Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 125

Author: Stocker, Rhamanthus Menville, 1848-
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : R. T. Peck
Number of Pages: 1318

USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania > Part 125

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The "Jay House" was originally built by F. F.

I F

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NEW MILFORD.

Badger. Its history does not go back as far as the "Eagle Hotel," though its earlier days were soon enough to witness a host of travelers along this main thoroughfare, that had not yet taken to the railway. It was constructed somewhat like the present " Eagle Hotel," with a hall attached, and was conducted in a similar manner. A good picture of this house was given on the right-hand upper corner of the old county map, published in 1858. It was then known as the "New Milford Valley Hotel," E. Barnum, pro- prietor. Some time afterwards the business was con- ducted by a man by the name of Todd, later by Wm. Smith, and ultimately the property was purchased by William Jay. It was destroyed by the great fre in the spring of 1883, but was at once rebuilt on a much larger scale, commensurate with the increasing busi- ness of the place. It is a three-story edifice, conve- niently arranged, with all the modern improvements, and in regard to size may be classed with the largest hotels in the county. It is located in the centre of the town, on Main Street, near the depot, and as a public-house bears an excellent reputation. It is at present conducted by Charles Jay.

The " Delaware House " is a recent institution es- tablished near the depot by M. J. Crane.

EARLY STORES, SHOPS, MILLS, ETC .- For sev- eral years after the first settlement of New Milford there were no stores kept in the place, and the set- tlers were obliged to go long distances over rough roads to obtain the few necessary goods they could not get along without. Sometimes one of their num- ber went to Binghamton, which was at that time lit. tle more than a thriving frontier settlement, or to Wilkes-Barre, which was then the county-seat, tak- ing with them a load of produce, and the required purchases were made. But as new settlers were ar- riving every year, it soon became evident that this lovely valley was destined to become a grand central point for the whole surrounding region, and a proper place to establish a mercantile business. The first store in the place was opened by William Ward in 1815, and, though he kept but few goods for sale, and those chiefly confined to staple articles, it was looked upon by young and old as a wonderful institution. At one time, before commencing his practice as a physician, Dr. Bingham tended store for him. From the first it seemed to be a success, but, like all suc- cessful enterprises, it did not remain long without op- position. Before the close of the first year James Edmunds and Captain Dean opened a store in one of the Hayden rooms, which was afterwards removed to the old red house near the lower end of the settle- ment, and within the next five years two or three more little stores were established ; most of them did not prove to be permanent institutions.

About 1821 Henry Burritt arrived in the settle- ment from Newtown, Conn. He was at this time a young man of twenty-one. He formed a partnership with Harvey Griffing, who had lately come from

Guilford, in the same State, and a small store was at once opened in a part of the residence now occupied by William T. Moxley. In 1824 the firm of Griffing & Burritt was mutually dissolved, and each continued the business separately. A short time afterwards Mr. Burritt purchased part of the Mckenzie farm and built a store of his own, where he continued to do business all his life. The dwelling, a large framed one, had already been built by Mr. Mckenzie.

In those days the most costly part of mercantile business was the transportation. Goods had to be hauled all the way from Newburg by horses and wag- ons. This slow and tedious process made goods very high ; but it furnished work for a small army of men that are now obliged to seek employment in some other field of labor. Mr. Burritt was engaged in the mercantile business longer than any other man in New Milford. He opened one of the pioneer stores and continued the business nearly sixty years, wit- nessing, in the meantime, the progress of the place from a few scattering houses to a flourishing borough of nearly a thousand inhabitants. In all of his business transactions he was always very exact, strictly honest and competent. He died October 9, 1878, in the ser- enty-ninth year of his age. His widow died in 1882, in her eighty-first year. Their daughter Mary became the first wife of Dr. L. A. Smith ; Eliza became the wife of a Mr. Lea, and went to Binghamton. During his long mercantile career Mr. Burritt had many dif- ferent clerks, several of whom are well remembere I by older residents of this vicinity. Prominent on the list are the names of Ira Scott, John Badger, Lucien Leach, I. S. Little, Lewis McMillan and Samuel Moss. The last mentioned conducted his business many years, and after his death continued his calling for some time in the same building. He removed to the brick store that he now occupies in 1880, and opened a dry-goods and clothing-store.

Warner Hayden opened a store in 1827. The firm- name was afterwards changed to Hayden & Ward, "merchants and inn-keepers." In 1832 William Ward and son were in partnership. A small store building was erected near the present site of the town hall, and for a number of years business was continued here. Later the building was removed to the McCarty Corners, near the present residence of Charles Pratt, where William C. Ward located and kept a store many years. His sons, Lewis and William T., were active and efficient clerks. After their retirement the posi- tion was for a time filled by George B. McCollum.

Among the enterprising merchants of this place was C. C. Wright. He opened a store in the building afterwards occupied by the Haydens, and at once in- augurated a new era in trade and prices. He had for his clerk C. S. Bennett. Albert Moss established a store at an early day near the Episcopal Church, which was conducted for some years by his sons, Albert and Josiah. Years afterwards a general store was reopened in the same building by his grandson,

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

W. L. Moss. The building has lately been remodeled, and is now used as a private residence. Blacksmith- ing, of course, became one of the early necessities in the settlement, but for a limited time there was not a sufficient amount of work to demaud a tradesman, and the sturdy pioneers managed to do their own work. One of the first regular blacksmith's shops in the place was built by Deacon Ichabod Ward on the spot where Burritt's shed was afterwards built. After Mr. Ward's death, Roderick Mckenzie put up a black- smith's shop near where the town hall now is. He furnished the stock and Jacob Hartt did the work. Afterwards a blacksmith's shop was built by Amos A. Brant on the coruer ncar the Episcopal Church, where the business was successfully carried on for many years. Other shops were erected by different parties, as the progress of the place demanded, and the principal part of the work of the surrounding set- tlements soon centred here.

A shoe-shop was early established here by Albert Moss, and boots and shoes were made and mended. The business was also carried on, more or less, in other places. Mr. Moss also built the first tannery in the place, and tanned his own leather. It was small, but it served the purpose for the time, and as his means and business increased, he built a larger estab- lishment with a stone basement. Superior work was now done, and with increased facilities the tanning and currying business was carried on quite extensive- ly. The recollections of many among us revert back in happy memory to the days when the old red tan- nery formed a conspicuous object in the growing vil- lage. It was twice burned, but the stone basement remained, and now forms part of the large tannery of J. H. Safford. Warner Hayden also built a small tan- nery on the flat near the creek. A saw-mill was owned here by Newton Hawley early in the history of the settlement. It was built on the same spot that the Johnston mill occupied in after-years; and in pio- neer days, when good timber was plenty, a large amount of sawing was done. It was owned at one time by Captain Dean.

PROGRESS OF THE VILLAGE .- The place had now begun to assume the appearance of a thrifty little vil- lage, and its natural facilities offered inducements to new enterprises of greater magnitude. It had long been considered one of the most central points in the county, it was readily reached from all directions, and for a time there was talk of making it the county-seat.

In 1841 Dr. L. A. Smith came here from Brooklyn, and shortly afterwards commenced practicing as a physician. He still resides in the place, having had a very successful practice for about forty-five year's.

EZRA A. PRATT .- About the year 1632 William Pratt, a young Englishman, arrived at Cambridge, Mass. Hc came from Hertfordshire and was the sixth child of Rev. William Pratt, who was the grandson of Thomas Pratt, of Baldock, Hertfordshire, who died in February, 1539.

William Pratt bore a name which has been enrolled high among the records of the British Empire, and he was the progenitor of the Pratt family here. In 1636, with Hooker's company, he went to Hartford, Conn., and, about 1645, he thence removed to Say- brook, Conn. In 1661 he was "established lieutenant of the Saybrook Band," having previously taken part in the destruction of the Pequod Indian fort at Mystic and the annihilation of their power as a tribe. Lieu- tenant William Pratt was a man of considerable note in the colony. He became a large land-holder in Saybrook and the township of Hebron, and repre- sented the town of Saybrook in the General Assembly for thirteen years, and until his death, in 1678. He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Clark, and had eight children. Through Captain William (1653- 1718), the fifth child of Lieutenant William Pratt, and his wife, Hannah Kirtland, their son Benjamin, born 1681, and Anna Bates, whose son Zephaniah (1712- 58) and Abigail, his wife, had two children, we come to Zadock Pratt (1755-1828), who was a soldier of the Revolution and was made prisoner by the British at the battle of Long Island. He married Hannah Pickett, born 1755, who bore him seven children. In 1783 he moved into New York State, settling after a time at Windham (now Jewett) Greene County, where he died.

Of his children, his son, Colonel 'Zadock Pratt, be- came known as the founder of Prattsville, N. Y., and was a member of Congress during five sessions. He was the owner of the largest tannery in the country and was an active business man. One of the sons of the last-named, Colonel George W. Pratt, was a gal- lant soldier of the Union during the late Rebellion, and fell while leading his regiment to the charge at the second battle of Manassas. The eldest son of Zadock and Hannah Pratt, Ezra (1788-1875), was born at Stephentown, N. Y., and early engaged in the tanning business, and, during a number of years, car- ried it on successfully at Jewett, N. Y. He married Hannah Dickerman (1790-1856), and they had the following children: Hannah Louisa (1813-86), was the wife of Benj. C. Miles, a retired tanner at Deposit, N. Y .; Ann Eliza (1815-79). married Levi Bailey, a farmer, of Great Barrington, Mass .; Cyrus Walter (1818-66), was a tanner in Lewis County, N. Y., and hide and leather merchant, New York City; Ezra Au- gustus ; Adaline, born 1821, the widow of Eri D. Pond, formerly a commission merchant of New York City, resides at Bergen Heights, N. J .; Ogden (1823-59), formerly a partner with his brother, Ezra A., at New Milford; Theodore (1825-47) was a school-teacher ; George, born 1827, a retired tanner, lives at New Milford; Martha Dickerman (1827-71) was the wife of Rev. Dr. C. D. Buck, of the Dutch Reformed Church of Middletown, N. J .; Francis D., born 1831, a retired tanner and merchant, formerly doing busi- ness at Nicholson, Pa .; and Marietta (1834-64), who married Rev. Thomas S. Ward, the Presbyterian

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NEW MILFORD.

pastor at Carbondale, Pa., and, with her husband, died within a year of their marriage.

Ezra A. Pratt was born at Jewett, Greene County, N. Y., September 20, 1819. Upon reaching his ma- jority he engaged in mercantile business at North Blenheim, N. Y., which he continued until 1848, when the firm of E. A. & O. Pratt built a large tannery at New Milford, Pa., which, however, was burned a year and a half afterward, nearly absorbing their whole capital. They started anew, and rebuilt their tan- nery of thirty thousand sides per year capacity, which they operated in tanning hemlock sole leather. They erected an extensive tannery at Nicholson in 1855, which was operated by Pratt Brothers until 1859, when, upon the death of his brother, Ogden Pratt, the Nicholson works were made over to George and Francis D. Pratt, while he retained the business at New Milford. Mr. Pratt continued the business suc- cessfully until 1870, and disposed of his tannery to A. Corbin & Co. He has been interested in building up New Milford, and has contributed to its various enterprises and charities. In 1857 he purchased of a corporation the land and building thereon, used as a town hall, and presented it to the borough of New Milford. For thirty years he has been treasurer of the Presbyterian Church, and a very liberal sup- porter of the same, where himself and family worship. In 1846 he married Mary, daughter of William and Hannah Morehouse Fink, of North Blenheim, who died in 1856. His second wife, Harriet Fink, whom he married in 1859, died in 1885, without issue. His children are Sarah Isabella; Hattie, died in early womanhood; and Charles Clarence, who married Lillie Goff, of Binghamton, was for a time merchant in that city, but now is a resident of New Milford.

Pratt's tannery was conveniently located within a few feet of the railway, and a short siding or switch was built for the accommodation of the establishment, and car-loads of hides were often left at the doors. The Pratt brothers soon occupied the finest residence in the place. Ogden Pratt died in the winter of 1859, and E. A. Pratt conducted the business alone until the fall of 1869, when it was sold to Corbin & Todd. In the spring of 1872 they took as a partner, A. B. Smith, who had previously owned the planing works at the Johnston mill, just below the depot. On the afternoon of the 17th of September, 1880, the tannery caught fire again, and the entire works, together with two or three hundred cords of bark, were consumed. It has never been rebuilt. The ground was afterwards sold to the railroad company, and was graded for sidings and a place to load and unload cars. A cattle- yard has since been added.

Early in 1849 a movement was instituted to improve the village and secure a public park. The Pratt brothers, as well as many more public-spirited citizens of the place, took an especial interest in the proposed plan, and on the evening of the 27th of July a meet- ing was held at the school-house to further these

objects. Dr. L. W. Bingham presided as chairman, and S. H. Morse was chosen secretary. By-laws were drafted, and a permanent organization effected, known as the "New Milford Improvement Club." The following officers were elected: President, Ezra A. Pratt ; Vice-President, S. H. Morse; Secretary, Josiah Moss ; Treasurer, Dr. L. A. Smith; Directors, Dr. L. W. Bingham, Ogden Pratt and Dr. L. A. Smith. A subscription paper was then circulated to raise funds for the purchase of a suitable plot of land. F. F. Badger, having offered the desired land for the purpose above stated, at a price far below the actual value, was made honorary member, It was pur- chased for two hundred dollars, which amount was duly paid by Josiah Moss, trustee of the "Improve- ment Club." The surface, which is neat and dry, is almost a complete level, and is studded with rows of stately maple trees. In the centre a very beautiful pagoda has been erected, where an excellent band often plays during pleasant summer evenings.

Nelson Hager came from Schoharie County, N.Y., in 1850. He was a shoemaker by trade, and a very enterprising and influential citizen. He opened a boot and shoe-shop, and soon became the leading representative of that trade in this locality. He had four sons,-D. W. Hager, at present station agent for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railway at this place; S. S. Hager, station agent for the same company at Gouldsboro'; Willis D. Hager, purchas- ing agent for the same company in New York ; and Melvin E. Hager, engineer on the elevated railroad in New York.

In 1850 Silas Hamilton, a blacksmith, came and built the shop near the creek, where Aaron Aldrich has conducted the blacksmithing business so many years. Aaron Aldrich is a first-class tradesman, and has successfully carried on the business in the same shop nearly thirty years. Arthur Hamilton, son of Silas Hamilton, worked with him five years, from 1874 to 1879. H. V. Hamilton, another son, located in the central part of the borough in 1879, where he soon gained an extensive patronage. He formed a partnership with Aaron Aldrich in 1885.

The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railway, which was built through here about 1851, established a depot at this place, making the town an important shipping-point and changing its business prospects. New and larger stores were opened, new industries created, the price of land and building lots advanced, more and better buildings were erected, and the place rapidly changed from a quiet little village to a lively and enterprising town. S. H. Morse was the first sta- tion agent here, and a man by the name of Bartholo- mew the second. Mr. Bartholomew was succeeded by C. G. Merrill, a man of excellent ability, who filled the position for about ten years. He was followed by E. K. Richardson, who stayed about a year and a half. In November, 1869, Mr. Richardson was suc- ceeded by D. W. Hager, who still retains the position.

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

More business is done at this station than any other between Binghamton and Scranton. The freight bus- iness alone for the single month of September, 1886, aggregated two million three thousand nine hundred and sixty-one pounds. For the quarter ending Octo- ber 31, 1886, the aggregate was five million one hun- dred and four thousand three hundred and thirty- four pounds, or over two thousand five hundred and fifty-two tons. The amount received for passenger tickets averages about eight hundred dollars per month. A large part of this business comes from Montrose.

A foundry was established here by J. S. Tingley, and another by P. H. Corwin. Plows and other cast- ings were made. Harness-shops were opened by J. H. Smith and Josiah Moss, and a cooper-shop was conducted for some time by John Hawley, at the lower end of the village. H. Lyons worked at wagon- making near the upper extremity of the place, and N. L. Sprague opened a wagon-shop on Main Street, near the creek.

In 1859 a petition for a borough charter was circu- lated. It briefly described the extent and business interests of the village, and was signed as follows :

George W. Weed, William C. Ward, J. Dickerman, Jr., F. F. Badger, Elijah Barnum, R. T. Manning, Joseph Williams, John Hayden, J. Moss, Levi Moss, Tracy Hayden, Henry De Witt, William Hayden, Abram B. Beadle, John S. Dentes, J. Badger, Horatio Garratt, Ezra Pratt, Solomon R. Williams, J. S. Bunnell, Joel Lamb, E. A. Pratt, C. G. Merrill, H. Burritt, A. D. Wellman, John H. Smith, P. H. Corwin, John Boyle, James R. Blasdell, J. P. Miller, Jesse Payne, J. S. Tingley, Henry S. Lyon, T. Boyle, W. T. Ward, A. Moss, Jr., R. A. Johnston, George Hayden, Benjamin L. Hayden, John Hawley, M. Hayden, E. Cornwall, B. B. Little, S. L. Hancock, L. W. Bingham.

The court granted the petition and decreed that the village of New Milford be incorporated and erected into a borough December 2, 1859, and ordered the first election for borough officers to be held Tuesday, January 10, 1860, and the third Friday of February annually thereafter. Jason Dickerman, Jr., was made judge and Tracy Hayden and George Weed inspec- tors of the first election. Prominent on the list of burgesses since that time are the names of E. A. Pratt, N. W. Prince, H. Garratt, Charles Tucker, George Stone, Charles Jay and several others.

Dr. D. C. Ainey came from Brooklyn and located here in 1861. He was postmaster here about twenty years, and has practiced medicine since his arrival.

New Milford post-office was established July 6, 1811, with Nicholas McCarty as postmaster. His suc- cessors have been : Hezekiah Leach, Jr., 1815 ; Wil- liam Ward, 1817 ; John Badger, 1829; Wm. C. Ward, 1845 ; Squire H. Morse, 1849; Francis W. Boyle, 1853; Ezra A. Pratt, 1861 ; Daniel W. Hager, 1864; D. C. Ainey, 1865 ; Chas. J. Mitchell, 1885.

In 1866 O. M. Hawley, brother of Hon. E. B. Haw- ley, purchased William C. Ward's store property, and an extensive mercantile business was conducted for a short time under the firm-name of Hawley & Follett. After two or three years Mr. Hawley purchased a

corner lot opposite the "Eagle Hotel," on the north, and erected a fine building, which he fitted with a general line of goods, and carried on trade until 1872, when the business was purchased by H. W. Decker, of Orange County, N. Y. Mr. Hawley now resides in Binghamton. Mr. Decker became popular as a liberal merchant and citizen, and has always taken an active interest in all affairs of a public nature. His wife dying, he sold the goods to F. G. Inderlied, who con- tinued the business here until the spring of 1886, when he removed to the new and commodious "Advertiser Block," opposite the "Jay House."

The Hayden Brothers carried a line of notions and fancy articles on the road, and finally opened several stores at different times in the north part of the town, which were conducted for several years with varying success. Later they removed to the central part of the borough, and established more extensive stores there. William Hayden erected a neat brick store, where he carries a large stock of dry-goods and clothing. The Postal Telegraph Company have an office in his store- room. Marshall Hayden opened a general grocery and drug-store adjoining, now conducted as a grocery- store by the Dean Brothers. John Hayden erected a general hardware-store on the corner of Main and Depot streets, near by, where he is at present doing business.

Jason Dickerman, originally from New Haven, Conn., came from Otsego County, N. Y., in 1854, and opened a general store in the building now occupied by William Smith as a grocery and provision-store. He handled nearly all the railroad wood and ties de- livered at this station for fifteen years, and his trade increased until his sales reached from forty-five to forty-eight thousand dollars per year. He built the first brick store in the place, about 1868. It was a large double structure, one part of which was used as a dry-goods department, and the other for the sale of groceries. Afterwards two of his sons, Hobart and William, conducted the dry-goods business, while he and his youngest son, George, carried on the grocery department. O. M. Hawley at one time kept a dry- goods and clothing-store in this building, and later the same part has been used by Samuel Moss for the same line of business. Mr. Dickerman continued the mercantile business until 1886.

In 1855 Horatio Garratt came from Lyons, Wayne County, N. Y., and entered the store with Mr. Dick- erman. He was in partnership with him two years, when he built a general grocery and provision-store on the site of his present one, which was destroyed by fire at the time Jay's Hotel burned. The business is now mainly conducted by his son, E. S. Garratt.

Some years later J. C. McConnell established a general drug-store near Mr. Garratt's, where he still conducts a thriving business. The telephone line from Montrose to Susquehanna passes through here, and an office is kept in this building. The second floor is occupied by the Masonic fraternity.

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NEW MILFORD.

George B. McCollum erected a provision-store on the corner of Maiu and Washington Streets where lie carried on business for some time. It was eventually purchased by L. L. Leroy. The building was burned some years afterwards, but was rebuilt on a far more extensive scale. The business is now carried on by Leroy & Braman. Mr. Braman is a first-class artist, and a photograph gallery has been added on the upper floor.

In 1885 a general hardware-store was opened by Risley & Co., in the building partly occupied by the post-office. A provision-store was also opened by W. G. Smith in February of the same year. In the spring of 1886 the New Milford Trading Company established an extensive store in the Advertiser Block, near the depot. They purchase produce, and deal largely in provisions, groceries and crockery. A general news office has been opened near the depot by William Smith; watches, clocks and jewelry are repaired and kept for sale by L. B. Isbell, who has given his whole lifetime to the business. Several small stores of more or less prominence have been kept here from time to time by Harvey Griffing, A. A. Hall, D. W. Hager and others.

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Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 125

Author: Stocker, Rhamanthus Menville, 1848- Publication date: 1887 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : R. T. Peck Number of Pages: 1318

Author: Stocker, Rhamanthus Menville, 1848-
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : R. T. Peck
Number of Pages: 1318