigua, for $350, where he founded the " Norton breed."
The eows of this stock were remarkable milkers, Mr. Geddes said in 1857, " there are persons now living who at- test that the mother of the bull gave 40 quarts of milk in a day." Mr. Sweet originally took up the 600 acre lot No. 18, he also had No. 86 in Fabius, and 10 in Camillus, at the same time. No. 18 was about half sold, a fair sized farm giv- en to his eldest son, and the remainder retained under his own control till 1817. No. 86 Fabius, was sold, and No. 10 Camillus was partitioned among his sons and sons-in-law. He afterwards purchased the most of Lot 17, a part of this was sold, and the remainder distributed among his sons and sons-in-law. From 1800 to 1817, he was the most promi- nent farmer in the country, tilling more land, and producing the most grain, cattle and horses and sheep. About this time he distributed his land among his children, and retired from active life at 65, in full health and active faculties. The giving up of all activity and responsibility in worldly affairs, was a sudden start in the down-hill of life, which he
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descended rapidly, and twenty years that might have been usefully spent, was absolutely squandered, and the last few of them in mental darkness. He died March 7, 1837.
His children were Adolphus, Aurel, who married John Sprague, Charles, James, Anson, Anna, who married Na- than Williams, Pamelia who married Jest C. Finck, Kneeland and Horace.
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