USA > New York > Onondaga County > Marcellus > The centennial history of the town of Marcellus : delivered in the Presbyterian Church of Marcellus, Onondaga County, N.Y., July 4, 1876 > Part 8
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This closes the list of physicians so far as my knowledge of them extends. If any have been omitted it is through ignorance.
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Of the class originally denominated Thomsonians, but now Eclectic, Dr. Belus Cobb was the first in town. He commenced practice about 1847. After continuing ten or twelve years he re- moved to Phoenix, remained several years, and then returned to this place and resumed practice. About 1868 he removed to New Jersey, where he still resides in practice.
Dr. Tramm practiced here during the time that Dr. Cobb was absent at Phoenix. He then removed to Minnesota, where he still resdes in practice.
Dr. Davis located in Amber soon after Dr. Clark went to El- bridge, and remained several years.
Dr. Rupp practiced in Skaneateles from fifteen to twenty years, and then removed to Syracuse, and is still in practice.
Of the class under the name of Homepathy, Dr. McGonegal held forth about 1851. He did business here for several years and then went to New York.
The following is a list of those who were either born in Mar- cellus, or whose youthful years were partly spent here, and who read medicine here preparatory for the regular practice, but have gone elsewhere to practice.
Dr. Dan Bradley whose life we have already considered.
Dr. Edward Cox emanated from the South part of the town, read medicine with Dr. 'Trumbull, then went to Michigan and established himself in practice at Battle Creek, where he still continues in full practice.
Dr. Edwin Healy read medicine with Dr. L. I. Teft, then lo- cated in Dryden, where he remained until 1853 or 54, and then he removed to Medina, in the western part of this state, where he re- mained until his death which occurred but lately.
Dr. Fordyco Rhodes read medicine in Skaneateles. He practiced first in some place in Pennsylvania, afterwards he removed to Sen- eca Castle, where he still resides. Impaired health obliged him to lay aside the duties of bis profession many years ago.
Dr. Ira Bingham read medicine under Dr. Alexander Cowles,
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about 1836; afterwards went to Michigan, and settled in Brighton, where he still remains in practice. He has been quite largely known in that part of the state, for his surgical as well as medical abilities.
Dr. E. B. Phillips was a student in the office of Dr. A. Cowles at the same time with Dr. Ira Bingham. He located at Onondaga Hill, and continued thero until disease laid hold of him to such a degree, as to oblige him to relinquish his profession. He has since resided in Syracuse, engaged in the leather business. Although giv- ing up practice, the Dr. does not cease to interest himself in every thing valuable pertaining to the profession, and thus he still lives among his medical brethren, a pleasant companion and wise coun- selor.
Dr. Simeon French was the son of Dr. French, the first phy- sician in Otisco. The father died when he was quite young. He read medicine with Dr. Parks of Lafayette, then established himself in practice first, in South Onondaga, afterwards, in Onon- daga Hollow - in each place remaining only a few years. In 1845 he removed to Battle Creek, Mich. where he continues in the prac- tice of his profession. Dr. French married a sister of Dr. Cox. In this connection I am reminded that Dr Cox informed me, that he taught school on our South Ilill during the winter of the deep snow, and refers to that "as one of the happiest seasons of his life.
Dr. Samner Rhoades read medicine a portion of his time, I be- lieve, under the supervision of Dr. Evelyn Porter, and the remain- der under Dr.Spencer of Geneva. While a student he served as Dem- onstrator of Anatomy for the Geneva Med. College. In about 1842 Dr. Spencer received him as a partner in practice. After a course of years, Dr. Spencer entered as surgeon in the army during the Mexican war, leaving the whole field in the hands of Dr Rhoades In a few years Dr. Rhoades abandoned practice, and purchased a nursery in the vicinity of Lyons. Not being successful in that bus- iness, he resumed practice in Elmira. Within a few years he has
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made his residence in Syracuse, and is devoted to his profession.
Dr. George Coon was a native of Skaneateles; read medicine with Dr. Evelyn Porter the former part of his time, and the latter part with Dr. A. H. Cowles. He settled first in Dryden about 1844, then removed to Weedsport, where he continued over twen- ty years in very successful practice. He then sold out, and after a year of rest among his friends, removed on to a farm in Wiscon- sin, where he still resides.
The brothers, Dr. Stephen Smith and Dr. Job Smith, were from Thorn Hill. They have been practicing physicians in New York for the last twenty-five or thirty years. Dr. Stephen fills a professorship in Bellevue Med. College. Dr. Job has become quite eminent as a medical writer.
Dr. Henry Porter was the youngest son of Dr. Samuel Por- ter. He was a young man of unusual promise in character, and prepossessing in personal appearance. But in the Providence of God he was one of those brighter lights that must early be remov -. ed from earth. Dr. Porter had barely completed his course at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, and was serving as Senior Walker on the Surgical side of New York City Hospital, when he was suddenly stricken down by Typhoid fever, ( at that time prevailing in New York as an epidemic,) and died after a sickness of eight or ten days, in 1846.
Dr. Mortimer Porter, son of Dr. Evelyn Porter, read med- icine with his father, and entered upon the practice in New York about 1850. I am unacquainted with his subsequent history.
Dr. Todd was the son of Caleb Todd Jr. I do not know where he read medicine, or his first locality in practice. He commenced practice about 1858; on the breaking out of the war, he enlisted as a surgeon, and after the war was located in the vicinity of New Orleans. He has since died. He is spoken of as a bold and some- what skillful practitioner.
Dr. William T. Plant read medicine in the office of the writ- er. He commenced the practice of medicine in some town in
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Pennsylvania, and quite early in the war enlisted as naval surgeon. . After the war he settled in Syracuse where he is still engaged in practice; he is also professor in one of the departments of the Syra- cuse Medical School.
Dr. Gilbert practiced at Mottville a few years, and died about 1854.
There are now in actual practice within the bounds of the old, original town of Marcellus, the following regular physicians : in Skaneateles, Drs. Levi Bartlett, George T. Campbell, George W. Earle ; at Borodino, Van Dyke Tripp; in Amber, Frank Hall; in Otisco, W .. W. Munson; in Marcellus, G. W. Richards and Israel Parsons. Of the Homoepathic school there are in Marcellus, Dr. Robert Rhoades; in Skaneateles, Dr. Benson. Of the Eclectic class, in Skaneateles, Dr. Merrill.
Among the lawyers who have practiced their profession in this town, probably Daniel Kellogg stands at the head of the list in regard to time. Mr. Kellogg settled in Skaneateles in 1803, and con- tinued in the full and successful practice of his profession until his death in 1836.
Freeborn G. Jewitt appeared as a lawyer some time later than Mr. Kellogg, and survived him about ten years. These men were both eminent in thier profession.
Davis B. Noxon was the first lawyer in this village. I have not obtained the date of his settlement. While here he resided in the "Sophia Ball house." Mr. Noxon removed to Syracuse, where he lived until his death a short time since. He also rose to em- inence in his profession. F
Mr. John Bixby followed Mr. Noxon and soon Daniel Ball ap- peared, and they formed a partnership. Afterwards Sanford C. Par- ker opened a law office, and received a Mr. Stansbury as partner; this four fold cord of lawyers continued for many years, giving a life and interest to the practice of law, that few places of this size ever experience. An illustration of the activity of law proceedings in this place, in those'earlier days, may be afforded by my relat-
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. ing an incident. A few years ago, during the trial of a strongly contested case from Marcellus, in the court room in Syracuse, an old citizen of this county, preeminent as a public man, on listening to the evidence pro. and con. on the case, sitting by the side of the writer asked "where that case came from?" on being in- formed, he replied, "well that sounds like Marcellus; " and stated that in his earlier years, he had sat on the jury-bench a great many times; and of all the trials to which he had listened, no town pro- duced an amount of litigation equal to Marcellus, nor the tall swearing in the court-room. He said there would often be an army of witnesses on both sides of a case; and those of one side would swear positively against the positive swearing on the other side; and when the cases were referred to the jury, there was required more than a jury of lawyers to unravel and decide upon them. He concluded by saying that a little of the old blood was evidently left there yet.
Mr. Bixby removed to New Hampshire, and is now dead. Mr. Ball died near 1832 at the age of forty-two. Mr. Parker remov- ed to Baldwinsville and there died about 1865. Mr. Stansbury, after several years, also removed to Baldwinsville, and continued in the practice of his profession.
These were followed by Archibald Thompson, who practiced here several years, then removed to Auburn, remaining there a few years, and has since resided in Illinois or Wisconsin.
Edmund Aiken succeeded Mr. Thompson. After practicing here a number of years, he removed to Chicago, where abandoning his profession, he became a very successful banker. He died in Chicago in 1867.
At the same time with Mr. Aiken, there were also Burr Ab- rams and a Mr. Spooner engaged in the practice of law in this vil- lage. Mr. Abrams removed to Jordan. Mr. Spooner went to Utica, and is now in practice in the Southern part of this state.
These were followed successively by G. N. Kennedy, F. A. Lyman and O. J. Brown, who have also in their order removed
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to Syracuse, where they now live in the full practice of their pro- fession.
At the present time there are two lawyers in practice, and both in Skaneateles, Benoni Lee and W. G. Ellery.
No lawyer has ever settled in Amber or Otisco, and in Borodino there has been but one, at an early period, and but for a short time.
I omitted to mention in the proper place, Augustus Kellogg, son of Daniel Kellogg, also William Jewitt , son of F. G. Jewitt. These were lawyers in Skaneateles cotemporary with each other.
Also among the physicians, I forgot the name of Dr. Morrell, who settled in Borodino after the death of Dr. Trumbull, and carried on a large practice until about 1866, when he removed to Fulton; there remained a few years; returned to Borodino and af- ter a time went to Elmira, where he now resides.
And Dr. Prindle, who read medicine with Dr. Morrell, loca- ted at Case-town about 1850, and after several years went to Mich- igan where he obtained a large practice. ,
The Church-Bell ringers occupy quite a place in the history of our village, especially prior to the last twenty-five years. There were no other bells but that of the Presbyterian church. It was the regulator for the whole town. It was rung at cight o'clock in the morning, at noon, and at nine o'clock in the evening, every day except Sundays, when besides being rung for the hours of service, it was also rung at nine o'clock in the evening. It tolled the ages for all the deaths, and for the funerals. Of the large num- ber of bell-ringers, I will merely make mention of some of the most noted of them.
I would here remark that the ringing of that church bell was no light duty. It carried with it great responsibilities. The bell was the helm that steered the ship of town. The bell rung the children to school - rung the whole town to dinner and to bed. The first church-bell was rich in tone, and possessed great pene- tration of sound; it was not heavy, but contained more than is usual of choice bell metal.
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Those who were born here and lived to adult years, and then removed far away, carried with them, always ringing in their ears, the sound of the old, old bell.
Then again it was expected that this bell should never fail in ringing at the proper time, although the heavens should be black with darkness, - the lightning flash and the thunder roar, even at nine o'clock in the evening, when entering the church seemed almost like going into the tombs. The bell-ringer must be faithful in the performance of his duty. So we see by this, that the ringing of the bell was no light preparatory course for a young man in his future life.
The late Dr. Parks of LaFayette, read medicine with Dr. Bildad Beach about sixty years ago, and while thus a student, rung the bell. Dr. Parks became a superior physician, was very much beloved and highly esteemed by the people among whom, for more than fifty years, he lived and practiced the duties of his profession.
Beach Godard, son of Dr. Pliny Godard, was another bell- ringer. He was clerk for Harvey Rhoades, in a store which stood on the ground where now stands the the house of Wm. B. White. Mr. Godard possessed fine personal appearance, and was much be- loved. I have been informed that he is now a wealthy old gentle- man, residing in California.
Next in order I will mention Amory Wilson, who was the most noted of bell-ringers, as a scientific bell-ringer. He honored the calling, and hung it with Laurels by his peculiar talents as a man. He came into this place in Nov. 1828. He began ringing the bell in 1835, rung it for eleven years; then stopped for a year, and again commenced and rung it one year more.
Mr. Wilson took such special pains to provide himself with correct time, that after he had rung the bell for a little while, no one of that wonderful class of people, of which no community is destitute, - called Complainers, ever questioned the correctness of his time. He says that he never failed but once, to ring the bell
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at its proper time; this was when once on looking at his clock, he saw that it wanted but five minutes of twelve, when really it w; but five minutes of eleven. He went to the church and rang the bell. This was in the midst of Winter, and the whole town was put to confusion. Men were hastening to their dinner be- fore the good wives had made the first preparation, and a gang of men who were engaged in chopping at the remote end of one of the East Hill farms, left their work and walked nearly a mile to obtain their dinner, quite to the embarrassment of the housekeeper, but soon after, to the chagrin of the men. For, at twelve o'clock Mr. Wilson rang the bell again, and that put all right.
One winter the merchants of the village concluded that as Mr. Wilson rang them to bed at night, he might as well ring them up in the morning; so they contributed from their own funds to hire him for this purpose. The bell was to be rung at five o'clock every morning through the winter. In those days the farmers were very much engaged during the winter in drawing wood, grain and pork, and this village furnished quite a market for the same, so that merchants had need to be at their stores in season to accommodate the carly rising farmers .. The first ringing of that early morning bell, caused a great surprise to the main portion of the communi- ty, who had not been informed of the new arrangement, it having been planned one evening, and put into execution the next morning. As a matter of course, it was supposed to be an alarm for fire, and accordingly many looked anxiously about, and one man in the village, who had not long before been burnt out, rushed into the snowy street with a very limited amount of clothing on him, to his great vexation and bodily injury.
Mr. Wilson was a man of system. He kept a record of the deaths, and of the ages of each individual for whom he tolled the bell. Hle tolledl the bell for three hundred and fifty deaths; and one third of these died under ten years of age. The oldest was an old Mrs. Burns, who was one hundred and seven years old. This was the only centenarian for whom he tolled the bell.
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When Mr. Wilson came to Marcellus, he belonged to the sect called Friends. Honesty, fair dealing, a friend to all, was his mot- to; and he has ever been a living and shining example of his mot- to. He has so thoroughly possessed the confidence of this people that during a period of thirty-seven years he has repeatedly held offices of trust. He has been Scaler of weights and measures thir- ty-seven years; Clerk of Corporation fifteen years, and whenever nominated was always elected. Mr. Wilson is in his eighty third year, and we hope that he may be spared to us many years yet.
The late Daniel Ball was another bell-ringer. When at the age of sixteen or seventeen he conceived the idea of applying for the situation. His mother being a widow with limited resources, he felt the importance of doing something that would aid her in the support of the family. Previously he had spent his time in com- parative idleness, more because there was no one to direct him, and give shape to his life, than that he preferred to be indolent, as his sequel proved. The situation was granted him and he rang the bell for a year or more, discharging his duty with fidelity and abil- ity. Young Ball possessed the power of a ventriloquist to quite a degree and occasionally indulged in the practice of his art, from the belfry, upon the passers by below, very much to his own a- ·musement.
Many a winter evening, boy-like, he would lie down upon a lounge to sleep, with his faithful mother as a watcher, to wake him preparatory to ringing the nine o'clock bell. All this was not with- out its advantages. The regularity and constancy of this duty be- gat in him habits of order, and an interest in business which was tho germ of future successes in his chosen profession. When he reached years of maturity, he engaged in the mercantile business, but without success. He then studied for the profession of the Law; and afterwards entered upon its practice with great success, so that he obtained a standing above the average of tho profession. He commenced practice at Waterville, Oneida Co. afterwards removed to Utica, where he died at the age of forty-six.
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Still another bell ringer was Dr. James S. Baker who served as such several years. He was a man of unusual intellectual ability and a close student from his earliest years. Geology, Botany, Chem- istry and Astronomy were his favorite branches of study. As we have considered Dr. Baker among the physicians, it is not nec- cessary to extend our remarks here any farther than to say, that he contributed to swell the list of peculiar characters among the bell- ringers.
Georgo Kellogg rung the bell near the year 1830. At that time ho was an apprentice to Oliver Hill, for the trade of cabinet mak- ing. Later in life he removed on to a farm in Michigan where he still resides.
We come now to our Grave-yard Sextons. They form a class of men whose employment is a very peculiar one, that of burying our dead from our sight. The first one who made this a permanent business was Amos Bogue; he commenced his duties before 1810, exactly when is not known. Mr. Bogue was slender in form, trem- ulous in his motions, probably in consequence of hisexcessive use of ardent spirits.
In those days it was customary for the sexton to meet the pro- cession at the gate and lead them to the grave. During the latter part of Mr. Bogue's service here, he was accustomed to carry his black, flat bottle of whiskey in one of the back pockets of his coat, with tho top sticking out, and sometimes presented quite a novel appearance, when he required the whole width of the broad alley to lead the procession; but he never fell down. All this was a great trial to Rev. L. Parsons, and he labored often and long with Mr. B. to persuade him to better things. But his good promises could not withstand the temptation. He romoved to Michigan, then a new country, and one time when returning to his home from the grog-shop, in the severity of a snow storm, perished on the way by cold. Thus ended poor Mr. Bogue. Somebody buried him, but the place of burial is not known. He served faithfully in the ca- pacity of grave-digger till 1835, a period of over twenty-five years.
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After two 'years, during which John Bonta and Benjamin Haylor dug the graves, Hugh Haylor was appointed to that post, which he has held ever since, a period of thirty-seven years. He has dug every grave in our Cemetery since, with the exception of two or three. He says that he has been paid for all except six of these, which is as strange as it is true. His price at first was $1.25, soon $1.50, and afterwards $3.00.
He has only for the last thirteen years and five months, kept the record of the number of graves he hasdug, and they number five hundred and sixty-six. Taking this as a basis, it gives over fifteen hundred graves for his whole period.
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`Mr. Haylor is seventy-six years of age, and we are all alike deoply interested in him. He is the one who has taken such ex- cellent care of our dead for so long a time. He has skillfully form- ed their narrow house, and when we, with great sadness of heart, have laid the remains therein, he has so carefully closed the- door and then stood sentinal so vigilantly around their dwellings from day to day and year to year, that we love him for his faithfulness in the performance of these services. And now, as his bending, stiffening form moves slowly through the streets of the city of the dead, giving evidence that the hand of time is pressing sorely up- on him, and soon will call him to make his abode within one of those narrow houses, may those of us who shall be living, as care- fully and tenderly lay him by, and close the door, as he has so long done for our dear dead. Oh! who is there among us who has not felt the worth of his services, for who has not lost a friend by death ?
Mr. Haylor can truly say in the words of Park Benjamin: "I gather them in, and their final rest Is here, down here, in the earth's dark breast; I gather them in, for man and boy, Year after year of grief and joy,
I've moulded the houses that lie around In every nook of this burial ground;
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Mother and daughter, father and son Come to my solitude one by one,- But come they stranger, or come they kin, I gather them in ! I gather them in!"
The first grave that he dug was for Capt. Russell Taylor, the 18th of March, 1839. He has made the grave for only one person who was one hundred years old, and butvery few of ninety, - thus showing how small the number that reach old age.
Twenty-eight years ago when the Rev. Levi Parsons deliver- ed a history of this town, before a Lyceum, he remarked that the pioneers in the settlement of this place had almost all passed away. So now, those who were heads of families in this place even in .1848. have almost all passed away. Of the former number, Mr. Bogue and Mr. Haylor "gathered them in;" and of the latter number, Mr. Haylor alone has "gathered them in."
I have taken pains to prepare a list of the names of the heads of families living in this village in the year 1825, and another sim- ilar list of those living here in 1850. I thought it might be profit able as well as interesting for us to thus recall them to mind, for thereby we are better able to appreciate the truth of the Sacred Scriptures, - "one generation passeth.away, and another cometh; but the earth abideth forever. " Here we have an opportunity to see two quarters of a century of people in succession, equivalent to two generations, come and go - exist and not exist, and yet these streets, this ever rippling creek, these hills, enclosing this village, abide. And now we have a third list (not neccessary for us to show on paper, for the persons themselves are before our eyes day by day,) occupying the places of those "whose places shall know them no more."
List of 1825.
Mr. & Mrs. James Bixbey.
Mr. & Mrs. Ansel Kellogg.
.,
,, Richardson. "
Austin Godard.
"
Samuel Rice.
Mrs. Norton.
Ebenezer Rice. ,, Pells.
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Mr. & Mrs. Dan. Bradley.
Mr. & Mrs. Ralsimon Kellogg
,
, Curtis Moses.
›
Elisha Chapman. ,
,
, Oliver Hill.
,
. Lois Rice.
. Dr.
, Bildad Beach. ,
Beach Lawrence. Mr. Henry Chase. ,
, Harvey Rhoados.
Rhoderic Smith. ,
,
Dr. R. N. Davis. ,
Mrs. Dr. Pliny Godard.
Mr. ,
. Daniel Ball.
Mr. & Mrs. Cope More.
,
, John R. Kellogg. Joseph Taylor.
, Caleb Gasper.
,
.
, Edward Talbot. Theron Godard.
,
. Western Frost.
Ann Leonard.
·
, Jesse Kellogg.
, S. C. Parker. ,
,
,
Joseph Olmstead.
List of 1850.
Mr. & Mrs. Edmund Aiken.
Dr. Bildad Beach.
Mr. & Mrs. Alfred Rockwell.
,
Mr. Alex. Mather.
›
, Elijah Rowley.
Mr. Edwin Talbot. ,
,
, Curtis Moses.
,
B. N. Parsons. ,
, John Sanford. .
,
George Brown.
›
Isaac Bradley. ,
Win. J. Machan. , John Curtis.
Margaret Casey. , Edward Frost.
,
, Susan Chase. , J. R. Becker. Newton.
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