Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 158

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

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JOHN HALSTEAD .- Among the older families of this county is that of Halsted. John Halstead, the first of the family in Pennsylvania, a native of Orange County, N. Y., with his wife, Rachel Knapp, settled near Pittston (then Lackawanna) on the Susquehanna River, remained a few years and removed to Clifford township, Susquehanna County, locating near Elk- dale. Their son, Alanson D. Halstead, born in Orange County in 1791, married Phebe Wells (1797- 1880), whose father, James Wells (1750-1839), was one of the pioneer business men of this vicinity. His wife was Katie Van Auken, and their children were James, Lydia (Mrs. Hartsey), John, William, Mary (Mrs. James Finn), Jane (Mrs. Hall Stephens first, and now the widow of William Coil, living in Lenox, over ninety-two years old), Phebe (Mrs. A. D. Halstead) and Eliphalct Wells. Of these, only Jane and Eliphalet are now alive.

After the marriage of their son, Alanson D. Hal- stead, Mr. and Mrs. John Halstead removed to Liv- ingstone County, N. Y., where they both died.

Deacon Alanson D. Halstead was major of militia for a long time, and was an active and intelligent man. In church-work he was one of the main pil- lars of the Elkdale Baptist Church, which he assisted in organizing and building, and in which he served as deacon until his death. His children were David W. Halstead, ordained to the ministry in Wayne County, filled various charges until his death, in 1886; Catharine, the widow of Alexander Coleman, a farmer, lives in Scranton ; Rachel was married to

Cyril Peck, a farmer, and died in 1860; John; Na- thaniel, now a carpenter and builder, lives in Scran- ton ; Rebecca, the wife of Samuel Arnold, a farmer near Dundaff; Margaret, married Sylvenus Doolittle, a carpenter, and lives in Iowa ; Charles, a carpenter, lives in Scranton ; Silas, a farmer at Elkdale ; Mary and Sidney, died in youth ; and Hugh, who died in childhood.

The early days of John Halstead, who was born De- cember 8, 1821, were spent upon the farm and in the saw-mill of his father. He learned the trade of a black- smith and carried on that business at Elkdale for about a year ; was a farmer on the Elk Mountain three years, before selling out in 1847. After a couple of years' blacksmithing at the Corners he began a mercantile business therc, and, for a period of seventeen years, was a main instrument in drawing business and resi- dents to this pleasant village. He was the first post- master of the place, and served as such for sixteen years. In 1865 he retired from the store business, in order to give entire attention to the growing demands of his live-stock branch ; and in this department his close and intelligent care and judicious management have built up a large and profitable enterprise. His purchases are made in Susquehanna, Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, and the stock is shipped alive to New York and New Jersey markets. During the last twenty-five years he has been extensively en- gaged in buying wool, in connection with Azur Lathrop, of Montrose, and others, and has probably paid out to the farmers of Clifford township and ad- jacent territory more money for their products than any other man ever in the country. His warmest sympathies have always been mauifested in the cause of temperance, and lie became one of the charter members of the Good Templars' Lodge at Clifford, which was organized iu 1869 and remained in opera- tion about three years. After the sale of his store property, twenty years ago, he invested in farm prop- erty, and now has the satisfaction of seeing several handsome residences located upon his land and form- ing a part of the flourishing village of Clifford. In 1843 he married Susan A. (1822-84), the daughter of Artemas (1782-1855) and Huldah Nash (1790-1859) Baker. Mr. Baker was a native of Massachusetts, and settled with his parents in old Luzerne County now (Lackawanna), Penn., whence he removed, in 1840, to Susquehanna County and became a farmer. His children were John Baker, a farmer and carpen- ter, died 1883 ; Lucy, the widow of Alfred Merriman, a farmer of Clifford ; Nash, a retired merchant, living at Clifford Corners; Mercy, married J. L. Merryman, Esq., of Franklin township, and died in 1866; Ann E., who died in 1885, was the wife of William R. Gardner, a farmer of Lenox ; Susan A., became Mrs. John Halstead; and Eliza, the wife of Chauncey Decker, a farmer of Lenoxville. The children of John and Susan A. (Baker) Halstead are Rachel L., wife of Hiram Rivenburg, of Clifford ; Charles L.,

John Halsted

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CLIFFORD.

was a merchant at Clifford, and in 1869 married Bina Seamans (he died in 1878, leaving one son); Celia S., married, in 1878, Ira J. Wetherby, a farmer of Clif- ford ; and Rosa Dell Halstead, now at home. The three daughters of Mr. Halstead are members of the Clifford Baptist Church.

BUSINESS INTERESTS .- Until within recent years the people of Clifford were almost exclusively engaged in agricultural pursuits, the other occupations being confined to a few persons in the hamlets and small villages which are the recognized trading or milling centres of the township. Forest City, with its remarkable growth aud industries, employing hun- dreds of men, is the exception.

On the stream below Dundaff, William Finn had a pioneer saw-mill, which did good service, and later mills were operated at other sites on that stream by Peter Rivenburg, John Barker and Eben H. Stephens, all of which have passed away, and were the only industries at those places.

On' the East Branch of the Tunkhannock, two miles northeast from Dundaff, was started the first business place in Clifford. As early as 1806 James Wells put up a small grist-mill at that point, which was swept away by a freshet. The following year he and Asahel Norton united in building another mill, which was also carried away by a flood in the course of a few years. Before 1814 Lemuel Norton had in operation another mill, and as roads were now located down the valley and up from Wilkes-Barre, the place began to partake of the nature of a busi- ness point. Ebenezer Baker was the owner of a store, the first in the township, and Joel Stevens was a clothier, but having his shop on the hill southeast from the mills, where he pressed and dyed cloths as early as 1814. The existence of these industries caused this locality to be called the City, a term which is not yet forgotten in connection with it. In 1818 John Atworth became the owner of the mill, which, with other property, soon after passed into the hands of Colonel Gould Phinny and Horace G. Phelps. In 1823 they began other enterprises, and the place now became knowns as Phinnytown. Later it was called East Clifford, and at present is properly known as Elkdale. Like many other inland hamlets, it has declined in importance, instead of keeping pace with the general improvements of the country.

Elkdale has a post-office, store, mill, church and school-house, and half a dozen dwellings. The post- office was established at the store of G. G. Wells, in December, 1877, as a private office, but since 1881 has been a regular office in the postal service. A daily mail from Dundaff is supplied. The firm of Gould & Phelps not only operated the mills, but also distilled liquor and had a store. In 1831 the McCalla

Brothers (John, James and William) became the owners of the mills and distillery, which they carried on extensively, the latter until 1857. In its best days the mill had three runs of stones and had a large capacity. In 1862 it was owned by William McCalla, who died that fall from injuries received in the mill. It is still owned by his heirs but is oper- ated in a small way, only. The saw-mill and distillery buildings have been removed.

John Wells was an early cloth fuller, and Horace G. Phelps had a factory in which carding and spin- ning was also done. Both removed to Dundaff before 1830. The latter also had a large tin-shop, in which J. B. Slocum worked as a tinner. Later, Archibald Browning opened a small store at the Four Corners. Thomas Halstead and H. W. Johnson afterwards traded a short time in a dwelling-house. Since 1867 the present store, by the Wells Brothers, has been carried on. In the spring of 1887 a new industry was established in the hamlet-a co-opera- tive creamery being gotten in operation by the farmers of this vicinity. Less than a mile above the McCalla mills Holloway and James W. Lowry built a saw-mill in 1852, raising the frame without the use of liquor for the men who assisted-an unusual event in that period. Prior to this, Thomas Ustich had a small woolen factory at the site, operating several looms. After 1835, John James did some carding. The present owner of the mill is Olney Rounds. It has circular-saws and a good capacity. Near by, Emory Mapes has had a store since 1884. Two miles below Elkdale, where the Owego turnpike crosses the East Branch, Samuel Weston had small saw and grist-mills, which were abandoned before 1835. He also kept a small store. The frames of the mill buildings and the raceway remain, but the place has long since been farm property. Westward from this point a number of public-houses were kept from 1820 to 1845. Lyman Lewis was at the Leek place, but had first kept a tavern on the John Bolton place. On what is known as the Hughes farm, Elias Bell and John Alworth had taverns; and Levi Chamberlain had a public-house eight years on the farm now owned by P. W. Chamberlain. All these buildings have long since been devoted to farm uses. and the turnpike which was once so extensively traveled is now a highway of less importance than many other roads in that township.

JAMES W. LOWRY .- The progenitor of this branch of the Lowry family in the United States was John Lowry, who came from the north of Ireland and lo- cated at Lowell, Mass. There exists a family tradi- tion to the effect that this young man was the son of a nobleman emigrating in response to the request of an uncle, the Lowell who founded Lowell, Mass., and that owing to a shipwreck he lost all papers and documents, barely escaping with his life and a roll of gold coin which had been placed around his waist for safe keeping. He married Sabra Hunt and raised a

1 There is also a tradition that the place took its name from the fact that a missionary preaching here took for his text: "Up, get ye out of this place, for the Lord will destroy this city."

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

large family. One of his descendants, George Lowry, with his wife, Mary, removed to New Jersey late in the eighteenth century and settled at Sparta, where he carried on the trade of coopering for a number of years. In 1806 they came to Pennsylvania, first settling in Luzerne County and some few years later in Clifford township, this county, where he bought farm-land, which he lost through a flaw in the title and shortly thereafter died. Mrs. Lowry survived her husband many years and married again; she died in 1870, aged nearly a hundred years.

Their children were Holloway; Nancy, married Chauncey Deming ; Polly, married Jeremiah Tuttle ; John; Catharine, married P. S. Foster; George; Sarah, married Orrin Griswold; and Isaac. Of these, John is a business man in Kansas; George is a far- mer near Elkdale; and Sarah resides at Carbon- dale; the others have deceased. Holloway Lowry (1801-75) was born at Sparta and accompanied his parents in their removals. In 1822 he bought land in this township, which, through a defective title, he also lost. In 1823 he bought the farm upon which, after his marriage to Sophia Wells, of Clifford, in 1824, he located, and where he remained until his death. He also purchased a farm on the eastern exposure of the South Knob of the Elk Mountain. His habits were very methodical, and so exact was he in his business affairs that after his decease his estate was settled by his son, James W., at a remarkably small expense. His children were Charles, born 1826, a farmer in Lackawanna County ; Martha, born 1828, wife of Rev. G. M. Dimmick, now of Faribault County, Minn .; James W .; John, born 1832, a farmer in Lackawanna County; Amy, born 1834, now Mrs. J. F. Kinback, of Carbondale; Sarah (1836-63) was the wife of Elias E. Lowrie, of Lackawanna County ; Wright, born 1838, a farmer in Lackawanna County ; Clark, born 1840, a merchant at Scranton ; Benjamin, 1842, a carpenter and builder in Luzerne County; Hezekiah, born 1844, a farmer and stock dealer, living on the old homestead; Samantha, born 1847, married, first, Thomas Kelly, of Gibson town- ship, and is now the wife of John Philbin, of Carbon- dale, Pa. James W. Lowry, born July 18, 1830, in Clifford township, obtained an academical education at Dundaff and Waverly, Pa., and was a teacher in the public schools of Susquehanna and Wayne Counties for seven years. He married, in 1854, pur- chased a farm near Elkdale, on the East Branch of the Tunkhannock Creek, and commenced housekeep- ing. In connection with his father he erected a saw- mill upon the property and carried on lumbering for eight years, the last seven years as the sole proprietor, and then bought the present homestead at Elkdale. When the rebels threatened Pennsylvania, during the recent war, Mr. Lowry, with his three brothers, joined a company of volunteers and proceeded to Harrisburg to offer their services to the Governor, and were en- camped on Capitol Hill. Before their acceptance

by the State authorities word came that the rebels had been driven from Pennsylvania soil and, the threatened danger being happily averted, the com- pany of emergency men were returned to their homes by authority. Mr. Lowry had been identified with political matters for over twenty-five years; was school director during fifteen years and justice of the peace eleven years. In 1878 he was nominated by the Republican party for member of the State Legis- lature, and, although defeated by the combined Demo- cratic and Greenback parties, had the satisfaction of running far above his party vote, he coming within thirty votes of an election. He is a member of the Baptist Church and for many years has been clerk of the Elkdale Church. He is associated with Rev. Dr. J. H. Harris and E. M. Peck as a committee appointed by the Abington Association in the interest and for the supervision of its Sunday-school work. 'Squire Lowry is an active and enterprising man, interested in farming and bee culture, in the agricul- tural implement business and in the purchase and sale of farm stock quite largely. In 1854 he married Alma (born November 17, 1830), the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Worth) Taylor, a native of Luzerne County, whose father, Thomas Taylor, born in 1797, at Providence, Pa., is still a resident of Lacka- wanna County. Their children are Wells J., Mil- ton W., Samuel E., Eva L., and Susie A .; also George E., who died in childhood. The 'Squire is a firm believer in the value of a liberal education and las given his children excellent advantages ; all have attended the Keystone Academy, at Factoryville and the eldest, Wells J., is a practicing physician at Har- ford. Dr. W. J. Lowry has been twice married-first, to Celia M. Fuller, and after her death to Flora M. Hammond, who has borne him one child, Mabel. Milton W. Lowry, the second son, applied himself to the legal profession and completed the full course at the Pennsylvania State College. He was admitted through a competitive examination. He followed this by reading law in the office of Hon. W. W. Watson, of Scranton, and was admitted to the bar of Lackawanna County in 1886. He married Annie M., the adopted daughter of Clark Lowry, of Scranton.

At the intersection of the Carbondale and Owego turnpikes a small hamlet has sprung up, which has received the name of West Clifford. The beginning of the place was the steam saw-mill of William, James and John Lee, which was put up to convert the heavy hemlock forests of this section into lumber. When first started the product was about a million feet per year. Though not operated so extensively, it is still largely carried on by the present proprietor, J. B. Stephens. H. W. Johnson opened a store which was last kept in 1883 by W. H. Hasbrouck. The hamlet has an Evangelical Church, shops and a few resi- dences.

Northeast, on the outlet of Long Pond, Jolin Chand- ler erected a saw-mill about 1830, which was operated

Das. W. Lowry

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CLIFFORD.

by Zophar Mackey. Owen Morgan rebuilt this mill and for the past twenty years has carried it on. On Cam- bria Hill, Leyshon & Owens had a small store a few few years. At this place the Clifford Cambrian Good Templars' Association' put up a hall, which is still owned by that body. The association was chartered October 17, 1870, and had Z. D. Jenkins and others as corporators. For a few years the lodge was vigorous, but the meetings have not been held for some time, and the hall has since been devoted to public gather- ings.

LONSDALE is a small but pretty hamlet at the inter- section of Lonsdale and Brooklyn turnpike with the Clifford and Carbondale turnpike. The latter was built in 1847 and the former in 1849. From that period dates the history of the hamlet, which, from 1850 for the next few years, was more important than any other place of its size in this part of the county. Peter Rynearson lived here about 1818 and sold his im- provements to Geo. Brownell before 1825, who further cleared up what is now the site of the hamlet. He sold part of his land to Henry A. Williams, who named the place in honor of his old home in Rhode Island. The first public building was the hotel put up by Geo. Brownell, Jr., in 1846, and which was kept by him several years, when it was converted into a residence, and is now the J. B. Stephens home. Opposite this building Henry A. Williams put up the present hos- telry, in 1849. It is a very large frame building and was erected with a special view to accommodate social parties. Its dancing-hall is thirty by fifty feet and has a floor with a spring of ten inches. On popular occasions as many as two hundred people patronized the balls given by Williams, and his trading patron- age was also very large, which gave the place an ex- tended reputation. After the death of Williams this fame diminished and, in later years, the place has been a common tavern. The store in the hamlet was opened by T. J. Wells, in 1851, and has since been kept by him. The post-office bears the name of Royal and was established May 19, 1884, with Robert H. Wells as postmaster. It was given in compliment to the Royal Baking Powder, and the company man- ufacturing that article favored the hamlet by erecting a very fine pole, one hundred and two feet high, and presenting several flags to wave from the same. Wells has been a wheelwright at this place the past thirty years. A post of the Grand Army of the Republic holds its meetings at Lonsdale.

CLIFFORD VILLAGE is in the beautiful valley bear- ing the same name, near where it passes into Lacka- wanna County. The Betsey or Alder Brook bisects the valley, affording a water-power near the township line, which was improved, after 1834, by William W. Wells, to operate carding and saw-mills. They have long since gone down. So also has the tannery put up below the village, in 1850, by David and Burgess Smith, and carried on by them aboutten years. Shoes were made in connection and a shop has been carried

on ever since by Burgess Smith. In recent years a steam grist-mill, of small capacity, was operated by William Leck, which has been moved to Forest City, leaving the village without any manufactories and strictly a trading point. The early settlers on this site were the Millers, Hardings and Robinsons, the latter living on the county line, on the farm which be- came the Wells property in 1834. A portion of the Harding farm, which had first been occupied by Ad- am Miller, passed to the Callender family ; James Finn lived near the Baptist Church ; George Oram on the Wetherby place; and Jacob G. Cuddeback on the farm above. Along the eastern hill was a road to Wells' fulling-mill, and where it crossed the Dun- daff road Sinton Yarrington had a blacksmith-shop, which was the only interest, other than farms, until 1847. That year the Clifford and Carbondale turn- pike was built and the village properly founded. Its growth was slow and not very substantial until with- in the last decade. In this period a number of very fine residences have been put up, some in the modern style of architecture, and other attractive improve- ments made. All the residences, with one exception, are owned by the occupants. There are three churches, four stores, hotel, a number of shops and one hundred and ninety inhabitants.

The first business houses were erected by Emory Mapes, in 1847, and consisted of a store and tavern, the former standing on the site of the present hotel. The tavern stood on a lot adjoining, and both were kept by Mapes. In a short time C. D. Wilson be- came the owner, who sold to Baker & Thacher. In 1850 that firm built a store on the corner opposite their old one, and there engaged in trade. This was destroyed by fire in 1851. Jolin Halstead erected a new store on this site in 1854, and occupied it for trading purposes many years, also being the post- master. H. W. Johnson was a later merchant and Julius Young is the present merchant there. The stand diagonally opposite was built by N. C. Baker after the war, and the adjoining building, now occu- pied as a store and post-office, by J. M. Robinson, was put up by the Patrons of Husbandry. The upper part formed a hall for their meetings, and is now used for other gatherings. A fourth stand was erected by Dr. P. N. Gardner, in which a large number of persons have traded, and which is now occupied by F. E. Finn. The old hotel was destroyed by fire in September, 1876, and the site has since been vacant. The present hotel was built in 1877 by Aug. Hassler, and since 1878 has been owned by Frank B. Williams. Goodwin Baker was a pioneer undertaker ; Arnold Green was later, and B. F. Wells succeeded him in 1869. A. E. Tiffany is the con- tractor and builder.

Clifford post-office was established February 19, 1851, with John Halstead as postmaster, and the fol- lowing served as successive appointees : September 24, 1858, Jonathan N. Baker ; April 19, 1861, John

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Halstead ; July 9, 1866, Peter H. Gardner ; January 2, 1883, Julius Young ; November 27, 1885, Milo J. Robinson.

J. MONROE CALLENDER .- The first of this family of whom we have any knowledge was Samuel Cal- lender (1757-1830), a native of Virginia, who took part in the Revolutionary War, and is said to have belonged to Washington's body guard. His wife was Martha Slawson (1756-1836), whom he married in 1780, and their children were Sarah, born in 1780 ; Betsey, 1781 ; Samuel (1783-1857); Rhoda, born 1785; Nathan (1787-1830) ; Stephen (1789-1821), be- came the father of Elder Nathan Callender, now of Scott township, Lackawanna County. Sarah married Isaac London, of Lackawanna County. Polly mar- ried Silas Horton ; Rhoda married Hiram Horton ; Betsey married Samuel Howell-the three latter all of Orange County. The children were born in Orange County, N. Y., where Mr. and Mrs. Callender settled after their marriage; he, it is said, hav- ing been disowned by his parents for taking the patriot side in the war for independence. The eldest son, Samuel Callender, removed to Pennsyl- vania at an early date, and was the founder of Cal- lender's Corners, Lackawanna County, whither his father and part of the family some time afterwards followed him. Nathan Callender served an appren- ticeship as a tanner and currier at Middletown, N. Y., and removed to Lackawanna County and worked at his trade near the Corners. In 1810 he married Thirza (1790-1868), the daughter of Abra and Joanna Wetherby, of Greenfield (now Scott) township, Lackawanna County. She was born in Cheshire County, N. H., and came to Pennsylvania with her parents when sixteen years old. Some time after their union they came to Susquehanna County, and in 1818 he was part owner of a saw-mill near Dun- daff, also of several others in different parts of Clif- ford township. He operated a tannery at Dundaff, besides having a distillery near that place. For a year or two he was proprietor of the Dundaff Hotel, after retiring from which he built what was after- wards known as the Upper Hotel, which was de- stroyed by fire about 1870. He appears to have been an energetic and progressive business man. When Amos Harding moved to the West, about 1820, Mr. Callender purchased from him the large farm which now forms an important part of Clifford Corners, and upon the sudden death of her husband, Mrs. Callender removed to that place with her little ones. Their children were Melissa (1811-43) was the wife of Goodwin Baker, a cabinet maker of this township ; Anna Jane, born 1813, the widow of Elias Stevens, a farmer, now living at the Corners; Nancy (1815-53) was the wife of John Baker, a farmer and carpenter ; Mary H., married Shelden Hall, a farmer, and died in Wisconsin ; Clarissa and Caroline, twins : Clarissa (1820-50) was the wife of John M. Wells, who car- ried on the fulling-mill and saw-mill near Clifford ;

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Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 158

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