Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 65

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

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ress) Bomberger, who resided in South Lebanon township, Lebanon County, Pa. She was born March 2, 1845. Their children are, Ada E., educated at Montrose Academy, a teacher for several terms; and Lizzie N. Wells. The children of Joseph S. Bomberger are, Mary A., wife of Jonah K. Spayd of Lebanon, Pa. ; Sarah, widow of Wm. Shirk, Shelby County, Iowa; Endress, died in Iowa at Rising Sun, and left a family ; Catharine, wife of Edward R. Zimmerman, Washington County, Md .; John H., died at thirteen ; William E., Kent County, Md .; Edwin J. E., farmer in Lebanon County ; Uriah J. (1843-63), served in the late Rebellion, was sergeant of a company of heavy artillery, and died in a hospital at Camden, N. J. ; Emma L., wife of Edward C. Wells ; Joseph E., resides in Lebanon, Pa. Her grandparents, Bomberger and Endress, with their families, settled in Lebanon County, from Germany, where they became large land- owners.

Joseph Butterworth moved from Middle- town to Bridgewater about 1808-10, and settled where John Hunter lives in South Montrose. He was a farmer and drover, and bought the improvement made by Samuel Maine. His children were Oliver, Alanson, Lodema, Joseph and Edwin. Alanson married Julia Stone, and their children were Edwin, Albert, Jerome and Ellen, who resided in the vicinity. Jerome has the homestead.

Christopher Frink came to Bridgewater early with his three sons-Rufus, Jabez and Amos. Mrs. Jabez Frink was one of the first school-teachers at Montrose.

Benajah Mckenzie came from Windham County, Conn., in 1804, and located on a farm in the southwestern part of the township, now owned by William H. Jones. Captain Bard and Mckenzie went twenty miles to Black's grist-mill, near the mouth of the Wyalusing, to get their grain ground. He was working for Joab Pickett in 1805, when the Connecti- cut claimants were harassing the Pennsylvania surveyors by stray bullets fired to intimidate the surveyors. Late in life he removed to Montrose, where he died, February 9, 1872, aged eighty-seven. He had long been a mem-

Benj Lathers

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ber of the Presbyterian Church, and was highly respected. His wife was a daughter of Ezra Tuttle, of Springville. Of their children, Ezra went to Illinois, John died in Kansas, Eli lives in Lackawanna County, Naomi was the wife of Cyrus Barnes, Gideon and George removed West. Jane was the wife of Robert Foster, and is now a resident of Montrose. Edwin was a merchant at Montrose a number of years, where his family reside. He is now in business at Binghamton. Charles McKen- zie was in the army nearly three years, and was killed during Grant's campaign against Rich- mond.

WALTER LATHROP, born at Norwich, Conn., November 19, 1749, married in 1775, and had one son, Matthew, who was born the following year, in which also his wife died. In 1779 he married, for his second wife, Esther Fox, of Norwich, then twenty-four years old, by whom he had the following children : Hannah (1780- 81); Wealthy (1782-83); Benjamin, born June 25, 1784, died July 22, 1861 ; Wealthy 2d (1786-1852), became the wife of Dr. Ma- son Dennison, of Montrose; Daniel (1789- 1842) ; Martha (1792-1839) ; Rodney (1794- 1849). In the year 1800 Walter Lathrop re- moved with his family from his native place, and settled in Luzerne (now Susquehanna) County, traveling the entire distance with an ox-tcam, which took six weeks' time. He set- tled in the unbroken forest of what afterwards was made Bridgewater township, in the South neighborhood, and there erected liis log house, and began clearing off the forest and tilling the virgin soil. This log house stood on the spot now covered with an orchard, just below Silas Perkins'. This family were among the first permanent settlers, and only preceded by others by one year. Walter Lathrop died in 1817, and his wife in 1838, leaving to their children the invaluable legacy-the example of an industrious, virtuous and upright life, and an opportunity for them to carve out homes and fortunes for themselves, and establish schools, churches and society in a new country. There is no further record of the eldest son, Matthew, than his birth.

Benjamin Lathrop was sixteen years old

when the family settled here. He became inured to the hardships and privations of pio- neer life, and did his part well in all that per- tained to the settlement of the country, devel- oping its resources and founding its various institutions of education, religious instruction and establishing law and order. Although his life's business was farming, mature years brought to him sound judgment, a well-bal- anced mind and sagacity which was ever ac- companied with his characteristic integrity of purpose in everything in which he engaged. He was active as an officer, and took troops as far as Danville, Pa., during the War of 1812- 14, where they were dismissed, owing to the proclamation of peace. His commission as major of the Second Brigade, Eighth Division, composed of the counties of Northumberland, Union, Columbia, Luzerne, Susquehanna and Wayne, was issued by Governor Snyder and dated August 1, 1814. In 1811-13 he was one of the projectors of the Bridgewater and Wilkes-Barre turnpike to Binghamton, N. Y., and for many years its president. He served the country in a public capacity as commissioner for many years, and as associate judge by ap- pointment, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Jabez Hyde, for five years following November 1841. Lathrop township was named for him in 1846. He was active in educational and religious matters, was one of the founders of St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Montrose, and served as vestryman for many years. His political affiliations were with the Democratic party, and althongh defeated, he ran largely ahead in his own county when a candidate for legislative honors.

His first wife, Clarissa (1791-1830), whom he married in 1809, was the daughter of Asahel Avery, by whom he had children,-Dr. Daniel A. Lathrop (1811-84), a physician, whose life- work sketch may be found in the Medical Chap- ter of this volume; Clarissa H. (1813-79), became the wife of F. M. Williams, of Mout- rose ; Azur Lathrop, born September 6, 1815 ; Benjamin F. (1817-40), went West in 1838, and died in Ohio ; Charles D. (1822-73), mar- ried Joanna Searle, of Montrose, in 1855, and was a farmer and stock-dealer (he died at

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Montrose) ; Dudson R., born October 17, 1828, cashier of the First National Bank of Mont- rose ; Helen M. (1830-31). By his second wife, Fanny Jones (1791-1876), a native of Salem, Conn., he had one son, Francis J. (1832-78), who died at Lincoln, Nebraska.

Daniel Lathrop, son of Walter, married a daughter of Jacob Perkins and lived in the house previously occupied by his father's family. He occupied thie Raynsford house later, and was gate-keeper on the turnpike. He died in 1842. His children were Edwin and George, farmers and business men, and Dr. Frederick Lathrop, who moved to Springfield, Ill. The daughters were Jane, Anne, Hannah, Cecilia and Ruth.

Ebenezer Sprout and Jesse Burrowes walked in from the Eastern States together at an early day. On their way through the wilderness they found a piece of coal, which they took to a blacksmith, where it was tested. They returned, and brought their families the next year with ox-teams. Ebenezer Sprout married a sister ot' Amos Burrowes, and lived about two miles west of Montrose until 1862, when they removed to Lycoming County. Rensselaer, Amos, Erastus and Ariel, live in that vicinity. Samuel and Lewis live in Muncy. Zebina Sprout resides on the homestead, and Charles on the farm ad- joining. 1 Mrs. Miriam Sprout, years afterwards,

told her son, Ariel "that their effects were all in one wagon, hauled by a yoke of oxen, and a cow led behind. We left home and friends and came to this dreary wilderness, where we had not the smallest hut to call our own. We did not have much, as over such roads, filled with rocks, logs and brush, one team could not liaul much. I footed it most of the way from Con- necticut here, carrying Emeline in my arms, and leading Mary Ann. Emeline was sick nearly all the way, and we feared she would die. Knowing that my father's family would follow in about a year braced me up."

The vivid account below of the pioneer mother has been given, because it is a good de- scription of the privations and heart-aches of hundreds of settlers who left their happy homes in Connecticut and came into this waste, howl- ing wilderness to build up homes for themselves and children.

Jacob Perkins lived in the South neighbor- hood, died and was buried there. His son Silas died at Montrose. Phineas Arms commenced where Frank Wells now lives. He was a Presbyterian elder. Part of his family-Phineas Philip, Iddo and William-came. Iddo tanned deer-skins. The family have all removed. Samuel Davis came about the time Deacon Arms died. Roswell Kingsley was here as early as 1814. He had a large family, all of whom have removed.

Samuel Gregory lived a little south of Mont- rose. He came here from Mt. Pleasant. He was twice sheriff of the county and was a bold and efficient officer. It was during his term that Treadwell was hung. He was a man of considerable influence. Rufus B. was gradu- ated at Union College and became a lawyer ; Asa was graduated at West Point Military Academy, a lieutenant in the regular army, died in Florida ; Amanda was the wife of

1 "One afternoon, near sundown, your father being away from home, I was sitting on a log by our little cottage in the woods, thinking of the scenes of my childhood-the old homestead in Connecticut, the shaded yard, the old rock near the house where I and my brothers and sisters played in youth, and, in fact, all the memories which will naturally cluster around the home of childhood-a familiar sound caught my ear. It was the sound of the old dinner horn which I had so often blown to call the family in to dinner, at our old happy home in Connecticut. As it echoed through the woods, my heart beat with joy at that familiar sound.

" I caught the little baby in my arms, and bidding my two little girls to follow, hastened in the direction from which the sound proceeded, thinking I should meet them in a short distance. I traveled a long way, and, meeting no one, listened, thinking I had been deceived, and that what I had heard might have been the lowing of cattle; yet the familiar sound of the horn as I had heard it clung to my hopes that they were coming and not far away. While I listened I heard the sound again, more convincing to me than ever that I could not be mistaken, and in the direction of the place which they had purchased for their home. In a short time I was met by brothers and sisters, and such a meeting I shall never forget. Smilesand tears, kissesand happy greetings ; God only knows how happy we all felt on meeting once more after what seemed to ns to be so long a separation. Could we have sent and received letters hy mail in those days, as now, it would not liave seemed so long ; but there were no mails reaching there at that time. How distinctly I re- member all things as they looked the first year around that little house in the woods ! Not having time to clear away the logs, the trees were felled, the brush burned, and the corn planted among the logs by means of striking an axe in the ground and dropping the seed in the hole.

The pumpkin vines ran over the black hurnt logs, great red pumpkins hanging down their sides, and the green corn peeping up among them looked full of promise for our food for the coming winter.

"In those times wheat-bread was not thought of, and rye shortcake was a rare thing. The cow which we brought with us was one of our mainstays, she furnishing us milk and butter to go with our corn, pota- toes and pumpkins. All the meat we had was killed in the woods. The cow subsisted on the leaves of the small brush in summer, and browsed in winter from trees felled for that purpose. We raised flax, and I spun and wove it at home for summer wear ; and many a pound of wool have I carded, spun and woven, getting one-half for my work."

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Rev. Seth Rogers, an Episcopalian clergyman ; Rhoda was the wife of Absalom Carey ; Harriet was the wife of Philander Lines, a tailor at Montrose, father of Hon. O. A. Lines, pres- ent State Senator ; Sally was the wife of Sam- uel Scott. Deacon Nehemiah Scott lived on a farm and finally moved to Montrose. Samuel, Davis and Norton were his sons.

Jeremiah Etheridge came from New London, Conn., in 1815, and was the first cabinet-maker in the South neighborhood. He removed to Montrose in 1818. Dr. Halsey's wife was a daughter of his. David Bushnell purchased the farm since owned by Matthew Baldwin in 1816. He died in Auburn, April 5, 1872, aged eighty- six. Joseph W. Parker moved to Bridgewater in 1816 from Saybrook, Conn. He was licensed in 1826 and ordained in 1829 by the Baptists, for whom he preached as a home missionary, princi- pally in the counties of Susquehanna, Wyoming, Luzerne and Bradford, where he assisted in organizing several churches and baptized six hundred and two believers, of whom several entered the ministry. He was a faithful, perse- vering, good man, whose ministry covered almost forty years. Cyrus Cheever came from Har- ford to a place on the Wilkesbarre turnpike, where the gate was last kept in 1818. His wife died in 1870, aged ninety.

Samuel Rogers was born July 3, 1790, in Montville, New London County, Conn. His mother died when he was eighteen months old, and his father when he was less than three years old. He left New London County in 1813, and lived in Litchfield, Conn., five years ; then he and his two brothers came to Brooklyn, Susquehanna County. In 1824 he bought an improvement consisting of a log cabin and about three acres cleared, where he now resides, in the southwestern part of Bridgewater town- ship. He has cleared about one hundred and thirty acres of land. The first house he erccted was a frame house, with thick plank floors, that he split out of chestnut. He is 1 now ninety-seven, being the oldest resident of the township. He married Anna Butler, who died in 1881, aged eighty-three. Their children are George W., who

resides on the homestead ; Irena, wife of John Barron, a farmer in Franklin ; Samuel B., owner of a meat-market at Montrose ; Experience, wife of William Barron, lives in Jessup; Anna, wife of Jno. Wheeler, of Binghamton.

Israel Stebbins lived adjoining Rogers, where Abram Lake commenced in 1825. One of his sons, E. R. Stebbins, is a coal dealer at Montrose. George W., lives in Auburn.

Henry Patrick lived adjoining Lake, where Matthew McKeebe now lives. Of his children, Harris was a lawyer at Athens, Pennsylvania ; Harvey and Abel lived at Montrose ; George and Charles moved elsewhere. Gilbert Mc- Keebe bought the Patrick place about fifty years ago. Of his children, Matthew retains the homestead, and Isaac, Solomon, William and Theodore were the other sons.

Moses S. Tyler came from Brooklyn, and bought a farm of Phineas Smith on the Wya- lusing. His sons were Ackley and Edgar.

SOUTH MONTROSE.

The large part of the hamlet of South Mon- trose, which consists of about twenty-five houses, has been built since 1875, the date of the completion of the narrow-gauge railroad from Montrose to Tunkhannock. Its business places are a post-office, two stores for general merchandising, steam saw and grist-mill, cream- ery, cider-mill and blacksmith-shop. A post- office was established at Coolville, about one mile south of South Montrose, August 5, 1874, and Frank S. F. Wells was appointed post- master, although Enoch L. Cool performed the duties of the office. James Martin succeeded Wells December 4, 1874, and was succeeded by Du Bois Hunter May 31, 1877, when the post- office was removed to South Montrose, and Frank Tingley succeeded as postmaster. He was followed by Stewart Mead and Francis E. Barron, and upon the change of the admin- istration, Enoch C. Lake received the comniis- sion in 1885, and is the present postmaster, with the office located in the store of E. C. & M. L. Lake.

STORES .- Perry Marcy, contractor for the Montrose Railway, first established a store at South Montrose for the sale of merchandise to

1 Since deceased, 1837.

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

the employees engaged in the construction of the road. Up to this time there had been a store for the sale of merchandise, which was carried on by William Corey for a short time. Mr. Marcy was succeeded by J. P. Lodrick, whose store was destroyed by fire. The site, located on the south side of the railroad track, was purchased by F. E. Barron, who rebuilt and carried on mercantile business there in 1886. Enoch L. Cool erected a store building on the north side of the track in 1884, in which mercantile business has been carried on since by E. C. & M. L. Lake.

Judge Benjamin Lathrop established a black- smith-shop at South Montrose in the early part of the century, where Jabez Frink carried on blacksmithing until 1846, when he was suc- ceeded by Rufus Allen, of Montrose, a native of Connecticut. The shop has been conducted by his son, Loren Allen, for the past twenty- three years. The creamery was built by Rayns- ford, Cooper & Blakeslee, and is now conducted by the American Dairy Company.

Edgar Harper came to Bridgewater in 1851. In 1874 he erected a steam saw, plaster and feed-mill, which was burned five years after- wards. He rebuilt in 1879, and does a large business for the local trade. The capacity of his feed-mill is four hundred bushels of corn per week during the winter season, which he receives mostly from Indianapolis and Chicago. His plaster is made from stone brought here from Union Springs, Cayuga County, N. Y. The capacity of his saw-mill is from twelve to fifteen thousand feet daily, mostly hemlock, with some cherry and pine. He employs ten men.

Isaac Chapman taught school at South Montrose in a little log school-house, near where the present Union Church stands, in 1805. Mrs. Bullard, now eighty-eight years of age, remembers that school well ; Mr. Chap- man was only sixteen years of age at that time ; he also delivered the first 4th of July oration at that place. J. W. Raynsford taught school in 1803, and was the first teacher. Benjamin Lathrop, Daniel Lathrop and Wealthy Lathrop were early teachers. There were three school-houses at that place; then the district was divided. One of the houses is now lo-

cated near the railroad, and the other near Jerome Butterfield's. The little church at South Montrose was built as a Union Church for all denominations, and for funeral pur- poses. There is no church organization at this place. The church members in the place are all connected with the several churches at Mon- trose. Deacon Zebulon Deans and Deacon Reuben Wells were pioneer settlers where South Montrose stands, and it was on their land that the church and first school-houses were built. They each donated one-fourth of an acre for a burial-place. Olive Deans was the first person buried there, in 1818. The grounds have been enlarged since, and many persons are buried there.

HORACE BREWSTER .- The Brewster family is of English origin, and the ancestors of Hor- ace Brewster were settlers on Long Island. His paternal grandfather, James, a shoemaker by trade, came from near River Head, L. I., with his wife, Anna Foster, a sister of Daniel Fos- ter, and resided with his son, Eldad Brewster, in Bridgewater, from 1802 until 1831, when he went to Wysox, Pa., where he spent the re- niainder of his days with his daughter, Mrs. Ferguson, dying at the age of ninety-two. He was in the War of 1812, and received a pension from the government. Anna Foster, his wife, who died a year before at her daughter's resi- dence, in Wysox, at the same age, was a mem- ber of the Presbyterian Church, a genial com- panion, a Christian woman, and very much enjoyed the society of her children and grand- children, to whom she often told Bible stories and tried to impress them with the truth. Their children were Abigail, became the wife of David Ferguson, of Wysox, Pa., and reared a large family of children ; Daniel, a soldier in the War of 1812, was a pensioner, and died at the residence of his daughter, at Wells' Hollow, Bradford County, aged ninety- four; and Eldad (1779-1831), father of Hor- ace.

Eldad Brewster, a native of River Head, served an apprenticeship in learning the trade. of a weaver, which closed upon reaching his majority, in 1800. In that year, with barely funds enough to leave his home, in company

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with Captain Bartlet Hinds, Isaac Post, Robert Day, his brother Daniel, Daniel Foster, his uncle, and others, nine altogether, he came from Long Island and in May reached Bridgewater township, where he, with a part of the com- pany, stopped at the cabin of Daniel Foster, which Mr. Foster had erected on a previous visit. Mr. Brewster soon made a purchase of fifty acres of woodland two miles southeast of the present borough of Montrose, a part of the

during the winter season worked at weaving at Wyalusing and other localities earlier settled until he had his land paid for. He added to his first purchase until he owned one hundred and twenty-two acres. He built his first frame house in 1812, and added a two-story front in 1820, and the entire building, now standing, was his home as long as he lived. He was genial and kind to his family, a prompt busi- ness man, and possessed pure motives, as indi-

Horace Bruster

Clymer tract, and his brother Daniel located on 1 fifty acres adjoining. About 1804 he had con- siderable of this land cleared, and erected a log house thereon. He had agreed to pay three dollars per acre for the land, but, in common with many of the other settlers, he had no money to pay anything with, except as he could make it from his land, and in those days of barter and no money for produce, it was diffi- cult to even get enough to pay taxes with. He accordingly worked on his farm summers, and

cated by his life-work. Although he had only three months' schooling when a boy, he had a good, practical knowledge of business matters, and with his quick perception and sound judg- ment managed his affairs with prudence and economy.

His wife, Hannah (1797-1881), whom he married in 1814, was a daughter of Deacon Moses Tyler, of Bridgewater, who had settled here from Windham County, Vt., in 1808, but was a native of Massachusetts. He died at

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Montrose in 1854, aged eighty-eight ; his wife in 1856, aged eighty. Moses Tyler had eight daughters, and one son who grew to man- hood, Moses C., late associate judge. The chil- dren of Eldad Brewster are Tyler (1815-85), was a farmer in Harford township, where he died ; Lucena, born in 1816, is the widow of the late Samuel Sherer, of Dimock ; Horace, born October 15, 1818; Daniel, born in 1820, a carpenter by trade, now engaged in the sale of agricultural implements at Montrose ; War- ren (1822-73), died at Meshoppen, Wyoming County, leaving two children ; Andrew J., born in 1825, a blacksmith at Montrose ; Sally, born in 1827, wife of Salmon Hempstead, of Mead- ville, Pa. ; Moses C. (1829-59), a carpenter, spent several years in Kansas, returned and died at Montrose; and Ann Maria, born in 1831, the wife of Ansel Stearns, of Harford. All of them reared families.

Horace Brewster had the usual opportunities for a district-school education, but at the age of seventeen was indentured to Levi Gregory to learn the trade of a carpenter. He served for three years, receiving for his total wages one hundred and forty-four dollars. Upon the completion of this time he attended one term at John Mann's Academy, St. Joseph, and for two terms was a teacher .. He followed his trade at Montrose, in Yates County and at Tunkhannock until 1846, when he went to Davenport, Iowa, where he spent three years. Returning in 1849, he purchased the homestead -the place of his birth-and until 1874 re- sided in the house before described, erected by his father. In that year he erected his present comfortable residence, and he has added to the real estate, by purchase, forty-seven acres.

Mr. Brewster is a member of Susquehanna Grange, No. 74, a member of the Susquehanna Agricultural Society, of which he served as president in 1882 and 1883, and he is active and interested in all measures looking to the improvement of agriculture and inuring to the benefit of farming interests. He gave the right of way through his farm for the construc- tion of the Montrose Railway, and now ships to market by this outlet his surplus hay and other farm products. Both himself and wife

are members of the Presbyterian Church at Montrose. Mr. Brewster has given much at- tention to the education of his children, four of whom are graduates of the same school, one son a lawyer and another a doctor.

His wife, Augusta, a daughter of Truman and Catherine (French) McNeil, of Homer, Cortland County, N. Y., whom he married in 1845, was born May 4, 1820. Her father was of Scotch-Irish origin, and died in 1821. Her mother married, for her second husband, James W. Hill, of Bridgewater, for many years a justice of the peace and a prominent member of the Baptist Church at Montrose, and died in 1842. By her first husband she had two children,-Augusta, wife of Horace Brewster ; and David Truman McNeil. By her second husband she had children,-Naomi, Sarah, Mary, Fanny, James, George and Catherine. David Truman McNeil married in Kentucky, and at present resides at Osceola, Clark County, Iowa.

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Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 65

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