USA > New York > Onondaga County > Pompey > Re-union of the sons and daughters of the old town of Pompey > Part 28
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Eunice Woodworth, daughter of Abner Woodworth, and Hannah Dyer, wife of Timothy Sweet, was born in Canaan, Conn., November 22, 1762. Being deprived of educational advantages in her early years, she learned to read after her marriage, and acquired a decent education for those days. About 1800, at the earnest solicitation of Dr. White, of Cooperstown, she commenced the study and practice of obstetrics, he furnishing her books and instruction gratis. She was peculiarly adapted for the profession by nature, and made a most successful practitioner for about 45 years. In the sparsely settled country where she first commenced prac- tice, her " ride" was often extensive, but professional calls few, but in later times, her ride was not so distant, and the calls more numerous ; in the aggregate some hundreds. She was present also on hundreds of occasions, when not called professionally. She closed a long, honored and useful life, January 25, 1845.
Adolphus Sweet, born in Milton, Saratoga Co., married Obedience Johnson, June 17, 1811. He was a farmer on the farm next north of the old Homestead. He was crip- pled for many years, and died April 10, 1839. Obedience died in Michigan, January 11, 1862.
Their children were Andalucia, who married Edgar A. Brown, widow, resides at Covington, Kentucky. Timothy, the only bachelor in the tribe resides at Rhonersville, Cal. Henry, a farmer at Dover, Lenawe Co., Michigan. Harriet who married George A. Wright, died in Michigan, 1858, and George who is a farmer and resides at Dover, Lenawe Co., Michigan.
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Aurel Sweet, born in Milton, Saratoga County, married John Sprague, August, 1803. They resided on the farm now owned by Guilford C. Clapp, until 1834. Their chil- dren were Anna, who married John Morley, resides in Cayuga Co. Belinda, who married Harry Weed, and re- sides at Forestport, Oneida Co. Mary, who married Hiram Wood, and Aurilla, who married Alonzo Wood, Clarissa, who married H. V. S. McMechan, widow, Trenton, N. J., and Charlotte, who married W. D. Stewart, Northville, Minn. They removed to Fayetteville in 1834, where she died April 19, 1835.
Charles Sweet, born in Milton, Saratoga county, married Theodosia Clapp, Nov. 12, 1805. He was a carpenter and joiner and bridge builder. He removed in 1811 to the Holland Purchase, and built a saw and grist mill, he went to Greenupsburgh, Ky., about 1820,and has never been heard of since. He left two children in Pompey, with his relatives, Charles, who removed to Chicago, in 1835, and Philura, who married the Hon. Alvin Raymond, of Racine, Wisconsin.
James Sweet, born in Milton, Saratoga county, married Betsey Jerome, October 28, 1806, and a second wife Laura Clark, 1821. He was a cabinet maker, and specimens of his handicraft are in the houses of most of the relatives.
In the war of 1812, he enlisted into the Navy, on board the Brig Argus, was in an engagement with a British ves- sel, took a prize, six boxes of gold. The firing of cannon made him deaf forever after. He returned from the war and went on to a farm, on Lot 10, Camillus, where he resid- ed till November 25, 1828, when he died. By his first wife he had one son, Jerome.
Jerome Sweet, son of James, born in Pompey August 11, 1806. On the enlistment of his father in the Navy, he went to reside with his uncle Anson, with whom he remained until he reached his majority. He married Joanna Dodge in 1827, and soon after went to reside on a part of the farm given his father, on Lot No. 10, Camillus. Here he remained
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several years, and then removed to Ohio. In 1842 he re- moved to Noble county, Indiana. The country was new, and from the first he took a leading position in all that per- tained to the welfare of the country. He was a representa- tive man in the church, school, agriculture and politics. In 1851 he was chosen to the Legislature of that State, and upon that body at that time devolved the labor of revis- ing the Statutory code, and a new and complete code of Jurisprudence. He discharged his duties to the entire sat- isfaction of his constituents. He died August 24, 1869.
Anson Sweet, born in Saratoga county, Oct. 23, 1788, married Charlotte Seeley, January 18, 1810. He resided on the farm now owned by Ezra Casler, on Lot 17, until 1834, when he removed to Fayetteville, then to the Old Homestead and finally to Manlius.
As early as 1818, he practiced under-draining on Lot 17, bringing into cultivation quite an extensive swale. The drains were dug very deep and stoned like a cellar drain in those days -- a sound stone on each side, and a flat one on top clincked tight, and the drain filled above with moist earth. These drains work well to this day.
He was a successful farmer and laid up a competence, which he still enjoys. He resides with his only daughter in Rochester.
Mrs. Sweet died at Manlius, February 18, 1861. His children were Charles, who for a time managed the old homestead, but removed to Wisconsin in 1850, and now re- sides at Granby, Missouri; James B., who owned the old homestead for some years, removed to Manlius, then to Syracuse, back to Manlius, then to Fayetteville, Skaneateles, and finally to Syracuse; his life was a checkered one, sometimes on a farm, sometimes in a public house, but al- ways cheerful to the last few months of his life, when he be- came deranged, and died Sept. 2, 1871; and Charlotte L., who married the Hon. George G. Munger, of Rochester, where she now resides surrounded by a happy family of girls.
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Anna Sweet, born in Milton, Saratoga county, a twin with Anson, was married to Hon. Nathan Williams, March 14, 1805. Her husband was a merchant and had a store on the Four Corners, north of the old homestead, opposite of Charles' Hotel. She died Aug. 22, 1807, leaving two children, Luna, who married John R. Wright, and Miphry, who died young.
Pamelia Sweet, born in Saratoga Co., married Jost C. Finck, a lineal descendant of General Andrew Finck, of revolutionary fame, and of German origin, in 1808. He was the lawyer of the family; removed to Johnstown, Mont- gomery county, then back to Pompey, then on a farm which his father-in-law gave him in Camillus, on No. 10, where he remained till 1832, then to Cato, then to Weeds- port, then to Allegany county, where she died January 18, 1839. Her children were Mariah, who married Asoph Kinne, Anna, who married Orlando Galt, Jacintha, who married Lewis P. Roode, Edmund A., Amelia, who married Rev. A. J. Crandall, Eliza, who married Rev. Walter Hare, Lucy, who married B. Brooks Joslin and Hulbert. Amelia resides at Cazenovia, all the remainder are west.
Kneeland Sweet was born in Pompey February 5, 1794, we think the oldest person born in town, at this writing.
He received the best education attainable in that day, be- ing sent by his father to Johnstown Academy for the polish. In 1820 he came in possession of the Old Homestead, about 300 acres of land, and heavily stocked with horses, sheep and cattle, and implements of every kind, the most com- plete in town.
HIe married Julia Ann Kennedy, of Marcellus, in 1819; they removed to Manlius about 1833, and to Mason, Mich., 1842, previous to the war he removed to Granby, Mo., where Mrs. Sweet died 1866. Their children were Warren G., a farmer at Granby, Mo., Loren, a farmer and mer- chant at Mason, Mich., J. Frances, who married the Hon. James A. Chase and resides at Buffalo, William G., a
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farmer at Mason, Mich., Isabel, who maried the Hon. Jerome B. Fitzgerald, Edgar B. and Andalusia, who died young, and Frederick K., the youngest grand-child of Timothy, a Druggist at Lockport, N. Y. Kneeland resides with his daughter Isabel at Niles, Mich.
Horace Sweet, born in Pompey April 1, 1796, was never calculated for anything but a farmer, it was his glory, his pride and the height of his ambition to be called a "good farmer." His earley education was on the farm, and that continually, it being thought worse than useless to expend time and money on any one who expected to be a farmer. IIe lived in the expectation of having the "Old Homestead" all his early life, and by diligence and industry fitted him- self for the responsible situation. In 1817 he married Candace Avery, and for two years managed the farm. In 1819 his father gave him a small farm where Hiram Clement now resides. In 1823 he removed to the farm two and one-half miles north of the Hill, where he added to his aeres and his family in about equal proportion.
His experiments in farming were continual and always too extensive, for when a failure, the loss was too great He tried all sorts of grain and all kinds of implements. He purchased the second cast-iron plow in town, and used the first. He had the first threshing machine, the second horse- rake, the second mowing machine, the first drill, the first roller, the first sub-soil plow, one of the first of the Michi- gan sub-soil plows, and among the minor implements, was ever ready to try for a better one.
In the cultivation of his farm he always desired to be in advance. He purchased stone for the front fence in 1834 at quite a cost, and had drains in every low place as early as 1840. He always wanted to "plow deep" and in many of the fields every stone that the plow hit in the bottom of the furrow was taken out. Foul stuff was his abomination, and many a day was spent in pulling charliek and daisies with corresponding backache. He always wanted to do things so much better than was absolutely necessary, that he
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needed a fortune to back him. As we said at the con- mencement his ambition was to be called a "good farmer." This distinction he achieved "if he did not make a cent."
His back was injured by a fall about four years previous to his death, and he suffered long, but finally like a shook of corn cut by an early frost, he departed August 4, 1858 aged 62. His children are Clarence H., mechanic, who re- sides at Knowlesville, Anson A., mechanic, Syracuse, Homer D. L., Genius of the "Claud Melnot school," resides at Syracuse, Wheaton B., the only representative of the fifty grand-children of Timothy remaining in town, William A., mechanical engineer at Syracuse, John E., Professor of Applied Mathematics at Cornell University, Helen L., who died 1842, and Anna E., widow of Charles C. Bates, resides at Syracuse.
JOHN TODD.
John Todd was one of the early settlers of Pompey, and owned and occupied the farm now occupied by M. R. Dyer. He and his wife will be remembered as good, honest chris- tian people-members of the Baptist church. Mrs. Todd was decidedly opposed to instrumental music in church, and when Mr. John Talbert assisted the choir with his bass viol, she left the church, for she said, "having introduced fiddling in church, the next thing would be dancing."
Mr. Todd died about the year 1830, and Mrs. Todd lived several years thereafter-a member of the family of the late Pitt Dyer. They left no children.
SAMUEL TALBOT.
Samuel Talbot, one of the early pioneers and settlers of the old township of Pompey, was born in the town of Stoughton, Mass., August 15, 1778. Young Talbot when about twenty years of age, started with his wife, together with the families of Asa Drake, and - Holmes to seek heir fortunes in (what was then considered) the far west,
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amidst the wilds and uncultivated regions of "York State." Their means for transporting their families and household goods were very primitive and simple, yet their persever- ance and courage overcame the many perplexing annoy- ances they met with on their journey. Their course was pursued through the unbroken country and forests, fording streams and rivers, frequently being delayed in making rafts upon which the latter were crossed. Their furniture and provisions were drawn by two yokes of oxen, hitched to each sled. On arriving at the Hudson near the city of Albany, they crossed upon the ice. Here it was found neces- sary to make a halt long enough to put new wooden shoes upon two of the sleds which had completely worn off; the third sled proved equal to the task, and did not receive any repairs until they arrived at Pompey. Talbot settled in the north-west part of the town, where he remained about ten years ; he then removed to Cleveland Mills, Steuben county. The house he occupied in that place caught fire and was consumed together with nearly all its furniture. He then removed to the Cohocton River, one and a half miles from Liberty Corners, and purchased a farm of 108 acres, exchanged that land with one Sexton, of Poultney, but the title of the property proving spurious, he lost everything he paid on it, and was left with only a few articles of household goods, besides a pair of young cattle, with which he removed back to Pompey and worked the Grimes' farm upon shares for two years. He then purchased a small farm of fifty acres, paying for it from a dowry his wife received from her father. The same farm is now occupied and owned by his only living daughter, Mrs. Morse. He died with small-pox in 1859, aged eighty-one years; his wife also died from the same disease the same year, being one or two years his senior.
Mr. Talbot was a descendant of the Talbots of Strafford- shire, England, whose history, both civil and military, are well known to many historical readers of the present day. The first American Talbot was impressed upon a British
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man-of-war vessel, while bathing with other boys of about his own age on the English coast. His name was Peter, son of the Earl of Shrewsbury. IIe escaped from the vessel in 1662, and swam to the Rhode Island shore. From thence he proceeded to Stoughton, Mass. He left a son George, who left Peter, who was father of the subject of this sketch. Samuel, not unlike his progenitors, was six feet and five inches in height, large bony frame, muscular and was pos- sessed of an enduring constitution. There are many inci- dents told of his remarkable strength and endurance, among the number we will relate the following : Talbot had ac- quired considerable skill in the use of carpenter's tools, and in those days he was often called upon to assist the early settlers in building their cabins and honses. He had occa- sion to work at house building in Ohio, soon after the Erie canal was opened for business ; on his return from that State in the fall, he came from Buffalo in a boat, landing at Syra- cuse with his large tool chest which was left upon the bank of the canal, while he sought for some means to transport it to Pompey Hill. He could find no farmer or neighbor of his in town, and it being Saturday in the afternoon, he con- eluded to carry it upon his back, which he did by the aid of straps and cords, arriving at his home about midnight. He did not remove the chest from his back until he arrived home, only stopping occasionally and resting by leaning the chest upon a stump or by the side of a tree on the route through the forests. As a wood-chopper he had but few equals in this section of the State. An incident is frequent- ly told by residents of Pompey, who are now living and can vouch for the facts.
Talbot's wife wanted a pair of andirons or " fire dogs" for their huge fire place, which were already decorated with " cranes" and " hooks," but not complete without the arti- eles above mentioned. Young Talbot with his axe upon his shoulder started for Mickles' Furnace, which was located about two miles south of Syracuse, near the junction of the two roads leading from Onondaga Hill and Onondaga Hol-
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low ; he saw Mr. Mickles and made a bargain for the fire dogs, he (Talbot,) agreeing to chop and pile up seven and a half cords of maple wood for them. He returned home put his axe in excellent order, and on the following day a little after day-break he commenced his work felling the trees, chopping, splitting and piling up the wood; about sunset Mr. Mickles went into the woods to see what progress Tal- bot was making, and found him cording up what he had chopped, which measured a little over seven cords. Mr. Mick- les was surprised to see the result of the day's work, and said to Talbot, " you need not chop any more I am satisfied and you can come to the furnace and make your selection of "fire dogs," which he did, taking them, together with his axe, upon his shoulders and started for home.
Mr. Talbot was a devoted member of the Disciples church, and a consistent temperance man, honest and square in all his dealings with the world. He left a son (Alvin, since de- ceased,) and a daughter, (Mrs. Morse,) who is now living on the old homestead in Pompey, on the road leading to the Hollow and Jamesville.
ELIJAH WELLS.
Among the pioneers of the town of Pompey may be num- bered Elijah Wells, who was born in the town of Wethers- field, Hartford County, Conn., February 27, 1775 ; he was married January 16, 1800, to Lucy Sellew, of Glastonbury, of the same county; he came to Pompey in the fall of 1799, and purchased a forest farm of one-hundred acres, on Lot No. 51; after making his purchase, he returned east to spend the winter. In the spring of 1800, he returned to Pompey, and applied himself to clearing up his land. Dur- ing the summer he cleared ten acres and also built a log house for his future residence. In the fall he returned east and prepared to remove his family to what might be re- garded his wilderness home. In February, 1801, he left the home of his childhood for his chosen residence in the then far west. The journey was performed at this incle-
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ment season of the year in an open sleigh with the addi- tional responsibility of caring for an infant child of a little more than three months old. Deacon Asa H. Wells, who, till 1874, resided a half mile north of Pompey Hill, was that little child whose familiar voice in the choir of the Con- gregational Church at Pompey, for nearly a half century has been heard nearly every Sabbath, singing praises to the . God who then preserved him. Thus they came into this western wild, bringing with them their effects to commence the battle of life. Often has the writer of this little sketch been thrilled in listening to the recital of the perils and trials of those pioneer days. Elijah Wells and his wife were both for many years active members of the "First Congregational Church," in Pompey, and for many years he was one of the Deacons of the Church. Their children feel that they owe very much to them, and cherish their memory with feelings of veneration. Those early days in the history of our fathers, were days of severe struggle and privation ; and this was peculiarly so with the subject of this sketch. In order to dispose of the heavy timber of the dense forest, and get his logging done-not having a team of his own, he was obliged to depend upon a neighbor who had an ox team, giving two days of his own labor, for the services of his neighbor with his team one day. In this way he accomplished the clearing of the first ten acres. In the fall of the same season, he sowed it to winter wheat, which gave him an abundant erop the following season. The nearest market to him at this time was Utica, fifty miles away, and in the winter of 1801 and 1802, he hired another neighbor, Artemus Bishop, who was always actuated by a high sense of honor and ready to accommodate as are pion- eer settlers generally, and who had a horse team to carry his crop to market ; for it when delivered at Utica, he re_ ceived forty cents per bushel. From this he had to pay for the transportation to market. This was the manner of be- ginning to build up the town of Pompey, and from such small beginnings, they contributed by mortgaging their
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farms to build up Pompey Academy. From this, let the present generation learn a lesson and show a little public spirit by stopping the decline of that venerable institution, by contributing out of their abundance sufficient to place it - financially upon a firm basis.
To them were born five sons and two daughters; four of the sons are yet living ; one son and the daughters have passed away. Elijah Wells, the subject of this sketch, died in the fall of1830. Lucy Wells, his companion, died in the fall of 1857. Of their family Asa H., the eldest son, now resides in Manlius, and George, the youngest, still remains in Pompey. John S., the second son who married Polly, a daughter of Moses Hinsdale, died at his residence near the old homestead in 1854. Russell, the third son, is a resident of Manlius village. Elijah, Jr., the fourth son, resides in Naples, Ontario County, N. Y .; he alone chose a mercantile life, while all the others have made agriculture their pur- suit for life. Of the daughters one died in infancy, the other at the age of twenty-five unmarried. The sons have all been married, and have long enjoyed the society of their respective families.
EDWARD WICKS
Was born at East Hampton, Long Island, in 1752, and died in the year 1834, aged 74 years. His father, Capt. Edward Wicks, was a sailor, and having charge of a schooner which sailed between Connecticut and the West Indies, took his son, the subject of this sketch, with him. He was thus taught the rudiments of a sea faring life, till he was about fourteen years old ; then he was bound to a tailor; but be- ing ill used he ran away from his master, and in company with his younger brother, Capt. John Wicks, father of the late E. B. Wicks, of Syracuse, took charge of a vessel mak- ing voyages to the West Indies, until the war of the revo- lution. He was then obliged to return to his trade for sup- port, and worked in Providence, R. I., from house to house for fifty cents per day, taking pay in Continental money, of
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which he paid $210.00 for a pair of shoes; these, however, he said were a "good pair." He married Elizabeth Conk- lin, of East Hampton, daughter of Lineas Conklin, and aunt of Judge Conklin, formerly of Auburn, who was the father of Hon. Roscoe Conklin, of Utica, and of Frederick Conklin, of New York. During the revolution, his father had moved to Guilford, Con., with his family, and re- mained there till 1800, and then emigrated to Oneida Co., N. Y., between Clinton and Paris Hill. In 1816 he came to Pompey, and bought of Mr. Handy the farm which Barrs the Hessian, one of the thousand taken prisoner by Gen. Washington at Trenton, had settled. The farm was lately owned by Dea. Asa II. Wells, and now by David King. Here he remained till his death, which occurred in 1834. His wife died at the age of sixty-four years, in the year 1826, in Pompey. They left four children. Harriet, the eldest, married Augustus W. Chappell; Marvin died in 1848; Isaac C. now lives at the age of seventy-five years, in Pompey Hill village; Eliza, who was six years younger than Isaac C., married John Clark, and settled in Brunswick, Medina Co., Ohio, and died in 1850. Mrs. Chappell died in 1829 in Pom- pey, of a malignant fever then prevailing, as did also her son, Edward F. Chappell. She left surviving three other children-Helen, Sylvia and Byron.
DANIEL WRIGHT.
The subject of this sketch was born September 9th, 1794, in Hebron, Conn., and from there emigrated to Pompey, ar- riving February 29, 1799, with his parents, who settled on Lot No. 16. His father died Nov. 13, 1805, and his mother March 13, 1806, the year of the great eclipse. Then young Daniel went to live with his brother-in-law, and remained with him two years. He then commenced to work by the month and day for different persons, always strictly fulfill- ing his contracts, till 1812, when he bought a farm and paid for it with the money that years of toil had secured. But the title to his land failed and he lost it. Again he went to
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work by the month and day, and when over thirty years of age he married Miss Eva Helmer, of Manlius, April 21st, 1826. Their children were ten in number, and were raised to become men and women. To support his large family he continued to work by the month and by the day. Ilis wife died July 17th, 1866, since which time he has lived with his sons. The 18th of February, 1869, his leg was broken by a fall and the broken limb was cared for by Dr. Knapp, of Jamesville, under whose skillful treatment aided by the strong vitality of his patient, he was enabled to be about in a short time. At the age of 78 years he could chop and pile two cords of wood in a day, and although the vigor of his younger days is departing, he can walk ten miles in a day. His life spent among the farmers of Pompey, has demonstrated that though poor a man may be honest. But his life's labor is nearly done, and he is now only waiting to join the pioneers of Pompey, who have gone before him over the river. In conversation he shows that though young when he came to Pompey, he well remembers the scenes and hardships of pioneer life. He remembers of families suffering for the want of food, and so reduced as to eat beach leaves. In a mortar they pounded their corn and baked their corn cakes in the ashes, rolling them up in cabbage leaves and covering them up with coals. But they thanked God and were contented, looking for a better day.
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