Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 136

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 2390

USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 136
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 136
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 136
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 136

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).

Mrs. Ida (Barnes) Stark was born February 3, 1861, in Damascus township, Wayne county, a daughter of Stephen D. Barnes, and a granddaugh- ter of John and Elizabeth (Holbert) Barnes, who settled on a farm in Pike county at an early day. Her father was born February 27, 1833, near Honesdale, and died February 14, 1884, being buried at Beach Pond. He married Miss Mary E. Smith, who was born August 17, 1836, a daughter of Frederick and Jane (DeWitt) Smith, of Wayne county, and grand- daughter of Samuel Smith, of Germany; she now resides with our subject. Seven children were born to Stephen D. and Mary E. Barnes : Rosalphea, who died in infancy ; Alonzo O., deceased: Ida, wife of our subject ; Clarissa L., who died in infancy ; Fred- ick M., a stone mason at Honesdale, who married Estella Eldron ; Frank H., deceased ; and Olive M., deceased.

WILLIS TUTHILL, a leading dairyman and enterprising citizen of Lackawaxen township, Pike county, is a native of Pennsylvania, born in Hawley, May 16, 1860. His grandfather, Alexander Tuthill, was born, reared and married in New York State, and there the birth of his children also occurred. By occupation he was a farmer and lumberman.

576

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Alexander Tuthill, Jr., the father of our sub- ject, was born in New York State, January 18, 1822, and died November 18, 1897. When a young man he located in Wayne county, Penn., was for many years employed in a tannery at Hawley, and was a boatman on the Delaware & Hudson canal for sev- eral years. He was married in Honesdale, Penn., July 4, 1846, to Miss Caroline Milham, daughter of John and Charity Milham, both natives of New Jersey. The children born of this union are as fol- lows: Edward, a resident of Hawley, first married Lucretia Barnard. and for his second wife wedded Agnes Destin : George has also been twice married and lives in Wilkes Barre, Penn .; John died at the age of sixteen years ; Willis is next in the order of birth : Jennie is the wife of Frank Stephenson, of Hawley: and Marvin married Edith King, and re- sides in Dunmore, Pennsylvania.

Willis Tuthill received a district-school educa- tion, and at the early age of ten years began to pro- vide for himself, at first working as a chore boy for neighboring farmers, while later he was employed for some years by a large lumber firm in caring for their horses. He then rented a farm in Lackawaxen township, Pike county, near Hawley, for three years, and at the end of that time purchased the same, consisting of fifty-one acres, twenty of which are under excellent cultivation. He has a valuable orchard upon his place, and is engaged in general farming, but gives the greater part of his attention to dairying, having twenty cows, and finding a ready market for the milk in Hawley.

On March 16, 1880, at Hawley, Mr. Tuthill was married by Rev. Williams, a Methodist Episco- pal minister. to Miss Hannah J. Baisden, who was born in Sullivan county, N. Y., February 18, 1857, a daughter of John J. and Mary ( Schoonmaker ) Bais- den. Her grandfather. John M. Baisden, was a na- tive of England, where he married Tamer Percal, and in 1834 they came to America and located at Kingston, U'lster Co., N. Y., where he died. John T. Baisden, the father of Mrs. Tuthill, was born in Chatham, England, August 22, 1832, grew to man- hood in New York City, and for some time was em- ployed in the Brooklyn Navy yard, where he learned the trade of ship building. Later he come to Haw- ley, Penn., and embarked in the biulding of canal boats on property he purchased in Lackawaxen town- ship, Pike county. Here he built up a flourishing business, and soon had a little settlement on the banks of the Delaware & Hudson canal, known as Baisdenville. From Pike county he removed to Rondout (now Kingston), N. Y., where he still carries on an extensive ship building business, hav- ing two yards. At that place he married Miss Mary Schoonmaker, daughter of Stephen and Hannah (Wolsey) Schoonmaker, and they became the par- ents of the following children: Mary and Tamer, who both died young : Hannah J., the wife of our subject : Sarah I., wife of James G. Fowler, of Sleightsburg, N. Y. : Martha A., wife of Albert M. Cooper, of New Salem, Ulster Co., N. Y. ; John S.,

who married Ella Heins, and is foreman in his father's shipyard; Charles E., who died in infancy ; Lewis H., who married Jennie Birdsley, and is a boatbuilder at Baisdenville, Lackawaxen township, Pike Co., Penn. ; William N., who died in infancy ; and Walter M., a resident of Edgewater, N. J. Mr. and Mrs. Tuthill have five children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows : Caroline I., July 28, 1881; Mary E., September 11, 1883 ; Hattie D., Feb- ruary 4, 1888 ; Charles H., April 5, 1891 ; and Mabel J., October 5, 1895.

In his political views Mr. Tuthill is a Republi- can, and socially has been a member of the Improved Order of Red Men ever since the lodge was or- ganized at Hawley, and he also belongs to the Junior Order of American Mechanics. With his wife and two eldest daughters he holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church of Hawley, and the family is one of prominence in the social circles of the community.

EMILE SCHANNO, deceased. The beautiful scenery and fertile soil of this section have attracted many of the thrifty sons of France, whose artistic tastes enable them to appreciate the charm of its picturesque hills and valleys. The subject of this memoir, founder of the "Hotel Schanno," in Ding- man township, Pike county, was a man of marked culture and refinement, and while the practical busi- ness sagacity so characteristic of his race, enabled him to establish a profitable enterprise, the hotel and grounds show that in his selection of an abiding place he was actuated by a keen sense of the beau- tiful.

The late Emile Schanno was born July 22, 1827, at Turckheim, in the province of Alsace, then a part of France, and was a descendant of an old and highly-esteemed family of that locality. The name was formerly Jeannot, originating in the south of France, the spelling having been changed during a flight to Switzerland in the revolution of '93, by our subject's grandfather, Joseph Jeannot, or Schanno. Francois Joseph Schanno, the father of our sub- ject, was a man of wealth and influence, and he died at the old home in Alsace in 1866, at the age of ninety-five; his wife, Hergel Reine, died in 1872, aged eighty-six. They had four children : Joseph, Anna, Reine and Emile, the eld- est son being named Joseph in accordance with a rule which has been followed in the family for seven generations.

Our subject, who was the only member of the family to come to America, was engaged in business in his native land for many years, owning a flour mill and several tracts of vineyards, and as may be judged was a man of means and influence. He was prominent in civic affairs, serving as mayor of Turckheim, and was also president of the Game- keepers Association in Alsace. However, he lost his property in 1870, during the trouble between France and Germany, and after the conquest, in order to spare his son from German military service, he de-

EMILE SCHANNO

577

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

termined to come to America, in the hope also of re- trieving his lost fortune, emigrating to the United States in 1876. He settled in Dingman township, Pike county, upon the present homestead of his children, where he established a summer hotel, known as the "Hotel Schanno." He was too in- dependent to take aid from his friends, though he had many both in France and America, and his own regret was that he was not able to do better by his children. Mr. Schanno died at his home in Ding- man May 21, 1883, and his estimable wife, Caroline Kroell, to whom he was married in Alsace on Janu- ary 23, 1857, survived him but two years, passing away April 19, 1885, at the age of fifty-six. She was also a native of France, and her parents, Chris- tophe and Madelaine ( Heinrich) Kroell, were people of prominence, her father being the owner of a very large estate. To Emile and Caroline Schanno the following children were born: Miss Anna, who resides at the homestead ; Joseph, a farmer in Ding- man township; Paul, who married Louise Floquet, and is engaged in mercantile business in New York City ; CHARLES LEON and Louise, who are not mar- ried, and reside at the farm. The family are Catho- lics in religious belief. Mr. Schanno's political sympathies were with the Republican party.

All of our subject's children were carefully educated abroad, and the impress of generations of cultured ancestry is manifest in their charming man- ner. The Schanno place comprises about thirty- seven acres of land, and is located three miles from Milford on the banks of the Raymondskill, the Ray- mondskill Falls being only a half mile distant. The locality is famous for its fine roads, and coaching parties often drive over from Port Jervis, thirteen miles away, and from Delaware Water Gap. The locality is unique, and, a land mark of its true French character, "Hotel Schanno" is known to the best of New York's society as "Little Delmonico" be- catise of the excellence of the table, all the appoint- ments being first-class. Although in the heart of a valley, it is possible for business men to reach their office therefrom at all hours through the long-dis- tance telephone. At present the hotel is far from adequate to accommodate all guests who apply in summer, as there are but twenty rooms. Being most comfortable in winter as well as in stimmer, everyone takes an impression with him of having been in a home, not a hotel, surrounded by beauties of nature never to be forgotten.

SAMUEL POSTEN (deceased) was for many years one of the leading farmers and highly respected citizens of Price township, Monroe county. He was a native of the county, born in Stroud township, in 1825, and was a son of Elihu and Eleanor Posten, who in 1832 located in Price township, where our subject grew to manhood. In 1849 he was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Yeisley, who was born in Monroe county, Penn., in 1822, a daughter of Peter and Catherine ( Transue) Yeisley. The grand- father was a native of Germany, and on coming to 37

this country located in Bucks county, where he made his home for some years, and then removed to Mon- roe county, locating on the farm in Smithfield town- ship, where his son John Yeisley now resides.

After his marriage, Mr. Posten purchased the Harrison Sebring property in Price township, on which he made many valuable and useful improve- ments, continuing to carry on general farming there until called from this life in March, 1877. He was identified with the Democratic party, and took quite an active and prominent part in local politics, most creditably serving as county commissioner of Mon- roe county for two terms, and filling a number of other township offices, such as supervisor, collector, assessor and school director. He was a man of upright, Christian character, honored and respected by all who knew him. He and his wife united with the Methodist Episcopal Church early in their mar- ried life, and always took an active part in all Church work.

Having no family of their own, this worthy cou- ple adopted Annie Turner, who was born in Price township, in 1875, a daughter of John and Susan (Yeisley) Turner, and a granddaughter of John Yeisley. Since her mother's death in March, 1877, she has made her home with Mrs. Posten, who reared her in a careful manner, and provided her with a good public-school education. In January, . 1892, she married Perry Turner, of Barrett township, Monroe county, and to them have been born two children, Florence and Ruth. They have spent their entire married life on the old homestead with Mrs. Posten, and are of great comfort and help to her in her declining years.

Mrs. Posten is an amiable Christian lady of kind heart and noble impulses, whose kindly face is often seen at the home of her neighbors in times of sickness or distress, and her words of comfort and acts of kindness have cheered many a sick and despondent soul in the community in which she lives. Her married life was most exemplary, for she was a loving wife and true helpmeet to her hus- band in times of adversity as well as prosperity.

JOSEPH C. BRANNING, one of the most wide-awake and enterprising business men of Lack- awaxen township, Pike county, has shown in his suc- cessful career that he has the ability to plan wisely and execute with energy, a combination which, when possessed by men in any walk of life, never fails to effect notable results.

Mr. Branning comes from an old and honored Wayne county family. His grandfather, Jacob Branning, though a native of the Empire State, passed most of his life in Berlin township, Wayne Co., Penn., where he died in 1865, at the age of sev- enty-three years. Here he was united in marriage with Miss Ellen Lashley, a native of Damascus township, Wayne county.

Moses D. Branning, our subject's father, was born in Damascus township, April 15, 1822, and for many years followed the carpenter's trade in Wayne

578

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

county, also extensively engaged in lumbering, but for several years he has practically lived retired, finding a pleasant home with our subject. In Sulli- van county, N. Y., he married Ellen Carpenter, and of the children born to them, Joseph C. is the eldest ; Sarah Jane is now the wife of James Hornbeck, an excelsior manufacturer at Equinunk, Wayne county ; Ophelia is the wife of Wells Lester, a carpenter of Equinunk; William Frank, a farmer of Berlin township, Wayne county, married Sophia Brink- man, and Susie is the wife of Jacob Hiller, a farmer of the same township.

Joseph C. Branning was born in Damascus township, Wayne county, December 11, 1845, but was reared in Berlin township, where his parents located when he was a mere child. At the age of eighteen he turned his attention to agricultural pur- suits, and for several years followed that calling in Berlin township. After his marriage he removed to Buckingham township, Wayne county, where he en- gaged in business as a farmer and lumberman for twenty years, and, as a jobber in the lumber woods during the winter months, he gave employment to many men. Coming to Lackawaxen township, Pike county, in 1887, he rented two large farms, a saw and planing mill, bought all the timber on 4,500 acres of land, and opened a small general store. Here he has since carried on operations along these various lines. overseeing the entire business, and in this un- dlertaking he has prospered, the winter of 1897-98 proving the most successful in regard to the amount of timber cut. He still owns 260 acres of land in Wayne county, most of which is under cultivation. Socially Mr. Branning is a member of the Knights of Honor, and politically is a strong Republican. For six years he most creditably and satisfactorily served as supervisor of Buckingham township, Wayne county, and has been postmaster at West- colang, Pike county, since the office was established six years ago.

On May 1, 1867, Mr. Branning was united in marriage with Miss Mary Hornbeck, who was born in Lackawaxen township, Pike county, February 27, 1849, a daughter of Jason and Rebecca ( Cole) Hornbeck. Her father was born near Milford, Penn .. was a carpenter by trade, and followed that occupation in Pike and Wayne counties through- out life. In Lackawaxen township he married Miss Rebecca. daughter of John Cole, whose family was originally from New Jersey. Five children blessed this union: John, who died in infancy ; Elizabeth, wife of Franklin Holbert, a farmer of Lackawaxen township : James K., who married Sarah Jane Bran- ning. a sister of our' subject, and operates an excel- sior factory in Equinunk, Wayne county ; Mary Alice, who died in infancy ; and Mary, wife of our subject.

Mr. and Mrs. Branning have had seven chil- dren, namely : Gertrude E., born May 23, 1869, was married April 20, 1887, to Edward Barnes, a blacksmith of Big Equinunk, Wayne county; Car- rie. born March 16, 1872, is a music teacher ; Fred,

born December 16, 1873, died October 1, 1874; Roy, born January 26, 1877, died March 4, 1880; Mabel, born September 25, 1881, died October 31, 1881 ; and Lulu, born November 2, 1882, and Edna, born October 11, 1886, are both at home.

GEORGE H. BANKS has for several years carried on both farming and school teaching in Greene township, Pike county, and is recognized as one of the most able educators as well as one of the most thorough and skillful agriculturists of the lo- cality. He was born August 5, 1855, on a farm which now forms a part of his present homestead.

Samuel and Mary (Stott) Banks, parents of our subject, were both natives of Yorkshire, Eng- land, and came with their respective parents to America in 1844, but were not acquainted at that time. Our subject's paternal grandparents were Rev. William and Elizabeth Banks, the former a cabinet maker and local preacher. He came to this country in the interest of the Howe Company, land agents residing in England, and paid William Fitz Howe one dollar for a deed to 100 acres of land. He made his home upon the present farm of our subject, and his first residence here was built of planks which he sawed with a whipsaw. He died at the age of seventy years. His children were William and James, both deceased; Martha, de- ceased wife of Reuben Hanes; Ann, deceased wife of John Crothers; Sarah, wife of Reuben Hanes; Samuel, father of our subject; Elizabeth, deceased wife of Albert Carlton ; and Mary, widow of John Carlton. At about the same time the pater- nal grandparents came to the United States, and the maternal grandparents, James and Susan Stott, of England, also crossed the Atlantic, and became resi- dents of Chester county, Penn., where the grand- father followed weaving. They had nine children : John; Joseph ; James ; Ellis, the only one to locate in Greene township, Pike county; William; George ; Sarah, wife of John Gleddle; Ellen, who married John Gledhill, and remained in England; and Mary, the mother our subject.

Samuel . Banks, our subject's father, came on the home farm with his parents, and in his younger days followed cabinet making and school teaching in Greene township, but later turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He was a man of prominence in his community and held a number of township offices, including those of school director and poor master. He died in 1889, at the age of sixty-five years, his wife in February, 1894, at the age of seventy years and one month, and both were laid to rest in the Greentown cemetery, Pike county. They were active and faithful members of Hemlock Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mr. Banks was one of the organizers, and he was also a licensed exhorter in the Church. The children born to this worthy couple were Sarah, deceased ; George H., of this sketch ; Mary A., widow of Ernest Smith, and a resident of Dreher township, Wayne county ; and William J., who married Matilda Rohmer and lives

579

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

on the old homestead in Greene township, Pike county.

Until he attained his majority, George H. Banks remained on the home farm and aided his father in its improvement and cultivation. The edu- cation he had acquired in the public schools he sup- plemented at the age of twenty-three by attending a private school taught by Prof. J. F. Dooley. Since then he has successfully engaged in teaching, in connection with his farming operations. His polit- ical support is always given the principles of the Republican party, and for several years he most efficiently served his fellow citizens in the capacity of township clerk.

At Nobletown, Penn., June 10, 1880, Mr. Banks was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth K. Kipp, who was born in Greene township, Pike county, August 1, 1859, a daughter of John Kipp. Five children graced this union : Florence I .; Sam- tel L .; Mabel M .; Rapha G., who died in 1898; and Myrtle G.

MOSES VAN GORDEN BRISCO is a true type of the energetic, hardy and industrious citizens who make up the agricultural population of Pike county, and for several years he was postmaster at Delaware, in what has been known for half a cen- tury as the half-way house between Port Jervis, N. Y., and Stroudsburg, Penn.

Mr. Brisco was born September 25, 1860, on the old Van Gorden homestead, in Lehman town- ship, two miles from his present home, and is a son of James D. and Elizabeth (Van Gorden) Brisco, also natives of Pike county. The father was born in Milford, in October, 1834, and died May 6, 1895, being laid to rest in Delaware cemetery, Dingmans Ferry. The mother was born in Lehman town- ship, May 12, 1832, and now finds a pleasant home with our subject. The father gave his political sup- port to the Democracy, and was honored with sev- eral township offices. Our subject is the eldest in a family of three children, the others being: Mary O., wife of H. M. Hornbeck, who conducts a board- ing house at Culbert Gap, N. J. ; and Harry L., who married Jennie Hornbeck, and is a stone mason at Dingmans Ferry. The paternal grandparents of our subject were Hugh and Sarah (McCarty) Brisco, natives of Dublin, Ireland, and Pike county, Penn., respectively. About 1800 the former came to the New World and took up his residence in Milford, Pike county, where he followed the stone- mason's trade. Both he and his wife died in that county. His brother, who had accompanied him on his emigration to America, died shortly after his arrival here. The children of Hugh Brisco were: Patrick, who married Matilda Van Gorden, and is now a stonemason of Milton, N. Y .; James D., father of our subject ; Louise, wife of Edward Gib- bons; Margaret, a resident of New York State; Mary, deceased wife of Louis Benedict; Jane, who died unmarried; and Elizabeth, a resident of Gulf Summit, New York.

In 1869 Moses V. Brisco accompanied his par- ents, on their removal to his present farm in Leh- man township, which the father rented for four years, after which the family lived in Westfall township, Pike county, for thirteen months, and for one year at Milford. Returning to the farm in Leh- man township April 1, 1876, the father purchased the place, and here our subject has since made his home, having purchased the interests of the other heirs since the father's death. He has always engaged in agricultural pursuits, and is recognized as a most thorough and skillful farmer. On Novem- ber 24, `1895, in Lehman township, he married Miss Cornelia Cortright, a daughter of William Cort- right, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere.

In his political views, Mr. Brisco is a stanch Democrat, and since casting his first vote, on attain- ing his majority, he has held some office. For four- teen years he most acceptably served as postmaster at Delaware, and on resigning in 1896 his wife was appointed to the same position. He has also been auditor and supervisor of his township, and recently has been elected for his fourth term as collector, having filled that office for the past ten years. His official duties have been discharged with the utmost promptness and fidelity, and his career has ever been such as to commend him to the confidence and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact. In religion he is a Presbyterian.

FREDERICK DREYER, a leading merchant tailor of Matamoras, is one of the enterprising and progressive citizens of Pike county. Though born on the other side of the Atlantic he is thoroughly American in thought and feeling, and is patriotic and sincere in his love for the "Stars and Stripes." For almost a quarter of a century his career has been identified with that of Matamoras, where he has acquired a comfortable competence, and where he is an honored and respected citizen.

Ludwig Dreyer, our subject's father, was born in Hanover, Germany, about 1787, and during his . youth learned the tanner's trade, which he followed in his native kingdom throughout his entire life. His father, Henry Dreyer, was a brewer by trade, and worked at the same until well advanced in years. Ludwig Dreyer married Miss Margaret Rolfingmeyer, also a native of Hanover, and a daughter of Frederick Rolfingmeyer, who was born in Prussia. Frederick is the eldest of their six children, the others being: Charlotte, now the widow of Frederick Beckman, of Cincinnati, Ohio; George, who died at the age of nine years ; Louisa, widow of Jacob Kloepper, of Berlin, Germany ; Henry, a farmer of Quincy, Mich .; and Ludwig, who was killed at the age of five years.

Frederick Dreyer was born February 27, 1835, in Hanover, Germany, where he grew to manhood, and for five and one-half years he was a member of the German army. In his native land he also learned the tailor's trade, and at the age of twenty- six went to London, England, where he followed

550

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

that occupation for four years. There he was mar- nul November 16, 1862, to Miss Elizabeth Swindel, a native of that country, and soon afterward they emigrated to America, locating in New York City, where he worked at his trade for nearly five years. They then returned to London, where the wife died, and the only son born of this union died in infancy. The daughter, Alvena, born January 16, 1870, is now the wife of Michael Uch, a butcher of Matamoras. Penn., and they have three children : Maggie and Mary (twins), born September 6, 1801: and Frederick Michael, born May 28, 1898. Mr. Dreyer was again married in London, Eng- land. August 25, 1872, his second union being with Miss Maria Veil, who was born in Wurtemberg, Germany. September 1, 1838.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 136

Author: Publication date: 1900 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 2390

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 2390