Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 225

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 225
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 225
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 225
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 225

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William Blewett was a lad of only nine years when the family crossed the Atlantic and took up their residence in Wayne county, where he resumed his studies in the public schools, his education hav- ing been commenced in his native land. He re- mained at home until his father's death, and throughout his business career has devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits, owning and op-

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erating at the present time a well-improved and highly-cultivated farm, one of the most valuable and attractive places in Mt. Pleasant township. The residence is comfortable, convenient and com- modious, and the out-buildings are such as are found on a model farm of the nineteenth century.

On December 31, 1859, at Honesdale, Mr. Blewett was united in marriage with Miss Betsy Cruse, who was born, reared and educated in Wayne county, and is a daughter of Nicholas and Mary ( Brown) Cruse, both natives of Cornwall, England, where their marriage was celebrated. Mrs. Blewitt is the elder of their two children, the other being William Cruse, a resident of Hawley, Wayne county, who was a Union soldier during the Civil war. The mother died at the age of fifty years, in the faith of the Methodist Church, of which she and her husband were consistent members.

Mr. Blewett and his wife have been blessed with twelve children: Mary Anne, born February 27, 1861, died May 23, 1892; William Henry, born May 2, 1862, died November 25, 1889; Fanny Ellen, born October 22, 1863, is a resident of Wayne coun- ty; Eliza B., born February 25, 1865, is the wife of William H. Thomas, of Butte, Mont .; John James, born February 2, 1867, makes his home in Wayne county ; Lillie Maria, born January 31, 1869, died July 31, 1870 ; Ezra Franklin, born April 17, 1871, married Ida G. Strang, and lives in Lackawanna county, Penn .; Lillie, born March 21, 1873, is the wife of James E. Henshaw, of Dyberry township ; Wayne county ; Amanda L., born January 7, 1875, is at home with her parents; Elias W., born No- vember 23, 1876, is now a clerk in Mr. Morgan's store in Pleasant Mount; Bessie, born May 28, 1879, died December 19, 1879; and Clarence, born March 17, 1881, is at home. Three daughters -Mrs. Thomas, Mrs. Henshaw and Amanda-have engaged in teaching, and Miss Amanda is still one of the popular and successful teachers of Wayne county.

The Democratic party always finds in Mr. Blewett a stalwart supporter of its men and meas- ures, and he has most creditably filled the offices of supervisor and member of the school board. He and his family are regular attendants of the Meth- odist Church, and he is a prominent member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Mt. Pleasant. Sixty years of age, he is yet in the prime of life, is a man of good physique, enjoys excellent health, and is al- ways a courteous, genial gentleman, well de- serving of the high regard in which he is held.

WILLIAM B. CHAPMAN, proprietor of the. New Milford foundry in Susquehanna county, is an able business man, and for more than thirty years he has been successfully engaged in his present line of business, twenty-eight years having been spent in Mehoopany, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Chapman was born November 19, 1830, in Oneida county, N. Y., and comes of good New England stock, his ancestors having settled in

Rhode Island at an early day. John Chapman, his grandfather, who was a farmer by occupation, was born and reared in Rhode Island, but his last years were spent in Oneida county, N. Y. Willard Chapman, the father of our subject, was also a na- tive of Rhode Island, and was a child when the family removed to New York State. His life was spent in agricultural pursuits, and he never sought public notice, though for many years he was active in religious work as a member of the Baptist Church. He died in 1878 at the age of seventy- eight; and his wife, Patty ( Stone), who was born in Oneida county, died in 1871 aged sixty-five years. They had the following children: Abigail, widow of William LeRoy, resides in Grand Rapids, Mich .; Leander is a farmer in Otsego county, N. Y .; Morris is deceased; William B., our subject, was fourth in the order of birth; Joseph is a farm- er and mechanic at Grand Rapids; Mary married Jerome Gouldeburg, of Grand Rapids; Maria, wid- ow of Charles Hotchkis, resides at Oneida, N. Y .; Charles occupies the old homestead, in Oneida county ; and Evaline died in childhood.

Our subject was reared at his father's home- stead, and when twenty years old entered a foundry at Clayville, N. Y., remaining about a year. The following year he spent at home, but he then began working steadily at his trade. After some years at Mehoonpany, Penn., he passed one year in Ot- sego, N. Y., then in 1868 he came to Susquehanna county, and engaged in farming in New Milford township, continuing four years. Returning to Mehoopany, he remained until January 20, 1886, when he took charge of his present foundry in New Milford. In politics he is an ardent Prohibi- tionist, while in religious faith he is a Methodist. Socially he and his family are much esteemed, and he is identified with the Knights of Pythias.

On November 23, 1853, Mr. Chapman was married in Oneida county, N. Y., to Miss Asenath LeRoy, and five children have blessed the union: Wilford L., a farmer in New Milford township, married Miss Ella Kent; Archie W., who resides at the homestead, married Miss Ella Hatfield ; Anna M. married Nathaniel Burdick, a mechanic at New Milford; Grace P. married Charles Culver, a painter and paper-hanger at New Milford; and Maurice D., who is in the shoe business at Lester- shire, N. Y., married Miss Lora Babcock. Mrs. Asenath Chapman, who was born January 22, 1832, in Fulton county, N. Y., is of French descent in the paternal line. Her father, Tennis LeRoy, was a blacksmith in Rensselaer county, and he and his wife Asenath passed away in Oneida county.

JOHN WESLEY WATSON. Prominent among the successful farmers and dairymen of Wayne county is the subject of this historical notice, whose homestead lies in Salem township, and who, by his enterprise and energy in the direc- tion of his chosen industry, has given his work a

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significance and beauty of which few deem it capa- ble.

Thomas J. Watson, father of our subject, was born November 25, 1803, in Philadelphia, where he grew to manhood, received his literary education, and also learned the trade of a wheelwright and blacksmith, at which he worked until 1859, when he and his family came to Wayne county. He pur- chased a farm in Salem township, and upon that place made his home until his death, which occur- red March 26, 1880. Politically he was identified with the Republican party, and while a resident of Philadelphia took quite an active and prominent part in political affairs, serving as alderman in that city for ten years. There he was married, May II, 1829, to Miss Mary Ayers, who died in Philadel- phia December 20, 1848. The children born to this union were Mary Elizabeth, now the widow of Francis Ferguson, and a resident of Colorado Springs, Colo .; Anna S., widow of Theodore Fry, and a resident of Philadelphia; Matilda H., who died in Philadelphia during childhood; Sarah J., wife of Robert Knox, of Scranton, Penn .; Will- iam H. H., who was a soldier in the Civil war, and is now foreman of a machine shop in Philadelphia ; Matilda, who died when young; Thomas Corvin, who was also a soldier in the Civil war, and is now a pattern maker in Philadelphia; and John Wesley, of this review. On March 6, 1851, Mr. Watson was again married, his second union being with Mary Ann Leonard, who died in April, 1870, leav- ing three sons: Leonard, a resident of Ledge- dale, Penn .; and George and David, both of Scran- ton, this State.

John W. Watson was born in Philadelphia, September 1, 1847, and when a lad of twelve years came with his father to Wayne county. He ac- quired a good practical education in the schools of Philadelphia and Salem township, Wayne county, and during his minority assisted his father in the labors of the home farm. At the age of twenty- one he commenced farming for himself in Salem township, and in 1894 purchased the old homestead, which had been out of the family for a number of years. He now owns 140 acres in that township, of which 120 acres are suitable for cultivation, and is

successfully carrying on farming in all its branches, paying particular attention to dairying.

On December 2, 1868, in Salem township, Mr. Watson was married, by Rev. Everetts, to Miss Adelaide Andrews, a daughter of Abner and Phoebe O. (Peet) Andrews, and sister of J. W. Andrews, of Lake Ariel, whose sketch appears elsewhere. Four children grace this union: Anna Mary, born March 15, 1870, is the wife of Gustav Greuner, of Scranton, Penn .; Emma Eliza, born February 23, 1875, attended school for two years in Philadelphia, and afterward graduated from the East Stroudsburg Normal School ; she began teach- ing in 1893, and is now successfully following that profession in Florence, Mass. Sarah Jane, born June 14, 1877, and John Wesley, Jr., born Decem-

ber 12, 1882, are both at home. The daughters are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Hamlinton.

Since attaining his majority Mr. Watson has always been a stanch Republican in political senti- ment, and has most creditably filled the office of school director in Salem township. He bears high rank in the community as a substantial and reliable citizen, is of a genial and affable disposition, and his circle of friends and acquaintances is extensive.

C. T. TEGELER has for many years been prominently identified with the business interests of Damascus township, Wayne county, and in act- ing in accordance with the dictates of his faith and judgment he has reaped, in the fullness of time, the generous benefits that are the recompense of indomitable industry, spotless integrity and mar- velous enterprise.

Mr. Tegeler was born in New York City, April 24, 1846, a son of W. H. and Catharine ( Tenant) Tegeler. His father was a native of Prussia, Ger- many, and on coming to America located in New York, where he engaged in cabinet making and in the furniture business for some years. In 1854, however, he brought his family to Damascus town- ship, Wayne Co., Penn., and purchased the Thomas Shields farm, where he made his home, though he still continued in business in the city for some time. In his later years he located permanently here, and in 1865 bought the store property of J. H. Louns- burg, where he engaged in mercantile trade until his death in 1871. His wife survived him a number of years, dying in 1893. In their family were only two sons, C. T. being the elder. Fred- erick W. was educated in Damascus township, where he grew to manhood. He married Florence Love- lass, of the same township, and there purchased the farm where he now resides. He has a family of nine children: Harry, Elizabeth E. (wife of Lorenzo Price), Catherine, Otto, Pearl, Ralph, Fred, Clarence and Vernon.

The subject of this sketch was a lad of eight years when the family removed to Damascus town- ship. He received a good education in the academy at Monticello, N. Y., and when his school days were over worked on the home farm until his marriage. On December 4, 1867, he wedded Miss Amelia M. Lovelass, of Wayne county, and they began their domestic life upon the old homestead, living there while he engaged in raising stock and dealing in the same, for a number of years. He also clerked in his father's store for some time. Mrs. Tegeler

died in 1872, leaving three children : (1) Wil- helmina E., born in Damascus township, October 21, 1868, was educated in the public schools, and was married, December 4, 1890, to Lewis G. Crock- er, of Wayne county, who is now engaged in the grocery business in Topeka, Kans., where they re- side. They have one son. Clyde. (2) Frederica Grace, born June 28, 1870, was married, in April, 1891, to William J. McIntyre, of Wayne county. They reside in Honesdale, and have two children.

R. J. Tegelen

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

(3) Amelia M., born in July, 1872, married O. J. Reynolds, a resident of Damascus township, and they have three children, Ava, John and Grace.

On June 11, 1873, Mr. Tegeler was again mar- ried, his second union being with Miss Fannie A. Noble, of Wayne county, a daughter of C. B. and E. A. Noble, residents of Damascus township, the former a native of Massachusetts, the latter of Con- necticut. Mrs. Tegeler was born May 3, 1846, waseducated partly in the schools of Damascus town- ship and Waymart, Wayne county, and later pur- sued her studies at Waverly, Penn., where she was graduated. Prior to her marriage she was a suc- cessful and popular teacher in Wayne county. By his second marriage Mr. Tegeler has had six chil- dren : Hattie E., born July 24, 1874, was married, in 1894, to John B. Yerkes, of Damascus, and they have one daughter, Irene C. Yerkes. Irene C., born March 16, 1876, died April 17, 1877. Charles B., born August 2, 1878, is at home. Loverne C., born April 16, 1880, died December 13 of the same year. Beulah H., born October 30, 1881, and Luella F., born September 29, 1883, are both at home.

After his second marriage Mr. Tegeler lived for six years on a farm one mile from his present home, and in 1879 removed to the place where his father had engaged in business for a number of years. Here he still continues to reside, and is en- gaged in general merchandising and handling farm- ing implements and stock on quite an extensive scale. For a number of years he was also interested in lumbering on the Delaware river, rafting his lumber to the Trenton and Philadelphia markets. He is one of the most energetic, enterprising and reliable business men of Damascus township, and any confidence reposed in him has never been be- trayed. In politics he is a Jacksonian Democrat, and he is prominently identified with the interests of his party. In 1881 he was its candidate for county commissioner, and being elected served for a term of three years with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. During President Cleveland's first administration he was appointed postmaster at Boyd's Mills, at the end of four years was re-appointed, and is still the in- cumbent, conducting the office, which is known as the Calkins post office, at his place of business. He has also held the office of school director for three years, and both public and private duties are dis- charged by him with the utmost promptness and fidelity. Socially he is a member of Callicoon Lodge No. 561, F. & A. M., and in religious con- nection, both he and his wife are members of the Christian Church. Their attractive home is a model of neatness, and in its surroundings denotes the culture and refinement of the inmates. The fam- ily is one of the most prominent and highly-re- spected in the township.

AMOS OSBORN SHERWOOD, the well known proprietor of "Sherwood Forest," is one of the most popular and highly respected citizens of 61

Manchester township, Wayne county. His entire life has been passed in the county, his birth occur- ring in Preston township February 2, 1847.

Nathan Sherwood, our subject's father, was born near Bridgeport, Conn., where he was reared and educated, coming to Wayne county, Penn., when a young man, and conducting a hotel in Honesdale and Rileyville for several years. The paternal grandparents, Amos and Betsy (Burr) Sherwood, were also early settlers of Wayne coun- ty. The grandmother was a relative of Aaron Burr, the statesman and politician. Nathan Sher- wood married Miss Sybil Stone, a representative of a prominent family of Wayne county, her father being Abner Stone, one of its honored pioneers, who came to this region with an ox-team and cart, and took up his residence in the midst of the for- est, most of the land being then in its primitive condition and wild animals quite numerous. After his marriage Nathan Sherwood located in Preston township, where he continued to live until called from this life, when in his prime. He was honored and respected by all who knew him. He left a widow and four children: Rosetta, now the wife of Wesley Chapman, of Buckingham township, Wayne county; Charles, a resident of Equinunk, Penn. ; Amos O., of this sketch; and Anna, wife of Joshua Pine, of Equinunk. The mother later be- came the wife of Thomas Tyner, a well known citizen of Manchester township, Wayne county, and to them were born seven children, namely : Elizabeth, Mrs. Lord; Abner; Oakley; Julia, wife of Clark Spencer, of Mt. Pleasant township, Wayne county ; Clara, deceased; Edward, who died when young ; and William, a resident of Seattle, Wash. Mrs. Tyner, who was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and a most estimable lady, died at the age of seventy-three years.

The education of Amos O. Sherwood, acquired in the common schools of Wayne county during his boyhood and youth, has been greatly supplemented by reading and observation in later years, and he is now well-informed man. He early became familiar with all the work of the farm and the lum- ber woods, and for some time was employed at the lumber camps on the Delaware river. On June 26, 1872, he married Miss Hannah Parsons Kellam, a lady of intelligence and culture, who was for some time a successful and popular teacher of Wayne county, where she had been reared and edu- cated. Her paternal grandfather, Jacob Kellam, who was of German descent, was an early settler of Wayne county ; his wife bore the maiden name of Hannah Pierce. Jeptha Kellam, Mrs. Sherwood's father, was born in Manchester township, Wayne county, educated in Franklin, Delaware Co., N. Y., and on reaching man's estate married Elvira Beda Parsons, a native of Franklin. Mrs. Sherwood is the eldest child born to this worthy couple, the others being Elizabeth Young, a resident of New London, Conn .; Emma Calkins, of the same place ; Timothy, Milton and Mary Billings, all of Bingham-

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ton, N. Y .; Marcia Peak, of Long Eddy, N. Y .; Kate, wife of Charles Dewey, of New London, Conn. ; and Hattie and Jacob, of Binghamton, N. Y. Both Mrs. Sherwood and her sister Elizabeth were very successful teachers. The parents of these children died in Long Eddy, N. Y., the mother at the age of fifty-six, the father at the age of sixty- nine. He was a lumberman and farmer by occupa- tion, a Republican in politics, and creditably filled a number of local offices of honor and trust.

Joseph Porter Parsons, father of Mrs. Elvira Beda Kellam, was born in Massachusetts, and mar- ried Hannah M. Smith, of Wolcott, Conn. They settled in Franklin, Delaware county, N. Y., where they passed the remainder of their days, and there reared and educated their family of seven children, six sons and one daughter, viz .: Timothy, who was at one time cashier of the National Bank at Franklin; Edward, a teacher in Delaware Literary Institute at Franklin ; Addison, deceased; George, a dentist, of Walton, Delaware Co., N. Y .; Henry, a teacher of painting, who makes his home in New London, Conn .; Willard, of the Tribune staff (and interested in the Tribune "Fresh Air Fund"), of New York City; and Elvira Beda, Mrs. Kellam. The Parsons family were Presbyterians in religious connection.

In 1872 Mr. Sherwood purchased what is known as "Sherwood Forest," one of the finest « country homes in Wayne county. The elegant and commodious residence, with its large bay windows and well-ventilated rooms, is tastefully and stylishly furnished, and the house is surrounded with a beau- tiful grove of maples and pines and a fine hedge. A beautiful trout brook flows through the farm, and water is supplied from birch or cold springs, which have made this locality famous for one hundred years. In this delightful home the cultured and refined tastes of the inmates is everywhere manifest, and here hospitality reigns supreme, the members of the household being leaders in the social circles of the community. The family consists of three chil- dren, Frederick J., Elvira Elizabeth and Nathan Charles. The daughter attended Delaware Liter- ary Institute, Franklin, N. Y., graduated from the Binghamton ( N. Y.) high school, and for one year ivas a student in the State Normal at Cortland, N. Y., after which she was for three terms one of the most popular teachers of Delaware county. While at the Normal she met Clarence E. Cowles, who is a graduate of that institution, and whom she sub- sequently married, and they now reside at Hyde Park, N. Y., where he is principal of a school. For several summers Mrs. Cowles has taken an active interest in the Tribune's fresh air work for the worthy poor of New York City. Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood and their family are active and promi- nent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

LAYTON T. SMITH, one of the leading farmers and representative citizens of South Canaan township, Wayne county, resides on the

old Smith homestead. He was born in Uniondale, Susquehanna Co., Penn., January 15, 1842, a son of Raynsford and Margaret (Jaggars) Smith, the former a native of Coventry, Conn., the latter of South Canaan township, Wayne Co., Penn. In 1812 the father removed to Susquehanna county, Penn., with his parents, Raynsford and Sarah (Sprague) Smith, who continued to make their home there throughout the remainder of their lives. They were also natives of Connecticut, and were Presbyterians in religious belief. The grand- father was a farmer by occupation. His father was born in Scotland, of Scotch and English ex- traction, and on coming to the New World made his home in Connecticut. The maternal grand- father of our subject, Joseph Jaggars, was born in Philadelphia, Penn., and came to Wayne county in company with his father, Daniel Jaggars, in 1807, ending his days here.

In 1850 the parents of our subject came to Wayne county, and after renting a farm for two years in South Canaan township they removed to the present home of our subject, where they lived until called to the world beyond. The father was born June 8. 1810, and died March 23, 1892; the mother was born April 25, 1824, and died January I, 1863: the remains of both are interred at Var- den, Wayne county. Layton T. is the eldest of their three children, the others being Eugene A. and Eleanor N., the latter of whom died in child- hood. Eugene A., now a resident of Florida, was a soldier in the Civil war, serving in the same com- mand as our subject, and was wounded and taken prisoner in the charge on Fort Harrison. A few years after the war he married Miss Jennie Dart, and they have one son and one daughter.

Layton T. Smith, whose name introduces this sketch, was reared on the home farm, and remained with his parents until August 20, 1862, when he joined the "boys in blue," going to the front as a private of Company A, 137th P. V. I., under Capt. J. M. Buckingham. He participated in the battles of Crampton's Gap, September 14, 1862; Antietam, September 17, 1862; Platt's Piantation, Va., April 29, 30, and May 1, 1863 ; and Chancellorsville, May 2, 3, 4 and 5, 1863, being mustered out the same month. On March 7, 1864, he re-enlisted for three years, in Battery A, 2nd Penn. Heavy Artillery, was made corporal and then sergeant, and took part in the following engagements: The Wilder- ness, May 5 to 8, 1864 ; Spottsylvania Court House, May 12 to 20; North Anna River, May 22; Bethes- da Church, May 31; Cold Harbor, June I to 12; the siege of Petersburg, for seventy-one days from June 16; Weldon railroad, Va., August 19, and the Mine Explosion, July 30. On October 12, 1864, being very ill with chills and fever, he was sent from Point of Rocks, on the Appomattox river, to Hampton Hospital, near Fortress Monroe, the steamer "Thomas Powell" transporting the sick and wounded on this date. Becoming convalescent in November, he was appointed assistant and later

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ward master of Ward .No. 15, being detached from his company and regiment by general order, and served in that capacity until June, when he was assigned to duty at Chesapeake Hospital by order of D. B. White, executive officer, and E. McClellan, surgeon-in-charge, being one of a detail of clerks appointed for the duty of making out discharges and muster-out rolls. On August 15, 1865, he re- ceived a furlough for thirty days, reported promptly at the expiration of the time, and was placed in charge of commissary and quartermaster's stores issued for Hampton Hospital and the Freed- men in the employ of the United States government in the vicinity of Hampton and Fortress Monroe, continuing in this line of duty until he rejoined his regiment. He was honorably discharged at City Point, Va., January 29, 1866, and returned home with a war record of which he may justly be proud. He has successfully engaged in agricultural pur- suits upon the old homestead, which he has convert- ed into one of the best and most highly productive tracts in South Canaan township.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 225

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