Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 232

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 232
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 232
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 232
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 232

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P.R. Cross

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

whose names and dates of birth are as follows : Oscar C., April 20, 1886; Carl P., September 16, 1887 ; Homer H., May 16, 1889; Susie Myrtle, April 17, 1891; and Raymond E., December 14, 1892.

Socially, Mr. Cross is identified with the Pa- triotic Order Sons of America, Washington Camp No. 279, at Sterling, Wayne county ; and the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, Wallen Paupack Lodge No. 478, at Newfoundland, Wayne county. In his political views he is a Republican, and his fellow citizens, recognizing his worth and ability, have called him to office, he having served as town clerk for one term, as assessor two terms, and at the present time he is justice of the peace. In Feb- ruary, 1899, he was elected township auditor for three years; also in August, 1899, was elected one of the seven county committeemen, receiving the largest number of votes cast at that election of four- teen candidates that were running; was also nom- inated for county treasurer on the Republican tick- et, but was defeated by a small majority in a strongly Democratic district.

B. F. HOLBERT, a representative and prom- inent citizen of Matamoras, belongs to one of the old and honored families of Pike county. His grandfather, Benjamin Holbert, was born in Lacka- waxen township, Pike county, December 25, 1781, and married Mary Ryder, born July 24, 1782. They reared a large family of children, namely : Elizabeth, born May 26, 1799, died in infancy. William, born April 17, 1801, lived at Indian Or- chard, Wayne Co., Penn. Joseph, born March 2, 1803, was the father of George Holbert, who is represented elsewhere. James R., born April 4, 1805, died young. Catherine, born July 18, 1806, did not marry. Margaret Ann, born April 3, Martha I809. Ann, born November 7, 1812, married John Barnes. Stephen D., born February 14, 1815, was killed when a young man. Benjamin F., born March 17, 1817, did not marry ; he lived in Lackawaxen township, Pike county. Mary, born March 15, 1819, married H. B. Rose, one of the pioneers of Westfall township, Pike county. Frederick, born November 26, 1822, is mentioned below. Albert J., born August 22, 1825, and who was a lifelong resident of Lackawaxen township, married Phoebe Shimer, of Sussex coun- ty, N. J. The grandmother died July 25, 1843, the grandfather on May 4, 1856.

Frederick Holbert, our subject's father, was born at Westcolang, Lackawaxen township, Pike county, and in that township spent his entire life en- gaged in farming and lumbering. He married Eliza- beth Pole, a native of Connecticut, born in November, 1824, and she is still living at Westcolang, but his death occurred August 15, 1891. He was widely and favorably known, and had many friends throughout the county. B. F. Holbert, our subject, is the fourth in order of birth in a family of twelve children, the others being as follows: Albert, born in 1848, and Emma, born in 1849, both died when

young; F. J. is the proprietor of the "Delaware House," a summer hotel at Lackawaxen, Penn .; Mary is the wife of Frank Van Wagener, a resi- dent of Rowland, Lackawaxen township; Calvin died in infancy; Philena is the wife of Eugene Poole, of New York City; Elizabeth is the wife of Alfed Dailey, a railroad employe living at Mata- moras, Penn .; Rolandus is the wife of Ebenezer Tyler, of Lackawaxen; Ferdinandus married Kate Comfort, and lives at Westcolang; Louis N., a farmer of Lackawaxen township, married Dottie Eldred ; and Arthur D. died at the age of eighteen years.

B. F. Holbert, our subject, is a native of Lack- awaxen township, Pike county, born May 15, 1851, and there grew to manhood. In Ulster county, N. Y., he was married, July 2, 1872, to Miss Eliza- beth Furman, who was born September 20, 1850, a daughter of William and Phœbe ( Van Wagener) Furman, natives of Ulster county. Our subject and his wife have two children: Candace, born July 5, 1874, is telegrapher and stenographer for R. H. D. Siedenburg & Co., Cotton Exchange, New York City; Otis R., born July 13, 1875, married Clara Buchanan, of Port Jervis, N. Y., and has one child, Earl B. In early life Mr. Holbert followed lumbering in Lackawaxen township, but in 1882 he moved with his family to Matamoras and en- tered the employ of the Erie Railroad Co., with which he is still connected. He has always been a stanch supporter of the principles of the Democratic party, and while a resident of Lackawaxen town- ship served his fellow citizens in the capacity of constable eleven years, and collector six years, with credit to himself and to their entire satisfaction. Fraternally he is a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, also of the A. L. of H. Re- ligiously his wife and daughter hold membership in the Baptist Church, while socially the family is one of prominence in the community where they make their home.

William Holbert, the great-grandfather of our subject, was born in Holland, in 1751, and married Mary Showers, of the same place, born in 1752. They came to America in 1773 and settled at Indian Orchard, Wayne Co., Penn. In 1775 the Indians took him and a few other families, and after burn- ing their buildings took them to the Forks, now known as Hancock, where they placed the women and children in a canoe and let them go. They came down to the barracks at Minisink, known now as Carpenter's Point. The Indians took the men on west to what is now known as Oneida, but they succeeded in getting away from their captors, and returned to the barracks. When Independence was declared the Holberts went to Lackawaxen and bought the river flats of Widow Jones at sixpence an acre, and then followed farming and lumbering. Mr. Holbert furnished the lumber for the old Tren- ton bridge at Trenton, N. J., in 1803. He died in 1815, his wife in 1832, leaving two children, Ben- jamin and Joseph.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ELBERTE E. WEED, a representative farmer and also a well-known contractor and builder of Wayne county, resides on the old Weed homestead at Canaan Corners, where he was born January 25, 1845, a son of Smith and Louisa ( Hoadley ) Weed, the former a native of Horse Neck, N. Y., and the latter of Branford, Conn. Both died on the farm where our subject is now living, the father in Sep- tember, 1876, aged sixty-five years, the mother in May, 1888, aged seventy-nine years, and the remains of both were laid to rest in the Canaan Corners ceme- tery. The father was killed by falling from a hay rigging, running a sharp stick into a blood vessel, and dying the same night. He was a good mechan- ic, serving as boss carpenter for the Delaware & Hudson Railroad Co., during the construction of their road in 1828, and he also engaged in general contracting and building. Politically he was an ardent Republican, and religiously was a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which his wife also belonged. To them were born two children : Elberte E .; and Louisa, wife of Hen- ry Sampson, an employe of the D. & H. R. R., with residence in Waymart.

The father was twice married, his first wife being Charlotte Boertre, of Sterling, Penn., by whom he had two children, Robert E. and Frank- lin H. (twins). The former is in the employ of the D. &. H. R. R. Co., and the latter was instantly killed by the boiler of his engine blowing up while he was serving as engineer for that company. The mother of our subject was also twice married, her first husband being Elisha Fobes, and to them were born two children, Lydia A., who married James Pugh, of New York (both are now deceased) ; and John E. (also deceased).

The maternal grandparents of our subject were Abraham and Olive (Price) Hoadley, who were married April 10, 1792, and came to Wayne coun- ty, in 1823, spending their last days in Canaan town- ship, where the grandfather engaged in farming. Their remains were interred in the Canaan Corners cemetery. They had eight children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows: Lucretia (Mrs. Squire Day), February, 1793; John, P., December 23, 1794; Miles, September 4, 1796; Mrs. Polly Lindsley, June 17, 1798; Abigail B., July 27, 1800; Betsy, July 29, 1802; Lydia Charlotte (Mrs. Will- iam Covert), June 25, 1805; and Louisa A. (Hod- ley) Weed, December 5, 1809.

The subject of this sketch remained with his parents upon his present farm until eighteen years of age, when he entered the employ of the Delaware & Hudson Railroad Co., in the transportation de- partment, for two years. Subsequently he pur- sued his studies for three terms in the Henry street grammar school of New York City, and then cont- menced clerking in the dry-goods store of John E. Seward, at Long Island, where he remained two years. After a few years spent at home, he again entered the service, of the railroad company, as fire- man with his brother, filling that position for six

years. Since then he has lived uninterruptedly upon the old homestead, and in connection with the culti- vation of his land he works at the carpenter's trade. In his undertakings he has met with a well-merited success.

In New York City, April 20, 1871, Mr. Weed was married, by Rev. J. B. Wetherell, an Episcopal minister, to Miss Frances W. Dudley, and they have two children, May L. and Clarence D., both at home. Mrs. Weed was born January 14, 1848, in Manches- ter, England, a daughter of Ellis W. and Mary A. (Taylor) Dudley, who on June 14, 1848, emigrated to the United States, locating in New York City, where they continued to make their home until called from this life. The father, who was a harness maker by trade, died in August, 1888, aged seven- ty-two years, the mother on March 28, 1855, aged thirty-two, and both were laid to rest in Greenwood cemetery, New York. The former was an Episco- palian in religious belief, while the latter held mem- bership in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Their children were: Frances W., wife of our subject; Ellis E., a harness maker, of New York City ; Car- rie, also a resident of that place; and John T., who is in the government employ in New York. Mrs. Weed's paternal great-grandfather, Gilbert R. Dud- ley, Sr., always remained in England, as did also the grandfather, Gilbert Dudley, Jr., who was a bar- rister. He married Mary Williams, who was born in England, of Welsh ancestry. The maternal grandparents, Ralph and Fannie Taylor, made their home in Chathill, England, near the border of Scot- land, where they had large landed interests.

Mr. Weed is a sincere and worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, takes an active part in its work, and has served as trustee since. 1882. The Prohibition party always finds in him a stanch supporter, and he has been called upon to fill a number of official positions of honor and trust, hav- ing been justice of the peace five years, and audi- tor, assessor and overseer of the poor at the pres- ent time.

JOHN W. BIDWELL, a well-known farmer of Salem township, Wayne county, is one of the honored veterans of the Civil war, his devotion to his country being tested not only by service on the field of battle, but in the still more deadly dangers of a Southern prison.

This gallant soldier is descended from good old Revolutionary stock, his grandfather, Ephraim Bidwell, having valiantly fought for the independ- ence of the Colonies. He was a pioneer of Wayne county, having in 1800 located in the central part of Salem township, and later purchased land on what is now known as Bidwell Hill, where his death occurred. From the virgin forest he de- veloped a farm, and built thereon his cabin home. His burial place, though not exactly located, is on the John Watson farm, near Hamlinton, Wayne county. He married Dorcas Andrews and to them were born the following children: Luther, who

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

made his home in Salem township; Jabez, who died in Wayne county, where he made his home after the age of sixteen years; Orin, an extensive lumber- man of Salem township, now deceased; and Ashbel, our subject's father.

Ashbel Bidwell, the only one of the family born in Wayne county, was born in Salem township, December 7, 1802, and there grew to manhood, with no opportunities of gaining an education, as there were no district schools in eastern Pennsyl- vania at that time. For many years he engaged in farming on the old homestead, but in 1858 sold the place and removed to Nebraska. Subsequently he returned to Wayne county and bought a farm in the eastern part of Salem township. He mar- ried Polly Griffin, a native of Connecticut, and- a daughter of William M. Griffin, and they became the parents of the following children: Julia, wife of T. W. Conklin, of Nebraska; John W., of this sketch; S. L., deceased; Orlando, who died in in- fancy; and George M., a farmer of Salem town- ship.

John W. Bidwell was born in Salem township, April 13, 1842, and like other country boys attend- ed the common schools in winter and assisted in farm work during the summer months. On Au- gust 9, 1862, at the age of twenty years, he enlisted for nine months in Company A, 137th P. V. I., and at the end of that time re-enlisted in Company L, 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery. He was in the engagements in the Wilderness, at Cold Harbor, and at the explosion of the mine before Petersburg, where all of the commissioned officers were either wounded or taken prisoners, and Mr. Bidwell was given temporary charge of his company; he was in the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, and with his regiment was detailed for duty on the Weldon railroad. Returning to Virginia, they were ordered across the James river to capture several small forts, and while making a charge upon one of these Mr. Bidwell was taken prisoner. He was first taken to Libby prison, then to Belle Isle, and for six months was confined within the stockade at Salisbury, N. C. He endured almost every con- ceivable hardship; the prisoners burrowed in the ground to find protection from the rain and sun; were given but little food; and great numbers died from privations. About this time 10,000 Northern prisoners were placed in this pen, and at the end of five months only 4,500 were alive. While in per- fect health our subject weighs nearly 200 pounds, but at this time his weight was reduced to seventy- five. In March, 1865, he returned home, and three months later was honorably discharged from the United States service.

At his father's death Mr. Bidwell received sev- enty-five acres of the old homestead, most of which is under cultivation, and here he is now successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits. On March 13, 1867, in Salem township, he was married, by Rev. Harvey, to Miss Adelia Loring, a daughter of Lu- ther and Maria (Crone) Loring, the former a na-

tive of Monticello, N. Y., and the latter of Pike county, Penn. Her maternal grandparents were Louis and Mercy (Youngs) Crone, the former of whom died in Titusville, Penn., the latter in Salem township, Wayne county. To Mr. and Mrs. Bid- well have been born two children: David W., born January 28, 1868, is now postmaster at Arlington, Penn. ; and Alice L., born May 28, 1870, is a millin- er at Honesdale. They also have an adopted son, Stacy L., a child of Sephronus Bidwell, deceased, who was taken into their home when a little child.

Mr. Bidwell has always been a stanch Repub- lican, and has held the offices of school director and inspector of elections. Both he and his wife are active and prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is serving as class- leader, trustee and steward; while socially he be- longs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Prisoners of War. As a public-spirited citizen he is thoroughly interested in whatever tends to promote the moral, intellectual and material welfare of the community, and as a friend and neighbor he is worthy of the high regard in which he is uniformly held.

JAMES PIATT, a prominent agriculturist of South Canaan township, Wayne county, is the owner of one of the best farms of that locality, and is recognized as an able and successful manager of large enterprises, having been frequently called upon to take charge of various important business interests for others. He is a man of fine mental 'ability, possessing a remarkable memory, and his untiring industry has enabled him to accomplish much in his chosen line of effort.

The Piatt family is of French origin, the first of the name to come to America having been the great-great-grandfather of our subject. This wor- thy pioneer settled in New Jersey early in the seven- teenth century, and spent the remainder of his life there, following the weaver's trade. Our subject's great-grandfather also resided in New Jersey, and engaged in weaving as an occupation. He married Miss Ann Harrison, a native of Ireland, and had four sons: Isaiah, Charles, Asa and Ephraim. Asa Piatt, the grandfather of our subject, was born in New Jersey, and married Miss Diana Prost, also a native of that State. He died in the West, while on an extended trip. She subsequently married Louis Fortner, and after his death formed a third matrimonial union, with Matthias Mount, a Revo- lutionary soldier. She passed away in Danby, Tompkins Co., N. Y., at the age of ninety-two. Her two children, both by her first marriage, were Nancy, who died in infancy, and Christopher P., our subject's father.

The late Christopher P. Piatt was born in New Jersey, and accompanied his mother to a new home in Tompkins county, N. Y., in 1804, being then a small child. In early manhood he was married there to Miss Rebecca Morris, a native of New Jersey. Her parents, John and Catherine (Mc-

...

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Kelvy ) Morris, were natives of England and Scot- land, respectively, were married in New Jersey, and settled in Tompkins county, N. Y., in 1806. Our .subject's father was a blacksmith by trade, and for many years he carried on farming on an extensive scale. In politics he was a Democrat, and he and his wife were consistent members of the Baptist Church, being much esteemed in the community where they made their home. He died December 14, 1889, aged eighty-seven years, and his wife passed away September 25, 1887, aged ninety-four. Of their large family of children, the eldest, Asa, born December 13, 1821, married Miss Martha Jones, and settled in Southport, N. Y., where he engaged in farming ; John M., born January 9, 1823, mar- ried Miss Hannah Mingos, and is now a retired farmer, residing at Towanda, Penn .; James, our subject, is mentioned more fully below ; Matthias M., born July 26, 1826, married Mrs. Ann Reynolds, and settled at Franklin, Penn., where he engaged in business as a blacksmith; Arad, born June 21, 1829, died in 1851, unmarried ; Mary A., born April 6, 1831, is the widow of Lucius Wadham, and re- sides at Danby, N. Y .; Dinah, born April 17, 1833, married Josiah Griffin, a farmer near Wells- boro, Penn. ; Christopher P., born January 6, 1835, was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war, and died while held as a prisoner by the enemy ; Miss Charlotte A., born December 14, 1837, resides at the old homestead in Tompkins county, New York.

Our subject was born February 25, 1824, at the old home in Tompkins county, N. Y., where he grew to manhood, assisting his father in the work of the farm and blacksmith shop. At the age of twenty-one he went to Greene county, N. Y., to learn the tanner's trade, which he followed for about a quarter of a century at various places, and for the last fifteen years of that period he was fore- man in different tanneries. In 1854 he removed to Wayne county to take charge of L. A. Robin- son's establishment at Middle Valley, Cherry Ridge township, and after eight years there took charge of another plant at Dunning, Penn., for the same firm. There he spent two years, and later he was employed for two years as foreman for Alva Dever- aux, at Deposit, N. Y. He then retired to his present farm, which he purchased in 1858. It con- tains 210 acres of excellent land, well adapted to general crops, and he keeps it in a high state of cul- tivation. In 1896 a fire destroyed his dwelling house and contents, including a valuable library, but he intends to build a new residence on the old site. Mr. Piatt has always taken keen interest in public questions, and he has been a supporter of the Republican party ever since its organization, but he has steadfastly declined to appear as a can- didate for any official position. In religious faith he is a Methodist, and has been an active member of the Church for more than twenty years.

On July 17, 1850, our subject was married, in Greene county, N. Y., by Rev. Alfred N. Gardiner,

a Presbyterian minister, to Miss Elizabeth Hanson, and the union was blessed with six children : (1) Albert J., born September 10, 1851, is a farmer in South Canaan township, Wayne county. He mar- ried Miss Ellen J. Reiley, and has five children, James, William H., Mary E., Rebecca V. and Al- bert. (2) William H., born August 20, 1853, mar- ried Miss Mary C. Doyle, who died May 18, 1887, aged thirty-one years and eighteen days. They had three children, Sarah E., Rebecca C. and Char- lotte A., who reside with their grandfather. (3) Catherine R., born May 31, 1856, died May 1, 1857. (4) Lyman L., born May 28, 1859, died September 15, 1884, unmarried. (5) John C., born June 5, 1862, is not married, and makes his home with his father. (6) Rebecca C., born May 8, 1865, died December 14, 1879.

Mrs. Piatt, who proved herself a true helpmeet to her husband, was born July 2, 1825, in Greene county, N. Y., and died April 9, 1895. Her father, Samuel Hanson, a native of the Empire State, was a farmer by occupation, and his death occurred in 1857, when he was aged sixty years. His wife, whose maiden name was Catherine Jones, was born in England, and came to America in 1818 with an uncle, and she survived her husband about three years, dying in 1860, at the age of sixty. Mrs. Piatt was the eldest in their family, the others being: Henry, who resides in Minnesota; Will- iam, a resident of Poynette, Wis .; Sarah, wife of Daniel Cross, of Whitewater, Wis .; Abba, who mar- ried Isaac Chapman, of Whitewater, Wis. ; Lucinda, wife of John Beach, of Minnesota; Martha, wife of Romain Huff, of North Dakota; and Rebecca, who married Daniel Guptill, of Minnesota.

FRANK J. BELCHER, the second of three enterprising and indefatigable brothers who went to Alaska and the Klondike gold fields, was born February 19, 1870, in Gibson township, Susque- hanna county, a son of William E. Belcher, a well- known farmer. His education was received in part at the district schools, which during 1890 and 1891 was supplemented by two terms at Stratton's Busi- ness College, Chicago.

At the age af seventeen years Mr. Belcher com- menced business life, for a time working on a farm, but chiefly employing his time at carpentry in Sus- quehanna and Lackawanna counties. Later he took up contracting, and so continued until August, 1894, at which time he set out for that then almost unex- plored Territory, Alaska, landing the following September at Juneau, Alaska. Here he remained until March, 1895, occupying his time chiefly in cutting wood by the cord, and working out by the day in the mines. In March, 1895, he pushed on to Circle City, about one thousand miles from Ju- neau, arriving at his destination in the latter part of the following May. From there he set out for the Birch Creek mines, some eighty miles distant, and at this place contracted to represent a claim for a half-

FRANK J. BELCHER

OSCAR C. BELCHER

HORACE G. BELCHER

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

interest belonging to other parties. Here within two months Mr. Belcher became the owner of half-inter- ests in three adjoining claims, and came to be con- sidered the leader and the most successful who en- tered the Birch Creek mining district that year. That season they had to whip-saw all their lumber, and bring their supplies from Circle City, "pack- ing" them on their backs-and this on a rugged perilous journey of eighty miles.

Next year (1896) Mr. Belcher secured inter- ests in four other creeks or gulches, also in a store, which latter, however, he did not hold very long, preferring to sell out so that he might the better be enabled to devote his entire time to his mining in- trests. During most part of this summer he was laid up with blood poisoning in his right hand.

At this period in the history of Alaska there was no real municipal government, merely a sort of au- tonomy, and there were no educational institutions ; so the citizens of Circle, during the winter of 1895- 96, established a free school, the Federal Govern- ment supplying the teachers. Mr. Belcher took a lively interest in that and every other movement, and he was elected chairman of the school board. Being a recognized leader, he also frequently acted as judge, for this little "self-government" held its own courts.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 232

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