Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 23

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 23
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 23
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 23
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 23

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).

Paddock ; and on March 4, 1881, he entered upon the duties of that office, which he held until March 3, 1887. On retiring he settled upon a farm in Otoe county, Neb., eight miles from the county seat. He died October 24, 1895, while he was visiting in Washington, D. C., and his remains were interred in the cemetery at Milford. At the time of his death he was intending to purchase the old Hugh Ross farm at Milford, Pike Co., Penn., the nego- tiations of the transfer being one of the objects of his trip to Washington, and Mrs. Van Wyck has since carried out the plan, and makes her home at the farm. It is a fine homestead, improved and modern in style, and adjoins Milford borough, Elizabeth street making the division line.

On September 15, 1869, Hon. Charles H. Van Wyck was married to Miss Kate Brodhead, and they had four children : Lillie, Marie L., and Meta, who died in childhood, and Miss Happy Theodora, who resides with her widowed mother.

MRS. KATE BRODHEAD VAN WYCK, of Milford, widow of the late Hon. Charles H. Van Wyck, well represents the best type of American womanhood. Cultured and refined, she has filled with dignity and grace a high position in social life, while in domestic circles, as daughter, sister, wife and mother, her gifts of mind and heart have made her presence an in- spiration. She is a native of Milford, and a mem- ber of a prominent pioneer family of which an ex- tended account is given elsewhere.

According to tradition the Brodhead family originated in Germany, but the direct ancestors of this branch removed to England in the reign of King Henry VIII, settling at Royston, in Yorkshire, where their descendants held an honorable position, being among the proprietors of the manor of Burton, or Monk Britton. Daniel Brodhead, the progenitor of the family in the United States, was born in York- shire, England, and became an officer in the British navy, being sent to America on a military expedi- tion in 1664. He and his wife, Ann (Tye), had three sons: Daniel, Charles, and Richard. The line of descent is traced through Richard; Daniel, who married Hester Wyngart, and settled near Strouds- burg, Penn., in 1738; Garret, who married Jane Davis; John, who married Catherine Heiner; and John H. Brodhead ( Mrs. Van Wyck's father), who married Louisa Ross.

Hon. John H. Brodhead was born in Milford, January 5, 1802, and died in Washington, D. C., October 22, 1881. His wife, Louisa (Ross), was born in Milford, in 1802, and died in April, 1866. They had the following children : Louisa (deceased) married Rev. Dr. H. S. Carpenter, a Presbyterian minister ; Miss Mary G., of Milford; Augustus, a Presbyterian minister in Bridgeton, N. J., who was for twenty years a missionary in India; Marcia (de- ceased) was formerly the wife of Hon. D. M. Van Auken ; John F. (deceased) was connected with the quartermaster's department of the United States army during the Civil war ; Edward R. went to sea, and has not since been heard from ; Mark, a govern-

. 1

f if

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ment official in Washington, D. C .; Kate, now Mrs. Van Wyck; and Ross.

Mr. Brodhead's ability and public spirit made him one of the leading citizens of this section, and he was frequently chosen to important official posi- tions. In 1833 he was appointed, by Gov. Wolf, prothonotary of Pike county ; six years later he was appointed aid to Gov. Porter with the rank of lieuten- ant-colonel. In 1841-42 he served in the Legislature of Pennsylvania. In 1843 he was appointed judge by Gov. Porter, and served five years. In 1848 he was again appointed to that office, by Gov. Shunk, and served a second term of five years. In 1853 he was elected treasurer of Pike county, and in 1856, when the office was made elective, he became judge of the county, serving another term of five years. In 1858-59 he appears as a collector on State im- provements at Harrisburg. In 1860 he was ap- pointed clerk in the Interior department at Washing- ton, D. C. In 1867 he was one of the commissioners to settle the war claims of West Virginia, and in 1868 to settle similar claims in Indiana. From 1869 to the time of his death he was actively en- gaged in the Treasury department at Washington.

HENRY SHAFFER, a prominent agriculturist of South Canaan township, Wayne county, has won a high reputation by his able and scientific manage- ment of his farm, which is considered one of the best of its size in the township. As a citizen he also holds in a marked degree the esteem of the com- munity where his life has been spent, and where his family has long been favorably known.

On the paternal side Mr. Shaffer is of German ancestry, the first of the family to cross the ocean being John Shaffer, who settled in Orange county, N. Y., previous to the Revolutionary war, in which he took an active part on the side of freedom. In 1783 he located in what is now South Canaan town- ship, Wayne county, purchasing a large tract of land on Middle creek, where he cleared a farm and afterward built a gristmill. He was married, in New York State, to a Miss Forbes, and they had a large family of children, as follows: John, Moses, Samuel, Catherine, Susan, Effie, Betsey and Polly.

Samuel Shaffer, the grandfather of our subject, was born in South Canaan township March 15, 1791, and became a tanner by occupation. He died July 28, 1864, and his wife, whose maiden name was Rachel Wagner, died April 12, 1851, both being in- terred in the graveyard in South Canaan township which had been donated by them to the community. They had the following children: Elizabeth, Moses, Abraham, Eli, Amy, Lydia, Barsilla, Oli- ver, Mary, Joseph, Alexander, Rachel S., and Martha, of whom five are still living.

Moses Shaffer, the father of our subject, was born September 20, 1813, in South Canaan town- ship, and for many years followed farming and lum- bering there. His death occurred July 4. 1875, and his wife, Priscilla (Curtis), a native of South Canaan township, died November 9, 1880, at the age of

sixty-two, the remains of both being at rest in the cemetery at Varden. The Curtis family is also of German origin, and the first American ancestor was Henry Curtis, who served four years in the regular army in the Fatherland and came to this country in time to serve three years in the Revolutionary war. He and his wife, Merilla (Swingle), settled in Wayne county in 1784, purchasing a tract of land on Middle creek, South Canaan township. Their only son, Jeremiah, married Polly Wagner, and, after her death, Elizabeth Hoadley. By the first marriage he had nine children: Rhoda, Aaron, Priscilla (our subject's mother), Moses, Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Angeline, Ruey and Caroline, and by the second union there were two children : Solomon and Char- lotte.

Our subject's parents had a numerous family of children, as follows : Minerva, deceased, who mar- ried the late Oliver Swingle; Silvenus, who married Elizabeth Swingle, both now deceased; Isaiah, who is employed as a foreman on a sec- tion of the Erie & Wyoming railroad at Gravity ; Angeline, wife of Henry W. Rose, of Franklin, Venango Co., Penn .; Henry our subject, who is mentioned more fully below ; Oliver, de- ceased, formerly a resident of Warren county, Penn .; Emily, who married Stanley Burleigh, both deceased; Saphronis, a resident of Lima, Ohio, where he is employed as foreman of an oil com- pany ; Lewis, a railway employe, residing at Price- burg, Penn .; Ophelia, who died in childhood; Mary, wife of Daniel P. Lamberton, a farmer in Lake township, Wayne county ; Norman, the foreman of an oil company at Baltimore, Ohio; Winton, a hotel- keeper at Georgetown, Wayne county ; Oscar, who died in infancy ; and Willard, who conducts a board- ing house and kindling factory at St. Morris, Pennsylvania.

Our subject was born August 6, 1841, at the old homestead in South Canaan township, and re- mained with his parents until he attained his ma- jority. He then spent one year in teaming for an uncle, Washington Barnes, who was interested in the construction of the Hawley branch of the Erie & Wyoming Valley railroad, between that town and Lackawanna. Later he was employed by thePenn- sylvania Coal Co., to run cars on the Gravity rail- road, and in this occupation spent three and a half years, residing during the first year at Georgetown, then called Gravity, and the remainder of the time at "No. 12," in the same county. On March 7, 1867, he took possession of his present farm, a fine place of seventy-five acres, which at that time, however, was but slightly improved, the greater portion being covered with the primitive forest. An old house and barn which stood upon the clearing were made to do service for a time, but in 1875 Mr. Shaffer built a new residence and other buildings, making the homestead both attractive and comfortable. He is prominent in local affairs and in the Democratic organization of his township, and for three years held the office of supervisor. At one time he was

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

clected school director for a term of three years, but resigned after serving one year. On January 18, 1862, he was married, at Salem Corners, Wayne county, to Miss Anna E. Baker, and their home has been brightened by nine children, of whom any par- ents might well be proud : (I) Lillian, married F. A. Gorecki, a stone mason at Englewood, N. J. (2) Winford, a butcher at Jermyn, Penn., married Miss Fannie J. Rivenburg. (3) Mamie E. married Charles F. Swingle, a farmer in South Canaan town- ship. (4) Miss Lena resides at home. (5) Anna married Edward Reed, a carpenter in Canaan town- ship, Wayne county. (6) Nettie married H. L. Mc- Garigle, who is employed in a smelting works in Philadelphia. (7) John H. is engaged in farming near Seelyville, Wayne county. (8) Leo R. and (9) William M. are at home. Mr. and Mrs. Shaffer have fifteen grandchildren.

Mrs. Shaffer, whose intelligence and industry have been of great assistance to her husband, was born December 7, 1840, at Stamford, Conn., daugh- ter of John and Ann C. (Snyder) Baker, who are mentioned more fully elsewhere. Both parents were natives of Breitenbach, Germany, but they were married in New York City, and soon afterward re- moved to Stamford, Conn. In 1847 they settled permanently in South Canaan township, Wayne county, where the father carried on shoemaking for a time and later engaged in farming. He died December 4, 1891, at the age of eighty-six years, ten months and five days, and the mother passed away May 17, 1886, at the age of seventy-two years and seventeen days, the remains of both being in- terred in the East cemetery in South Canaan town- ship. They were members of the Evangelical Church, and were much esteemed among their ac- quaintances for their excellent qualities of character. Of their children, Abel married Miss Mary Enslin, and resides upon a farm in South Canaan township; Louis died in 1875 ; Anna E., Mrs. Shaffer, is third in the order of birth; Miss Mary C., a dressmaker, resides at Carbondale, Penn .; John H. is deceased ; Henry resides at the old homestead; Miss Emily is also at home ; John, a blacksmith in the Delaware & Hudson railroad shops at Dover, N. J., married Miss Maggie Seiger, now deceased; George, a butcher at Carbondale, married Miss Maggie Tier- ney ; Miss Sarah, a teacher, resides at home ; William W., a teacher at Honesdale, married Miss Ida Correll; and Edward is at home. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Shaffer died in Germany, and Abel Snyder, her grandfather on the maternal side, spent his last years in Stamford, Connecticut.

FRANK WILLIS CORSON, M. D. The Corson family has long been noted for ability and enterprise, different members having attained prom- inence in professional life, and this well-known physician of Waymart, Wayne county, is a true scion of the old stock.

The Doctor's grandfather, Hiram Corson, a farmer in Canada, had two sons who became suc-

cessful physicians, and another who was principal of a school in Philadelphia, Penn. Dr. Henry Corson, our subject's father, who was born in Canada March 18, 1793, has been in active practice since the age of twenty-three, and is still conducting a large busi- ness as a specialist, with offices at different places. Though more than a century has passed over his head this venerable gentleman is hale and hearty, supple as a young man, and he attends to his busi- ness regularly. For some time in early manhood he practiced with Dr. James, in Philadelphia, but later he settled in Susquehanna, where he remained until 1879, and at present he resides at Hancock, N. Y. As a citizen he is interested in all that pertains to the country's welfare, and he is a stanch supporter of the Republican party. He was married, in Caton, N. Y., to Miss Lucretia Gelatt, who was born in New Hampshire December 16, 1820, and is still liv- ing, in excellent health. In religious faith she is a Baptist, and has been a member of Church for many years. She comes of good old Colonial stock, and her grandfather, George Gelatt, was captain of a ship during the Revolutionary war. Robert Gelatt, Mrs. Corson's father, was born in Bedford, Mass., but became one of the pioneer farmers of Thompson township, Susquehanna county, this State, where he died at the advanced age of ninety-six. The Gelatt family is long-lived, and Charles Gelatt, Mrs. Cor- son's granduncle, a native of France, was captain of an ocean vessel for fifty years; he died at San Francisco, Cal., at the age of ninety-two. Our sub- ject was the second youngest in a family of four children born to Dr. Henry Corson and his estimable wife, the others being Henrietta, who married Y. Richmond, a clerk for the Delaware & Hudson Co., at Carbondale, Penn .; Charles G., a physician at Rileyville, Penn. ; and Lavina, wife of Rev. George Merrill, a Presbyterian minister now stationed at Bethany, Pennsylvania.

Our subject was born October 24, 1858, in Thompson township, Susquehanna county, and he remained at the old farm until he reached the age of twenty-four. When only fifteen years old he began to read medicine with his father, and at eighteen he was capable of rendering efficient assistance in the latter's practice. In April, 1883, he graduated from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, after a course of two years, and in the same year located at Waymart, where he speedily built up a successful practice. Socially he is popular, and he is identified with several fraternal orders, including the I. O. O. F., at Aldenville, and the Masonic society at Way- mart, in which he has attained the third regree. In politics he is a Republican, and he takes an active part in religious work as a member of the Methodist Church.

In September, 1879, Dr. Corson was married, at Jackson, Penn., by Rev. C. M. Prescott, to Miss Mary Merrill. They have a pleasant home at Way- mart, and one daughter, Laura A., has blessed their union. Mrs. Corson was born June 26, 1861, at Peckville, Penn., the daughter of Joseph and Mercy

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

J. (Aylsworth) Merrill. Her grandfather, Rev. Joseph Merrill, a well-known minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, died at Washington, N. J., of old age, and his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Whitesell, passed away at the same place. Joseph Merrill, the father of Mrs. Dr. Corson, was born in New Jersey. During the Civil war he en- listed as a private in Company G, 14Ist P. V. I., and in 1864 he was sent from the battlefield to a hospital in Philadelphia, where he died soon afterward, at the early age of forty-three. His wife, whom he met and married at Peckville, her native place, died in 1875, at New Milford, Penn., aged forty-three. Her parents, David and Sybil (Williams) Aylsworth, were residents of Carbondale, Penn., and her father, who was the first white male child born at that town, lived to the age of eighty-three. The family has been chiefly identified with the Methodist Church, of which Mrs. Corson's parents were both members. Of the six children of that worthy couple the eldest, Emma, married Edward Dolph, a mason at Over- ton, Neb. ; Flora married Elbert Gelatt, a merchant of Thompson, Penn. ; William and John are clerking at Denver, Colo .; Mary is the wife of our subject ; and George is a Presbyterian minister at Bethany, Pennsylvania.

JOHN MATTHEWS, deceased.

Why weep for him who, having won The bound of man's appointed years, at last,

Life's blessings all enjoyed, life labors done, Serenely to his final rest has passed,

While the soft memory of his virtues yet

Lingers like twilight hues when the bright sun has set?

The subject of this memoir was for many years a resident of Texas township, Wayne county, and his death, on October 17, 1896, was sincerely mourned throughout the community in which he had so long resided. As a citizen he was always public-spirited, devoting his energies to upholding the right as he saw it, and his integrity and strong sense of justice gained for him the confidence of all who knew him well. Throughout his life he took much interest in educational affairs, and for a number of years he did efficient work as a mem- ber of the local school board. In religious work he was also prominent, as a member of the Catholic Church at White Mills, being ever ready to aid in its support and to perform any known duty.

The Matthews family is of Irish origin, and Michael Matthews, the father of our subject, came from Ireland in 1849, his wife, Rose and one child, dying during the voyage. He settled at Hawley, Wayne county, where he died in 1864, leaving three sons : Bernard, now a resident of Hawley; Pat- rick, who left Pennsylvania in early manhood ; and John, our subject, who was born in Ireland in 1836 and was but a lad of thirteen when he accompanied his father to Wayne county. John Matthews grew to manhood at Hawley, and for some time followed boating on the canal, but for the last twenty years of his life he was employed as night watchman by the

canal company. For a year previous to his death he suffered severely from dropsy, being compelled to give up active work. In 1862 he married Miss Ellen Nugent, who survives him, and for some time they made their home in Purdy Town, near Haw- ley, later removing to Honesdale. In 1883 Mr. Matthews purchased ten acres of land near White Mills from Rev. S. V. Jones, and built a handsome and commodious residence, where his remaining years were spent. His home life was a most happy one, and he was devoted to his family, who re- turned his affection in full measure. Of his chil- dren (I) Rose E. was educated in the public schools near his early home, and in 1887 was married to Martin Cavanaugh, then of Corning, N. Y., but now a business man of New Bedford, Mass, where they reside. They have three children living, Jo- seph, Leo and Raymond. (2) Eugene died at the age of eleven years. (3) Joseph, who was born in Honesdale in 1868, is unmarried, and resides at Tiffin, Ohio, where he follows the glass-blower's trade. (4) EDWARD MATTHEWS, born in 1870, in Honesdale, received a practical education in the schools of that city, and when twelve years old began to learn the trade of glass-cutting with C. Dorflinger, in the works at White Mills. He followed his trade in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and other localities, but after the death of his father returned to White Millls. He is a skilled workmen, commanding $18 per week for his services, and he now follows his trade in the Dorflinger factory. He is much esteemed socially and has an excellent standing in the community. He is unmarried. (5) Francis died in childhood. (6) Mary, born at Honesdale, is the wife of Rob- ert M. Dorin, a clerk in a mercantile establishment at Honesdale, and they have one son, Robert L.

Mrs. Matthews still resides in the pleasant home at White Mills which the thoughtful care of her husband provided. She is much beloved by her friends, and is respected by her neighbors for her Christian character. From childhood she has been a devout follower of the Catholic faith, to which the entire family adheres. She is a native of Wurts- boro, Sullivan Co., N. Y., and a daughter of Owen and Jane Nugent, formerly of Ireland, but whose later years were spent at Wurtsboro. This worthy couple had a family of nine children : John ; Ellen, now Mrs. Matthews ; Catherine; Manuel, who died in childhood; Elizabeth ; Alice; Mary, who married John Reardon, of Colorado; Anne; and Theressa, wife of John Rogers, a bicycle manufacturer at Brooklyn, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have two children, Alexis and Edwin.

CICERO GEARHART is one of the leading attorneys of Stroudsburg, and in winning recogni- tion among the circle of talented men who comprise the Bar of Monroe county he has fully established his reputation for ability.

The Gearhart family is of German origin, but has been identified with Pennsylvania from an early

S. on he

an ib- ur le

IV-

od but ed

es,

to ter On,

tt.

0., at

= he of an he he m a

at ul ed 0.

In ve ist

d, SS 1- ir at

of on, ch

att or-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

period. Seven brothers of this name fought in the Revolutionary war on the side of freedom, and of these the youngest, our subject's great-great-grand- father, settled near Sciota, purchasing land on Mc- Michael's creek with Continental money.

Philip Gearhart, the grandfather of our subject, was born in 1802, and became a blacksmith by trade, his later years being spent naar Brodheadsville. In politics he was a Whig, and in religious faith he was a Baptist. His wife, Sarah (White), was born in 1819, in Stroudsburg, and her death occurred in 1880. They had the following children : Mary Ann, who married Henry Siglin, of Brodheadsville; Ed- win R., a resident of Effort, Penn .; Samuel R., who resides at Brodheadsville ; and Ellen, wife of Martin Kishpaugh.

Samuel R. Gearhart, our subject's father, was born October 22, 1836, at the old homestead on Mc- Michael's creek, and in 1857 he married Miss Eliza- beth Wiess, who was born in Monroe county in 1833. He purchased the homestead from his father and he and his wife still reside there after more than forty years of wedded life. Our subject is the eldest in a family of eight children, the others being Anna, wife of Samuel Felker, of Effort; Theodore, a traveling salesman, residing at Gilberts, Penn .; Ulysses, a resident of Effort, Penn .; John, who oc- cupies the old Weiss farm on which his mother was born; Thomas, who is married and resides at home ; Lucy, wife of Edward Bruch; and Philip, who died in infancy.

Our subject was born April 18, 1858, at the homestead, and his education was begun in the pub- lic schools of that locality. Later he attended a seminary at Orangeville, Penn., also a Normal school in Berks county, and then he taught school for four winters in the latter section, and for one year at- tended school at Lebanon, Ohio. He prepared for college at Brodheadsville, and for two years he was a student in Franklin Marshall College, at Lan- caster, Penn. His father desired him to enter the ministry, but his own inclination was for the legal profession, and he prepared for same with A. A. Dinsmore, of Stroudsburg, now of Philadelphia, being admitted to the Bar in 1885. Since that time he has been in general practice at Stroudsburg, and has met with gratifying success. He was county solicitor during the building of the court house ; was counsel for sheriff ; also for county treasurer ; served as school director, and in 1899 was elected district attorney of his county. Politically he is a Democrat, but he prefers his professional work to a political career. In 1884 Mr. Gearhart married Miss Alice Houser, who died in 1886, leaving no children. I 1887 he married Miss Blanche Greenwald, daughter of A. O. Greenwald, and five children have blessed the union: Olive May, A. Greenwald, Helen L., Samuel R., and Roberta E. The family is prom- inent socially, and our subject is connected with vari- ous fraternal organizations, including the Improved Order of Red Men ; the F. & A. M., Barger Lodge No. 325, of Stroudsburg ; the K. of P., of Strouds-

burg, Lodge No. 385 ; and the I. O. O. F., Fort Penn Lodge No. 164, in which he has passed all the chairs ; and the Junior American Mechanics; he is also a member of the Young Men's Social League of Stroudsburg. Mr. Gearhart is active in religious work as a member of the Reformed Church at Stroudsburg.

WILLIAM HENRY LEE, of Honesdale, Wayne county, holds "by right of conquest" a lead- ing place among the legal fraternity of this section, and the following sketch will be of general interest.

The Lee family is of English origin. Alexander Lee, our subject's great-grandfather, was a lifelong resident of the "Merrie Isle." Samuel Lee, the grandfather of our subject, also spent his life in England, where he married Mary Troubody, and they reared a large family of children, as follows : Eleanor, John S., Samuel, Mary, Thomas, Jane, Elizabeth, Maria, William, Hannah and Dinah. The Troubody family, according to tradition, is of noble blood, and in the early times had a coat of arms. It is certain that they were as a race finely developed, physically and mentally, and their strong, rugged features were of the Gladstonian type, crowned with a wealth of hair which usually became white as the driven snow as the age of forty drew near. Our subject shows that he has inherited this peculiarity.

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

Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 23

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