Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 168

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 168

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

George Gelatt's father, John, ran away from Paris when sixteen, and came to America. He lived and died near North Adams, Massachusetts. His son George married Hannah Collins and raised a family and moved to Pennsylvania about 1809 and died in Gelatt Hollow, aged one hundred and five. Robert and Collins moved into Jackson about 1827, and Jonathan came later. Robert Gelatt bought one hundred acres of wild land and cleared up a farm, and was succeeded in its ownership by his son, Robert Gelatt, Jr., who cared for his father in his old age until he died, aged ninety-six. He is now a resident of Thomson Borough, aged seventy-five, and has a vivid recollection of the pioneers of Thomson. He married Lura A. Hall, daughter of Martin Hall, of Jackson. E. E. Gelatt, his son, retains the homestead. Robert Gelatt's, Sr., other children were Matilda, wife of Cyrus Hall ; Nancy, wife of Charles Toby ; Stephen, married Angeline Hall ; Lucretia, wife of Dr. Edward Corsney. Collins Gelatt located in Thomson, where Samuel Van Horn lives, and cleared up that farm. His large family of seven girls and one son are all dead. Jonathan settled where Clark Davis resides. Of his children, Wealthy is the wife of Daniel Wrighter, and Harriet is the widow of Chester Stod- dard, of Thomson Borough; Collins is a farmer in Jackson.

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THOMSON.

Robert Gelatt, Collins Gelatt, John Jenkins and Amaziah Toby went into the woods on a lot that was not occupied and cleared off a spot and built the first school-house in Thomson, about 1832, near Samuel Van Horn's. Henry Chandler afterwards purchased the land and claimed the school-house. The directors moved it away and they had a law-suit about it. Mr. Chandler finally withdrew his suit and that ended the matter. There are now six school districts, including the graded school in the borough. " At the first town- ship election, in the spring of 1834, there were only thirty-five votes polled, but in the fall of the same year, at the general election, fifty-one voters appeared, being within five of every voter in the township. Thomson included the north part of Ararat at that time. Charles Wrighter and Jacob Clark were the first constables, Nathaniel West and Joel Lamb first supervisors, Benjamin Ball and Hezekiah Bushnell overseers of the poor, Charles Wrighter and Joel Lamb justices of the peace. M. J. Mumford, John Wrighter, M. T. Whitney, Mallery Spencer, Sylvester King, George P. Blandin, C. B. Jenkins, Franklin Washburn and L. O. Tiffany have been succeeding justices.

John Jenkins came to New York from England, thence to Manchester, Wayne County, and from there to Thomson, in 1830. He started a small upper- leather tannery and currier-shop, and run it all by hand-power. This tannery burned down and he built another. The upper story of the currier-shop, or dredging-room, was used for concerts, meetings and public gatherings. Mr. Jenkins and his wife were good singers and intelligent people, and took a prominent part in the social and religious affairs of the township. He was class-leader and a Sunday- school worker in the Methodist Church. He pur- chased two hundred acres of land and carried on tanning and farming as long as he lived. He died in 1838, aged seventy-six. His widow removed to Cin- cinnati, where two of her sons, William and John, had gone, and died there at an advanced age. Henry, another son, rebuilt the tannery after it had been burned down the second time, and continued the business as long as he lived. Stephen has a small tannery in the township, near Daniel R. Pope's saw- mill. Mary, wife of John Mulvey, is the only one of the daughters remaining here. Michael J. Mulvey was born in Brattleboro', Vt., of Irish parentage. His father died when he was a child, and his mother married William Whalen. She died when he was eleven years old, and Michael J. removed with his stepfather to Honesdale, in 1840, when lie was four- teen. He learned the shoemaker's trade of Gabriel Tuttle and moved to Thomson in 1845, and com- menced work for John Jenkins, whom he regarded as one of the best men he ever knew ; and what was more natural than for him to marry his employer's daughter ? He remained in Thomson ten years and removed to North Jackson, where he resided thirty

years, and has recently traded his farm for a house in Thomson .Borough. He is a jolly Irishman, born in America, and is well known throughout the eastern part of the county.

Henry Chandler came with his father, Dr. Chandler, to Gibson, and lived near the Jackson line. He married Sarah Parmenter and removed to Thomson in 1846, and purchased four hundred and twenty-four acres of land of Judge Jessup. A small improvement had been made on the property, including an oak-stud and brace-house and a barn. He hired Alva Mudge to clear forty acres for five hundred dollars prior to his removal there. He cleared the land in two twenty acre fallows, and burned all of the timber and bark on the land; but this was not without its advantages, for the ashes made the land very fertile. He raised immense crops of oats at first, and cut two tons of hay per acre for ten years. He built a large hotel and stage-house, and run the stage from Windsor to Mt. Pleasant. Honesdale was building up then, and Carbondale was growing in importance, affording a market for cattle and produce, which was shipped by way of the Belmont and Onaquaga turnpike. Mr. Chandler died in 1871, aged seventy-six, and his wife died in 1885, aged eighty-nine. Their children were Uriah, who kept the Blandin House a few years. He died young, leaving a son, David, one of the proprie- tors of the Jefferson House ; William resides in Jack- son; Ezra R., died in Thomson; Charles B. was murdered by a boatman at Fort Wayne, Ind .; Jackson resides on the homestead. Orren Babcock commenced where Francis O. Potter afterwards re- sided. He owned several farms that have been divided among his children. L. O. Tiffany resides on the Rogers place. Truman Perry resides near him. James H. Foster is a farmer in the township. Wil- liam Van Horn moved to Montrose from New Jersey about 1840, thence to Thomson about 1860. He bought an improvement near Henry Chandler, and cleared up a farm. His children, Jacob W., Sally Ann, Nathaniel, Catharine, Samuel, Hannah and Lavinda, all married and settled in the vicinity of the homestead.

MERRICK T. WHITNEY .- His father, Torrey Whit- ney (1794-1872), a native of Marlboro, Vt., with his brother William, came to Harford in 1815, where they carried on cloth-dressing for two or three years, when the latter returned to Massachusetts. The same year of his arrival in Harford, Torrey was mar- ried by Hosea Tiffany, Esq., to Elizabeth Lamb (1796-1865), also a native of Marlboro, whose father, Major Joel Lamb, settled in Jackson that year, where F. M. Whitney now resides. After the birth of their eldest son, Allis, 1816, a resident of Honesdale, Tor- rey Whitney removed to Jackson, where he run a saw-mill for a time on the place now owned by Ur- bane Hall, just below Jackson Corners. He was sub- sequently a farmer in Gibson until 1836, when he pur- chased a partly improved farm of Urbane Burrows,

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

which had been previously occupied by Daniel Low, on the western line of Thomson township, which was his homestead the remainder of his life. He was a man much beloved by all who knew him, a kind and obliging neighbor, a good citizen, and both him- self and wife were members of the Methodist Church. Their other children are Merrick T., born in Jackson November 10, 1818, died in Thomson March 24, 1887; Joel Barwood, 1823, a farmer in Thomson ; and Russel Velosco, born in 1832, married Catharine

August 25, 1818. She had been a teacher for thirteen terms, beginning at the age of fourteen, and survives her husband-residing on the homestead where they settled at the time of their marriage. She was also a daughter of Moses B. Wheaton, who was one of the earliest teachers of Harford, and the first teacher of Jackson, who settled at the latter place at the close of the war of 1812, where he raised a large family of children, and spent the remainder of his life. (For history of Wheaton family, see Jackson township.)

M. J. Hitsmy

M. Wharton, a daughter of Moses B. Wharton, of Jackson, and succeeded his father in the ownership of the homestead.

By persevering industry and judicious management Mr. Whitney added adjoining real estate, cleared up his farm, remodeled and made additions to his house, erected spacious out-buildings and in due time made all the appointments of his home show the handi- work of a thrifty and enterprising farmer.

Merrick T. Whitney, the second son, spent his mi- nority at home, and learned to be a farmer. He had little opportunity to obtain an education from books, but had indelibly impressed upon his mind practical In 1862 he enlisted forty-six of his neighbors and friends, and with them entered the army in Company B, Seventeenth Regt. Pennsylvania Cavalry. Upon its organization he was chosen first lieutenant ; but loss of health, caused by exposure, obliged him to resign his commission and return to his home, where for more than a year he was unable to perform even the lightest labor. His influence for the army upon ideas of life and its duties by his parental training. For some two years after reaching his majority he en- gaged in buying and shipping produce to New York. About this time he purchased fifty acres of woodland, a part of the homestead, upon which he erected the main part of the present residence, in the spring of 1842, and in the fall of the same year, he married Fostina L. Wheaton, who was born in Jackson, i his friends, neighbors and relatives was further shown

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THOMSON.

t he had two brothers, three brothers-in-law, a son, son-in-law and ten nephews who enlisted. All returned alive, though a number were wounded, and all, save his son N. D. Whitney, survive him. In politics Mr. Whitney was identified with the Repub- lican party, and was an earnest advocate of its princi- ples. His fellow-townsmen, fully appreciating his integrity and business ability, often called him to assist in the administration of their local affairs, and he has served his township as justice of the peace, school director, supervisor and every other official po- sition save one. In 1878 he was elected county com- missioner, and in 1881 was re-elected-an honor due to the marked ability with which he had performed the duties of that important office. The esteem in which he was held by his neighbors and friends, and the trust they imposed in his fidelity and judicial ability was attested by the continual naming of him as executor of wills and administrator of estates. He was a man whose judgment was never swayed by pas- sion, but whose well-balanced mind calmly weighed all questions presented, and when his opinion was formed, he was firm in maintaining it. He was a member of the Free Will Baptist Church of Jackson for forty-six years, of which his wife is also a member. Their children are Lovell M., died at the age of two years; Newell De Lancey (1847-74), at the age of seventeen, March 25, 1864, enlisted in Battery A, First Pennsylvania Light Artillery, and served in the army until July 25, 1865, when he was mustered out and honorably discharged. In 1866 he entered Hills- dale College, Mich., where he remained a student for some two years. In 1869 he began reading law with Judge Griswold, of Binghamton, completed his law studies with Johnson and Becker, of that city, was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of New York State in 1870, and subsequently to the District Court of the United States. He at once entered upon the practice of his profession in Binghamton, where his ability as a lawyer gained him a high position at the Broome County bar. He was one of the counsel for the noted criminal, Ruloff. He was a lieutenant of Battery A, Sixth Division National Guard State of New York, and held the rank of lieutenant-colonel on the staff of Governor Hoffman; Orville C., born in 1849, married, in 1875, Mate S., a daughter of J. J Savory, of Jackson; he was graduated at Hillsdale College, in the class of 1875, and is a general insur- ance agent at New Milford; Anna Maria (1851-75), was the wife of Edwin A. French, of Jackson, a sol- dier in the late war ; and Charles Fremont, born in 1858, was for two years a student at Hillsdale Col- lege, married Rena A. daughter of Charles Fletcher, of Thomsonboro', and farms the homestead.

THOMSON TAXABLES, 1844 .- Aaron Aldrich, John Avery, Jr., Daniel Avery, Russell Austin, Jno. W. Brown, Jas. Brown, Ira Babcock, Geo. Babcock, Geo. Blanchard, Jos. Blanchard, Edw. Blathaus, Silas S. Bald- win, Edwin L. Baldwin, Philip T. Baldwin, Shubael A. Baldwin, Leonard A. Bushnell, Hezekiah Bushnell, James C. Bushnell, Ebenezer Bushnell, Ezra Ball, Benj. Boothroyd, Jonas Blandin, Henry Chandler,

Uriah Chandler, William Chandler, Asa B. Cook, Sylvenus Campbell, Abner Crosler, Amasa Crosier, William Cleveland, Lorenzo D. Cleve- land, Albert Collar, Arnold Cargill, James Cargill, Obadiah L. Carpen- ter, Peter Carlin, Thomas Carr, Hiram Doty, Joseph Dow, Thos. Doyle, Robert Gelatt, Robert Gelatt, Jr., Jonathan Gelatt, Collins Golatt, John Gelatt, Stephen Gelatt, Alfred W. Griswold, -- Griswold, Cyrus Hall, William Hare, Charles A. Harrison, Albert Hanford, Isaiah Hall, Chas. Hart, Elias Jenkins, Alfred Jones, John Jenkins, Henry Jenkins, Amos Kennedy, Henry Knapp, Joel Lamb, David Lamb, Jairus Lamb, Giles Lewis, Joseph Little, Veranous Larrabee, Everitt Messenger, Ebenezer Messenger, Cyrus Messenger, John N. Messenger, Martin Mumford, James Mumford, Elisha Mott, Daniel Miner, Wiley Mudge, Wm. Parmenter, Jesse Payne, Jesse Stoddard, Wilbur Stoddard, William Stoddard, Edson Stone, William Salsbury, Joel B. Strickland, N. P. Sartell, Jacob B. Steel, Ransom Sampson, George Sampson, Hezekiah Sampson, Benjamin Sampsou, Henry H. Sampson, Charles Stoddard, Charles Toby, Amaziah Toby, Christopher P. Tallman, Sabin Tucker, William Van Horn, Shubael Williams, Gilbert Williams, Samuel Wil- liams, Sherman Williams, Joseph Washburn, Edward Worrell, Na- thaniel West, Augustus West, N. J. West, John Washburn, Erastus Washburn, William Witter, Edward Whiteford.

THOMSON BOROUGH-Notice was given by G. L. Lewis and others, March 2, 1876, that an application would be made to the Court of Quarter Sessions for the incorporation of the village of Thomson Centre, in Thomson township, into a borough. At the next Court of Quarter Sessions the petition was presented asking for the incorporation of the borough of Thom- son according to the following boundaries : Beginning at the east side of the turnpike road at a post and stones, near the house of J. H. Foster ; thence north forty-seven degrees west, two hundred and twenty-five rods to a post and stones corner ; thence north twen- ty-nine and one-half degrees east, two hundred and twenty rods to a post and stones corner on the eastside of the turnpike road near the house of E. A. Crosier; thence south forty-seven degrees east, two hundred and twenty-five rods to a post and stones corner near the "Starrucca road ; " thence south twenty-nine and one- half degrees west, to the place of beginning, contain- ing about three hundred and two acres. This petition was signed by G. L. Lewis, E. W. Messenger, Albert Collier, W. H. Jenkins, G. K. Lamont, A. Slager, M. Searles, Joseph Dow, W. W. Messenger, M. D. Mat- toon, G. P. Blandin, George A. Stoddard, E. E. Dow, L. F. Searles, M. Garvey, George Bogart, Griffin Cook, N. B. Chase, O. W. Caswell, Victor A. Potter. E. K. Messenger, David Stanton, C. M. Lewis, Joel Sals- bury, B. R. Salsbury, A. O. Salsbury, F. Wilmarth, George F. Spencer, C. F. Pickering, E. A. Crosier, George Sampson, D. A. Chandler, Thomas Walker, William Tucker, F. A. Crosier, J. W. Van Horn, W. D. Plue, C. L. Wrighter, S. H. Lewis, S. G. Salsbury, E. A. Foster, Peter Dougherty, C. Burrhus, J. L. Ge- latt, J. B. Fuller, A. O. Meade, Ira Hine, Frank Hall, W. G. Hall, H. Knapp, S. W. Pickering, J. M. La- mont, E. E. Hine, Patrick Coleman, James H. Fos- ter, William Witter, A. V. Stimpson, M.D., H. B. Or- chard, M.D., Josiah Barton, Chester Stoddard, David Shannon, James Barton. April 10, 1876, the grand jury reported favorably and the same day the court granted the petition. G. P. Blandin gave notice of the first election, which was held in the house occupied

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842

HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

by William J. Olver, Giles L. Lewis acting as judge and Daniel Wrighter and James H. Foster as inspec- tors of said election, which was held the third Tues- day in February, 1877, and has been held annually since that time. At this election G. L. Lewis was elected burgess ; D. A. Chandler, constable; Frank Hall, judge of election ; L. F. Searles and N. B. Chase, inspectors ; G. K. Lamont, G. P. Blandin, M. Searles, Chester Stoddard, S. W. Pickering and Griffin Cook, town council ; W. W. Messenger, A. Z. Huggins, N. Van Horn, G. F. Spencer, J. M. Lamont, F. A. Cro- sier, school directors; Ira Hine and N. Van Horn, overseers of the poor; C. R. Casterline and E. E. Dow, auditors.

M. D. Mattoon and E. E. Dow were elected justices in the township and held over in the borough. Giles L. Lewis, George P. Blandin and G. K. Lamont have been justices since. One of the first schools was taught by Maria Sands in the Porter log house. Leafy Blandin taught the first school in the Blandin Hotel. The graded school building was built in 1883. M. W. Cargill, M. W. Squire, Herman Harmes and E. C. Kellam have been principals.

LODGES .- The first temperance society was formed in 1834, Martin J. Mumford, President. A lodge of Good Templars was organized September 30, 1867. The charter members of Lodge No. - , I. O. of O. F., instituted January 24, 1874, are E. E. Dow, A. Z. Huggins, A. W. Larrabee, V. A. Potter, H. B. Chase, C. R. Castelein, G, W. Ely, F. M. Gelatt, H. B. Blan- din, O. G. Mumford, William H. Jenkins, G. W. Rob- inson, D. A. Chandler, L. S. Aldrich, A. D. Ely and N. F. Hine.

POST-OFFICE .- Jackson post-office was established down at John Wrighter's, December 19, 1825, with John Wrighter as postmaster. Jonas Blandin was appointed March 20, 1830, and the office was at his house, of course. May 9, 1836, the name was changed to Thomson. Jonathan Gelatt held the office from 1842 to 1844, when Captain Blandin was reappointed and held it until 1856, when Heman P. Hathaway held the position until 1861, when he was succeeded by John W. Blandin. His successors have been Wil- liam Salsbury, 1866; Giles L. Lewis, 1869; Augusta M. Lewis, 1878 ; James D. Miller, 1885.

Joseph Porter took up about one hundred and fifty acres of land and built the first log house within the borough limits of Thomson, in 1824, where Burns' house stands. Jonas Blandin, who had married Sarah Porter, sister of Joseph Porter, came in 1825 and erected a frame house and moved his family from Windham County, Vt., in 1826. He took up two hundred and fifty-six acres of land and cleared up a farm where Thomson village stands ; his brother-in- law, Porter, removed to Alleghany County, N. Y. Frederick Bingham built a house within the borough limits in 1825. Giles Lewis and Enoch Tarbox, farm- ers, came next. Townsend Wyant bought the Porter place and got out lumber to build a store, but finally

sold it to Blandin, who made an addition to his hotel. William Lazelle kept a stage-house at the Porter place a short time. C. P. Tallman bought of Wyant and erected the first store in 1842. It stood opposite the first log house Tallman sold to Joel Salisbury. Wyant built the first saw-mill and both the store and mill fell into Salisbury's hands, and he discontinued the store and run the mill. G. P. Blandin, Chester Stoddard and John M. Lamont have been owners of the mill. The latter has introduced steam-power. Martin Mumford had the next store in the bar room of the Blandin Hotel. H. P. Hathaway had a grocery store for a short time, but the first permanent store building for general merchandise was erected by W. W. Messenger, in 1867. He first rented to Ira Hinds & Son, and finally commenced storekeeping himself in partnership with G. L. Lewis, in 1871, who had erected a' store in 1869. Mr. Messenger and Lewis have each had a store in operation since that time. Mr. Lewis is not doing much business at present, and in 1886 Messenger rented to Crosier & Gelatt. Wil- liam Witter erected a store building and rented it to Frank Gelatt, who soon failed, and Adolph Shyer rented the building and started a clothing store. He soon after built the store he now occupies. M. D. Mattoon, a Methodist preacher, put in a stock of drugs on one side of Messenger's store, and after a year he built where W. W. Keech now has a store. S. D. Barnes had the drug business in the Messenger Building. George P. Blandin bought the W. G. Hull tinshop and fitted it up for a store which is now occupied by J. G. Miller & Co. Crosier & Eymer started a furniture store, in 1882. Crosier purchased Eymer's interest and added groceries and general mer- chandise. C. H. Bliss has a hardware store. T. T. Walker, a boot and shoe store. P. R. St. John is jeweler and Mrs. Larrabee and Mrs. Foster are milli- ners. Dr. O. E. Stimpson is the first and only regular physician that ever practiced in the place.

Thomson Borough owes its growth to the Jefferson Railroad, which passed through there in 1871 and es- tablished a station, making it a central place for a large farming community. Business men were not slow to perceive the advantages of the location, and the town has been built up until it contains five stores of general merchandise, one hardware-store, a boot and shoe-store, one drug-store, two millinery stores, three blacksmith-shops, a wagon-shop by Tallman Brothers ; a saw and planing-mill, grist-mill by G. F. Spencer; the Keystone Creamery by a stock company. The borough also contains two churches and a graded school. The Jefferson House was commenced by Frederick Wilmarth in 1871, who erected the frame and partly finished the building. In 1872-73 Van Horn & Chandler completed the building and have the only hotel in the place. J. W. Coon is station agent, and Edward A. Saxton has general charge of the repairs on the Jefferson Branch from Carbondale to Susquehanna. The blacksmiths have been Jonas

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THOMSON.

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Blandin, Amos Kennedy, David Gelatt, E. E. Dow, H. B. Blandin, A. O. Salisbury, Jas. Burns, W. P. and Geo. D. Tallman.

Jonas Blandin came here from Windham County, Vermont, in 1825, and built the first framed house in the borough limits and moved his family here in 1826. He took up two hundred and fifty-six acres of wood- land and cleared up a farm. He was the first hotel- keeper, and he and John Wrighter were the first blacksmiths. He married Sarah Porter, sister of Jo- seph Porter, the pioneer of the borough, and they to- gether owned nearly all the land where the borough

tor and justice of the peace. He married Catharine R., daughter of Giles Lewis, and has one daughter, Jennie M., wife of J. D. Miller, a merchant in the village.

Giles Lewis came to Harford from Connecticut when a single man as early as 1820, and married Rox- ana, a sister of Asa Hammond, of New Milford. About 1827 he removed to Thomson and cleared up a farm, within the borough, where Samuel Lewis' widow re- sides. He died at the age of forty-nine. His widow married Job Benson and died in 1883, aged seventy- eight. Mr. Lewis was a Baptist and his wife was a

Ebenezer Ph Messenger

stands. Porter, after building a log cabin and mak- ing a small clearing, sold out and moved to Alleghany County, New York. Blandin remained and died here. His children were George P. Blandin, Esq., merchant at Thomson ; Loved O., a farmer and black- smith, was killed near Nashville ; John W. is a far- mer in the township. George P. was born in Ver- mont in 1824, and was brought here by his parents when about two years old. He learned the carpen- ter's and joiner's trade and was outside boss at Star- rucca Tannery two years, but most of his time has been employed in farming part of the homestead farm. He has held a number of township offices, having served as constable, town clerk, school direc-

Methodist. Their children were Maria Ann, wife of Jeremiah Bailey ; Samuel H., a farmer in Thomson, died 1884, aged sixty-one, leaving a wife and four children ; Giles L. ; Catharine R., wife of G. P. Blan- din ; Elgiva O., wife of Orlando Darrow ; Ephraim W., a shoemaker and merchant, in Thomson, died 1865,aged twenty-seven ; Sally E., wife of Martin A. Pickering, of Jackson. Giles L. Lewis married Augusta M., daughter of Joel Salesbury, who was the owner of the land where Susquehanna Borough stands and of whom the Erie Company made their purchase when they decided to locate their shops at that point. They have two sons. Mr. Lewis is a carpenter, wagon- maker and farmer, and has been engaged in the mer-

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Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 168

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