Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 191

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 191
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 191
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 191
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 191


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).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138 | Part 139 | Part 140 | Part 141 | Part 142 | Part 143 | Part 144 | Part 145 | Part 146 | Part 147 | Part 148 | Part 149 | Part 150 | Part 151 | Part 152 | Part 153 | Part 154 | Part 155 | Part 156 | Part 157 | Part 158 | Part 159 | Part 160 | Part 161 | Part 162 | Part 163 | Part 164 | Part 165 | Part 166 | Part 167 | Part 168 | Part 169 | Part 170 | Part 171 | Part 172 | Part 173 | Part 174 | Part 175 | Part 176 | Part 177 | Part 178 | Part 179 | Part 180 | Part 181 | Part 182 | Part 183 | Part 184 | Part 185 | Part 186 | Part 187 | Part 188 | Part 189 | Part 190 | Part 191 | Part 192 | Part 193 | Part 194 | Part 195 | Part 196 | Part 197 | Part 198 | Part 199 | Part 200 | Part 201 | Part 202 | Part 203 | Part 204 | Part 205 | Part 206 | Part 207 | Part 208 | Part 209 | Part 210 | Part 211 | Part 212 | Part 213 | Part 214 | Part 215 | Part 216 | Part 217 | Part 218 | Part 219 | Part 220 | Part 221 | Part 222 | Part 223 | Part 224 | Part 225 | Part 226 | Part 227 | Part 228 | Part 229 | Part 230 | Part 231 | Part 232 | Part 233 | Part 234 | Part 235 | Part 236 | Part 237 | Part 238 | Part 239 | Part 240 | Part 241 | Part 242 | Part 243 | Part 244 | Part 245 | Part 246 | Part 247 | Part 248 | Part 249 | Part 250 | Part 251 | Part 252 | Part 253 | Part 254 | Part 255 | Part 256 | Part 257 | Part 258 | Part 259 | Part 260 | Part 261 | Part 262 | Part 263 | Part 264 | Part 265 | Part 266 | Part 267 | Part 268 | Part 269 | Part 270 | Part 271 | Part 272 | Part 273 | Part 274 | Part 275 | Part 276 | Part 277 | Part 278 | Part 279 | Part 280 | Part 281 | Part 282 | Part 283 | Part 284 | Part 285 | Part 286 | Part 287 | Part 288 | Part 289 | Part 290 | Part 291 | Part 292 | Part 293 | Part 294 | Part 295 | Part 296 | Part 297 | Part 298 | Part 299 | Part 300 | Part 301 | Part 302 | Part 303 | Part 304 | Part 305 | Part 306 | Part 307 | Part 308 | Part 309 | Part 310 | Part 311 | Part 312 | Part 313 | Part 314 | Part 315 | Part 316 | Part 317 | Part 318 | Part 319 | Part 320 | Part 321 | Part 322 | Part 323 | Part 324 | Part 325 | Part 326 | Part 327 | Part 328 | Part 329 | Part 330 | Part 331 | Part 332 | Part 333 | Part 334 | Part 335 | Part 336 | Part 337 | Part 338 | Part 339 | Part 340 | Part 341 | Part 342 | Part 343 | Part 344 | Part 345 | Part 346 | Part 347 | Part 348 | Part 349 | Part 350 | Part 351 | Part 352 | Part 353 | Part 354 | Part 355 | Part 356 | Part 357 | Part 358 | Part 359 | Part 360 | Part 361 | Part 362 | Part 363 | Part 364 | Part 365 | Part 366 | Part 367 | Part 368 | Part 369 | Part 370 | Part 371 | Part 372 | Part 373 | Part 374 | Part 375 | Part 376 | Part 377 | Part 378 | Part 379 | Part 380 | Part 381 | Part 382 | Part 383 | Part 384 | Part 385 | Part 386 | Part 387 | Part 388 | Part 389 | Part 390 | Part 391 | Part 392 | Part 393 | Part 394 | Part 395 | Part 396 | Part 397 | Part 398 | Part 399 | Part 400 | Part 401 | Part 402 | Part 403 | Part 404 | Part 405 | Part 406 | Part 407 | Part 408 | Part 409 | Part 410 | Part 411 | Part 412 | Part 413 | Part 414 | Part 415 | Part 416 | Part 417 | Part 418 | Part 419 | Part 420 | Part 421 | Part 422 | Part 423 | Part 424 | Part 425 | Part 426 | Part 427 | Part 428 | Part 429 | Part 430


township; Hannah (deceased), married Charles Slutter, of Hamilton township; and Christine (de- ceased ) married Robert Daily, of Pocono township.


Frederick Doll, Mrs. Miller's father, was born in Jackson township, September 8, 1819, and there passed his entire life as a hard-working, honest and industrious man, highly respected by the en- tire community. When a young man he learned the cooper's trade, which he followed for many years, and at the same time cleared a tract of land, and in later years paid particular attention to farming. For many years before his death he was identified with the Republican party. When young he and his wife cast their lot with the Reformed Church, but the congregation was small, and they later be- came connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church. In Hamilton township, Monroe county, he was married, May 3, 1840, to Miss Mary Miller, a native of Chestnut Hill township, the ceremony being performed by Joseph B. Gross, D. D. He died January 14, 1898. Mrs. Doll, who was born February 6, 1823, died of dropsy January 20, 1899, aged seventy-six years. She was a most excellent wife, and a wise and Christian mother. Before her death she suffered with remarkable fortitude all that could be borne. "Truly her children can rise and call her blessed. May they all follow her teaching." Her grandfather, Jacob Miller, was born, reared and married in Pocono township, but spent much of his life in Jackson township. Her father, Jacob Miller, Jr., was a native of Jackson township, where he married Miss Pauline Kresge, a representative of one of the pioneer families of Chestnut Hill township, where some of its members still reside. For many years Mr. Miller followed farming in Chestnut Hill township, where his death occurred ; his wife died in Jackson township while on a visit. Mrs. Frederick Doll was the eldest of their children, the others being as follows: Samuel, a resident of Chestnut Hill township; Betsy, wife of Joseph Frantz, of Jackson township; Sally Ann, who married John Felker, of Jackson township, and died in 1890; Jacob (deceased) married (first). Betsy Houser, and ( second) Sarah Shoop, and lived in Jackson township; Joshua (deceased) lived in Chestnut Hill township; Jonas, a soldier of the Rebellion, was killed in the seven days fight in the Wilderness; Thomas is a farmer of Jackson town- ship; Hannah is the wife of William Smith, of Newfield, N. Y .; and Barbara lives with her sister in Newfield.


The children born to Frederick and Mary ( Miller) Doll were as follows : Uriah, born Septem- ber 23, 1841, was a farmer of Tompkins county, N. Y., where he died; Elizabeth, born December 27, 1845, is the wife of Jacob Kresge, of Jackson township; Mary Ann, born May II, 1848, married Louis Belsher, and died at Tobyhanna, Penn., in 1883 ; Catherine, born April 17, 1852, is the wife of Moses Ace, of Scranton, Penn .; Sarah Ann, born December 2, 1854, is the wife of Jacob Storm, of Jackson township; Jacob, born January 29, 1857,


812


COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.


and Jonah, born November 26, 1859, are both liv- ing in Jackson township; Emma, born December 20, 1862, is the wife of Harrison Miller, whose name introduces this review ; and James Wilmer, born July 5, 1865, married Martha Anglemoyer, and is engaged in farming on the old homestead in Jackson township.


CHARLES CURTIS SHAFFER. In the re- spect that is accorded to men who have made their way to success through an unfavorable environment, we find an unconscious recognition of the intrinsic worth of a character which can not only stand so rough a test, but can gain new strength through the cliscipline. The following history sets forth briefly the steps by which our subject, now a leading busi- ness man of Varden, Wayne county, succeeded in winning his present enviable place in life in spite of the fact that he was left an orphan in infancy, without any inheritance except his ability and energy.


Mr. Shaffer belongs to one of the pioneer fam- ilies of Wayne county, being a descendant of John Shaffer, a German by birth, who after residing for some years in Orange county, New York State, lo- cated, in 1783, in this section, in what is now South Canaan township, Wayne county, securing a large tract of forest land on Middle creek. This place he cleared for a homestead, living there in true pioneer style, and about the year 1800 he built a gristmill at what is still known as Shaffer's Hollow. The mill, though primitive, was the first in this section to have a bolt for bolting the meal and flour. The children of this worthy pioneer were: John, born in New York State, and who married a Miss Forbes ; Moses, the first white child born in South Canaan township, Wayne county, who married Mary Swin- gle ; Samuel, married to Rachel Wagner; Catherine, wife of James McLean, a Revolutionary soldier ; Susan ( Mrs. Joshua Borleigh) ; Effie (Mrs. Jacob Swingle ) : Betsey ( Mrs. Edward Boyle) ; and Polly, who married Samuel Chumard.


Moses Shaffer, the grandfather of our subject, was, in his day, one of the leading citizens of South Canaan township, and like all the members of this family he was always ready to furnish the best in- terests of the community. He married Mary Swingle, who belonged to another pioneer family of the same locality, and they had the following chil- dren: (1) Jacob, who married Susan Enslin (both are deceased) ; (2) Susan, who married (first) Ja- cob Swingle, and ( second) Moses Springer, all now deceased ; (3) Sarah, who married John Cobb (both are deceased ) ; (4) Samuel, who married ( first) Re- becca Jaggers, deceased, and ( second ) Mary A. Curtis ; (5) Charles, the father of our subject ; (6) Fannie, deceased wife of Aaron Curtis, a retired resident of South Canaan township; (7) Permilla, who married Adam Wagner, of Waymart; (8) John, who mar- ried Mary A. Hoosier (both are now deceased) ; (9) Catherine, who married James Glenn (both are now deceased) ; (10) Mary, now the widow of Abra-


ham Jaggers, of South Canaan township; (II) Syl- vester, who married Hannah Swingle, and resides in Lake township, Wayne county ; and (12) Hannah J., wife of Rev. George Washington Swingle, of South Canaan township.


Charles Shaffer, the father of our subject, was born in South Canaan township, and in early man- hood engaged in business there as a miller and farmer. He died March 6, 1841, at the age of twenty-eight, his death cutting short a promising career. His wife, whose maiden name was Alice Bennett, died April 9, 1841, aged twenty-two, and the remains of both were interred in the cemetery in South Canaan township. She was a daughter of Francis and Esther (Daniels) Bennett, and her father, who was born in Connecticut, settled in Paupack, Wayne county, in the early days. Her paternal grandparents, Lemuel and Anna (Chap- man) Daniels, were also natives of Connecticut, and her grandfather, who was born in 1786, of English ancestry, was brought to Wayne county by his par- ents in pioneer times. Our subject was the youngest of three children, the others being: Dorinda, born May 17, 1836, died July 19, 1852 ; and Elijah, born December 12, 1839, resides at Dunmore, Penn., and is employed as a car inspector.


Charles C. Shaffer was born April 9, 1841, in South Canaan township. At his mother's death she gave him and the other children to different rela- tives: Dorinda to her parents; Elijah to her de- ceased husband's parents; and our subject to his Aunt Fannie, wife of Aaron Curtis, of Cherry Ridge township, Wayne county, who gave him the kind- ness and care of a mother. His time during boy- hood was mainly devoted to work upon the farm, his educational opportunities being restricted to a somewhat irregular attendance at the local schools. His active and eager mind was not satisfied with these privileges, and he determined to try to earn money for a course in a higher school by working in the woods at peeling bark when he could find time from his tasks on the farm. By this means he se- cured, in 1860, funds for one term in the Honesdale Normal School, then conducted by Prof. Briggs. As he was residing near the present site of Clemo, and had to walk five miles to Honesdale, there were still many difficulties to overcome, and at times, owing to bad weather, he was unable to attend at all. He made good use of his time, however, at the end of the term obtaining a teacher's certificate, and he took charge of a school in South Canaan township. After three terms as a teacher, he, in February, 1864, entered the Quartermaster's department of the En- gineer Brigade, under Brig .- Gen. Rufus Ingalls, and served until discharged in March, 1865. In June, 1865, he rented a building at Varden from Butler Swan, putting in a planing-mill plant, and began the manufacture of lumber, his capital at the time amounting to about $500. During the following winter, finding that Mr. Swan desired to sell, he borrowed $1,350, and purchased the plant. He has ever since carried on business there with a con-


66 Shaffer


813


COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.


stantly growing trade, and has made extensive im- provements in the property. Mr. Shaffer is pleasing in manner and interesting in conversation, and he is not only prominent in business circles, but he is much esteemed socially. He is a member of the Method- ist Church at South Canaan; in politics he is a Re- publican, but he does not aim at official honors.


On October 17, 1865, he was married at Haw- ley, Wayne county, by Rev. C. V. Arnold, a Method- ist minister, to Miss Henrietta C. Lamberton, and the following children have blessed the union: Alice M., born July 17, 1867, died February 27, 1871 ; Caroline, born February 27, 1869, is a trained nurse ; Frances G., born September 29, 1872, is a teacher ; and Elizabeth E., born August 14, 1883, is at home. Mrs. Shaffer was born March 25, 1846, at Hudson, N. Y., a daughter of Reuben and Maria (Van Housen) Lamberton.


ALEXANDER S. GOULD (deceased) was one of the foremost citizens of Monroe county. His father was a man of large business affairs, and Alexander inherited and conducted a portion of these vested interests. He married a young lady who represented one of the oldest and best known families of the county, and about whose ancestral residence, which she now occupies, there clusters a rich and extended historical scene. Perhaps no edifice in the county was better known than the old mansion of Judge Merwine, the father-in-law of our subject. It is shadowed beneath the memories of a century, and is now a land mark of more than pass- ing interest.


Alexander S. Gould was born at Hickory Run, Carbon Co., Penn., July 29, 1839, a son of Ste- phen' and Temperance (Sax) Gould. Stephen Gould was born on the plain above the city of Wilkes Barre; his wife was born at Tuckers, Lu- zerne county. Stephen, who was a son of Isaac and Sarah (Worden) Gould, became the owner of a large lumber tract of land at Buena Vista and Hickory Run, and one of the most extensive lum- berman and wealthy residents of that region. Dur- ing the latter years of his life he gradually shifted to the shoulders of his two sons the responsibili- ties of the business, and with wisdom lived a re- tired life at Allentown. The family of Stephen and Temperance Gould consisted of the following children : Eliza, who married Hiram Mellick, and is now deceased; Julia, wife of Samuel Christ, a lumberman of Lock Haven, Penn .; B. Franklin, a retired lumberman and broker of Philadelphia, Penn .; Anna, wife of D. H. Neiman, retired, of Easton, Penn .; Alexander S., subject of this sketch ; Ellen, who first married Andrew Bryan, and for her second husband wedded John Lemoine; Sadie, who married- Francis Troxwell, and is now deceased ; Emma, living in affluence at Williams- port, Penn .; and Alice, who married Hiram Mel- lick, and is now deceased.


The youth of Alexander S. Gould was spent among the thriving business interests of his father


at Hickory Run, and the responsibility of operat- ing the extensive sawmills soon became his and his brother Franklin's. Mr. Gould was married in November, 1865, at Easton, Penn., to Miss Emma V. Merwine, who was born in that stately old man- sion which she now occupies, and who is a daughter of Hon. John and Lydia (Shick) Merwine. Her great-grandfather was one of the first settlers of Monroe county, coming with his two brothers, and purchasing a large tract of land in what is now Monroe county, but was then incorporated within the limits of Northampton county. He built the first house on the property, and remained there through life. His son, Peter Merwine, was born in the present home of his granddaughter, Mrs. Gould, and married Susannah Denton, a native of Schoharie county, N. Y. Both died on Pocono Mt., Monroe county.


In the ancestral home, John Merwine, son of Peter Merwine, was born in 1806. Here he grew to manhood and here he became one of the most prominent men in this part of Pennsylvania. He became an associate judge of Monroe county, and was widely known as a brilliant and able judge, and as one of the best educated men in the county. His education was largely self acquired, and was of a practical character. For a full half century Judge Merwine conducted a hotel at the old home- stead, and travelers distinguished and obscure, who a half century ago journeyed westward through the country, learned of the famous hostelry and en- joyed its hospitality. Judge Merwine was also postmaster for many years. In politics he was a Democrat. He remained in the historic mansion until his death in 1882, when he was eighty-two years old. He had married Miss Lydia Shick, who survived him nine years, dying in 1893 at the age of eighty-seven years. The children of John and Lydia Merwine were as follows : Lucinda, who married Stephen Danner, and is now deceased ; Franklin, a resident of Florida; Sylvester, of Phila- delphia; Sophia, who died unmarried; Anna D., who married Dr. George Seip, and is now deceased ; Oliver, who lives a retired life in Chestnut Hill township; and Emma V., widow of our subject.


To Alexander S. and Emma V. Gould have been born the following children: Cyrus H., at home ; Walter M., who married Carrie Kresge, and resides on the old homestead ; Claude C., in Phila- delphia ; and Minnie M., Gladius and Helen B., deceased.


Until 1876 Mr. Gould continued to conduct his extensive lumbering interests at Hickory Run, Carbon county. He then removed to the home where his widow and three sons now reside, and here he was engaged in mercantile pursuits until 1887, or two years prior to his death. His last two years he spent in ease and retirement from active life. Mr. Gould was a man of great force of char- acter. For ten years he had been the justice of the peace in Carbon county ; was a prominent member of the Reformed Church, in politics was a Republic-


814


COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.


an, and fraternally a member of the F. & A. M. and of the Temple of Honor. Ile died August 24, 1889.


Scores of city residents, who during the sum- mer months seek rest and recuperation in the quiet and beauty of rural life, have been attract- | to the historic old homestead of Mrs. Gould. The mansion contains twenty-two rooms, and here for seven years past, or since Mrs. Gould has opened its portals to the sojourners of summer, gaiety and wealth have held sway, and sportsmen have fished for the trout that abound in Acquash- ickla creek meandering through the farm. It is a hallowed sylvan retreat rich in its memories of the past, and also rich in its opportunities for present and prospective enjoyment.


WILLIS W. HOPKINS, who is now success- fully engaged in both milling and farming in Clinton township, Wayne county, has led a life of lionest toil. Throughout his career of continued and far- reaching usefulness his duties have been performed with the greatest care, and business interests have been so managed as to win him the confidence of the public and the prosperity which should always at- tend honorable effort.


George Hopkins, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was a native of Connecticut, where he mar- ried Catherine Bunting, afterward moving to Wayne county, Penn., and locating on a farm near Promp- ton, in Clinton township. There Simon Hopkins, our subject's father, was born, March 1, 1830, and on reaching manhood he married, in September, 1851, Miss Adeline Faatz, Rev. Kellow officiating. She was a daughter of Christian and Matilda (Brink) Faatz, the former a native of Germany, the latter of Wayne county, and was born in Dyberry township, Wayne county, July 6, 1836, one of a family of nine children, the others being Jacob, now a resident of Wood county, Ohio; Lucinda, who is married and living in the West; Betsy, widow of Sumner Isham; Charles, a resident of Bethany, Penn. : Mary (deceased) ; George, a farmer living near Honesdale, in Wayne county; Andrew, of South Canaan, the same county; and Edward, of Honesdale. To Simon and Adeline ( Faatz) Hop- kins were born three children : Willis W .; David F. ; and Ida, who died at the age of two years.


Willis W. Hopkins was born in Clinton town- ship, January 26, 1854, and grew to manhood upon the home farm. Having little time to attend school, his education has been acquired mainly by night study, for he was but fifteen years of age when his father died, and the responsibility of carrying on the farm was thrown upon his young shoulders. After operating it for six years he purchased a por- tion of the old homestead, and started out in life for himself. In 1885 he bought a gristmill at Alden- ville, Wayne county, which he has since successfully conducted, doing both custom and merchant busi- ness. From time to time, as his financial resources would permit, he has added other tracts of land to


his original farm until he now has 200 acres of well- improved and valuable land, on which he erected a comfortable and commodious residence in 1881. Upon the farm are found the finest grades of stock, including twenty head of Ayrshire cattle and a large herd of Chester White hogs, besides horses and I sheep, and he gives considerable attention to the rais- ing of poultry. He also has some fine flagstone quar- ries on the farm, and has large interests in gold mines in Colorado.


In Waymart, Wayne county, April 6, 1875, Mr. Hopkins married Miss Martha J. Andrew, a daugh- ter of George and Sarah ( Williams) Andrew, Rev. George C. Hart performing the ceremony. They have one daughter, Ella M., born January 2, 1876. Mr. Hopkins does all in his power to insure the suc- cess of the Republican party, which he always sup- ports by his ballot, but he has never cared for polit- ical honors, though he has served in the office of as- sessor. Fraternally he is a member of Clinton Grange. He takes a deep interest in everything per- taining to the public welfare of his community, and withholds his support from no enterprise calculated to prove of public benefit.


VERDINE E. O'DELL is an industrious, en- terprising farmer, successfully engaged in his chos- en profession upon the old homestead in Mt. Pleas- ant township, Wayne county, where the greater part of his life has been passed.


Mr. O'Dell was born in Sullivan county, N. Y., in March, 1839, and his parents, Fields and Mary (Hanyan) O'Dell, were natives of the same county, the former born in 1814, the latter in 1822. There they were married and continued to reside until March, 1844, when they located in Mt. Pleasant township, Wayne Co., Penn., upon a tract of 100 acres of land on the Belmont turnpike, three miles northwest of White's Valley. The fa- ther purchased this property, cleared a large por- tion of the land, erected a barn, and made many other improvements upon the place. Later he sold it and bought another farm, on the Lackawaxen turnpike, which he also improved with good and substantial buildings, making his home there throughout the remainder of his life. His wife died in 1874, and he passed away in 1886, at the age of seventy-two years. In their family of six children (1) Verdine E. is the eldest. (2) Benjamin F., born in Sullivan county, N. Y., in 1840, was educated in the public schools of Wayne county, Penn., and reared to manhood upon the old homestead, where he still resides. He has never married. (3) Abi- gail H., born in Sullivan county, N. Y., in 1843, is the widow of Cornelius Bates, of Wayne county, and still resides on the home left her in Mt. Pleas- ant. (4) Mary M., born in Mt. Pleasant township, in 1845, married Benjamin Tingley, of Susque- hanna county, where she died. Their only child, Benny, died at the age of four years. (5) William, born in Wayne county, in 1850, is unmarried, and resides in Mt. Pleasant. (6) George, born in Wayne


815


COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.


county, in 1865, married Della Davis, of New York State, and they reside on his father's old homestead in Clinton township.


The common schools of Wayne county afford- ed our subject his educational privileges, and his business training was obtained upon the home farm. In the fall of 1862 he joined the Union army as a member of Company M, 17th Pennsylvania Cav- alry, under Gen. Pleasanton, his regiment being assigned to the Army of the Potomac. At Harris- burg they were mustered in, and were then ordered to Falmouth, Va., where they did picket duty until the spring of 1863. Then followed the battle of Chancellorsville, which lasted five days, and the losses on both sides were very heavy. Company M opened the battle at that place by firing the first shot, and when the engagement was over they returned to their old camp across the Rappahannock. Their next battle was a cavalry engagement with Stewart at Aldee and Upperville, where the Union side came off victorious. This was followed by a hard day's fight at Beverly Ford, and then came the battle of Gettysburg, where the 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry suffered a heavy loss. Mr. O'Dell's horse was shot from under him at the battle of Beverly Ford. He was taken prisoner the first day of the battle at Gettysburg, and when released, at the end of three days, was sent to the hospital at West Philadelphia. From there he was ordered to Camp Stoneman, where he was discharged on ac- count of disability, and he returned to his home in Wayne county.


In 1865 Mr. O'Dell married Miss Helen Hau- ser, of Wayne county, who was born in 1841, and is a daughter of Abram and Harriet Hauser, hon- ored early settlers of the county. They began their domestic life upon the old O'Dell homestead, which our subject rented for a few years, but in 1886 he bought the old Hauser homestead, which he has since greatly improved, and is still successfully operat- ing. Four children came to brighten the house- hold : (I) Charley G., born in Wayne county, in June, 1868, received a common-school education, and now resides in Mt. Pleasant. He married Bertha Stark, of Wayne county, and has four chil- dren, Susie, Helen, Elsworth and Howard. (2) Frank B., born in Wayne county, in December, 1870, is unmarried, and resides in Forest City, Penn. (3) George W., born in November, 1872, is still at home. (4) Hattie M., born in October, 1877, began her education in the home school, but later attended Mt. Pleasant Academy, and the high school of Forest City. She is also with her parents.


Descended from old-line Whig stock, Mr. O'Dell became a Republican on attaining his ma- jority and has since supported that party. His popularity is shown by the fact that in 1895 he was elected school director in a strong Democratic dis- trict, and he is now acceptably filling that office. With his wife and daughter he holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church at Whites Val- ley. He is an industrious, well-to-do farmer, who


has borne his part in the development and up- building of Mt. Pleasant township, and he is num- bered among its highly-respected citizens. During the Civil war he fought most valiantly for home and country, endured all the hardships of a soldier's life, and was willing, if need be, to lay down his life for the welfare of his native land.


CALEB G. CYPHERS, who has been engaged in general agriculture on his extensive farm in Smithfield township, Monroe county, for almost a quarter of a century, is one of the substantial, highly respected citizens of the town in which he makes his home, and he and his family occupy a high position among the intelligent and progressive residents of this section, where they are regarded as enterprising and useful members of a community where sterling qualities of mind and character are thoroughly ap- preciated.


Mr. Cyphers is a native of Pennsylvania, born June 3, 1837, in Northumberland county, eight miles north of Easton, near the Delaware river. His father, Philip Cyphers, was born in 1805 in Sussex county, N. J., son of Philip Cyphers, Sr., who had two children, Philip, and Hattie, who became the wife of a Mr. Millick, of Belvidere, N. J. Philip, Jr., passed the first fifty years of his life in the coun- ty of his birth, in 1854 migrating to Pennsylvania and settling in Wilkes Barre, Luzerne county, where he spent the remainder of his days, dying in 1873. He was a lifelong farmer. He married Miss Mary Weller, who died in 1860, and they became the par- ents of seven children, all of whom but our subject were born in New Jersey, namely: (1) George grew to manhood in New Jersey, where he followed agricultural pursuits for the greater part of his life; he married Miss Eliza Wydner, of Sussex county, that State, and they finally took up their home in Wilkes Barre, Penn., where they died some years ago, leaving six children, Philip, Mary (Mrs. John Harrison), George, John, Sharps and Edward. (2) Annie became the wife of Charles Cyphers, of Al- toona, Penn., and is now deceased; they had five children, four girls and one boy, Luzetta and George being the only ones whose names are given. (3) John married Effie Butts, of Belvidere, N. J., and they moved to Luzerne county, Penn., where she died ; he subsequently removed to Michigan, where he passed away, leaving one daughter. (4) Will- iam married Miss Susan Casebeer, of Smithfield, where they made their home, Mr. Cyphers dying in 1898; they had four children, three girls and one boy, Esther (Mrs. William Bates, of Monroe coun- ty), Seran, Aminda (Mrs. George Engle, of Fac- toryville) and one whose name is not given. (5) Philip married Miss Amanda Fenner, of Monroe county, and they reside in Wilkes Barre, Penn .; they have no children. (6) Jacob S. married Miss Charity Headley, of Wyoming county, and they have a family of three children, Effie, Fannie and Jennie ; their home is in Falls, Wyoming county. (7) Caleb G. Cyphers is the youngest in the family.




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.