Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 243

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 243
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 243
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 243
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 243

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Mrs. Melissa D. (Enslin) Masters was born in South Canaan township, Wayne county, Novem- ber 30, 1842, a daughter of Simon and Lydia (Shaffer) Enslin, natives of Wayne county, where the father carried on farming until his death, which occurred in 1891, when he was aged seventy years. The mother died in 1880, aged sixty years, and the remains of both are buried in the East cemetery, Canaan township. Their children were: Elmer, a farmer of South Canaan township; Levert, who died young ; G. Porter, who was killed in the army ; Melissa D. (Mrs. Masters) ; Kate, who married A. J. Robinson, a farmer of South Canaan; Simon. L., a farmer, residing in South Canaan; Leah L., wife of Charles E. Webster, who is engaged in the millinery business in South Canaan ; Orpha C., wife of Steven Sutliff, a farmer near Shickshinny, Penn. ; John, a farmer; and Frank, of Carbondale, Penn. Simon Enslin, the father, was a son of George and Kate (Swingle) Enslin. Mrs. Lydia (Shaffer) Enslin was a daughter of Samuel and Rachel (Wagner) Shaffer.

Melissa D. Enslin was first married in 1865, when she became Mrs. Dan C. Buckland, and by this union she became the mother of one child, Daisy, who married E. G. Jacques, a dealer in bonds for the firm of Kleybolte & Co., of New York. Mr. Buck- land died May 2, 1873, and was buried in the Keens burying ground, Wayne county.

WARD DEUEL, the efficient and popular sheriff of Susquehanna county, is a man whose ability and personal worth are widely recognized,

and few men enjoy to such a degree the esteem and confidence of their fellow citizens. His stand- ing in commercial circles is of the best, as he is one of the most widely and favorably known business men of Susquehanna county, while his ability and public spirit have brought him into prominence as one of the trusted leaders of the Republican organi- zation.

Mr. Deuel comes of excellent ancestry, and on the paternal side is of German descent, while his mother's family was of New England stock. Na- thaniel Deuel, his grandfather, was born in Germany, and on coming to America located at Owego, Tioga Co., N. Y., where he engaged in lumbering. He married a Miss Catlin, of Tioga county, N. Y., and their children were Charles, Nathaniel and Henry. Nathaniel Deuel died at Owego in 1826, at the comparatively early age of forty years, and the widow married again, her second husband being a Mr. White, by whom she had several children. She lived to quite a good old age.

Nathaniel Deuel. the father of our subject, was born in 1813 at Owego, N. Y., and during his youth learned all the details of the lumber business About 1840 he came to this section, locating at Little Meadows, Susquehanna county, where he followed lumbering for many years. He was noted for his excellent ability and sound business judgment, and for his unswerving integrity, his character winning universal respect. Po- litically he was a Republican, but did not aspire to office, his business interests occupying all his time. He died in 1889, and his wife, Louise ( Bart- on), who was born in 1819 at Little Meadows, died in 1887. She was a daughter of William and Almyra (Fuller) Barton, natives of Connecticut who came to Susquehanna at an early day to make their permanent home; her father lived to the age of seventy, and her mother was eighty years old at the time of her death.

Ward Deuel was born May 6, 1857, at the old homestead at Little Meadows, Susquehanna coun- ty, the only child of Nathaniel and Louise ( Barton) Deuel. His childhood was passed amid the pictur- esque hills of the region of his birth. He attended the neighborhood schools until fourteen years of age, when he began wrestling with the practical side of life, and was soon in the midst of the busy scenes around the lumber districts in which his fa- ther was interested. As the years passed he gradu- ally drifted into the business of lumbering, which in main has been the occupation of his life. He is a capable business man, as is evidenced by the success with which he has met, is an ardent Republican, and for years has been an active and influential worker in the party in Susquehanna. He has held several local offices, and in the summer of 1896 he was made the nominee of the Republican party for the office of sheriff, being elected in November following by a handsome majority. During the canvass prior to the election one of the county papers thus referred to his candidacy :

Ward Devel

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"Ward Deuel is proving an exceedingly popu- lar candidate, and he will poll a very large vote. He is an earnest Republican, an active party worker, and is well deserving of the united support of his party, which he will receive. Mr. Deuel is an en- terprising and successful business man, and he will enter the sheriff's office superbly equipped for the proper administration of affairs pertaining to the position." Mr. Deuel is now nearing the close of the term of office for which he was elected. He has performed the duties of the position most efficiently and to the satisfaction of all, is obliging and ac- commodating, and has made one of the best sheriffs the county has ever had. Like most large men he is of jovial disposition, genial and whole-souled.

In 1880 Mr. Deuel was married to Miss Jane Stevens, daughter of William Stevens, a farmer of Bradford county, Penn., and to this marriage have been born children as follows: Lena and Arthur. Mrs. Deuel is a most estimable lady ; she is a mem- ber of the Baptist Church. William Stevens, her father, was born in 1815 in Rhode Island. He mar- ried Sabra Whittaker, who was born in Warren, Bradford Co., Penn., and died there in 1864.

JOSHUA PINE. In time to come this vol- ume will acquire added value as a repository of records whose historical significance will then be fully appreciated, but readers will doubtless peruse with special interest the stories of gallant service in that great struggle which settled once for all that this nation is, in truth, "one and indivisible." One of the most interesting of these war records is that of Mr. Pine, who was the first volunteer to enlist from Wayne county.

Mr. Pine was born at Walton, Delaware Co., N. Y., October 23, 1840, when four years old was taken by his parents to Hancock, that State, and in 1853 came to Equinunk, Wayne county, where he has since made his home. His paternal ancestor in America, James Pine, was one of the patentees of Hempstead, Long Island, under the Duke of York, in 1645; John Pine was captain of guides in charge of the secret service in the Federal army during the British occupancy of New York. Luke Rem- sen, our subject's maternal grandfather, was a cap- tin under Knox during the Revolution.

After the firing on Fort Sumter President Lin- coln called for 75,000 volunteers for three months to put down the Rebellion. Joshua Pine bade his parents and sister farewell and started down the Delaware on a raft of lumber, having determined to enlist in the United States navy. Arriving in New York, April 17, 1861, he offered his services the next day as a common seaman, but having no previous training he was not accepted. The next day, while trying to find a cavalry company, he saw an old banner, presented by the ladies of New York to a regiment after its return from the Mexican war, which read, "Second Scott Life Guard. Able- bodied men wanted for this efficient corps, officered by men who have seen service in Mexico, Gen. J. H.

H. Ward and others in charge; Lieut. C. J. Mur- phy, quartermaster and acting adjutant." After some explanation he signed the roll, but was not exam- ined and made a full-fledged soldier until April 22, 1861, becoming a member of the 38th N. Y. V. I. The regiment went into camp May 14, at East New York, and on June 19, was ordered to Wash- ington by Gen. Dix, on the 4th of July was reviewed by Gen. Scott and President Lincoln, and on the 5th proceeded to Alexandria, where they were brigaded with the IIth New York Zouaves and the First Michigan Regiment, Col. O. B. Wilcox, acting brigadier and commander. On July 17, they cap- tured Fairfax Station, and later they participated in the battle of Bull Run, capturing the only flag taken in the Bull Run campaign. With five others Mr. Pine was captured, August 27, 1861, near Bail- ey's Cross Roads, but he ran away and finally suc- ceeded in reaching the Union lines, with one bullet hole in his blouse. On March 17, 1862, the regi- ment was transported to Fortress Monroe, and was engaged with Magruder at Yorktown, May 4, being the first to place the stars and stripes on the evacu- ated works of Fort Magruder. Later the 38th N. Y. V. I. made a successful charge at Williamsburg, where Mr. Pine received one of the most remarka- ble wounds of the war while trying to carry a wound- ed comrade to a place of safety. The ball entered just under the right ear and came out one inch to the left of the seam of the neck, cutting away the whole of the third cervical vertebra and a part of the second, causing total paralysis at the time. A friend, seeing him fall, ran back and straightened him out, which undoubtedly enabled him to recover consciousness, as his head had been doubled under him. When consciousness returned the Rebels were retreating, and a Rebel officer kindly stopped and gave him a drink from his canteen, then laying him back in a more comfortable position. A Rebel sol- dier also halted long enough to pick up his gun and inquire in Irish brogue, "To what regiment does yees belong." On being answered, he exclaimed, "Ar- rah! the bloody 38th New York." For some time the battle raged while he lay between the two fires, but knowing that his only chance of escape was to get nearer the Union lines he at length decided to crawl, and with his head resting on his left hand, his elbows on the ground, he started. At length he drew near enough to see the right flank of a regi- ment, and by shouting, finally attracted the attention of some of the men, five or six of whom ran to his assistance. Having pursuaded them that only two were necessary, the others returned, and he was. taken to the field hospital of his regiment and there examined by Dr. Gesner, who then left him and did not return. Two of the regiment, who had been detailed to assist the doctor, then procured a stretcher and carried him to a farm house three miles distant, which had been converted into a hos- pital, but as it was full they were ordered to leave him outside. Several unpleasant hours elapsed be- fore he was discovered by some men, and when

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again carried into the hospital the doctor remarked, "Ah, I had forgotten about him." He was finally discharged, and returned home September 13, 1862.

For twenty-seven years Mr. Pine was a suc- cessful steersman on the Delaware river, having on one occasion run a large five-handed raft from a point above Belvidere bridge to Trenton, sixty-sev- en miles, without using the forward oars. At pres- ent he is suffering from paralysis caused by his wound, which incapacitates him for any work. He was married, April 16, 1864, to Miss Anna A. Sherwood, daughter of Nathan Sherwood, and step- daughter of Thomas Tyner. Since 1872 he has been a faithful member of the Protestant Episco- pal Church, and his life has been in harmony with its teachings. Politically he was a Democrat until 1876, when he joined the Prohibition party, and has since been one of its most active and prominent workers, being chairman of the organization in Wayne county. A man of strong individuality and indubitable probity, whose influence is always found on the side of right, this honored veteran of our Civil war assuredly demands representation in this volume.

J. H. BECKER. To the student of human nature there is nothing of greater interest than to examine into the life of a self-made man and analyze the principles he has followed, the methods he has pursued ; to know what means he has employed for advancement and to study the plans which have given him prominence, enabling him to pass on the highway of life many who had a more advanta- geous start. In the history of Mr. Becker, of Salem township, Wayne county, there is deep food for thought, and if one so desires he may profit by the obvious lessons therein contained.

Mr. Becker's parents. Henry and Catharine (Shaffer) Becker, spent their entire lives in Scho- harie county, N. Y. Their children were Maria, who married Freegift Martin, of North Blenheim, N. Y., and died at the age of eighty years ; Ann, who resided in Binghamton, N. Y., died in 1891 ; David, who died in Delhi, N. Y., January 4, 1894; Frederick, a resident of Rondout, N. Y. ; Rebecca, deceased wife of Charles J. E. Martin, of Granville, Bradford Co., Penn .; J. H., of this sketch; Lana, widow of William Shaw, of Delhi, N. Y. ; Julia, wife of B. R. Johnson, of Binghamton, N. Y. ; and Eugenie, wife of Benjamin Miles, who died at Utica, N. Y., January 9, 1900.

J. H. Becker was born in North Blenheim, Schoharie Co., N. Y., January 21, 1828, and at the age of twenty years went to Andes, Delaware Co., N. Y., where he learned the blacksmith's trade, fol- lowing same for six years. In 1850 he came to Ledgedale, Wayne Co., Penn., and was made over- seer for a tannery company. where he was employed until 1894, having the entire confidence and respect of the company, whose interests he most faithfully served. He then purchased the property, consist- ing of 638 9-10 acres of land, a gristmill, store

building, dwelling houses, etc., the tannery building having burned a short time before he bought the place. He is now successfully carrying on opera- tions here, and is justly regarded as one of the most enterprising, progressive and reliable business men of Wayne county. In politics he is a stanch Repub- lican, and as a citizen he ever stands ready to dis- charge every duty devolving upon him. Few men are better known throughout the community, or are more honored for their sterling worth.

In Paupac, Pike Co., Penn., September 28, 1852, Mr. Becker was married, by Rev. Cooper, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to Miss Esther A. Davis, who was born April 19, 1835. Her father, Philip Davis, was a native of Stockport, N. Y., a son of Gabriel and Mary (Acres) Davis, and when a young man came to Wayne county, Penn. He married Delilah Sutton, also a native of the Empire State, and a daughter of Nathaniel Sutton, and the children born of this union were as follows: Eliza- beth, widow of Ephraim Bidwell, and a resident of Salem township, Wayne county ; Gabriel, who died in the war of the Rebellion ; Matilda, deceased wife of Benjamin Beech, of Salem township; Esther A., the wife of our subject; Ruth, wife of S. Sheridan, of Paupac, Pike Co., Penn., and Alice, wife of John Pellet, of Gainesville, Florida.

To Mr. and Mrs. Becker has been born a fam- ily of eight children: Julia, born July 24, 1853. died at the age of three years; Alice, born August 20, 1856, is the wife of Alfred Roseberry, of South Dakota; Catherine, born September 29, 1858, is the wife of G. F. Rollison, of Scranton, Penn. ; Delilah, born May 1, 1860, is the wife of A. L. Finley, of Arlington, Penn .; Grace, born April 2, 1863, is the wife of J. M. Cooke, of Mckean coun- ty, Penn. ; Henry, born May I, 1865, is employed by the Delaware & Hudson Co., at Carbondale, Penn. ; Arthur, born September 10, 1868, is at home with his father ; and Mary E., born December 14, 1873, is the wife of J. M. Fields, of Olean, New York.

BENJAMIN S. VAN INWEGEN (deceased) was a prominent and well-to-do farmer of Westfall township, Pike county, where he died in September, 1888, honored and respected by all who knew him. He was born in Orange county, N. Y., September 24. 1843. a son of Solomon and Charity (Van Inwegen) Van Inwegen, in whose family were only two children, the other being John M., who mar- ried Lizzie Damon and removed to Boston, Mass., since which time nothing has been heard from him.

Hermannus Van Inwegen, the maternal great- great-grandfather of our subject, was the founder of the family in America. His name was given in con- nection with his marriage in the old Dutch records of Kingston Church (Kingston, N. Y.) as Hero- mandus Barentsen. He was born in Nymwegen. Province of Gelderland, Holland, and was married at Kingston, N. Y., January 19, 1701, to Jannetje Cobes. The surname Barentsen indicates that the father of Hermannus or Heromandus was Barent, the

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Van Nymwegen being added to denote the place of his nativity. In course of time his descendants dropped the "N," and for over a century the name has been spelled Van Inwegen. His only son, Ger- ardus, born in the present town of Deerpark, Orange Co., N. Y., married, in 1731, Jannetje De- witt. Their children were Hermanus, Jacob, Cor- nelius, Jacob (2), Janneke, Grietje and Tjaade. His youngest son, Benjamin Van Inwegen, was married, October 21, 1810, to Miss Charity Cole, and after her death wedded Phoebe Van Auken. By the first marriage he had three sons: Lewis, who married Priscilla Van Etten; George, who married Julia Seward ; and Eli, who married Maria Bull. The children of the second union were Charity, mother of our subject; Joseph; Samuel Y .; Solonion V .: Anna M., a resident of Mata- moras, Pike county ; Hannah, wife of W. W. Cort- right, of the same place; Andrew J .; and Mar- garet, wife of Luke S. Rosencrance, of Port Jervis.

John and Elizabeth (Van Fleet) Van Inwegen, our subject's paternal grandparents, were both of Holland descent and died in Orange county, N. Y. They had a family of six children, namely: Maria, Sally, Senetha, Jacobus, Martin, and Solomon, the father of our subject.

Benjamin S. Van Inwegen early became fa- miliar with all the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist, and throughout life engaged in farm- ing with good success. In 1856 he removed to the present home of the family in Westfall township, Pike county, comprising 160 acres of valuable land, '100 acres of which is timberland. Mr. Van Inwe- gen was an enterprising and progressive man, thoroughly up-to-date in every respect, and was a liberal supporter of all measures which he be- lieved calculated to promote the moral, educational or material welfare of his township or county. He was a well-informed man, of literary tastes, and was president of the school board at the time of the erection of the school house at Matamoras. He also filled the offices of assessor and collector of his township, and his public and private life were alike above reproach. In politics he was a Demo- crat, and he always kept well posted on the leading questions and issues of the dav.

In Orange county, N. Y., one mile from Port Jervis, Mr. Van Inwegen was married, in March, 1868, to Miss Cynthia Westfall, and to them were born five children. Louis S., a prominent and en- ergetic young man, now operates the old home farm. The others are all deceased : John at the age of one year ; Mae at the age of twenty-one; Simon at the age of eight months : and Benjamin R. when young.

Mrs. Van Inwegen is a native of Orange coun- ty, N. Y., where her parents, Simon and Margaret (Van Etten) Westfall, spent their entire lives as farming people. The father, who was a man of prominence and held several minor offices, died in 1881, aged seventy-two years, his wife in 1887,

aged seventy-eight, and both were buried in Laurel Grove cemetery, Port Jervis, N. Y. Their children were as follows: Benjamin, deceased, married Sarah Schwartz; Catherine died unmarried ; John V. married Poceia Ellis, and is a farmer of Barton, N. Y .; Ellen is the wife of Jacob Westbrook, a farmer of Sussex county, N. J .; Cynthia is now Mrs. Van Inwegen; Levi is single, and resides on the old homestead in Orange county; Josephine is the wife of W. H. Nearpass. editor of the Gazette Publishing Company, of Port Jervis, N. Y .; and Margaret is the wife of J. S: Murray, telegraph operator at Port Jervis. Mrs. Van Inwegen's paternal grandparents were Benjamin and Cynthia (Gaman) Westfall.

JOHN McFARLAND, a retired contractor, who was for many years one of the leading carpen- ters and builders of this section of the State, now makes his home in Jefferson township, Lackawanna Co., Penn., about 300 feet from the Wayne county line. He is a native of the latter county, born July 15, 1828, at Hawley, which at that time was called Paupac Eddy, the only child of Daniel and Eliza- beth (Atkinson) McFarland, the former a native of Maine, the latter of Hawley, Penn. His mother died August 30, 1828, at the early age of twenty years. The father, who was a lumberman by occu- pation, came to Wayne county about 1826, and located at the present site of Hawley, where he operated a sawmill. He was twice married, his second union being with Catherine Ammerman, by whom he had four children: Theressa, who died unmarried ; Milton, who was married three times, and resides in Scranton, Penn .; Maria, who is also a resident of Scranton ; and Frank, foreman in the car shops at that place. The father died in 1872, aged sixty-six years. His father, Thomas McFar- land, a native of Scotland, came to America at an early day, and died in Maine.

As his mother died during his infancy, John McFarland was reared by his maternal grandfather, Joseph Atkinson, at Hawley, and with him re- mained until he had attained the age of twenty years, during which time he attended school and en- gaged in lumbering and rafting on the river. The following six years were devoted to lumbering at Promised Land, Pike Co., Penn., and he then locat- ed in the Paupac settlement of the same county, where for three years he operated a sawmill which he rented from a Mr. Kimble. He worked for his father-in-law in Salem township, Wayne county, for two years, and spent fourteen years at No. 17, on the old Gravity railroad. For two years he en- gaged in carpentering for the Pennsylvania Coal Co. at Dunmore, Penn., was similarly employed at No. 12 for the same length of time, and in 1878 removed to his present elegant home. To contract- ing and building he continued to devote his ener- gies until he laid aside business cares. He is one of the honored and highly-respected citizens of the community, and he has been called upon to fill a

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number of local offices. During the Civil war he was drafted, but sent a substitute. Politically he is an ardent Republican, and socially he has been a Master Mason since 1861, and also belongs to the Chapter, R. A. M., in Honesdale.

At Salem Corners, July 4, 1850, Mr. McFar- land was united in marriage with Miss Nancy Will- iams, who was born August 31, 1831, and died February 10, 1857. Four children were born of this union: Daniel W., born April 24, 1851, died November 5, 1852; Elizabeth, born May 15, 1852, died February 21, 1853; Alice, born January 7, 1854, is now the wife of E. G. Stevens, a merchant of Scranton, Penn .; and Fanny, born September 25, 1855, died January 1I, 1856.

Mr. McFarland was again married, November 3, 1858, in Salem township, Wayne county, his sec- ond union being with Miss Sarahett Mitchell, who was born on the old Mitchell homestead in that township November 10, 1834. The following chil- dren blessed this union : Daniel D., born May 2, 1860, married Elsie Barry, and is engaged in car- pentering in Scranton, Penn; Fred, born March 15, 1862, died February 16, 1865; May, born Novem- ber 1, 1864, died November 23, 1882; Freddie, born October 7, 1867, died December 3, 1868; Harry, born March 10, 1869, died April 29, 1870; John F., born July 6, 1872, married Miss Ella Philips, of Hawley, and is a resident of Lake township, Wayne county; and Coe, born October 5, 1874, married Miss Jessie Mitchell, of Kingman, Kans., and now resides with his parents.

John P. Mitchell, Mrs. McFarland's father, was born in Luzerne county, Penn., July 2, 1809, a son of Michael and Lucy (Munson) Mitchell, natives of Connecticut who came to Wayne county, Penn., in 1814, and located in Salem township. His grandfather, Michael Mitchell, Sr., was born in England, and on his emigration to America located in Connecticut. During the Revolutionary war he was taken prisoner by the British, and starved to death in a barn. Michael Mitchell, Jr., who was a. farmer and lumberman, died January 26, 1855, aged eighty years, his wife February 3, 1867, aged ninety- one years and seven months.

John P. Mitchell also followed the occupations of farming and lumbering quite extensively, operat- ing sawmills for many years, and was supposed to have been very wealthy, but when the estate was settled up after his death very little remained. He was a very polished gentleman and quite promi- nent both in social and business life, enjoying the respect and esteem of all who knew him. He held membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church, was identified with the Republican party, and was honored with a number of township offices.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 243

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