Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 227

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 227
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 227
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 227
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 227

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York City he went to Toronto, Canada, where he remained several weeks. He then proceeded to Buf- falo, N. Y., and worked for three months for Isaac Jones ; but as the Civil war was in progress he de- cided to enlist in the government service. He joined the 27th N. Y. Light Artillery, under Capt. John B. Eaton, now of the regular army, for the term of three years, and served until honorably discharged at Washington, May 18, 1865. Among the battles in which he participated were those of the Wilder- ness, Spottsylvania, Poplar Grove Church, and Cold Harbor, also Petersburg, and he was with the forces in front of the latter place from June, 1864, until Sunday, April 2, 1865. While there he was struck in the lower jaw by a piece of a shell, making it necessary to remove some of the jaw bone, but owing to his good general health the wound healed in six weeks. On receiving his discharge he went to Cambridgeport, Mass., to visit relatives for a few weeks, and the physicians there advised him to go home to England to recuperate. He did so, re- maining about three months, but returned to Cam- bridgeport and learned the machinist's trade which he followed there until 1871. Before settling down permanently he determined upon a prospecting tour, and after a few weeks passed in Brooklyn, Penn., he went to Scranton, this State, and took a position in the Dickson locomotive shops. After a year he removed to Philadelphia, worked there for a few months in the Baldwin locomotive shops, and then the next four years he spent in working at his trade in Corning, N. Y. At the end of that time he went to Lawrence, Mass., and as the panic which then prevailed made work at his trade difficult to obtain, he spent seven years as a bookkeeper for the Arlington Woolen Mills. During this period he saved enough money to purchase his present home- stead, an attractive place near Hamlinton, Wayne county, consisting of forty-one acres. He acquired the title in 1882, and removed there in the follow- ing year, since which date he has given much at- tention to the management of the farm. In the fall of 1883 he was employed on a lathe in the shops of the Dickson Manufacturing Co., at Scranton, and this position he held until 1896, when failing health compelled him to discontinue the work; but he still helps his old employers occasionally if they send for him in a busy season. He is an expert machinist, and his industry has brought him a fair competence, while he also draws a pension for his services to the nation during the war. In politics he has always been a Republican, his first vote being cast for Abra- ham Lincoln, but he has not sought official honors. Socially he and his wife are much esteemed, and he is connected with various fraternal orders, includ- ing the I. O. O. F. at Cambridge, Mass., the G. A. R. at Salem, and the F. & A.M., in which latter he has attained the 32d degree. He first joined the fraternity in November, 1870, at East Cambridge, Mass. ; on June 18, 1873, was enrolled at Corn- ing, N. Y., as a Chapter Mason, and on November 23, 1878, he was advanced to the degree of Knight

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Templar at Lawrence, Mass. In religious faith he is a communicant of St. Luke's ( Protestant Epis- copal ) Church of Scranton, Penn., and Mrs. Simp- son is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Salem.

On September 14, 1871, Mr. Simpson was mar- ried at Brooklyn, Susquehanna Co., Penn., by Rev. Philip Holbroker, a Methodist minister, to Miss Selina L. Blake, but no children have blessed the union. Mrs. Simpson was born at Brooklyn, Penn., June 7, 1839, a daughter of Samuel B. Blake, and granddaughter of Samuel Blake, a na- tive of England, who came to America many years ago, settling in Massachusetts, and was a Conti- mental soldier in the Revolution. Samuel B. Blake, who was born in Attleboro, Mass., August 27, 1794, settled in Brooklyn, Penn., taking up a large tract of land, which he cleared and cultivated. He was a good farmer, was intelligent and well informed, and was a teacher in the early part of his life; he was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was married December 17, 1820, at Harford, Penn., to Miss Alcemena Case, a native of Litchfield, Conn., born December 22, 1797. They were both devout mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church, and were much respected by their acquaintances. He died August 25, 1867, and the wife passed away on February 9, 1864, the remains of both being interred at Brook- lyn, Penn. Of their children, the eldest, Albert, born November 26, 1821, ha's never married, and is a resident of Susquehanna county ; Edwin E., born October 29, 1823, married Mrs. Sarah E. Woodward, a widow, now deceased, and he resides in Salem township, Wayne county ; Miss Mary R., born February 22, 1833, resides in Brooklyn, Penn. ; and Selina L., the wife of our subject, is the young- est in the family.

JOHN F. MCFARLAND, ticket, freight and express agent, and telegraph operator at Lake Ariel, Wayne county, is one of the active native-born young business men of the county.

Born July 6, 1872, in Lake township, Wayne county, he is a son of John S. and Sarahett ( Mitch- ell ) McFarland, of Jefferson township, Lacka- wanna Co., Penn., a sketch of whom appears else- where. Their son John F., of whom we write. received a liberal education at the public schools of his native place. and at the age of fifteen left the parental roof for Scranton, Penn., where he clerked in a grocery store a year, thence removing to Georgetown, and there serving as telegrapher at the railway station one year. His next point was at Wimmers' Station. in Lackawanna county, where he was operator also a year, afterward serving as operator at different stations between Port Jervis and Hawley until 1895, in which year we find him again in Scranton, where he "worked the ticker" three months, finally coming to Lake Ariel to fill his present responsible position.

On December 24. 1893, at Hawley, Penn., John F. McFarland was united in marriage with

Miss Ella Philips, daughter of Lewis and Sarah (Smith) Philips, highly respectable people of Haw- ley, Penn., where Mr. Philips is engaged in the jewelry business. Two children, Ethel Sarah, born January 31, 1897, and Ella Ruth, born Janu- ary 8, 1900, grace this union. Socially Mr. Mc- Farland is affiliated with the I. O. O. F., and in politics he is a stanch Republican. He is bright, and popular with all classes, and embodies a rare combination of good nature with sound common sense.

EDWARD G. BELL was born in Rockland county, N. Y., June 8, 1851, and in his youth re- ceived a good training in the common English branches. He owns and operates a beautiful farm of seventy-three acres on the Delaware river, in Westfall township Pike county, only one and one- half miles from Port Jervis, N. Y., and in connection with general agriculture is engaged in keeping sum- mer boarders. He has a fine peach orchard on the place, raising fruit and vegetables for the Port Jer- vis market, and is a business man of more than ordi- nary ability, in all his undertakings meeting with most gratifying success. After his father removed to Port Jervis, he and his brother continued to oper- ate the farm together until 1897, when it was di- vided, and our subject erected a beautiful new resi- dence upon his portion of the 150 acres. He is a thorough and skillful agriculturist, and has made many improvements upon the place, which add greatly to its value and attractive appearance. So- cially he is a Master Mason, and politically a strong Democrat. He and his family have been quite prominent in the community where they reside, and it is to such men that the county owes its prosperity and advancement.

In July, 1893, at Port Jervis, N. Y., Mr. Bell was united in marriage with Miss Maggie Treible, who was born in Bushkill, Pike Co., Penn .. July 15, 1875. a daughter of Samuel H. and Julia A. (Ace) Treible, also natives of that county, where the mother died in 1883. The father was born in 1853, a son of Henry and Katie Treible, and is still engaged in farming at Bushkill. His chil- dren are Henry, a resident of Monroe county ; Mag- gie, wife of our subject : and Edith, wife of Floyd Lyon, freight agent for the Chas. W. Davis Trans- portation Line, in New York City. [Mr. Bell is a son of the late William J. Bell, a sketch of whom appears at page 636.]

JOHN RACHT. Among the more prominent and enterprising farmers of South Canaan town- ship, Wayne' county, who are of alien birth, is the gentleman wnose name introduces this sketch. Like others of his countrymen he has brought to the New World the habits of economy and fru- gality which are inherent characteristics of his na- tive land, and the exercise of which, accompanied by industry and good management, have secured for him a comfortable competence.

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Edward &. Bell

ـمالعـ

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Mr. Racht was born in Prussia, Germany, Oc- tober 26, 1832, a son of Michael and Catherine (Andres) Racht, who in 1857 joined our subject and his brother in Honesdale, where the mother died a year after her arrival from a lingering ill- ness contracted on the voyage. The father, who was blind for several years, died at the home of a daughter in Honesdale, in 1862, aged sixty-one years. In early life he had worked as a general laborer and later as a farmer in Germany, accumu- lating in this way some money, which was invested in a farm on coming to America. The land was purchased in his name, and he made the first pay- ment, but the balance was paid by our subject and his brother. The family remained together for many years, and as four of the children were mar- ried, they bought the farm on which our subject now resides in order to have more room. Work- ing together, they at length paid off the indebted- ness on the place, and converted the land into a valuable and productive farm. The parents were laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery at Honesdale. In their family were the following children: Se- bastian, a prominent farmer, who died in South Canaan township in 1894; Jacob, a farmer of the same township; Michael, a teamster of Syracuse, N. Y. ; William, who died in Germany during child- hood : John, the subject of this sketch; and Anna, who married Andrew Stein (both died in Hones- dale ).

During his youth John Racht learned the shoe- maker's trade, at which he continued to work in Germany until 1852, when he and his brother Jacob sailed for the United States. From April until July they spent in New York City, where he worked at his trade, while his brother engaged in tailoring, and then went to Rondout, N. Y. After following their trades for some time, they spent two years in boating. on the canal for others, and subsequently purchased a boat which they ran between Rondout and Honesdale for three years. After sending for. their parents, they bought the farm in South Canaan township, Wayne county, which they operated to- gether for nine years. Our subject then took his present farm as his share of the property, and since locating on the same in 1867 has devoted his ener- gies to its cultivation and improvement with most satisfactory results.

In Honesdale, Mr. Racht was married Decem- ber 12, 1855, to Miss Elizabeth Trice, and to them were born the following children: Mary A. is now the wife of Anthony Burkert, who is connected with the Pennsylvania Ccal Co. at Honesdale ; Mag- gie died at the age of seventeen years; William, a carpenter of Carbondale. Penn., married Nora Shaf- fer; Anna is the wife of John Doyle, a lumberman of Mckean county, Penn. ; Andrew married Agnes Doyle, and is engaged in lumbering in Mckean county; John is also a lumberman of that county ; Susan died in childhood ; and Charles, Jacob and Elizabeth are still with their parents.

Mrs. Racht, who had been an invalid for four-

teen years, died June 7, 1899, and was buried in the Catholic cemetery at Honesdale, Penn. She was born July 10, 1835, in Prussia, Germany, where her parents, Mathew and Catherine ( Bollis) Trice, con- tinued to make their home until 1852, when they emigrated to America and located in Honesdale, Penn. The father, who was employed by the Penn- sylvania Coal Co., died August 15, 1878, aged sev- enty-five years, the mother in September, 1864, aged fifty-five, and both were buried at Honesdale. Of their children, Susan is the wife of Martin Pellance, who is employed on the coal docks at Honesdale; Elizabeth was the wife of our subject; Mary wed- ded Charles Storr (now deceased), and she died in January, 1871 ; and William is a resident of Ron- dout, New York.

Mr. Racht uses his right of franchise in sup- port of the Democracy, and he has most efficiently served as school director for the past six years. He is a member of the Catholic Church of Hones- dale, and also of. St. Joseph's Society. He is surrounded by the respect and esteem of a large circle of friends and acquaintances, who appreciate his sterling worth and many excellencies of char- acter.

JACOB I. BATES is a prominent representa- tive of the business interests of Dyberry township, Wayne county, where he owns and successfully operates a large gristmill. Being a man of excel- lent business ability and sound judgment, he has prospered in his undertakings, and the success that has crowned his efforts is well merited.

John Bates ( father of our subject) was born in Cornwall, England, September 2, 1806, and at the age of twenty-one came to the New World, taking up his residence in Dyberry township, Wayne Co., Penn. He purchased land near the center of the township, and there made his home throughout the remainder of his life,dying June 11, 1887. He married Miss Emily Swingle, of South Canaan township, Wayne county, a daughter of Jacob Swin- gle ; she passed away September 28, 1889.

In the family of this worthy couple were the following children: Elizabeth A., who still resides on the old homestead ; Sarah A., wife of Peter Ran- dall, of Hancock, N. Y .; Robert S., a resident of Lebanon township, Wayne county; Jacob I., the subject of this sketch; John M., who died April 28, 1882; J. Isadora, wife of Samuel B. Bryant, of Waymart, Wayne county; Amanda L., wife of Richard Randall; George W., who died November 7, 1861; Edwin Spencer, who died October 28, 1861 ; and Eugene L., who also lives on the old homestead.

In Dyberry township Jacob I. Bates, our sub- ject, was born October 10, 1843, and in the com- mon schools of that township he gained the founda- tion of an education, to which he has added by extensive reading and observation. At the age of twenty-one he enlisted in the Union army and was placed in the construction corps, where he served

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

until the close of the war. Returning to Wayne county, he purchased land in the eastern part of Dyberry township, and began farming. Soon afterward, in company with nis brother, he bought a sawmill, and to this was added a feedmill. In 1869 Mr. Bates built a large gristmill, which he has since successfully operated, receiving from the public a liberal patronage.

On September 10, 1865, Mr. Bates was united in marriage with Miss Jerusha A. Hunter, who was born May 29, 1843, a daughter of Mathew and Phoebe Ann ( Hoel) Hunter, the former a native of England, the latter of Texas township, Wayne county, When a mere lad her father came to this country.To Mr. and Mrs. Bates were born seven children, their names and dates of birth being as follows: Charles Spencer, August 29, 1866, mar- ried Sarah Arnold, and has one child, Horace; George L., August 24, 1868, married Genevra Scambler, and has one child, Russell; Andrew J., July 13, 1871 ; Chauncey E., November 21, 1873; Edmund W., June 28, 1876, married Verna Bishop, and lives in Equinunk, Penn .; Wesley A., Decem- ber 16, 1879; and Ida M., December 2, 1885. All are stilll living with the exception of Andrew J., who died October 23, 1895.

Politically, Mr. Bates is a Democrat, though at local elections he does not adhere strictly to party lines, endeavoring to support the man best qualified for the office. He has always been before the peo- ple as their representative in township matters, and has most capably and acceptably served his fellow citizens in the offices of overseer of roads, town- ship clerk eight years, school director seven years, and the present year completes his sixth year as supervisor. He is also a director in and agent for the Wayne County Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Co. His public service is most exemplary, and his pri- vate life is above reproach. Mrs. Bates is a mem- ber of the Baptist Church.

COLUMBUS WASHINGTON HUBBARD, a prominent agriculturist of Lake township, Wayne county, has not only won for himself a substantial success in business life, but he bears an honorable record as a soldier, gained during the long struggle which settled forever the question of our national unity.

Our subject was born July 22, 1833, at Green- field, Luzerne Co., Penn., a son of Columbus and Mary A. (Young) Hubbard, both of whom were natives of Rhode Island. The father, who was a farmer by occupation, died while on his way to California, and the mother afterward, in 1886, re- moved to Wayne county to spend her last days at the home of our subject, her only child. She died February 4, 1895, at the advanced age of eighty- five years, and her remains now rest in the South Canaan Cemetery.

Mr. Hubbard's youth was mainly spent at the home of an uncle, Nicholas Young, a farmer of Luzerne county, but in April, 1851, he located in

Wayne county, being employed for some time in running cars on the Gravity railroad for the Penn- sylvania Coal Co. At first he resided at "No. 12", now known as Gravity, but he afterward made his home at different places along the road, and he re- mained in the service of the company for more than thirty years, receiving promotion from time to time. In 1857 he was appointed a conductor, but his work was interrupted in May, 1861; by his en- listment in Company B, 3rd Pa. Reserves, with which he served three years and twenty-one days, under Captains Curtis, Davenport and Warren G. Moore. He took part in a number or severe bat- tles, but was never wounded. During the famous "seven-days' fight" in Virginia, in 1862, he was in active service, and on the fifth day he was taken prisoner at Battle City Cross Roads. After spend- ing thirty-seven days in a prison at Richmond, he was exchanged at Akron Landing, on the James river, and he soon rejoined his regiment, which was then stationed near the James. Among the battles in which he participated were those of South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg and second battle of Bull Run. In June, 1864, he received his discharge, and on returning home he at once took his place as conductor on his old train, and con- tinued his connection with the company until De- cember 17, 1885, when the road was abandoned. Having in the meantime made his home at his pres- ent farm, he has since given his attention to general farming, and under his able, judicious management the estate, which contains 150 acres, is regarded as one of the best in the neighborhood. He is a stanch Republican in politics, and while he is not an office seeker he takes much interest in local affairs, and has served three years as school director. He and his family are popular socially, and he is an active member of the G. A. R., Capt. George W. Daven- port Post No. 534, at Gravity.

On March 22, 1856, Mr. Hubbard was married in Lake township, Wayne county, on the farm where he now resides, by Gabriel Howell, Esq., to Miss Rachel Enslin, and eight children have blessed the union: (1) Rosatha died June 10, 1857. (2) Diana married Nicholas Croop, of Jefferson town- ship, Lackawanna county, and died July 11, 1876. (3) Almina married Butler B. Kizer, a railway conductor residing at Scranton, and they have two children, Cora M. and Hazel M. (4) Frank D. died October 31, 1879. (5) Kancy J., who mar- ried Ella Swingle, is a farmer in Lake township, Wayne county ( they have one child, Carl C). (6) Inez M. died November 6, 1879. (7) Sylvania B. married Walter Williams, operator at Scranton on the D. L. & W. R. R. (8) Fordyce Meade, who married Virgie House on May 11, 1898, is working for the Pennsylvania Coal Co. at Scranton. Mrs. Hubbard was born May 9, 1837, in South Canaan township, Wayne county, a daughter of Frederick and Nancy A. (Quick) Enslin, and is a member of a well known family of this section. Her pa- ternal grandparents, George and Katie (Swingle)

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Enslin, were natives of Pennsylvania, and settled in South Canaan township, Wayne county, at an early day, while her maternal grandparents, Cor- nelius and Elizabeth ( Nesbit) Quick, spent the greater portion of their lives in Luzerne county, where both were born. Her mother died in No- vember, 1860, aged fifty-eight years, and her father in the following month, aged sixty. Their children were: Julieann, deceased wife of Henry Ames, of Waymart; Jacob, a retired farmer of South Canaan township, Wayne county ; Francis; Rosella, wife of Alexander Cornell, of Hawley; Rachel, wife of our subject ; and Joshua. deceased.

GEOGE HUMPHREY SANDERCOCK. This enterprising and successful agriculturist is the. owner of a fine farm in Cherry Ridge township, Wayne county, where his family has been promi- nent for many years. He is of English descent in both paternal and maternal lines, and in his career and character he has shown the best qualities of that race.

George Sandercock, Sr., our subject's grand- father, was a lifelong resident of Pondstock, Eng- land, where he was engaged in farming. George Sandercock (2), the father of our subject, was born in Cornwall, England, in 1819, and was married there to Miss Mary Bellamy, daughter of Hum- phrey H. and Grace Bellamy. For some time after their marriage they resided in Cornwall, but in 1844 they came to America, their first home being made at Berlin, Wayne county, where the father engaged in farming and lumbering. In 1854 he removed to Cherry Ridge township, having pur- chased one hundred acres of land for a homestead. Three years later he bought another tract of one hundred acres, and for many years he operated the entire estate. He was extensively engaged in lum- bering, owning at one time about 1,000 acres of timber land at Paupac, Wayne county, and in all his enterprises he met with uniform success. As a citizen he was much respected, and he was fre- quently called upon to fill township offices. In politics he affiliated with the Republican party, and he was active in religious work as a member of the Methodist Church, giving liberally to its sup- port. He died August 18, 1887, at the age of sixty- four ; his widow, who was born November 1, 1819, now makes her home with her children. His mor- tal remains now repose in the cemetery at Hones- dale. Of the children of this worthy couple, the eldest, Elizabeth, married John Schenk, of Lara- mie City, Wyoming ; Thomas is deceased : John W. is a prominent merchant at Lake Ariel, Penn .; William, a railway conductor, resides in St. Louis, Mo .; Julia married Isaac Male, the foreman of a coalyard at Hawley, Wayne county: George H., our subject, is mentioned more fully below : Mary died April 5, 1865 ; Amos Mead resides upon a por- tion of the old homestead; and Augusta died in 1864.

Our subject was born December II, 1854, at

the present homestead, and during his youth he enjoyed the usual experiences of a country lad. In 1887 he began working in an axe factory at Tracy- ville, Wayne county, where he remained about two and one-half years, but after the death of his father he was obliged to give his attention to the care of the home farm. For a few years the estate was left undivided, but later Mr. Sandercock took the one hundred acres comprising the original purchase, while his brother Amos M. took the remaining half. Mr. Sandercock raises general crops, and manages his farm in a thoroughly scientific manner. His sound judgment is recognized by his neighbors, and for the past ten years he has been a director in the Wayne County Agricultural Association, a position formerly held by his lamented father. Politically he is a stanch Republican, but he has no inclina- tion to enter official life, having refused to allow his name to be presented as a candidate when urged to do so. Socially he is identified with the Order of Red Men, Honesdale Lodge, and while he is not a member of any Church he inclines toward the Methodist faith. On October 6, 1880, he was mar- ried in Cherry Ridge township, by Rev. A. J. Van Cliff, a Methodist minister, to Miss Anna E. Bonear, and their home is brightened by three chil- dren, Isaac B., George and Morrell Ray.

Mrs. Sandercock belongs to one of the most prominent families in Cherry Ridge township, and is a leader in the best social circles of the locality. She was born August 15, 1857, at the Bonear home- stead in Cherry Ridge township, a beautiful estate which has been improved of late years at great ex- pense, the residence being one of the finest in Wayne county. Her father, Isaac Bonear, was born in Cornwall, England, in 1827, and came to America when about nine years old with his par- ents, Moses and Catherine ( May) Bonear. He has always been prominent in local affairs, and at times has been chosen to township offices on the Repub- lican ticket, while he and his wife are leading mem- bers of the Methodist Church near their home. His wife was born in 1831 in Pike county, Penn., but her parents came to Wayne county during her child- hood. They had the following children: Cather- ine J., who died in infancy ; Sarah (deceased), who married George VanWinkle, a machinist in New Jersey ; Anna E., wife of our subject ; and Ada R., wife of Amos Mead Sandercock, who occupies part of the Sandercock homestead.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 227

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