The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 123

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098

USA > New York > Jefferson County > The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894 > Part 123

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JAMES A. CRITTENTON was born Novem- ber 25, 1825. He was reared upon a farm, educated at Union Academy, and was a sailor on the lakes. He married Martha M., daughter of William and Elizabeth (Smith) Harris, in 1856, and located on the farm he now owns, where he is engaged in breeding fine road and trotting horses. Of his chil- dren, William J. died in 1865, aged six years; Harley F. died in 1855, aged two years; Elizabeth Charlotte, born in 1866, married Dr. W. K. Walrath in 1886, and they bave a daughter, Florence C., born December 23, 1888; and Gertrude Alice, born in 1870, and educated at the Adams Collegiate Institute.

JAMES M. WHITE was born April 17, 1819, and at the age of 11 years commenced sail- ing on the lakes. In 1842 he became cap- tain of the boat Sir William Wallace. He subsequently sailed the Neptune and other vessels. Mr. White began ship-building in 1853, and subsequently built the boats Trade Wind, Lucy, Auchard, Volunteer, S. D. Hungerford, C. G. Mixer, Phoenix, Seaton, James Wade and the Jennie White. In 1857

he bought the farm where he now resides, to which he has since added other lands, until now he owns 222 acres. He married Hannah, daughter of Seele and Dorcas (Mal- lory) Hungerford, March 12, 1843, who bore him six children. James M. White has served his town as justice of the peace.

HENRY BROWN, was born in 1854; at 14 en- gaged as a sailor on the lakes, and served in this eapacity until he attained his majority, when he learned the carpenter's trade. He married. first, Addie C., daughter of Lester and Elizabeth (Spicer) Rickerson, in 1875, and they have a son, Reuben W., born in 1876. Mrs. Brown having died, for his second wife he married, in 1886, Mattie, daughter of Ephraim and Eliza (Spencer) Ramsey, by whom he bas a daughter, Ethel, born in 1888.

MURRAY B. SCOTT, son of Eastman J. and Lydia (Howe) Scott, was born in Ellis- burgh in 1840, and was reared upon a farm. He was subsequently engaged as clerk in a general store for several years. In 1873 he married Laura M. Montague, and they have a son, Harley M., born in 1876. Mr. Scott resides on Main street, in Henderson village.

CHARLES F. SAWYER learned the carpen- ter's trade, and enlisted in the 35th N. Y. Volunteer Infantry. He married Christie A., daughter of Sylvester and Augusta (Bates) Kilby, November 27, 1860, who bore him a daughter, Flora Augusta, who died April 23, 1885, aged 21 years. Mr. Sawyer's wife died September 29, 1887, and for his second wife he married Mrs. Fanny Eliza Kilby, widow of Edwin B. Kilby, and daughter of Nathaniel and Fanny (Smith) Gleason, June 10, 1888. Mr. Sawyer resides in Henderson village.

ALBERT A. ROBBINS, was born April 26, 1849 ; was reared upon a farm, and educated at Union Academy. He married Lucy E., daughter of Fayette and Caroline (Hunting) Stanley, in 1872, and their children are: Glenn S., Lawrence J., Mary and Lena M. Mr. Robbins and his father, Appleton W. Robbins, are extensively engaged in farming, and occupy the homestead near Smithville.

EMORY FALES was born April 7, 1825, and was brought up a farmer. He married Lucy M., daughter of David and Elizabeth (Hun- gerford) Montague, in 1851, and they have two children, viz: Willis G., born in 1855, who is a farmer and resides at home, and Ella E., born in 1859, who married William E. Matteson in 1876.

NEWELL N. GRIGGS was born July 19, 1848. He married Ella May, adopted daugh- ter of William H. and Mila (Leffingwell) Rice, August 22, 1877, and they have three sons and one daughter, viz: N. Willis, Daniel F., Leonard A. and Mila G. Mr. Griggs is a farmer.

WILLIAM S. GRIGGS, previously men- tioned, was born February 13, 1838. He married Eunice Imogene, daughter of Job and Eleeta (Halladay) Rathbone, October 19, 1870, and they have three sons and two

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HENDERSON.

daughters, viz: Rosetta A., educated in Adams Collegiate Institute; Samuel J., edu- cated in Union Academy, and David D., Mabel and Jesse R. Mr. Griggs is a farmer in Henderson. His wife died in 1894.

JOSHUA W. OVERTON was born in Hender- son in 1827. He married first, Maria, daugh- ter of Samuel and Polly (Edwards) Spencer, in 1851, and they have five sons and one daughter, viz: Charles M., of Ellisburgh ; Frank W. and Floyd C., of Henderson ; Nellie F., deceased; Binis E. and Willis S., also deceased. His wife died in 1871, and for his second wife Mr. Overton married, in 1875, Mrs. Julia (Holcomb) Hawkins. He has an adopted daughter, Mamie.

CHAS. M. OVERTON was born in 1854, and in 1882 he married Minnie E., daughter of Horatio and Elizabeth (Mayo) Evans, by whom he has a son, Brent E. He is a farmer. Floyd Overton, born in 1858, was educated at Belleville Academy and Cornell Univer- sity. He married Anna S., daughter of Aaron and Caroline (Grennell) Allen, in 1884, and they have a son, Floyd E.

JOHN H. LOVELEE, son of John and Caro- line (Webb) Lovelee, was born in Lorraine in 1851. He married Alice, daughter of Stephen and Brittan (Smith) Wood, in 1876, and they have a daughter, Jessie A., born in 1880. Mr. Lovelee resided at Rural Hill and Belle- ville, in the town of Ellisburgh, for several years, and later came to Henderson, and kept the New York House, which he sold in 1885, and bought the Exchange Hotel. This he re-built and re-furnished.

HENRY W. JONES was born in 1843. He was reared upon a farm, and was educated at Union Academy and a commercial school in Poughkeepsie. He married Ann Elizabeth, daughter of Henry T. and Elizabeth (Snell) Howard, in 1879, by whom he has had four sons, viz : Howard W., who died in infancy ; Shuler M., Harry R. and Starr C. Russell Jones and son, Henry W., are farmers in Henderson.

GEORGE H. WARNER was born November 28, 1828, and was educated in the schools of his native town. He married Sibelia A., daughter of John and Jane (Cook) Carpen- ter, of Henderson, in 1850, and they have an adopted son, Sidney A., born in 1873. When 15 years of age, Mr. Warner located with his father on the farm he now owns and occu- pies. He is proprietor of "Edgewater" summer resort, on road 7, one mile north of Henderson Harbor.

ORRIN HUNGERFORD was born in West- moreland, N. Y., in 1808. At the age of 20 years he learned the carpenter's trade. In 1831 he was employed on several railroads, including the Utica and Syracuse division of the N. Y. C. & H. R. Railroad, having charge of a large number of men. Mr. Hungerford located in Henderson about 1833. He married, first, Harriet Sears, of Rome. His second wife was Sophia A. Vail. Upon the death of his second wife, Mr. Hunger- ford married Susan Segar, in 1854, who died

in 1882, and for his fourth wife he married Charity, daughter of Gideon and Lucy (Rich) Potter in 1883. He resides in Henderson village.

GEORGE A. ABBOTT was born March 18, 1840. He married Emily D., daughter of Wesley and Charlotte (Fuller) Collins, of Watertown, in 1864, and they had two daughters. Mr. Abbott is a prosperous far- mer, and owns and occupies the homestead.

LEONARD SEATON was born in the town of Ellisburgh in 1827, and learned the trade of tanner and currier. In 1837 he came to Henderson. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Company E, 10th N. Y. Heavy Artillery ; was made lieutenant in 1863, and served to the close of the war. In 1866 he engaged in mercantile business ; in 1873 in ship-building, and in 1877 again in mercantile pursuits. Mr. Seaton is a Democrat, but has been elected to town and county offices in a largely Republican district. He was supervisor from 1872 to 1875, inclusive; was deputy sheriff of the county in 1875. In 1850 he married Harriet A., daughter of Joseph and Mary Ann (Bennett) Bates, who died in 1859. Their daughter, Florence, is Mrs. Dr. Terry. In 1886, for his second wife, he married Maria, daughter of Emory and Marcia (John- son) Sprague, by whom he has a daughter, Mabel Rebecca. He was sheriff in 1878.

DE ALTON RICH was educated at Union Academy, and taught school many terms. He married Frances Amelia, daughter of James and Emeline (Waite) Dodge, in 1865, and they have had three children. Mr. Rich is a prosperous farmer and now occupies the homestead where he was born. He is a liberal supporter of the M. E. Church, and was formerly superintendent of its Sabbath- school.

ROLLIN C. CHURCH was born June 29, 1840, and was reared upon his father's farm. August 5, 1862, he enlisted in Company E, 10th N. Y. Heavy Artillery, and served to the close of the war. He married Frances F., daughter of William and Maria (Wilcox) Ripley, of Henderson, in 1866. Mr. Church owns the homestead at Bishop street, for- merly occupied by his grandfather.

ARTHUR M. KILBY, son of George and Ann M. (Hitchcock) Kilby, was born in 1847. He clerked in a store for a number of years, and in 1882 was appointed examiner in the Pen- sion Bureau at Washington, which position he retained until the spring of 1888. He is now town clerk. In 1874 he married Anna, daughter of Dr. Daniel B. Nugent, and their children are : Pauline E., Ruth E., Daniel N. and Allen E. Arthur M. Kilby is brother to Hon. A. E. Kilby, of Carthage.

GEORGE LANE was born in 1830, and located in Henderson in 1847. He married Clarinda, daughter of Harry and Phoebe (Bullock) Alexander, January 1, 1863, and is now a farmer. Amos Lane, son of Thomas, born in 1844, was reared upon a farm. He married Ellen M., daughter of Fales and Linda (Harris) Johnson, in 1865, and they

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THIE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

have two sons, Arthur F. and Philip S. Mr. Lane enlisted in Company E, 10th N. Y. Heavy Artillery, and served to the close of the war. Thomas N. Lane was born in 1839. He married Jane, daughter of Chester Bar- rett, in 1862, and their children are: Fred, Burt, Frank and Kate. William Lane, horn in 1828, married Sarah A. Stoodley, in 1858, and they have a son, Charles A. Peter Lane, born in 1844, married Alta A. Eggleston in 1869, and they have a son, Anson P. Thomas Lane the father of these children died in 1887, and his wife in 1876.

DANIEL B. NUGENT, son of John and Mar- garet (Carson) Nugent, was born in Marys- burg, Prince Edward's District, Canada, in 1820. His father was a lieutenant in the Revolutionary War. Mr. Nugent studied medicine with Dr. Thomas Moore, of Picton, Ont., attended college at Castleton, Vt., graduated before the Medical Board of Os- wego in 1849, and commenced practice in Pulaski, Oswego county. In 1850 he located in Henderson. He married Mary J., daugh- ter of Richard and Fanny (Southard) Fletcher, in 1845, who died in 1887, aged 60 years. They had four children. Dr. Nugent has been in the successful practice of his profes- sion for nearly 50 years. He resides in Hen- derson village.

WILLIAM MATHER, son of William, was born August 20, 1834, and was educated at Union Academy. He married Eunice S., daughter of Alvah and Louise (Packer) Bull, in 1876, and they have a son, William A., horn in 1879. Mr. Mather taught school for many years. He is a wholesale seed-grower and dealer, and has a landed estate of more than 550 acres.

JOHN C. POPE, son of John and Barbara (Shuhert) Pope, was born in Bavaria, Ger- many, in 1833. In 1854 he emigrated to America, soon finding his way to Smithville. His worldly possessions at this time consisted of one dollar. He worked on a farm for O. H. Knapp until 1861. He married Avis A., daughter of Hiram and Jerusha (Ayres) Hill. In 1861 Mr. Pope bought the farm at Smith- ville which he now occupies.

ERSKINE D. PARSONS Was born in 1843, and was reared upon a farm. He taught school 19 terms. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Co. E, 10th N. Y. Heavy Artillery, and served to the close of the war. In 1868 he married Emma, daughter of Elias and Anna (Atridge) Dickinson, by whom he has a son and four daughters.

CAPTAIN WILLIAM GILBERT was born in 1827. At the age of 13 he shipped on board the schooner William L. Marcy, as cook, and sailed on the lakes until 1848. In 1853, with William McLean, he built the schooner Billow, and in 1865, with Mr. McLean, hought the sloop Mclellan. In 1872 he bought the schooner Union, and in 1879 built the schooner Gilbert. He came to Henderson Harbor in 1883, engaged in trade, and built a dock and warehouse. Mr. Gilbert followed the lakes more than 45 years, and never lost a man or

had a wreck. He married Elizabeth, daugh- ter of Esquire and Phena (Washburn) Ellis, in 1853, and they have two sons and one daughter.

CHARLES L. SIMMONS was born in 1851. He graduated at Canton University and taught school several terms. In 1876 he shipped as purser on the Jay Gould, plying between Buffalo and Toledo ; has served on several other vessels. In 1874 Mr. Simmons married Ellen L., daughter of E. O. and Caroline (Osgood) Kilby, and they have a daughter, L. Maude.

PAYSON F. THOMPSON was born in 1844, and was reared upon a farm. He enlisted in Co. B, 8th Vermont Vols., and served to the close of the war, after which he resided in Kansas for a time. In 1867 he came to Hen- derson and engaged as clerk in the store of George Thompson, and in 1872 opened a store on his own account. In 1876 he built the Thompson block, where he has a large general store. Mr. Thompson married Fran- ces A., only daughter of William and Mary Jane (Moody) Dobson, of Henderson, in 1869.

FRED R. BABCOCK was born in Adams, December 15, 1850 ; was reared upon a farm, and learned the blacksmith's trade. He mar- ried Martha, daughter of Stephen and Bet- sey (Peck) Bishop, of Woodville, in 1875, and they have two sons. Mr. Babcock located in Smithville in 1876, and engaged in black- smithing. He bought the Hammond saw- mill in 1880, and the next year added a cider- mill. In 1884 he kept the Smithville Hotel.

WALLACE GLEASON, born in 1840, enlisted in Co. B, 186th N. Y. Vol. Infantry, as lieu- tenant, in 1861, and served to the close of the war. He married Angelia A., daughter of John and Miranda (Congdon) Chapman, in 1863, and they have a son and a daughter. Mr. Gleason has followed the lakes for many years. He resides in Henderson village.

WILLIAM LANE was born in England and came to the town of Brownville about 1830, and engaged in farming ; he resided there 40 years. He married Sarah Stoodly, of Hounds- field. Their only son, Charles A., is a resi- dent of Henderson, and overseer of the Hen- derson Grange. He has also held minor offices in the town. He married Anna, daughter of Frank McOmher.

JAMES DAWSON was born in Martha's Vineyard and was a salt-water sailor. He, came to Henderson at an early date, settling at Roberts Corners. He married Lydia Dex- ter, whose parents came to the neighborhood in 1812, and their union was blessed with one son and three daughters: Alexander, who died at the age of 84; Caroline, who died at nine years of age; Rosamond, who also at- tained the age of 84 years, and Lucinda (Mrs. John B. Pierce), who resides at Roberts Corners. She was born in 1814, in a log house on the site where her present home stands. June 8, 1894, many of her friends met to celebrate her 80th birthday. Possess- ing a cheerful disposition, her society is sought by young and old.

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HOUNDSFIELD.

THIS town was one of the first to be set- tled (1800), and is certainly one of the most historic and interesting, and is worthy of more extended space than we shall be able to give it-for we have already considerably exceeded the number of pages originally fixed for this volume. Yet this is our native town, the place (Sulphur Springs) where our earliest and later childhood was spent, for we were not quite ten years of age when we left home to be a printer. The journey of life since then has been a somewhat long and generally a weary one - we are now past seventy-one, but this spot of our earliest knowledge has never lost its charm for us. The land there is sandy, near-by was the sulphur spring, and the solemn hemlock forest and the yet more solemn grave-yard were within stone's-throw of where my parents lived. The district school-house, where the good Mr. Morseman held sway, was also quite near. There were our play- grounds ; there were the friends of my youth, but few of them now, alas ! above . the sod; many of them you can read of upon the cemetery's tombstones - the very best and gentlest of them all, him lately known as the Hon. Jay Dimick, spared to live a long and useful life, perished at last in the conflagration of his own barn. We know that such things are not precisely history, but they are germane in this-they bring up the names and recall the faces of those without whom history would be but a poor mass of dry and uninteresting details.

I was born in 1823. The War of 1812 was then much nearer to us than is now our great Civil War to this generation. What I had heard about it filled my childish mind with great awe and wonder. There were several of our neighbors (Thomas Spicer, Joshua Crouch, William Stoel), who had actu- ally participated in that conflict. That made them veritable gods in my eyes, and I ap- proached them with a respect which must have sprung largely from imagination and ignorance, for later knowledge has led me to believe that they were not heroes at all, but just common farming men, who could han- dle a scythe better than a musket. And such, largely, has been my awakening from other illusions. At one time I thought Grant and Sherman and Hancock the greatest men the world had ever seen. But when I saw that they were much like other people - smoking cigars and not denying themselves a glass of whisky upon occasion, I had grave doubts of their being so very great. But there was one man who never lost his greatness by a more intimate, but always re- spectful acquaintance. Abraham Lincoln never shrank in the least when viewed by mortal eyes-he grew all the time, for " he was great" - in everything, in stature, in movement, in looks, in soul and mind. No man has ever impressed me as he did.

I trust that I shall not weary the reader by

some personal reminiscences of Houndsfield. They may illustrate the peculiar impressions which a boy of vivid imagination and utter inexperience may entertain as he grows up into maturer knowledge, and begins to find that even the dolls are stuffed with saw-dust or bran, in order to make them sell better, and that men and women are not, after all, so very much worthy of the adoration be- stowed upon them by childhood.

The curious ideas one can recall as filling the youthful mind, in the concern about trivial matters, the wonder engendered by any strange story told by some sailor man, or perhaps by some survivor who " fit into" the battle of Sackets Harbor, or the relation of " folk-lore " tales of witches and ghosts - these form an enduring memory which we would not part with for any amount of money.

My father owned a small sandy farm, located in about the center of the township. and there his six children were born. When not quite nine years of age I dug the holes for the cedar posts that hold up the board fence around the Sulphur Springs burying-ground. The holes were to be three feet deep, and my " stent" was 25 each day. The sand was easy to dig until hard-pan was reached, about half-way down-which was a different matter altogether; but I finished my daily task, all the same, and my father set the posts and built the fence at such times as he could get away from his black- smith's forge in Watertown. Most of these cedar posts were yet standing and in good order when I visited that locality 12 years ago, having now been in service over 60 years.

Some of the boys of our neighborhood had told me of Sackets Harbor - a place I had never visited, though distant barely six miles by a straight road. To add to my natural desire to see that town, the boys had told me that on certain days a boat which went by steam was to be seen there. Waiting im- patiently for the fixed day, I started off on a keen run for the Harbor, barefooted, without asking my mother's consent. Iran on until out of breath, then walked fast, and so ran on again until the desired locality was reached. At Colonel Camp's wharf I saw the steamer United States. The escaping steam, the bustle upon the wharf, the rows of houses, the rattle and noise of the village, filled me with a boy's delight and wonder; but my return home was not a joyful event by any means. My dear mother had worried all day over my unaccountable absence, and on my appearance dutifully administered to me a certain " strap exercise "- said strap having at its end a buckle, which aided wonderfully in fully developing the fact that "there's nothing like leather." Counting out the punishment, I considered it the best day I had up to that time enjoyed.

My strongest memory of those early days cling to a peculiar and most popular char-

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THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

acter, who was known as "Uncle Tom " Spicer. In his youth he doubtless had not the opportunities which many others enjoyed, but it could with truth be said of him that he made good use in his mature years of all the natural talent bestowed upon him by his Maker. I remember him as a tall and dark- skinned man, in the prime of life in 1832, when he was the father of a large family of boys and girls, some of whom were grown up. Whatever his early life had been, at the time I write about he was the most fearless and pronounced Christian in all those parts. In the public and social religious meetings he was a power, but in everyday life he was as joyous and companionable as any child. Other men were respected and feared, but " Uncle Tom," as he was affectionately des- ignated by young and old, was the one be- loved. Entirely companionable, full of mirth, and with a constant flow of good humor, if I were to make a journey round the globe he would have been the one I would have se- lected for companion. There was a licensed exhorter, named Gardiner, who resided in Jericho, a very earnest, devoted Christian man, and much beloved. He was generally in attendance at the weekly prayer meetings at my father's house, as was also " Aunt Abby," Mr. Spicer's wife, a woman of great sweetness of disposition and renowned as a singer, having a peculiarly fine soprano voice. My mother was also a good singer. When Brother Gardiner gave the exhorta- tion and " Uncle Tom " prayed, and "Aunt Abby " and my mother sang, a meeting was in progress that was well calculated to make sinners tremble. Many conversions followed these revival efforts, and the influence of these unpretending Christians led to a better observance of the Sabbath in that neighbor- hood, and may have been the means of im- planting fixed impressions for good in many a soul that otherwise might have gone the wrong way. At these meetings, as well as on all occasions where he offered up public prayer, Mr. Spicer had a way of pounding the seat before him with his clenched fist, which gave a peculiar character of earnest- ness and force to all his petitions, but it must have been hard on the fist. I remember that while he was praying I had no difficulty in keeping awake, but was fain to fall asleep while less earnest petitions were being of- fered up. Peace be to his ashes! There was no one to take " Uncle Tom's " place in our hearts when he died. full of years and Chris- tian hope. His religion made him tender of heart, watchful over his own life and kind to all. Such appears to me to be the right kind to have. "Uncle Tom " was prominent in the battle of Sackets Harbor, and it was said that after the battle was won and the British troops began to sail away he ran up on the hill west of the town and made de- risive gestures at the enemy. History does not state what was the effect upon the Brit- isb, but they were already on the run.

The town of Houndsfield was formed from Watertown, February 17, 1806. It embraces No. 1, or "Hesiod," of the " Eleven Towns," and was named in honor of Ezra Houndsfield, who, with Peter Kemble, purchased the south part of the town (15,913 acres) from the proprietors, March 10, 1801. It is situated on Black River Bay, on the west border of the county, has an area of 27, 790 acres, and is bounded on the north by Black river and the bay of that name, which separate it from Brown- ville, east by Watertown, south by Hender- son and Adams, and west by Henderson Bay and Black River Bay. Galloo, Little Galloo, Stony and Calf Islands, which lie in Lake Ontario, also belong to the town of Houndsfield. The surface of the town is somewhat diversified. though in the main it is level, and the soil is a clayey and sandy loam. Through nearly the center of the town flows Mill Creek, which rises in the town of Watertown and discharges into Black River Bay. A branch of this stream from the north rises in a long strip of low land, originally a swamp, filled with tama- rack, black ash, ceder and elm, and other varieties of timber peculiar to such a locality, and running almost to the city of Water- town. Much of this land has been re- claimed and cleared, and the stream, during the summer, becomes nearly dry. -

The waters of Black River Bay were early regarded as an eligible place for a com- mercial point, and in a work published in Paris in 1801, the following description of it is given under the name Niahoure :

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The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 123

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823- Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company Number of Pages: 1098

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098