USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > A twentieth century history of Erie County, Pennsylvania : a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume II > Part 44
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ALFRED EDWARD WOOD, who is a well known farmer, dairyman and horticulturist of Harbor Creek township, Erie county, is a native of the township named where he was born June 17, 1861. He is a son of Albert and Elizabeth (Mozley) Wood, his father being a native of New England and his mother of the mother country. The mater- nal grandparents were Henry and Susanna (Pilley) Mozley, the former being a native of Sutton-on-Trent and the latter of Burlington, Yorkshire, both in England. The father was one of the early settlers of Harbor Creek township and for his first wife married a Miss Lyons by whom he had four sons and three daughters. After her death he married Elizabeth Mozlev who was then residing in Buffalo as the widow of James H. Thomas and the mother of five children by her first marriage. Of these five children Miss Susanna Thomas, who is the housekeeper of her half brother. Alfred E. Wood, is the only child living. She was born in the city of Erie. She was educated in the common schools. She is the owner of twenty-two and one-half acres in Harbor Creek township, and also owns real estate in Cleveland, Ohio. The children of Mr. Wood's second marriage were as follows : George O. and Melvin R., both deceased ; and Alfred E., of this sketch. The father of this family died in March, 1882, and the mother, Novem- ber 28, 1897.
Alfred E. Wood, of this biography, has always lived on the orig- inal family homestead which at first consisted of only fifty acres and upon the death of his father became also the owner of seventy acres in Greenfield township. At the death of the elder Mr. Wood, Alfred E. and his brothers purchased the interest of the other heirs and at their death the first named became sole proprietor of the family home-
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stead, then consisting of one hundred and twenty acres. In 1905, he added one hundred acres to the original tract, making his estate two hundred and twenty acres. This productive and valuable land he devotes to general farming and to dairying and the raising of live stock and horticulture. He has a vineyard of eight acres and his live stock operations consist chiefly of the raising of Clyde draft horses. Mr. Wood is one of the progressive and substantial farmers of Erie county, but has never seen fit to embark in marital or domestic life. In politics he is a Republican but has never sought or held public office.
JOHN HALL GRAY, who owns a fine farm of one hundred and sixty- two acres in Harbor Creek township, devoted both to general opera- tions and to dairying, is a representative of a family which has been established in that section of Erie county for more than sixty years. Born at Ripley, Chautauqua county, New York, April 22, 1846, he is a son of Thomas and Esther D. (Hall) Gray, the father being a native of County Leitrim, Ireland, born September 10. 1815, and the mother, a New Hampshire lady, born on the 18th of March, 1805. The grand- parents were John and Alice Gray and Amasa and Alice (Dexter) Hall. It is stated that the father of Alice Dexter was placed on board an English war ship during the Revolutionary war and was starved to death.
In 1844 Thomas Gray, the father, came from Ireland and settled in North East township as a farmer. His marriage to Esther Hall occurred March 18, 1845, his wife's parents having settled in North East township in 1823, on a one hundred acre farm which was partly timbered. The young couple removed to Ripley, New York, where they resided for a time and then returned and lived for about a year on the homestead owned by the Hall family. In1847 they removed to the southern part of Harbor Creek township, first occupying the John Hinton farm, a year later making their home in a log cabin on the land which was purchased from E. Wright. This place consisted of thirty-three acres to which he later added seventeen acres, making the entire tract sixty acres. The husband then cleared and improved the land until he had made a comfortable homestead for his family. In 1859 he also purchased an additional fifty acres from a Dr. Wallace, of Erie, Pennsylvania, and at his death December 23, 1896, was in comfortable circumstances. His wife died November 12, 1887.
John H. Gray, of this biography, was the only child of the family, received a district school education and afterward married and bought a tract of fifty-four acres from his uncle, Asa Hall, the farm being located one mile north of the old home place. To this he added from time to time until he is now the owner of one hundred and sixty-two acres of fine, cultivated land, six miles south of Lake Erie. The buildings are substantial and convenient and adapted both to general farming and dairying, in the latter branch from twenty-five to thirty cows being employed. He has also made a profitable specialty of grass cultivation.
Mr. Gray married Miss Lucia Ann Richmond, a native of Mont- gomery county, New York, born at Mindenville, and a daughter of William H. and Leatitia (Fancher) Richmond, both natives of the Empire state. Her grandparents, Harry Richmond and Isaac Butler, were both natives of Buffalo, New York. Mr and Mrs. John H.
INT NE. IRK PUBLIC MIBRARY
ASTOR LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATIONB
Attbollman.
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Gray became the parents of the following children: Thomas Willis, a resident of Erie, Pennsylvania ; Mary Alice, now Mrs. H. B. Thor- ton, residing at Little Hope, Greenfield township; Nellie Esther, who married Henry Petrie of Harbor Creek township; Fannie S., now Mrs. H. F. Merket; Ida, who died as an infant of only one month; Eva, Mrs. Charles Calkins, of Erie, Pennsylvania ; Florence L., who be- came Mrs. Logan Full of west Greene township; James Earl, living in Harbor Creek township ; and Burton R. and Bessie Edith Gray, living at home. Both the parents and members of the family are earnest workers in the Methodist Episcopal church in Wesleyville. The early progenitors were soldiers in the Revolutionary war, and this entitles Mr. Gray and children to become members of the Sons and Daughters of the Revolution.
CONRAD HENRY COLLMAN. The manufacturing interests of Erie are known throughout a wide range inasmuch as it has a number of lucrative industries, this being a portion of the Keystone state which ranks high from a commercial standpoint. Among the various man- ufactories which add to the financial and industrial worth of the Bay city is one owned and operated by Conrad Henry Collman, who is en- gaged in making a high grade of instruments and other appliances used in optical lines. He is one of the foremost opticians of the city. whose forward and enterprising spirit has added much to the city's business life and established an enterprise which is not only a source of ample remuneration in regard to himself but which is numbered among the con- cerns which go to make Erie one of Pennsylvania's industrial centers. Mr. Collman is a native of the fatherland, born in Hesse-Cassel, Sep- tember 27. 1876, the son of Christian and Catherine Elizabeth (Gilfert) Collman. His parents were also natives of the place of his birth, where his mother now resides and where his father entered into rest in 1881.
While a lad, amid the scenes and environments of his native land, Conrad Henry Collman was reared and there received his early educa- tional advantages in the government schools, in which he remained until fourteen years of age. In those tender years he embarked for the United States and, arriving in the new world about the year 1890, joined his three brothers who had located in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. several years prior to his coming. Two brothers remained in their native land. Upon arriving in this county Mr. Collman became employed in stores, working in various capacities for about three years, while at the same time he attended night school in order to acquire a knowledge of the English language and otherwise perfect himself in those branches requisite to enable him to pursue a business career. In 1893 he entered upon an apprenticeship, in order to learn the profession of an optician, in the establishment of D. T. Reed, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. With him he remained for sometime, all the while evidencing a natural aptness for that line of work and, upon leaving Pittsburg, he came to this city, where he became associated with J. V. Yelgerhouse, a manufacturing optician, with whom he remained until the spring of 1895. In the meantime he had perfected himself as an optician and, deeming that he had not only the ability but also the capital to conduct business on his own account, in that year he purchased the optical department of the plant operated by George A. Disque and entered upon the enterprise for himself. While learning the business he had been very economical, mastering his wants and keeping them within small demands, so that he had Vol. II-20
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accumulated quite a sum of money when his desire to engage in business on his own account materialized and, upon becoming the proprietor of an establishment for himself, he at once introduced modern machinery and equipped a laboratory which is second to none in the country in its completeness, having all apparatus necessary to the business. From the onset Mr. Collman met with eminent success, his excellent training and masterly skill rapidly bringing him before the public so that now he ranks among the leading opticians not only of the city of Erie but of the state of Pennsylvania. His reputation, judged by the class of work he turns out, has long been established and he executes fine work for the foremost oculists of the city and as well for many within a wide range of this place. He deserves great credit for the strides he has made in his upward movements inasmuch as his success and pros- perity are due solely to his own exertions and it has been by patience and perseverance re-enforced by hard labor and constant application that he is where he stands today as one of the leading business and professional leaders in this part of the state.
Mr. Collman wedded Miss Jessie Sternberg, a daughter of J. L. Sternburg and the couple are living happily amid the environment of a cultured and refined home. The marriage has been blessed by one son, Richard Henry, and one daughter Catherine Elizabeth. Mr. Collman is largely interested in the general welfare of the city and is a member of the Erie Chamber of Commerce and of the Erie Business Men's Ex- change, in both of which organizations he is active and a factor in all movements proposed for the general betterment of business, commercial and industrial conditions. Aside from his immediate business his finances have enabled him to ramify somewhat and he is connected with the First National Bank of this city, of which he is vice-president. Mr. Collman's business methods have always been on the basis of honesty and this trait of character together with the fact that he is also a man of excep- tional energy as well as ability accounts for his rapid rise in the business world and constitute the reasons for his being able to maintain himself in his present favorable commercial standing. He is highly respected by all who know him, his social qualities having won him a wide circle of friends, while as a business man he is highly esteemed and numbered among the foremost commercial factors of the city.
GEORGE WILLIAM CASS, well known in Harbor Creek township for many years for his prominent connection with agriculture and woolen manufacturing, comes of a pioneer family established in this locality in 1840. He is a native of the township named, born March 23, 1855, and is a son of Edward and Elizabeth (Smith) Cass, both natives of England. His grandparents were John and Hannah (Pratt) Cass and Ephraim and Ann (Lee) Smith, and they all resided a few miles dis- tant from the town of Leeds, England, although while living in that locality they never became acquainted. The paternal grandparents, Cass, emigrated to Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1840. The grandfather worked in that locality for many years as a cabinetmaker and as assistant to local ship builders. A few years later he removed to Harbor Creek township, purchased a farm and subsequently became proprietor of a woolen mill, these two vocations occupying his time until his death in 1874 at the age of seventy-four years. It appears that the mill was not entirely devoted to the manufacture of woolen goods, as the proprietor was a rabid Abolitionist and used his building
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as a station for the "Underground Railway" just before and during the Civil war. While the negroes were under his protection he not only secured them in his wool, but took the trouble to teach its younger members according to the best of his ability and opportunity. The maternal grandfather, Smith, passed a portion of his time prior to the Civil war with surveyors in Louisiana, but finally made his perma- nent home in Beaver county, Pennsylvania. In that locality he also engaged in the woolen business and started the first pottery in that region, his little plant having since developed into a very flourishing manufactory.
The parents of George W. married in Beaver county, Pennsyl- vania, where his father spent a number of years identified with the woolen business. Subsequently the father removed to a farm owned by his wife's father near Rock Island, Illinois, and besides conducting this farm he also operated a woolen mill. He was thus engaged for three years when he returned to Harbor Creek township to assist his father in his woolen mill and in his agricultural enterprise. The father died February 26, 1904, his wife having passed away March 5, 1882. The former was a remarkably public spirited man and able citi- zen and was for years considered one of the most respected men of Harbor Creek township. He held most of the township offices and took an especially deep interest in the improvement of the public thoroughfares of the county, holding the office of road commissioner of the township for four terms. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cass became the parents of the following four children: Ephraim E., died Febru- ary 9, 1899 ; John S., died at the age of seven years; George W., of this sketch, and Mary E., now Mrs. George Roberts, of Harbor Creek township.
George W. Cass, of this sketch, obtained his education in the dis- trict schools of Harbor Creek township and spent his boyhood days with his parents until his marriage, August 30, 1881, to Miss Luella Cole, a native of Warren county, Illinois, and a daughter of Samuel S. and Clarinda (Axtell) Cole. The father was a native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and the mother of Mercer county. Both grandfathers, John Cole of Maine, and Joseph Axtell, were of prominent Puritan stock. For three years after his marriage Mr. Cass resided on his father's farm and then removed to Greenfield township and pur- chased a farm there in partnership with his brother Ephraim, making it his homestead for fifteen years. He then returned to Harbor Creek township, where he now owns one hundred and twenty acres of well improved and valuable land, as well as fifty acres in Greenfield town- ship, devoting his farms both to the raising of crops and live stock. Besides being a successful farmer, he is known as a leader in the work of the Methodist church, of which he is both a steward and trustee, and as an ardent and influential Prohibitionist. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. George W. Cass have been as follows: Elizabeth, now Mrs. Alfred King, of Greenfield township; Elsworth A., a resident of Harbor Creek township; Luella, Mrs. Ralph Burgess of North East, Pennsylvania ; and Herbert Lee and Harold John, both at home.
JOHN BAPTIST HELTERLINE, a well-known farmer of Harhor Creek township, is still residing on the old homestead which his father estab-
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lished many years ago. Born in Fulton county, New York, February 18, 1856, he is a son of George N. and Anna Margaret (Stramm) Hel- terline. His parents are both natives of Bavaria, Germany, his father emigrating to Fulton county, New York, in 1850, and his mother com- ing in the following year. They were married May 20, 1852, and at once settled on a farm in Fulton county where they resided until 1858. Mr. Helterline then sold the property and removed with his wife and family to Mill Creek township, this county, continuing to be a resi- dent of that section for about thirty years. He then settled in Harbor Creek township and bought the fifty-acre farm, which he cultivated and improved until his death July 22, 1891. Ilis decease was the result of injuries received from a runaway team. Ilis widow has since re- sided with her son, John B., and daughter, Edith Catherine. Mrs. George N. Helterline was born November 5, 1829, and considering that she has nearly reached her eightieth year she is a lady whose faculties and physical energies are remarkably preserved.
John B. Helterline was the third of a family of thirteen children, six of whom are still living. He has always made his home with his parents, has never married and is a remarkable example of filial faith- fulness and affection. Since his father's death he has actively operated the farm. In politics he is a Democrat and is an earnest member of St. Mary's Catholic church of Erie.
EDGAR WILBER CAPWELL. Bearing lightly his burden of nearly four score years, Edgar Wilber Capwell holds an honored position among the venerable and highly respected residents of Corry, where he is now living retired from active pursuits, enjoying the fruits of his earlier years of toil. A son of Washington Capwell, he was born November 25, 1829, in Sherburne, Chenango county, New York, com- ing from thrifty New England stock.
A native of Massachusetts, Washington Capwell left his ancestral home when young, going to Chenango county, New York, which was then near the frontier. Locating in Sherburne, he cleared a farm from the wilderness, and was there employed in tilling the soil a num- ber of years. In 1837 he went to Orleans county, New York, accompa- nied by his wife and five children, making the removal with teams, the only means of transportation in those days, and taking with him all of his worldly effects. He made several stops at taverns along the way. thinking that easier than carrying provisions, and camping at night. Purchasing seven acres of land, lying ten miles east of Albion, he again began the pioneer labor of redeeming a farm from the forest, laboring successfully for a period of twenty years. Disposing then of his land, he came to Erie county, Pennsylvania, purchased fifty acres of forest-covered land in Wayne township. A log cabin stood upon the place, and a small garden spot had been cleared. After occupying the cabin for a few years, he built a substantial frame house, and there resided until his death. He married Sophia Aldrich, who was born in York state, and died on the home farm, in Wayne township. She reared five children, namely : Henry, Seth, Elizabeth, Edgar W., and James.
A lad of eight years when his parents removed to Orleans county, New York, Edgar W. Capwell remembers many of the inci- dents of the journey through the intervening wilderness. He was
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early initiated into the mysteries of agriculture, but took naturally to mechanical pursuits. When a young man he sailed the lakes for three years, but at the time of his marriage settled at Oak Orchard Harbor, New York, which for six years was his abiding place. Com- ing then to Pennsylvania, Mr. Capwell purchased a tract of timbered land near his father's home, in Wayne township, and his father pre- sented him with thirty acres, on which stood a log cabin. Assuming possession of the cabin, Mr. Capwell devoted his time and energies to the improvement of his estate, and as soon as he had his land under cultivation embarked in market gardening. When he first located in that township the site of Corry was used entirely for agricultural pur- poses, a part of the land being covered with native timber, the re- mainder having been placed under cultivation. The railroad had then been surveyed, but no rails laid. Mr. Capwell lived on his original farm for a quarter of a century, and since that time has bought and sold several different farms in the vicinity. Since retiring from active pursuits he has resided in Corry.
Mr. Capwell married, November 15, 1849, Matilda Jane Smith. She was born in Clarkson, Orleans county. New York, June 14, 1830, and died February 14, 1901. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Capwell, namely: Willis J., Mary Jane, Minnie, and Nora. Wil- lis J. married Kittie McIntire, and they have one son, Archie. Mary J., wife of Eli Shoup, has three children, Clifford, Clement, and Hoyt. Minnie, wife of Edward Williams, has one child, Floyd. Nora, wife of C. Burt Wilcox, has one son, LeRoy. Mr. and Mrs. Capwell united when young with the United Brethren church, and brought up their family in the same religious faith.
COYT O. SEYMOUR. With the exception of one year spent in the west as a cattle herder, Coyt O. Seymour, of Waterford township, has passed his entire life in agricultural pursuits in this section of Erie county. He was born in the township named June 18, 1865, son of Elizabeth Seymour, who came from Connecticut with her parents at an early day and is now a resident of Waterford borough. The ma- ternal grandfather, Junius, reared a family of four boys and four girls.
Coyt O. Seymour, of this review, was educated chiefly at the Waterford Academy, afterward taking a course in the Edinboro Nor- mal School. He then went to Kansas where he spent a year as a cattle herder, then returning to Waterford township and purchasing a farm of sixty-seven acres, which he has since improved into an attrac- tive and valuable property. On December 19, 1889, Mr. Seymour married Miss Viola Kilbane, daughter of Michael and Elizabeth ( Turkington) Kilbane, who came from Ireland to Erie county. The father was born in 1822 and came to America in 1842. He was a farmer until a few years ago, when he retired in comfortable circumstances. The mother died in 1892. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Seymour are Charles Jesse, a student at the Waterford high school in the second year, and Pauline Elizabeth Seymour, also in school. Mr. Seymour is independent in political sentiments. He is a Mason, being a member of Lodge No. 425, and Lodge No. 974, I. O. O. F., and he has passed through the chairs.
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SAMUEL MAHAN. A son of old and widely known pioneers, Sam- uel Malıan, of Waterford township, is himself a retired farmer of sub- stantial reputation who has also, during his active business career, been well known in the saw mill business. Born in Ireland, October 2, 1828, he is a son of Samuel and Jane Mahan, who came direct to Waterford township, this county, in June, 1831, before Samuel had reached his third year. Some years after the father purchased sixty acres, chiefly of timber land, which he was obliged to clear for a culti- vated farm and a comfortable homestead, and before his death he made substantial additions to the original purchase. Upon this home- stead three children were born and reared-Robert, Katherine Jane and David B. Mahan.
Samuel Mahan, of this review, was educated in the district schools of Waterford township and has given the bulk of his attention to the development of his farm interests, although for nine years he operated a saw mill in connection with them. He is now living in deserved and comfortable retirement on his fine farm of eighty acres, both a pros- perous and honored member of the community. On October 31, 1861, Mr. Mahan married Miss Mary Catherine Smiley, daughter of John and Mary Smiley, also born in Ireland and early settlers of Erie county. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Mahan are as follows : Jessie Leona, who is now the wife of George Moore, and the mother of a daughter, Hortense; Blanche (deceased), who married William Smith ; and Samuel L., whose wife was formerly Miss Ina Free.
JAMES STEELE POLLOCK. During many years James S. Pollock was closely associated with the history of Erie county, and he was a son of one of its earliest and most prominent pioneer residents, Capt. James Pollock. The latter, born in Northumberland county, Penn- sylvania, was a son of Charles Pollock, who came to this country from Ireland previous to the year of 1750, and for some time his home was in Northumberland county. Capt. James Pollock was born in the year of 1769, and died in 1857. He was in the United States service at the time of General Wayne's treaty with the Indians in 1795, and coming to Erie county as a soldier he remained at Ft. LeBoeuf during the winter of 1197-98, returning in the following spring to Northum- berland county. In 1800 he came again to LeBoeuf township in Erie county and located on the farm which is yet owned by his descendants, there conducting the public house well known in the early days as the "Half Way House," located between Erie and Meadville. He was also a surveyor and laid out most of the roads in LeBoeuf township during the formative period in its history. After the burning of the court house he prominently assisted to adjust the lines of lands to road formations, and from 1830 to 1833 was one of the three commissioners of the township, while from 1837 to 1838 he served as a delegate from Eric county to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention. Mr. Pol- lock married in 1801 Miss Mary Steele, who was born in 1781, sup- posedly in Northumberland county. Pennsylvania, a daughter of Wil- liam Steele, from Westmoreland county, this state, and she died in the year of 1829. In their family were eleven children, one of whom died in infancy, and the remaining six sons and four daughters lived to years of maturity.
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