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 86
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October 10, 1901, Mr. Davis wedded Miss Alice Barnes, a daughter of George N. and Delia (Bristol) Barnes. Mrs. Davis was reared and educated in Corry. She died August 24, 1908. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Davis, Clifford and Ruth. In politics Mr. Davis is a Republican.
DANIEL HOWLES, a farmer of considerable means and of strong in- fluence in public affairs, is the owner and cultivator of a farm of ninety acres, forty of which is in Wayne township, Pennsylvania, and the bal- ance in Chautauqua county, New York. He has held this property in his own name since 1890, but has resided thereon since his boyhood. Mr. Howles is a native of Manchester, England, where he was born July 1, 1855 ; where he was reared and educated, and where he resided until his sixteenth year. At that time (1871) his parents emigrated to the United States with their family, and at once settled on the farm now owned by the son, Daniel. His father, James Howles, was a silk weaver in England, but after coming to Erie county found his trade useless and devoted himself with profit to his new avocation. The mother (nee Jane Harris) was also a native of England, the children of the family being George (now deceased), Samuel, Fannie, Daniel and Alice. The youngest son, of this sketch, is the only resident of Erie county. James Howles, the father, died in 1875, and the widow passed away in 1889.
In the year following his mother's death Daniel Howles pur- chased the interests of the other heirs in the old homestead and came into sole possession of it. He has since had the enjoyment of a com-
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fortable homestead and a good farm, his herd of twelve fine Holsteins and Durhams adding materially to his profits. On February 11, 1882, Mr. Howles married Miss Melissa Loveland, daughter of William and Polly A. Loveland, and the children born of their union have been as follows: Jennie, who is now Mrs. B. Lictus; James W., William A., Robert L., and Clyde Howles. Both the parents and their family are members of the Sciota Methodist church, of which Mr. Howles is a trustee and Sunday school superintendent. His high standing in the community as a moral man and an upright citizen is broadened by the public honors which his associates have bestowed upon him. In this line, is his commendable service as township clerk, road commissioner, supervisor two terms, and auditor, his incumbency of the last named office having extended into the second term. Mr. Howles is a prohi- bitionist and he takes a firm stand on the subject of temperance, but he is independent ofttimes in his political ideas, voting for the one he thinks best for the office.
JOHN G. KOLSTEE, a worthy farmer of Wayne township, owns and conducts a dairy farm of seventy-seven acres which was formerly the property of De Forrest Jackman and William Rhodes, prominent citi- zens and widely known pioneers of the fifties. His fine herd of Dur- hams and the general appearance of the place show striking evidences of his skill, thrift and up-to-date methods, as well as his inherited traits of perfect cleanliness and neatness which descend to him from his ancient Dutch ancestry. Although Mr. Kolstee was born at Cly- mer, Chautauqua county, New York, on the 12th of February, 1856, his parents-William and Kate (Heslink) Kolstee-were both natives of Holland. The father was born in August, 1832, and the mother, January 1, 1840. The grandfather Heslink served ten years in the army of the Netherlands, and in 1849 emigrated with his wife to the United States. Buying a farm of thirty-five acres at Clymer, he proceeded to take up his new life with the industry and perseverance of his coun- trymen, and in the years which followed provided a good living and a comfortable home for his wife and growing family. He died in 1870 and his widow in April, 1893. The fourteen children born to Wil- liam and Kate (Heslink) Kolstee were as follows: John G., in 1856; Wilhelmina, 1858; Lydia, 1860 (now deceased) ; Christine, 1861; Henry, 1864; Frank, 1865; Hannah, 1867; Jennie, 1868; William F., 1873; Sarah, 1875 (deceased) ; Kate, 1877 (deceased) : Albert, 1879; Addie, 1882, and Laura, 1884.
On July 2, 1892, John G. Kolstee was united in marriage with Miss Addie C. Jackman, oldest daughter of James and Betsy A. (Parsons) Jackman, and their son, James W. H. Kolstee, was born April 6, 1895. Thus by marriage and by force of his own good work and sturdy char- acter, Mr. Kolstee is a substantial and honored citizen of Wayne town- ship. He is a member of the Dutch Reformed church at Clymer, New York, which church cost eleven thousand dollars. Mrs. Kolstee is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics Mr. Kolstee is a stanch Republican.
EUGENE A. LYONS, present proprietor of the old Lyons homestead in Wayne township and a well known dairy farmer of Erie county, was born in that township on the 21st of November, 1873. His grand-
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parents were Jesse and Jane (Kincade) Lyons, who were among the earliest and most substantial pioneers of the county ; the former died November 2, 1866, and the latter, on the 23rd following. They were married March 23, 1837, and became the parents of nine children- Andrew, Joshua, William, Amanda, Jesse, Samuel, Rosetta, Celia and Sophronia.
Andrew Lyons, the father, was also born in Wayne township, April 2, 1838. He was the proprietor of one hundred and thirty acres of land. Previously he had owned seventy-five acres just north of the one hundred and thirty-one acres, but he sold the seventy-five and pur- chased the one hundred and thirty-one acres. For some years, he also operated a sawmill which had been built by Jesse Lyons, the grand- father mentioned. Besides, he held such township offices as assessor and collector, and was a useful and loyal citizen in every respect. On January 20, 1864, he was united in marriage to Miss Julia A. Bloss, daughter of Adin and Caroline Bloss. The latter was born at French Creek, New York, on the 13th of October, 1836, and became the mother of the following: Carrie P., who was born March 17, 1872, and died September 6. 1888, and Eugene A., born November 21, 1873.
Eugene A. Lyons has been reared and educated in the vicinity of the farm which he now owns and operates-a fine tract of one hundred and thirty-one acres, which, mainly through him, has been brought to a high standard for dairy purposes. He keeps seventeen choice milch cows and his appliances are sanitary and strictly modern. Mr. Lyons has also served his fellows as a public official, as auditor of the town- ship ; is a worthy member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge No. 118 at Wattsburg, and in numerous other ways is a repre- sentative citizen. On May 19, 1896, he was married to Miss May S. Brooks, who was born in Union township, Erie county, August 10, 1875. They have become the parents of one child, Bernice P., born November 20, 1897. Mrs. Lyons is a member of the Methodist Epis- copal church at Beaver Dam.
MRS. LULU M. PETITT, daughter of Dr. John L. and Eliza A. (Filly) Bennett, was born in Greene township, Erie county, in 1867, and is de- scended from a line of patriotic American citizens. Her great-grand- father drew a pension for service in the Revolutionary war, and her grandfather, Nicholas Bennett, was called out during the war of 1812. Nicholas Bennett was a native of New York state, and married Eliza- beth Hall, of Connecticut; they had ten children, five of whom lived to manhood, namely: James, Lucius, Daniel, George and Dr. John L. Dr. John L. Bennett, now deceased, was a practicing physi- cian in Harbor Creek township, Erie county, where he also conducted a farm. He was born in Yates county, New York, in 1821, and re- moved to Erie county in 1841 ; he purchased a tract of wild land con- taining one hundred and seventy-five acres, and transformed it into
a productive farm, at the same time carrying on his study and prac- tice of medicine. He studied under Dr. Chaffee, of Wattsburg, Erie county, and became extremely successful in the practice of his pro- fession. He was a skillful practitioner and was able to effect the cure of some long-standing and chronic complaints among his patients. His demise occurred April 5, 1907, and his loss was greatly felt in the com- munity, where his memory is held in respect and affection. Dr. Ben-
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nett married, March 17, 1856, Eliza A. Filly, of Greene township, and to them were born three children, namely: Ada C., the wife of Frank Cox; William M. and Lulu M.
E. E. PETITT, son of Rev. R. J. and Lucinda Rhodes Petitt, was born in 1862 in Chautauqua county, New York, and removed with his par- ents to Erie county, Pennsylvania, in 1876. Rev. R. J. Petitt and wife now reside in Venango township; their children are Almira, Elvin E., Edith E., Robert R. and Otis O., all of whom reside in Erie county. E. E. Petitt and Lulu Bennett were married in 1883. They own a farm of eighty acres and successfully conduct same, doing general farming and dairying. Mr. and Mrs. Petitt have five children namely : Clyde C., Bertha C., Ethel M., Goldie E., and Glenn B.
EDWARD J. HARVEY is a prosperous farmer of Wayne township, this county, who like other agriculturists of the middle west, has adapted himself to the conditions of a well settled country and the high prices of country property by devoting himself to scientific dairying. His operations are conducted on a fine tract of seventy-five acres and his herd of ten cows is of first-class grade and in first-class hands. Mr. Harvey has also been called into the public affairs of his township, and is further well known as an active member of the Christian church, of which he is a deacon. To be an industrious, useful and moral mem- ber of the community defines a true American citizen ; and Mr. Harvey possesses all of these traits.
Born May 4, 1856, and a native of Wayne county, where he re- ceived his education and training, Mr. Harvey has been engaged in some form of agriculture all his life. As might be expected, he knows his business thoroughly, which is saying much in these days of pro- gressive and scientific husbandry. On February 22, 1877, he entered a distinctly new period of life by his marriage to Miss Emma A. Fitch, daughter of O. D. and Marcia (Dutton) Fitch. Mr. Harvey's parents were J. W. and Sarah (Lewis) Harvey, both natives of England, the former born in 1825 (February 7) and the latter, in 1817. They were married in 1849 and in the same year emigrated to the United States, settling in Wayne township, Erie county. The husband purchased one hundred and twenty-five acres of land, only a small portion of which had been cleared, but by his industry and persistency the en- tire tract was cleared and developed into a handsome homestead and a productive farm ; and this was something greatly to his credit, as he was a skilled painter by trade and had no experience in agriculture when he came to the United States. During his entire residence in Wayne township he was a devoted member of the Hare Creek Chris- tian church, donating the site for its first house of worship and dying in 1902, firm in the faith of that denomination. The deceased was twice married, the children born to him, and all by his first wife, being as follows: William L., who was born in 1850, and is now deceased ; Sophia S., born in 1852; Lewis W., born in 1854; Edward J., of this sketch ; and Lena E. and Leon A., twins, born October 11, 1860. He married his second wife (nee Jennie M. Jones), April 5, 1884, and she passed away in 1909.
O. D. Fitch, the father of Mrs. E. J. Harvey, was a native of Co- lumbus, Warren county, Pennsylvania, born April 15, 1831. His par- ents, Dr. M. T. C. and Clarissa (Dutton) Fitch, who were among the
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earliest settlers of that county, moved to Erie county in 1841. O. D. Fitch spent the balance of his life in this section, engaged in farming and performing the duties of such local offices as that of justice of the peace. His death occurred September 14, 1905. His wife, to whom he was married January 1, 1855, was born on the 5th of July, 1837, and died July 28, 1872. The children born to their marriage were as fol- lows: Emma, December 29, 1856 ; Ernest E., November 15, 1865, and Lottie E., February 24, 1871.
Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Harvey have become parents of eight children : Grace M., who was born December 2, 1877; S. Gertrude, Oc- tober 5, 1895; Ellis E., March 10, 1884; Iva P., February 19, 1887; Frank O., December 13, 1889 ; Paul F., December 2, 1893 ; Florence L., October 5, 1898; Carlyle L., August 1, 1898. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey are members of the Hare Creek Christian church.
HARRIS R. BRIGGS was born on the old farm where he still resides, August 24, 1863, the family homestead being one of the best known in Wayne township, to which his parents came from their native Ohio about seven years before his birth. Both father and son have been connected with agricultural pursuits for more than half a century, and Harris R. now owns a fine dairy farm of eighty acres, the product of which is obtained from a herd of twelve head of superior milch cows. The latter has also been called by the voters of his township to assume official honors in the conduct of public affairs. He has served as tax collector for six years, justice of the peace for one term and as the incumbent of other minor offices.
Russell Briggs, father of Harris R., was born in Ohio in 1823 and his wife (nee Eunitia Lampson) was also born in the same state and year (October 19th). About 1856 they moved from Ashtabula county to Erie county, and settled on a tract of seventy-five acres, a small portion of which had been cleared. From that time until his demise, October 23, 1865, the father was actively engaged in developing his farm and improving his entire homestead. His widow died Novem- ber 5, 1892, as the mother of Edwin A. (deceased), Lorenzo, Perley C., Harris R. and May E. (deceased).
Harris R. Briggs has spent his life in Wayne township, having received his education in its district schools and cultivated its fertile soil, and drawing his support from it through his dairy pursuits. His career has been one of industry, substantial but unassuming perform- ance, and of results in every way creditable to his moral character as well as to his ability. He has taken an active part in local politics as they effected the security and well being of his home community, but his interest in the general field has been mainly founded in the moral issue of Prohibition. On this question he has long taken an earnest and uncompromising stand in favor of the absolute suppression of all traffic in liquor. On July 16, 1889, Mr. Briggs was wedded to Miss Ora J. Cole, daughter of Albert and Emily I. Cole, and the children of his marriage have been as follows: Essie M. (deceased), Archie M .. Neva E., Ema L., Russell H., Edwin A., Bernice I. and Merton L. Briggs. Mrs. Briggs is, like her husband, a native of Wayne township. the date of her birth being November 28, 1874. Both she and her hus- band are worthy members of the Sciota Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Briggs is a trustee.
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JAMES DAVIDS is one of those old and honored residents of Wayne township who fully proved on many fields of the Civil war that mother earth gives to her sons a certain characteristic bravery; a heroism which is founded on the rock of steadfastness to the calls of duty and a warm and manly affection for the very soil of the nation. It was the farmers at Lexington who stood firmly before the British regulars and, more than any other one element in the country, it was the farm- ers who in the civil strife upheld the Union cause on their broad and trusty shoulders. Mr. Davids fought and marched for four years and seven months in the Federal ranks, and is therefore entitled to a per- sonal application of all these remarks. As he was only in his eighteenth year when he entered the service, the earliest period of his manhood was spent in this laudable work of fully demonstrating his patriotism.
Mr. Davids was born in Amity township, this county, on the 27th of April, 1844, and was well along in his mastery of the carpenter's trade at the beginning of the Civil war. In August, 1861, he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Eleventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and at the completion of his first term re-enlisted in the same company for three years, or during the war. During his entire service of over four years and a half he acted the part of the soldier as if he had been seasoned in military training. He served in both the armies of the Potomac and the West, participating in the battles of Gettys- burg, Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Lookout Mountain, Ringgold, Peach Tree Creek and a number of minor skirmishes. He concluded his ca- reer as a campaigner by taking that masterly march to the sea with Sherman's army. He then returned to the fields of peace, as repre- sented by the fertile and somewhat neglected farms of Wayne town- ship. The young man had also had sturdy company in members of his own family, since his three brothers were all Union soldiers.
Mr. Davids is a son of Schuyler and Alvina (Peterson) Davids. His parents were Pennsylvanians and their children were Vance (de- ceased), Jefferson, Andrew (deceased), James and María. In 1876 James Davids was united in marriage with Miss Henrietta Black, to whom were born Byron and Jesse. Byron took to wife Miss Ada Mc- Gann, and Jesse married Miss Ethel Shampoo, who is the mother of Lloyd. Mrs. Henrietta B. Davids died in 1885, and the husband chose as his second wife, in 1891, Mrs. Laura Brewer. Mr. Davids is the only one of the paternal family to reside in Erie county.
JULIUS M. SMITH has spent nearly his entire life in Erie county and has occupied his fine dairy farm in Wayne township for the past twenty years. He is both a thorough agriculturist and an influential citizen of public service. Mr. Smith was born at Beaver Dam, this county, March 16, 1849, the son of Robert and Mary (Fritz) Smith. The father was a native of the same place, while the mother was born near Wattsburg, also in Erie county. Robert Smith owned and op- erated a productive farm of two hundred and sixty acres at Beaver Dam, and was widely known as a successful farmer and worthy citizen. The children born to this couple were Julius M. of this sketch, and Rebecca E., deceased. The paternal grandfather Smith, as well as the grandfather on the other side of the family, were of German lineage, and both were early settlers in Erie county.
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Juliu's M. Smith obtained his education in the common schools at Beaver Dam, in which town he grew to manhood, and with the ex- ception of five years passed in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, his resi- dence has been continuous in Erie county. At an early day he purchased a farm of one hundred and thirty acres at Beaver Dam, which he owned and operated until the year 1889, when he bought the tract of land upon which he now resides, and though it then comprised but one hundred acres, in 1901 he added seventy-four acres to the place, at the same time selling the farm at Beaver Dam. His present estate con- sists of one hundred and seventy-four acres of excellent soil, which is well adapted to dairying, and he is also the possessor of a fine herd of twenty-eight cattle, largely Jerseys and Durhams, which yield a handsome profit, producing an average of five hundred pounds of milk each day. The life of comfort and independence, which has been so fairly earned by Mr. Smith, is rounded and varied by his domestic associations and the various public duties, with which his fellow citizens have entrusted him, such as those pertaining to the offices of school director and highway commissioner.
In 1875 Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Amelia Bright- man, daughter of Erastus and Sylvia Brightman, who were also the parents of Mary and John. William Brightman, grandfather of Mrs. Smith and a well known clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church, came to Erie county in 1830, accompanying him being his wife and the following five children: Erastus, who was born in the year 1815, and died in 1897, at the age of eighty-two years; Henry, William Jr., Polly and Hannah. When migrating to Erie county from their home in the east, William Sr., drove a yoke of oxen, while the eldest son, Erastus, manned a team of horses, the distance traveled being about three hundred miles, through a wild and unsettled country. Upon ar- riving in the county the family located upon a tract of some four hundred acres, a portion of which is today in possession of descend- ants. Minnie, now the wife of Daniel J. Alexander, and Mattie, de- ceased, were the children born to Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Smith. Mr. Smith is independent in politics and he casts his vote for the man best fitted for the office, regardless of party lines.
BARTLETT B. HAWLEY, a well known farmer of Wayne township, Erie county, comes of substantial and honorable pioneers on both paternal and maternal sides of the family. He is a native of that town- ship, born Nov. 11, 1858, and a son of Myron and Betsy (Bartlett) Hawley. His father, a native of Oneida county, New York, was born in 1821, and was reared and educated in the common schools. In 1845 he was united in marriage to Betsy Bartlett, who was born March 12, 1827, at Rome, Oneida county, daughter of John and Anna Bartlett. The young couple migrated to Wayne township in 1858, settling on a tract of one hundred and thirty acres, only half of which was then cul- tivated. But in due time the other half was cleared and, largely as a result of his energy and agricultural skill, Myron Hawley finally pos- sessed a fertile and productive farm and a valuable homestead. When Mr. and Mrs. Hawley moved to the place there were already two houses thereon, one of which had been erected about 1819 by Elijah Carter, who had migrated to Wayne township in 1798, and the barn was erected in 1811. The other house was built by John Eagles, who
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in later years purchased the place from Carter and sold it to the Hawleys upon their arrival in the township. These are unques- tionably the two oldest houses in the township, and Mrs. Myron Hawley still resides in the same house into which she and her hus- band moved in 1858, though additions and improvements have been made from time to time. Myron Hawley and his wife became the parents of five children: Anna M., born in 1846, now the wife of L. Slye ; Francis, born in 1848, who married Ella Porter, granddaughter of the Elijah Carter mentioned; George C., born in 1850; Charles in 1855 ; and Bartlett B., of this review. All of the children were born in Oneida county, New York, with the exception of the youngest.
At the conclusion of his school days, Bartlett Hawley learned the barber trade, which he pursued for eighteen years-nine years at Corry, and nine in the state of South Dakota. He now resides on the old family homestead and, like his father, enjoys the full confidence of his fellow citizens. Of late years he has held several township offices, in all of which he has conducted himself with fidelity and ef- ficiency. In 1899 he was united in wedlock to Miss Clara Kennedy, and, though no children have been born to them, their domestic life has been one of harmony and useful activity. Mr. Hawley is a true blue Republican.
OSCAR O. MILLER, a highly respected agriculturist of Wayne town- ship, was born in the township of Sparta, Crawford county, Pennsyl- vania, January 10, 1876, the son of J. E. and Anna (Aikens) Miller of that place. The father was a blacksmith, industriously following his trade during his earlier years, but farming during his later career. That he was a man who ranked high in the esteem of his fellows, is evinced in the fact that for several years he was justice of the peace in his township. He expired in the year 1891, his wife following him in death four years later, leaving two sons-Marshall A. of Crawford county. and Oscar O. of this sketch. Their grandfather on the pa- ternal side of the family was Isaac Miller, one of the early pioneers of Crawford county, who migrated from the East and settled in Sparta township about the year 1829. His wife's maiden name was Scott, and she was the mother of nine children, all of whom have long since died.
Oscar O., of this review, received his schooling in his native town- ship, where he also learned the blacksmith trade under his father, who, as already noted, was a master mechanic in his calling. For several years Oscar followed this trade with his father, at the same time as- sisting in carrying on the work about the homestead. Today he owns and operates a well cultivated and productive farm consisting of two hundred and ten acres of choice land, which under this care and skillful industry, has been developed into one of the most profitable quarter sections in the county. He is also the proprietor of a herd of twenty choice graded cattle, in addition to other well bred live- stock. In 1899, Mr. Miller wedded Miss Anna Mixer, born in 1878, a native of Clarion county, Pennsylvania. and daughter of William and Frances Mixer. But one child has been born to this marriage-Gerald Miller. Mr. Miller is a Democrat in his political affiliations.
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