Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 183

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 183
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 183
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 183
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 183

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Albert F. and Rebecca (Shaffer) Harwood, his parents, are natives of Massachusetts, and Wayne county, Penn., respectively, and now make their. home in Gravity, where the father is engaged in agricultural pursuits. He is a stanch Democrat in politics, and has most efficiently served in a number of local offices. Of the Methodist Protestant Church he and his wife are members, and they are held in high regard by all who know them on ac- count of their sterling worth and many excellencies of character. Both are about fifty-six years of age. Harry H. is the eldest of their children; Charles M. comes next ; Clara is the wife of J. D. Kizer, Jr., a farmer and lumberman of Lackawanna county, Penn. ; Bessie is the wife of M. M. Abbey, a farmer of Salem, Wayne county; and John. The father has made his home in Wayne county since the age of seven years, having first located near Honesdale. The paternal grandparents, Hastings and Roxana (Greene) Harwood, spent their entire lives in Mas- sachusetts, while the maternal grandparents, Sam- tel and Mary A. (Curtis) Shaffer, were natives of Germany and early settlers of Wayne county.

In Port Jervis, N. Y., March 13, 1892, Harry H. Harwood was united in marriage with Miss Florence Griffiths, and to them have been born two children: Harold and Eva. Mrs. Harwood was born in Jermyn, Lackawanna Co., Penn., May 20, 1877. Her father, Daniel Griffiths, was born in Wales, June 21, 1854, and when a child of six years was brought to America by his parents, Daniel and Christiana ( Watkins) Griffiths, who located at Belle- vue, Penn. The grandfather, who was a miner by occupation, died June 15, 1896, aged sixty-four years, and his widow now makes her home in Jermyn. Daniel Griffiths, Jr., was married at Jer- myn, January 22, 1876, to Miss Ada Smith, who was born in Scott, Penn., in October, 1853. Her parents are Jabez and Jane (Stewart) Smith, the former a native of New York State, the latter of Scott, Penn., where they now make their home. Mr. Smith is a farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Griffiths

live in Clinton township, Wayne county, and he is now in the employ of the Gravity railroad. In re- ligious belief they are Baptists. Their children are Florence, wife of our subject; Walter (deceased) ; and Crissie, Roy and Pearl, all at home with their parents.

During his boyhood and youth Mr. Harwood attended the public schools, and assisted his father in the work of the farm, remaining under the pa- rental roof until he was married at the age of twenty- four. He then worked in the lumber woods of Pike county, Penn., for three years, and in 1895 built the Waymart steam flouring mill, which was well equipped, but which on October 4, 1898, was entirely destroyed by fire. He is now engaged in the man- ufacture of lumber at Shady Springs, Raleigh Co., W. Va. Socially he affiliates with the I. O. O. F., of South Canaan, and the I. O. H., of Waymart, while politically he is identified with the Democratic party.

WILLIAM D. KELLAM, one of the brave "boys in blue," whose devotion to his country was tested on many a Southern battlefield, is now pro- prietor of Rock Glen farm, one of the most hos- pitable homes in Buckingham township, Wayne county. He was born in Manchester township, same county, August 18, 1840, and is a grandson of John Kellam, one of its honored pioneers, who in an early day was well known all along the Dela- ware river. He died in Manchester township.

Amid pioneer scenes, Larkin Kellam ( father of our subject), grew to manhood, and throughout his business career engaged in farming, working in the lumber woods and rafting on the Delaware river. At Hawkins, Sullivan Co., N. Y., he married Miss Malinda Dunn, who belonged to an old and highly- respected family of that county, and they became the parents of eight children, seven sons and one daughter, namely: William D .; Sandreth E., a vet- eran of the Civil war, and a resident of Bucking- ham township, Wayne county; Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Lester, of Warren county, Penn .; Ed, of Manchester township, Wayne county ; Chauncey and Chester, both of Warren county; and John and Charles, who died in childhood. The father died at the age of fifty-five years, and the mother, who was a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, passed away aged seventy-six years. He was a highly-esteemed citizen of his community, and a supporter of the Republican party.

William D. Kellam attended school for only a few months during the winter season, the remain- der of the year being spent in work upon the farm, in the lumber woods or at rafting on the Delaware. Soon after attaining his majority he enlisted in December, 1861, in Company L, 56th N. Y. V. I., on President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers. He was in the Peninsular campaign under Gen. McClellan, was in the battle of Yorktown, the seven days' fight, and the engagements at Hampton Cross Roads. For a time he was a member of Gen. Neg-

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ley's brigade, and was on picket duty in front of Richmond. At Honey Hill he assisted in destroy- ing the railroad, and was with the troops when they fell back from Richmond to Ilarrison's Landing, W. Va. From Williamsburg he went to Fortress Monroe, later took part in the battle of Hilton Head, Morris Island, and for a time was under Gen. Gilmore in the siege of Forts Wagner and Sumter. When his three-years' term expired, Mr. Kellam enlisted as a veteran, and after thirty days' furlough spent at home, he re-joined his regiment, and re- mained in the service until the war ended, being honorably discharged at Ilart's Island, in the fall of 1865. Being taken ill with fever and ague he was confined in a hospital at Beaufort, S. C .; he also received a rupture in the service from which he has never recovered.

For twenty years after his return from the army Mr. Kellam successfully engaged in lumber- ing and jobbing in timber, and also in rafting on the Delaware river. In 1882 he purchased Rock Glenn Farm in Buckingham township, comprising eighty acres of good land, improved with substantial buildings, including a comfortable residence and barn with a rock basement.

On December 18, 1877, Mr. Kellam married Miss Millie Layton, a bright, witty woman, very popular in society, who was reared and educated in Manchester township, Wayne county. Her grandfather, Charles Layton (deceased), was of Scottish descent, and was a pioneer of Sullivan county, N. Y., where both he and his wife died. She bore the maiden name of Sallie Ross. David Layton ( father of Mrs. Kellam), was born in Sulli- van county, N. Y., and was married to Loretta Bil- lings, daughter of William Billings, Jr., and grand- daughter of William Billings, Sr., who was a Revo- lutionary soldier, and whose wife lived to the ex- treme old age of one hundred and four years. Mrs. Kellam is one of a family of sixteen children, namely : Eliza (deceased) ; John, who served as a soldier in the Civil war, and is now a resident of Hornellsville, N. Y. ; William, of Manchester town- ship, Wayne county; Jacob (deceased) ; Charles, of Manchester township; Sallie and Mrs. Margaret Bush (both deceased) ; Mrs. Hannah Lester, of Manchester township; Mrs. Maria Teiple (de- ceased ) ; Mrs. Millie Kellam ; Mrs. Thursey Reifler, of Scranton, Penn .; Joseph, of Manchester town- ship, who was a Union soldier; David, of Man- chester township ; Curtiss, of Newburg, N. Y. ; Mrs. Loretta Thomas, of Stockport, Wayne county ; and one who died in infancy. The father of this fam- ily engaged in farming and lumbering, and his po- litical support was always given to the men and measures of the Democratic party. Both he and his wife were earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and were worthy and honored citizens of the community where they made their home. He died at the age of sixty-seven, his wife at the age of fifty-one years.

Socially, Mr. Kellam is identified with Scudder

Post No. 340, G. A. R., and Lake Como Lodge No. 965, I. O. O. F., while politically he is an ardent supporter of Republican principles. He and his wife attend the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in social circles occupy an enviable position, their genial, pleasant manners winning them many friends.

LAUREN A. CURTIS, a prominent and in- fluential citizen of Scott township, Wayne county, was born July II, 1864, and is a son of William Curtis, a native of Cornwall, England, born Octo- ber 16, 1816, a son of John Curtis. In 1830 William Curtis came to the United States, and for some time followed boating on the Delaware & Hudson canal. After locating in Scott township, Wayne county, he was married in 1840, to Miss. Sarah Smith, who was born in that township, in 1821. At the time her father, Uriah Smith, located in the northern portion of Wayne county, it was al- most an unbroken wilderness, wolves, bears, pan- thers and other wild beasts being numerous. He was a native of Long Island, and was a Methodist in religious belief.

After his marriage William Curtis located on the site of the present homestead, which originally contained 147 acres, but to it he later added a sixty- three-acre tract. Upon the place he erected a good residence, large barns, and made other substantial improvements, which add greatly to its value and at- tractive appearance, making it one of the best farms in Scott township. For nearly forty years he con- tinued to engage in lumbering and farming, and accumulated a goodly amount of this world's goods. He was a man of wonderful endurance, persever- ance and thrift, and the success which came to him was but the just reward of his own untiring labors. Politically he was an unswerving Demo- crat, and, being highly esteemed by his fellow citi- zens, he was elected by them to many offices of trust in his township. He died in the faith of the Method- ist Church ; his widow, who is also a member of that Church, is making her home in Sherman, Pennsyl- vania.

To this worthy couple were born eleven chil- dren, as follows: Hattie E., wife of Samuel Leas, Carbondale, Penn. ; Mary A., wife of Samuel Sandy, of Philadelphia ; John Dwight, a resident of Ohio; Lewis Perry, who married Clara Howell, and died in December, 1887; William O., of Sherman, Penn .; Wesley L., of Valona Springs, N. Y .; Francis U., who died on the old homestead, January 27, 1885 ; Adeline S., wife of J. H. Smith, of Sherman ; Charles R., who wedded Mary Haggerty ; Rosa E., wife of E. E. Squire, of Deposit, N. Y .; and Lauren A., the subject of this sketch. Mary A. and Rosa E. were both successful teachers in the common schools of Wayne county.

Lauren A. Curtis was provided with excellent educational privileges, having attended the graded schools in Starrucca, Wayne county, the Pleasant Mount Academy, and the Normal School at Millers-

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ville, Penn. For several years he was a popular and successful teacher of Scott and Buckingham townships, Wayne county, but now he devotes his time principally to his agricultural interests, own- ing and operating the old homestead in Scott town- ship, where his entire life has been passed. He is a progressive, energetic farmer, and is a business man of known reliability. In 1889 he was married to Miss Josephine Weed, a native of Winwood, Wayne county, who also received a part of her education in the graded schools of Starrucca, and for a time followed teaching. Her parents are Joseph and Susan (Sanford) Weed, the former a native of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis had two inter- esting children : Howard J., born January 6, 1891 ; and Homer L., who was born January 6, 1895, and died March 17, 1897.

As a representative and leading citizen of his township, Mr. Curtis takes an active part in all movements tending to the welfare and advancement of the people of the community. He is an active worker in the interests of the Democratic party, and has frequently represented his township in the con- ventions of Wayne county. He now holds the office of county auditor, is secretary of the Wayne County Farmers' Alliance, and for years has been a member of the school board. Socially he belongs to Lake Como Lodge, I. O. O. F., and in religious faith he and his wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. [Since the above was written Mr. Curtis has sold his farm in Scott township, Wayne Co., Penn., and moved into New York State, about forty miles from his old home. ]

WILLIAM E. CORCORAN, a well-known and prominent citizen of Oregon township, Wayne county, is engaged in farming in all its branches, but pays particular attention to dairying and stock raising. He was born in Plattsburg, N. Y., No- vember 24, 1827, a son of Peter Corcoran, who was born in 1780, in Kings county, Ireland, where he grew to manhood and married Eliza- beth Fleury, also a native of that county. In May, 1827, they came to America, landing at Quebec, Canada, and located in Plattsburg, N. Y., whence they later removed to Albany and subsequently to Troy, where the father died in 1833. William E. is the youngest of their children; Margaret (now deceased) was the wife of Elijah Bartlett, of Troy, N. Y .; Mary is the widow of John Conran, of Cohoes, N. Y .; Ann ( deceased) was the wife of Hugh McCord, of Troy; James was for the long period of thirty years postmaster at Georgetown, Conn., and now resides in Waterbury, that State; and Elizabeth married Michael Horan, of Troy, and died leaving a family of eight children.

William E. Corcoran was reared in northeast- ern New York, attending the public schools of Cohoes and Troy to a limited extent. At the age of ten years he was forced to begin the battle of life for himself, finding employment in a tobacco factory in Troy, where he worked for nearly two years.

Then for some years he lived in private families, where he worked for his board and attended school. Subsequently he clerked in a grocery store in Troy for three years; but wishing to be the master of a trade, he apprenticed himself to a carpenter, under whom he served for four years, and he later worked at that occupation in New York City and on Staten Island.

Returning to Troy, Mr. Corcoran was married there on September 26, 1853, to Miss Ellen M. Doyle, by Father Rinaldo, an Italian priest. She was born April 3, 1834, a daughter of Louis and Judith (Gorman) Doyle, both natives of County Kildare, Ireland, the former born January 1, 1808, the latter on February 15, 1798. After their mar- riage they emigrated to the United States and located in Troy, N. Y., where their children were born, namely: Louis, who died in infancy ; Mary (deceased) ; Ellen, wife of our subject; and Louis John, who died in New York City.

To Mr. and Mrs. Corcoran were born the fol- lowing children: Mary A., born July 9, 1854, died September 26, 1896; Julia A., born October II, 1855, died at the age of two weeks ; John, born Sep- tember 14, 1856, is married and resides in Oregon township, Wayne county ; Judith, born January 16, 1858, is at home; Louis Philip, born August 17, 1859, is a farmer living near Boise City, Idaho; Eilzabeth. born June 21, 1861, lives in New York City ; Peter Joseph, born November 5, 1862, is a blacksmith of Scranton, Penn .; William Edward, born December 5, 1864, is foreman in a glass-cutting shop in New York City, and resides in Brooklyn; James, born February 21, 1866, died March I, 1885; Francis, born April 4, 1869, died May 4, 1869; Ellen P., born June 5, 1870, is the wife of Thomas Spillam, of Mayfield, N. Y .; Margaret Ann, born August 2, 1872, is successfully engaged in teaching in Oregon township; Theresa Matilda, born January 22, 1875, is at home, and teaching one of the township schools ; and Robert V., born March 27, 1879, is at home.

After his marriage, Mr. Corcoran worked at his trade in Troy for two years, and then came to Honesdale, Wayne Co., Penn. In the fall of 1855 he located upon his present farm in Oregon town- ship, and to agricultural pursuits has since devoted his attention with most gratifying results. Though his school privileges were limited, he has by close observation and constant reading become one of the best informed men of the township, and is a sub- scriber of many weekly and monthly publications of merit. Since casting his first presidential vote for Franklin Pierce, he has been an ardent supporter of the Democratic party, but at local elections votes independent of party lines, casting his ballot for the men whom he believes best qualified to fill the offices. He has never aspired to political hon- ors, though he has efficiently served as a member of the school board. A gentleman of integrity and sterling worth, he has pursued the even tenor of his way as an honest man and good citizen, and

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commands the respect of all who know him. He and his family are all communicants of the Catho- lic Church.

DANIEL E. DRAKE, M. D., is engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in Equinunk, Wayne county, and has that love for and devotion to his profession which has brought to him success, and won for him a place among the ablest representa- tives of the medical fraternity in Wayne county.

Born at Loomis, Delaware Co., N. Y., in June, 1864, our subject is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Deutalier) Drake. The father was a native of the same county, born near the town of Hobart, and was a son of Joshua and Mary Drake, representatives of old and prominent families of Connecticut. For several years after his marriage, the father of our subject worked at the blacksmith's trade in Broome county, N. Y., and then returned to Delaware coun- ty, locating first in the village of Little York, and a few years later on a farm, where he spent his re- maining days, dying October 26, 1891. His wife was called to her final rest in 1884.

Of the six children of the family, the first four were born in Broome county, the other two in Dela- ware county, N. Y. (1) Mary, born May 1, 1847, was educated in the public schools of Broome and Delaware counties, and is now the wife of George Niles, of Trout Creek, Delaware county, by whom she had three children ; Berton and Ismay, still liv- ing, and Althea (deceased). (2) Charles, born in 1851, married Anna Howes, of Delaware county, and had two children; Leverne and Mildred. In 1878 he was seriously injured by slipping from a load of hay, and died a few days later. (3) James B., born in 1853, completed his literary education at the Walt- on (N. Y.) Academy, and for some time engaged in teaching in the public schools of Delaware and Broome counties. After attending medical lectures at Baltimore, Md., he graduated with the degree of M. D., in 1882, and is now a prominent practicing physician of Hancock, N. Y. He married Margaret Ronk, of Binghamton, N. Y., and has had four children: Charles, Roscoe, Alta (deceased) and Gladys. (4) Ella A., born in 1856, was educated in the public schools of Delaware county, and is now the wife of Horace J. Howes, a farmer of Walton, that county, by whom she had three children, Samuel J and Eva, living ; and Jessie, who died at the age of eight years. (5) Marietta E., born in 1861, received a common-school education, and married Clifford A. Bundy, of Otsego county, N. Y., where he died in 1891, leaving a widow and one daughter, Prudy. One child died in infancy.

In the county of his nativity Dr. Drake received the rudiments of his education, and also became familiar with farm work upon the old homestead. After attending the graded schools of Hancock, in 1885, he commenced the study of medicine with his brother, and later attended medical lectures at the University of Vermont, where he graduated with the degree of M. D., in 1889. Immediately after-

ward he opened an office in Equinunk, where he soon succeeded in building up a large and paying practice. Being a progressive member of his pro- fession, he keeps abreast of the latest discoveries and theories by his perusal of medical journals. His skill and ability are attested by the liberal patronage which he now enjoys.

In 1890 Dr. Drake was united in marriage with Miss Belle Walley, of Deposit, N. Y., a daughter of John and Almira Walley, prominent people of that village. The Doctor and his wife have two children, both born in Equinunk: Leonore E., born July 14, 1893 ; and Leo B., born December 31, 1896. The family have a beautiful home near the banks of the Delaware river, on the Como road, it being a corner lot, and formerly the property of L. W. Lord, Dr. Drake having purchased it in 1892. It is the center of a cultured society circle, the Doctor and his wife being numbered among the most refined and highly educated people of the village. They are leading members of the Methodist Episcopal Church; po- litically, he is identified with the Democratic party.

FRANK S. GREEN, who is now holding the responsible position of foreman of the Equinunk Chemical Works at Equinunk, Wayne county, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., in November, 1853, a son of Edwin and Phœbe (Fuller) Green, the former a native of Ontario, Canada, and the latter of Dela- ware county, N. Y. They were married and con- tinued to reside in Buffalo until the gold excitement of 1857, when the father left for the gold fields of California, but ere he reached his destination was shipwrecked and lost, leaving a widow and two children in Buffalo.

Flora, the only daughter, was born in that city in 1856, but was principally reared and educated in Downsville, Delaware Co., N. Y. She married James Paul, of that county, and after living for a few years in Colchester, Delaware county, they re- moved to Hall county, Neb., in the spring of 1875, where he purchased a large amount of government land by the homestead law and soldier's pre-emp- tion. He has improved his land, and now owns some very valuable real estate. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Paul, namely: Frank, Genevieve, Edith and Gladys, who are all living; and Nettie, Esther and DeWitt, who died in child- hood. The mother of our subject accompanied her daughter Flora on her removal to Nebraska, and since the latter's death, in 1886, she has made her home with her grandchildren, being now sixty-six years of age.

The boyhood and youth of Frank S. Green were passed in Delaware county, N. Y., where he attended the common schools until fourteen years of age, when he started. out to fight life's battles for himself, being employed at first in lumbering in New York and Pennsylvania. Going south in 1875, he located on a large plantation near the Weldon rail- road, in Virginia, where he engaged in raising to- bacco, corn and sweet potatoes, but his crops being

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a failure, he returned north, and for two years worked at the carpenter's trade in Delaware coun- ty, N. Y. In 1879 he contracted with Rufus Broughton for putting in logs on the . Delaware river, and was thus employed until his marriage.

In 1880 Mr. Green married Miss Nettie Se- cord, of Delaware county, N. Y., a daughter of Joshua and Sarah A. Secord, the former a pioneer lumberman of that county. In the Secord family were the following children: Cordelia, now the wife of Tunis Misner, of Delaware county ; Geor- giana, wife of John Staib, of the same county ; Clayton, Thomas and Irvine, who are all married and living in Delaware county ; Florence and Ed- win, who are still single; Julia and Lela, who died in childhood ; and Nettie, wife of our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Green have four children: Grace, born in Hancock, N. Y., in 1880; Willie Everett, born in Colchester, N. Y., in 1882; and Annie Maud L., born in Colchester, in 1884, all three attending the schools of Equinunk; and Waldron Secord, born in Equinunk in 1895, completes the family.

Upon his farm in Colchester, Delaware Co., N. Y., Mr. and Mrs. Green began their domestic life, and in 1885 removed to Hancock, same county, where he learned the business of acid making in the Buckley Chemical Works, being made foreman of that establishment in 1888, and serving as such un- til coming to Equinunk in 1892. He has since had full charge of the Equinunk Chemical Works, and in its management has displayed excellent business ability. He has the entire confidence and respect of his employers, which are well merited, as he most faithfully discharges the duties of his responsible position .. Being a strong temperance man, Mr. Green always uses his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Prohibition party. He and his wife are active and prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Equinunk, take great interest in the Epworth League, and do all within their power to promote the moral and material welfare of their adopted village. Their true worth being widely recognized, they enjoy the hospitality of the best homes in Equinunk, and have become the center of a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

EDWARD HACKER, a general farmer re- siding in Cherry Ridge township, Wayne county, is a self-made man who, without extraordinary fam- ily or pecuniary advantages at the commencement of life, has battled earnestly and energetically, and by indomitable courage and integrity has achieved both character and fortune. By sheer force of will and untiring effort he has worked his way upward, and is now the owner of a fine farm of 100 acres.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 183

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