Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 66

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 66

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The children of Horace and Augusta Brew- ster are Katic, died at the age of twelve ; Hannah Elizabeth, is the wife of E. C. Smith, of Bridgewater; Frederick D., was educated at the Montrose Academy, graduated at the Mansfield State Normal School in 1871, was a teacher for several years, read medicine with Dr. Vail, and was graduated at the Homœo- pathic Medical College, New York, in 1879, and is a practicing physician at Tunkhannock, Pa. ; David Truman, received his preparatory education at Montrose Academy, was graduated at the Mansfield State Normal School in the class of '73, read law with the late Hon. La- fayette Fitch, was admitted to the bar in 1876, and is practicing his profession at Montrose ; Mary, died at the age of four years ; Fannie (1859-87), after taking the usual preparatory course at Montrose, was graduated at the Mans- field State Normal School in the class of '80, was a teacher and acting principal at the Mont- rose Academy, and was the wife of S. M. Fos- ter, of Montrose; Addie (1864-87), received her preparatory education at the same school, was graduated at the Mansfield State Normal School in the class of '83, and taught in the Montrose Graded School until her health failed.

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She died in February, 1887, and her sister died the March following.

Luther Catlin came from Litchfield County, Conn., in 1812, and located near his cousin, Putnam Catlin, in what is now Brooklyn ; but soon after made the first clearing on the Robert Kent place, and subsequently took up the farm previously occupied by Mr. Madison. He died at his home in East Bridgewater, February 4, 1885, aged one hundred years, three months and ten days.

Erastus Catlin (brother of Luther Catlin), and formerly from Litchfield County, Conn.,

1 In the Republican, of October 27th, was announced the remarkable fact that Mr. Luther Catlin, of Bridgewater, on the Saturday previous (October 25th), had attained the extreme age of one hundred years.

As Mr. Catlin had expressed a desire to cast one more vote for Presi- deut, the citizens of Montrose, irrespective of party connections, made ar- rangements to give to the event a special and prominent recognition by giving to this venerahle citizeu a suitable escort to the polls on Tuesday, November 4th.

Accordingly, ou the morning of election day, hetween nine and ten o'clock, a line of citizens, in carriages, in which we noticed prominent Republicans, Democrats and Prohibitionists, preceded by the. Montrose Cornet Band, went to the residence of Mr. Catlin, something over two miles from Montrose, where the rare old mau was carefully placed in au easy carriage and the procession, with cheerful music and flags flying, marched into town.

In the carriage with the centenarian were his son, Julius Catlin, aged seventy-three ; his grandson, Harry Catlin, aged twenty-three ; and his great-grandson, Charles Keeler, aged twenty-one.

As we drove through the principal streets handkerchiefs and flags were waved from many homes along the route, and, as we passed up Public Avenue, crowds of people lined the way, all anxions to get a sight of the grand old man whose life began a hundred years ago.

At the court-house he was met hy a dense throng, and, as he was borne up the steps and through the hall to the place of voting, a hearty cheer was given by the assembled multitnde. As he deposited his twentiethi Presidential vote, another rousing cheer rang out, in honor of the wonderful event.

At the same moment that he passed in his ballot, at the Bridgewater polls, his great-grandson-a few feet away-deposited his first vote at the Montrose polls.

Mr. Catlin was then taken into the recorder's office, just across the hall, where an informal reception was held. Hundreds of his old friends and neighbors, and among them many strangers, had the privi- lege of looking into his pleasant face, and of taking the hand of a man who might appropriately be likened to

" The sturdy oak, the hrave old oak, That has stood in this laud so long."

He seemed anxious to know the names of all who greeted him, and it was very interesting to note how, at the mention of some familiar name, his face lighted up with the memories of by-gone years. For one so old it was a very trying ordeal, but he went through it with much less fatigue than might have heeu expected, and lie seemed to liave a re- markably intelligent appreciation of the kind regard and cordial defer- ence which was accorded him.

After the reception he was taken to the new sheriff's office, a large and well-lighted room in the annex, where our accomplished artist, Mr. G. W. Doolittle, brought the photographer's art and skill to assist in making a permanent impression of the four generations who had to- gether cast their votes for the President of these United States.

Mr. Catlin was again borne to the carriage, by careful hands, and, amid parting cheers, with the escort of the hand and citizens' car- riages, was taken hack to his home, where it is the hope and prayer of many, many friends that he may dwell in great peace aud confort until he shall pass away to that better land where none ever grow old.

as early as about 1815, owned a farm on what is now known as Butterfield Hill, about two miles south of and in sight of Montrose, where he and his family resided many years. He afterwards lived at North Pitcher, Chenango County, N. Y., where he died in 1854, in the seventy-seventh year of his age, his wife, Polly (Wright), having died in 1830, aged fifty years. The wife of Abcl Turrell is the only one of the family now residing in Susque- hanna County. His nephew, the Rev. L. R. Dickinson, is rector of the Episcopal Church at Great Bend.

James W. Hill settled in Bridgewater in 1812, and cleared a farm, where he resided until his death, in 1853. He and Reuben Rey- nolds occupied a log-house together for a time. Josiah Mills came to Bridgewater in 1811, and settled near Conrad Hinds' last loca- tion. A homeless orphan, at fourteen years of age, he enlisted as a drummer in the Revolu- tionary army. After a year's service he ex- changed his drum for a musket, which he car- ried to the end of the war, receiving an honora- ble discharge. In 1817 he settled two and one-half miles west of Montrose, where he died March 23, 1833. One son, B. H. Mills, re- moved to Upper Alton, Ill. Robert Eldridge, a native of Connecticut, located on the Elias West farm in 1814. Hc subsequently moved to Brooklyn township, where he died, aged eighty. Of his sons, James occupied the home- stead a number of years, then removed to Owego, and Orlando resided in Brooklyn township.

Charles Trumbull was a pioneer in Bridge- water ; he had a large family of sons and daugliters, who became separated. John Trum- bull, one of the sons, retained the homestead. He died recently at an advanced age. Cornelius Wood came from near Albany, N. Y. His sons, John and Peleg, remained in the town- ship. Jonathan, Eseck, Ezra and Ira moved elsewhere. Solomon Simmons came from Con- necticut about the same time. His sons, Julius, Charles, Solomon, Harly and Garry went to Illinois. Mrs. Luther Catlin, daughter of Solomon Simmons, Sr., died in Bridgewater October 25, 1872, in the eighty-fifth year of

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

her age. Samuel and Abraham Chamberlain, Walter Stewart, Lemuel Beebe, Ebenezer Wil- liams, Abraham E. Kennard and Joseph Guernsey settled in the neighborhood. Ezra Kingsley went with the Mormons in 1832.

Samuel, Timothy and Phineas Warner were brothers, and came to Bridgewater from Con- necticut. They were all farmers. Samuel came about 1815 to Conrad Hinds' first location in the North neighborhood. He was an earnest temperance and anti-slavery advocate. Samuel Warner, Jr., and Gilbert lived here a number of years. Phineas died in the army. Timothy had a family, of whom Eleida and Albert O lived here; Ansel lives in Brooklyn; John died in Oswego ; Minerva married Mr. Barret, of New Milford. Phineas Warner first occu- pied the farm now owned by George Little. His children were Davis D .; Nelson C .; Sidney D. J., a physician in Luzerne County ; John P., who resides in Scranton ; Ann, wife of Dr. E. S. Park, of Red Wing, Minnesota ; Elizabeth, wife of Gilbert Angel, of Binghamton.

General Davis D. Warner was born in Con- necticut, February 1, 1802. His father, Phin- nehas Warner, and himself, with two other brothers,-Mr. Nelson C. Warner, who now resides in Montrose, and Jared C. Warner,-came to Montrose in 1810. When the Warner family drove into Montrose, with an ox-team, hailing from the land of " wooden nutmegs," there were only three framed houses and the log dwelling into which they moved. The first night of their arrival they feasted upon bear's meat and venison. General Warner has held the confi- dence of the people of this county to a consider- able extent, having been elected associate judge in 1851 and afterwards being elected twice to represent this district in the State Legislature, his first term being in 1861. While associate judge he attended the inauguration of President Buchanan, and was among the victims of the Washington " National Hotel poisoning " sick- ness, which circumstance will be remembered by many of our readers, as some from this county, who were victims with him, died from the same cause. Mr. Warner was in the State military service for some time, and among the memorable incidents of his career in that particular was the

commanding of the military at the hanging of Treadwell, so noted an occasion in the history of Susquehanna County. One little incident worthy of mention was the patriotic demonstra- tion which one of the oxen exhibited that fur- nished the motive-power which transported the Warner family from Connecticut to this county.

One of these oxen seemed to manifest a love of his native land to so great an extent, that he started back on the road from Connecticut which he had traversed, and was first found on the other side of the Delaware River with his head set for his former home.

Mr. Warner died March 29, 1879, aged seventy-nine. He was for many years proprie- tor of the "Franklin " (now Tarbell) House. His children were Jared, who resides in Scranton ; Edward R., graduate of West Point, a captain in the regular army; Henry D., member of the Produce Exchange of Chicago; and Fred- erick, also of Chicago; Ellen, wife of Henry Searle; Ann, widow of Captain J. R. Lyons ; Salome, wife of A. Watson ; Delphine, wife of Edward Rogers; and Kitty, wife of Benjamin Stark. Nelson C. Warner was one of the re- spected pioneers of Montrose. He was born at Deep River, Connecticut, in the year 1804, and was brought to this county when only four years old. When a youth of sixteen he walked back to his native place, accomplishing the en- tire journey on foot. In 1831 he was united in marriage with Eliza D. Baldwin, of Bridgewater, whom he survived only four years. He was elec- ted sheriff in 1845, serving three years, but he spent most of his early life at manual labor, being known as an upright and successful farmer. His children were Lydia F., wife of C. N. Stod- dard, merchant ; Edson S., Fletcher G., Charles N., Mary A., (wife of George P. Little), Emily A. and Helen E. (wife of F. I. Lott).

Orin Clemons came to Bridgewater from Litchfield County, Connecticut, in 1829, and purchased a farm in the North neighborhood. He died when he was seventy-seven, leaving a large family-Henry, who has been a carriage- maker for forty years; Welcome went South and was very successful, but lost his property during the war ; his brother Frederick was also engaged with him at Columbus, Ga., in the

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mannfacture of cotton gins ; David invented a hame and engaged in manufacturing them in Scranton. There were seven girls ; Eliza is the wife of F. Churchill, of Great Bend.

Merritt Mott came with his father, Laomi Mott, to Middletown in 1810. In 1832 he came to Bridgewater and purchased a carding-mill of -Watrous. He started fulling, coloring and cloth-dressing, and finally introduced weaving. Judson W. Mott succeeded his father in the same business in 1863. In 1867 the factory was destroyed by fire. Mr. Mott rebuilt that year. He employs four or five hands and man- ufactures miners' flannel and stocking yarn principally. He makes about eleven thousand yards of cloth and a ton of yarn, and uses from seven thousand to nine thousand pounds of wool per year, most of which is purchased from the farmers in the county. Merritt Mott's chil- dren were Myron, who lived and died herc ; Amos, who lives at Tunkhannock ; Frederick, who became a judge in Iowa; Chauncey, who died in the army ; Judson, who retained the homestead ; Edson ; Sophronia, wife of Rev. John R. Murphy, D.D., of Iowa ; Mary Jane, wife of Charles S. Foster of Montrose. Nathan Shipman was an early settler in the vicinity of Mottville.

BALDWINS .- Noah Baldwin (1745-1827) and Sarah (1756-1842), his wife, came to Bridgewater from Connecticut and settled one mile north of Montrose, on the place now owned by W. W. Williams, in 1807. His children were Asa (1778-1819), Polly, Samuel (1783- 1870), Sally (1786-1875), Scott (1788- 1874), Betsey, Matthew born March 30, 1794, died 1887, aged ninety-three. Asa married S. Scott's eldest daughter, and died, leaving her with eight children,-Asa; Eliza, wife of Nelson Warner ; Samuel ; Charles ; Mary, wife of Aniasa Mott; Charles and Samuel lived in New York. The family are all dead. Polly was the wife of Simeon Cook, who re- sided near Susquehanna. He died near Mon- trose, leaving a family. Samuel Baldwin re- sided near Montrose and died at the age of ninety. He had a large family, all of whom moved West except Polly, wife of Mr. Hol- brook. Sally was the wife of John Turner, of

Fulton County, N. Y. ' Scott Baldwin came to the farm adjoining that of Simeon Tyler in March, 1808, and resided on the spot for sixty years.

Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin lived together sixty- four years, and reared a family of twelve chil- dren. Alfred Baldwin, one of the sons, was associate judge from 1866 to 1871, and harness- maker at Montrose many years. David went to Wyoming County, Sally was the wife of Orren Wood, Chapman moved to Sullivan County, John moved West, Noah lives in Au- burn, Edmund resides at Montrose and has been court crier eighteen years. One of his sons is a lawyer, another a physician, and George S. and W. B. Baldwin are printers. Myron, Hannah, Louisa and Isaac are the youngest of Scott Baldwin's family. Matthew Baldwin, the youngest of the old family, set- tled on the farm in 1816, that he occupied until he died, and built a log house at first, which gave place to the present edifice in 1823. All the barns and other improvements were made by him. He was a Democrat in politics,

. 1 The following statement made by Scott Baldwin shows what difficul- ties they had to encounter in this wilderness in 1808 and the years im- mediately following :

"We had but one dollar in money left when we got here. We had to work out part of the time for a living, and the rest of the time for our place. Our house was a log house, the floor made of slabs split ont of trees, the windows made of sticks crossed aud paper put on them for glass. The nearest grist-mill was three miles uff, and we had to go far- ther sometimes, and carry our grists on our backs. At one time we had to pay $1.62 for rye, and that we had ground without bolting. When our bread was almost gone, we had to lay some by for the children, and go without ourselves. Day after day we had to depend on our guns for meat. For tea, we used spicewood.

" We used to make deer-licks by putting salt in certain places in the woods. One time I went to the place where I had put salt, and saw a very large deer-track. I climbed a tree, some thirty or forty feet high, with my gun. Before dark I tied my gun to a limb of the tree, poiut. ing it, as near as I could guess, where the deer would come. There I sat, all night, until daylight, but no deer came. I thought I would not give it up so, and tried it again. The third night 1 sat on the tree as .before until the cock crowed for morning. I then heard something coming. It proved to be a deer. He came to the lick, I fired, and when I came down from the tree, found I had killed a very large buck. We then had meat again.

" In the fall we got out of salt, and there was but one place we could get it, and there only at the price of $3.00 per bushel. I had nothing to buy it with, and concluded to see what hunting would do. I took my gnn, went out into the woods, and found a bear that had gathered a large quantity of chestnuts. I shot it, took its skin, and with it bought & bushel of salt.

" Brother Samuel and myself went to Dr. Rose's for work. He gave us the job of clearing out the road between us and Silver Lake. We had to go from six to eight miles to our work. Our living was corn bread and dried venison. Our bed, hemlock boughs, with leaves for covering.

"There were settlers about six miles this side of Binghamton, and, on thisend of the road, for about four miles north of Montrose ; between them were dense woods, the path being only marked trees."

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HISTORY OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

and a member of the East Bridgewater Method- ist Episcopal Church. His children were Jeremiah, a farmer near the homestead ; Mary M. (1820-81), wife of John Trumbull, a farmer in Bridgewater; William has a farm adjoining his father ; Jonathan, toll-keeper at Susquehanna ; James ; Horace S. in Sus- quehanna ; Lyman M., proprietor of the Exchange Hotel ; Benjamin F. resides on part of the farm; George H. (1839-78), served in the late war with Captain Young's company nine months, then he enlisted for three years and served till the war closed. Jeremiah, Horace S., Lyman M. and Jonathan served in Captain Dimock's company.

Jonathan Vaughn died in 1869, aged ninety. His daughter, Elizabeth (1800-81), was the wife of Matthew Baldwin. He resided in Bridgewater, near the North school-house. Of his other children, Ariel and Jeremiah went to Connecticut, Stephen died in Wilkes-Barre, Mercy was the wife of Orrin Stephens, and Sally was the wife of William Shipman.

EAST BRIDGEWATER .- The post-office was established at East Bridgewater in 1868. Cor- nelius J. Curtis, Samuel Smyth and N. O. Passmore were instrumental in getting this office for the accommodation of the neighbor- hood. Mr. Smyth was commissioned post- master, but only served one year, when James McMillen was appointed, and has conducted the business of the office since. Mr. McMillen has the only store at the place, which he opened for the sale of groceries in 1881. David Rock- afeller and Hart Roberts many years ago car- ried on blacksmithing just below the old plank- road.

There is a school-house here, and some of the early teachers in the neighborhood were Sally Wilsey and Hannah Belknap. Thomas T. Lillie taught in the vicinity in 1824, Hiram Allen in 1826, and, later, J. B. Kimber and James Layton.

Religious Denominations .- As early as 1820 religious services were held in the neighbor- hood, the school-house being used for that pur- pose. The supply was generally from the Brooklyn charge of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the meetings held by ministers of

that denomination, although Elder Davis Dim- ock, from Montrose, a Baptist clergyman, and Rev. Burr Baldwin, the Presbyterian minister of the same place, frequently held services here. Some of the early members of the class here were Samuel Reynolds, who for forty years was a class-leader, Nathaniel Reynolds, Timothy Brown, Ezra Brown, Mrs. Nathan Jewett and Mrs. Peleg Wood.

In 1877, under the labors of Rev. George Comfort, of the Brooklyn charge, a Methodist Church organization was effected, and, with the aid of the society, the present neat church edifice was erected the following year. It re- mained a part of the Brooklyn charge for some three years, when it was annexed to the Mont- rose charge, and has been regularly supplied every alternate Sunday since by the minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Montrose. Rev. W. B. Westlake succeeded Mr. Comfort, and has in turn been succeeded by Revs. H. H. Dresser, Thomas Harroun and the present pas- tor, Rev. H. C. McDermott. The board of trustees consists of five members-three of the church and two of the society. Other clergy- men hold meetings in the church when not oc- cupied by the regular minister, under the regu- lations of its organization, and funerals have preference to any other service.

The burying-ground, which has been used since the early settlement of the neighborhood, is situated near the church, and there are in- terred many of its early members and the first settlers of the vicinity. The ground was do- nated by Hugh McCollum, and the deed made about 1840 to Mathew Baldwin, Latham Gard- ner and Hiram Guernsey a committee.

Another burial-place, on the stage-route from Montrose to Heart Lake, is located on the Foster farm, on the top of a high knoll, which was laid out during the early settlement of the neighborhood. The proprietaries of this plat were John Trumbull, Frederick Foster, Abram Chamberlain, John McCollum, Lyman B. Cole and Latham Gardner, the families of which have been interred within the inclosure.

A creamery, for the manufacture of butter and cheese and the sale of milk and cream, was erected at East Bridgewater in 1881 by the

le J Curtis

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BRIDGEWATER.

American Dairy Association, from which large shipments are made to New York and other markets.

CORNELIUS J. CURTIS .- Nathaniel Curtis, a native of Connecticut, removed with his family from Herkimer County, N. Y., in 1806, and was the pioneer settler of East Bridgewater, where he settled on one hundred acres of land, the present farm of his grandson, Cornelius J. Curtis. He first erected a log house, but prior to his death, in 1814, he built a frame house. His wife died about 1820, and both were buried iu the neighborhood burying-ground, now to be seen near the church.

Nathaniel, Jr. (1778-1850), eldest son, mar- ried Mary Lamberson (1778-1848), a native of Salisbury, N. Y., and removed from that place in 1812, and occupied the homestead in East Bridgewater, after the death of his father. He erected the present residence in 1830, and was the first man iu that part of the township to erect a building without the use of liquor for his men. This inaugurated a new era, and many of the neighbors afterwards followed his example. He took much interest in the early establishment of schools in the township, and upon the act of 1835, creating the office of school director, himself and Judge Lathrop were selected, and served in that capacity. He added one hundred and eighty acres of land to the original purchase of his fa- ther, and coutinued his residence on the home- stead until his death. Both himself and wife were regular attendants of the Presbyterian Church at Montrose, and both were buried at East Bridgewater.

The second son, Harvey, was a man of con- siderable enterprise. He built the first grist- mill on Heart Lake in 1823. His wife was a daughter of Captain Newman. He removed to Joliet, Ill., where he died in 1860.

The third son, Warren, was a farmer in Bridgewater, where he died in 1828.

The fourth son, Daniel, built a hotel in Mon- trose about 1814, and was the genial landlord during the early days of the old stage lines from New York to Owego, and from Philadelphia to Utica, which crossed each other at Montrose. This house was the origin of the present Tar- bell House, and was kept by him in a popular

way, for those days, until 1834. He removed to Joliet, Ill., where he died in 1862. His wife was a daughter of Major Ross.

The fifth son, Ira, had a farm contiguous to the homestead, where he resided until his death, in 1828.

The children of Nathaniel and Mary (Lam- berson) Curtis are Abigail (1800-72), married Eseck Wood, resided on the adjoining property to the homestead for some time, moved to Brad- ford County, and afterwards to Polo, Ill., in . 1862, where she died in 1872; Polly, born in 1802, is the wife of H. G. Ely, of Springville ; Theodosia (1807-86) was the wife of Daniel McCollum, who resided in the same neighbor- hood ; Anson (1810-55) graduated at Fair- field, Herkimer Co., N. Y., in 1836, practiced medicine at Pittston from 1839 until 1853, when he was elected prothonotary of Luzerne County, and died while in office; Gaylord, born in 1812, a banker at Susquehanna ; Joshua W. (1815-61) resided on the plank road con- tiguous to the homestead, was a farmer, and died, leaving four sons-William C., Charles F., Nathaniel and John; Cornelius J., born where he now resides, October 24, 1816; Syl- via L., widow of Perry W. Kennard, resides on the homestead with her brother, the youngest son.

Cornelius J. Curtis married, in 1847, Char- lotte G., a daughter of Harvey (1795-1872) and Lavinia (Fowler) (1808-55) Griffin, of New Milford, who settled there from Guilford, Conn., in 1820. She was born July 6, 1824. Her grandfather was the Rev. Andrew Fowler, a native of Connecticut, who was educated for the ministry, went to Charleston, S. C., where he was rector of Christ Church parish (Episco- pal) until his death, at the age of over ninety years. Their only living child is Andrew Fow- ler Curtis, born January 26, 1855, who married in 1875, Flora Alice, a daughter of Henry Bald- win, of Forest Lake. Mr. Curtis is one of the intelligent, reading, thinking men of Bridgewa- ter township. He added to his district school education instruction at Harford Academy and the school at Montrose. He became some- what active in politics in early manhood, and served several terms as supervisor and school di-

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Centennial history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Part 66

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