Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 285

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 285
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 285
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 285
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 285

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Curtin and Sprague, was in no active engagements, and fortunately was never wounded. Since his return home he has devoted his time to agricultural pursuits and successfully operates eighty-five acres of fine farming land. His political support is al- ways given the Republican party, and for three years he efficiently served as school director in his district.

On October 16, 1876, in Herrick township, Mr. Dart was united in marriage with Miss Eliza- beth E. Potter, and to them have been born two children: Frederick P., born November 24, 1878, is now a draftsman of Bangor, Penn .; and Alice, born February 2, 1881, died May 30, 1881. Mrs. Dart was born in Buckingham township, Wayne Co., Penn., August 11, 1850, a daughter of Oliver and Maria (Cooley) Potter. The father was born on a farm in Gibson township, Susquehanna coun- ty, in January, 1819, and died there May 21, 1898. The mother, who was a native of Wayne county, also died in Gibson township, in August, 1882, at the age of sixty-three years, and were both buried at Gelatt, Penn. They were members of the Free Will Baptist Church and were held in high regard by all who knew them. Their children were Eliza- beth E., wife of our subject; Preston C., who died at the age of twenty-one years ; Alice C., a resident of Gibson township ; and one who died in infancy. Mrs. Dart's paternal grandparents were Parley and Philena ( Norton) Potter, the former a descendant of Capt. Joseph Potter. ' Her maternal grandpar- ents were Sheldon and Elizabeth ( Mogridge) Cooley, the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of Birmingham, England. In 1812 the grand- mother came to America and located in Cochecton. Later she and her husband removed to Manchester, Wayne Co., Penn., where the grandmother died, the grandfather having gone West, whence he never returned. He had been a prominent farmer in Wayne county.

GEORGE KIRK, an honored citizen of Sus- quehanna, who is now liying retired from business cares, is a native of Susquehanna county, born near Lanesboro, in October, 1821, son of James and Catherine Kirk, who were natives of Washington county, N. Y., and came to this State in 1819 or 1820, locating in Harmony township, Susquehanna county, where they purchased property. The father, who was a millwright by trade, died in 1865, and the mother passed away in 1870. Of their six chil- dren only two are now living: George, our sub- ject ; and Susan, wife of William Hunt, of Susque- hanna, by whom she has one daughter, Frances, now the wife of John Hawthorn, master mechanic in the railroad repair shops at that place.

The subject of this review was educated in the common schools near his boyhood home, and when a young man he learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for some years. In August, 1849, he was united in marriage with Miss Julia E. Smith, of Franklin, Penn., and they began housekeeping

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in Susquehanna, where he purchased property. In 1851 he commenced working in the railroad shops at that place and remained one of the faith- ful and trusted employes of the company for forty years. In 1874 he built a pleasant home on Broad street, where he is now living retired from active business, spending his declining years in ease and comfort as one of the honored and highly respected citizens of the place. In his political affiliations he is a Republican, and he has most creditably filled the office of town councilman, and as tax collector in his borough for four years. Religiously he and his wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and fraternally he is a promi- nent member of the Odd Fellows Lodge of Susque- hanna, in which he has filled all the chairs, and which he as also represented in the grand lodge at three different sessions.

Mr. Kirk's first wife died in 1891, and their only child, Verna, died in 1862, at the age of nine years. For his second wife he wedded Mrs. Mary De Witt, of Dundee, N. Y., a daughter of James and Maria Seeley, leading citizens of that place, where her father successfully engaged in the prac- tice of law. She attended the higher schools of Al- bany, N. Y., and was given a fine musical education. In 1872 she married Thomas De Witt, of Bing- hamton, formerly of Owego, N. Y., and after their marriage they located in Susquehanna, Penn. He was a passenger engineer on the Erie railroad until his death, which occurred in 1884. He left three children, all of whom were born in Susquehanna. (1) Velona graduated from the schools of that city in 1898, and is now an advanced student at Fort Edwards College, N. Y. (2) George, born in 1878, died in 1894. (3) Isabell is also attending Fort Edwards College.

SQUIRE L. HAZEN, one of Blooming Grove township's honored and highly-esteemed citizens, has been identified with the agricultural interests of Pike county for many years, and has borne an important part in its development and upbuilding. He has been a champion of every movement de- signed to promote the general welfare, and a sup- porter of every enterprise for the public good.

His father, Isaiah Hazen, was born in 1768, in Orange county, N. Y., and spent almost his entire life as a farmer in that county and in Sussex coun- ty, N. J., but he died in Milford, Penn., October 31, 1839. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Julia Oakley, was called to her final rest October 20, 1855, at the age of eighty-four years, eleven months and nine days. Their children were as follows: Thomas C., born December 14, 1793, died at Milford, Penn., after having served in the war of 1812; Lydia, born March 20, 1795, first married James Mollers and second Isaac Tucker ; Mary, born August 16, 1800, married Maton Aber, of Dingman township, Pike county; James, born February 20, 1803, lived in Dingman township; John S., born December 9, 1805, made his home for

a time in Pike county, but died at Barryville, Sul- livan Co., N. Y .; Jemima, born March 27, 1809, married Jonathan D. Hultz, and died in Iowa.

Squire L. Hazen, who completes the family, was born in Minisink township, Orange Co., N. Y., July 6, 1812, and was twelve years old when he came with his parents to Lehman township, Pike county. At the age of twenty he began to provide for himself, and followed farming in Dingman township until 1855, when he came to Blooming Grove township, where he purchased land and has since made his home with the exception of three years spent in Syracuse, N. Y. He has always taken a deep and commendable interest in public affairs, is a stanch Democrat in politics, and has been honored with nearly all the township offices, including those of school director and supervisor, the duties of which he has most faithfully and con- scientiously discharged.

On August 15, 1833, Mr. Hazen was united in marriage with Miss Mangunia Mckean. They have become the parents of the following children : (I) Lucinda E., born July 9, 1834, is the wife of Robert Smith, of Jacksonville, Fla. (2) Edward Rockhill, born February 19, 1836, married Eliza- beth Hatten, and is engaged in farming in Bloom- ing Grove township. (3) Hiram, born August 16, 1837, married a cousin, Minerva Hazen, and is liv- ' ing at Glen Eyre, Lackawaxen township, Pike county. (4) Horace, born November 5, 1838, mar- ried Martha Crawford and lives in Laxawaxen township. (5) Francis Everet, born December 6, 1840, died in the service of his country during the Civil war. (6) Almyra Cox, born April 9, 1842, died in childhood. (7) Arminda, born January 5, 1844, was married May 13, 1867, to David J. Ed- wards, who was born in London, England, August 16, 1841, and died November 24, 1876; four chil- dren graced their union: Lucinda, who was born February 21, 1868, and died in infancy; Robert, who was born December 9, 1869, and died at the age of three years; Mary, who was born March 14, 1872; and William David, who was born August 2, 1876, married Alice Runyon, October 25, 1899, and is engaged in farming at Notch, Penn. (8) Charles Herbert, son of our subject, was born Au- gust 17, 1847, and was a veterinary surgeon in New York State, where he died in 1889. (9) Mary Elvira, born June 10, 1854, died at the age of eighteen years. (10) Erwin, born October 12, 1857, married Margaret Anderson and is residing in Blooming Grove township.

COL. JOHN NYCE, deceased. This in his day well-known citizen of Milford, Pike county, who passed to the unseen life April 13, 1880, was for many years a prominent member of the legal fraternity. His progressive mind, and warm sym- pathy with the needs of the people, made him a de- termined champion of various reforms, and while his professional work was notably successful, he will, perhaps, be best remembered for his loyalty and

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devotion as a citizen to the welfare of his com- munity.

Col. Nyce was born July 22, 1831, in Sandy- ston township, Sussex Co., N. J., a son of Major John W. and Maria ( Van Campen) Nyce, and a grandson of John Nyce, who resided at an early day at Egypt Mills, Penn. Major John W. Nyce was a native of Egypt Mills, Penn., and for many years followed farming in Sussex county, N. J. He was a man of much ability, and public spirit, and his title was gained by active service in the State militia, for which he organized and trained a company. Our subject was fifth in a family of nine children, the others being: Eleanora, widow of Foster Arm- strong, of Wentzville, Mo .; Abram (deceased ), who married Julia Ramie ; James, who married Jane Brink; Mary, wife of Eben Kilpatrick; Catherine, wife of John Ramie, of Orange county, N. Y .; Sarah, wife of John Kyte, of Sandyston, N. J .; Jacob, a carpenter at Port Jervis, who married Dorcas Shay ; and George, a physician at Saratoga, N. Y., who married Maria Ennis.

Our subject was reared to farm life, and his education was begun in the public schools near his home. In early manhood he removed to Delanco, N. J., to work in a lumber yard of which he was soon made the manager, but later he went to New York City, where he clerked in a dry-goods store for several years. In 1856 he located at Stroudsburg, where he began the study of law with Hon. Charl- ton Burnett as preceptor, but the breaking out of the Civil war interrupted his plans. As soon as it be- came apparent that a long struggle was inevitable, he began organizing a company which was mus- tered into service June II, 1861, as Company F, 33rd Pa. Reserves. Our subject entered as second-lieu- tenant, and was soon advanced to the post of ad- jutant, while on June 2, 1862, he was promoted to the rank of major. On November 9, 1862, he was appointed colonel of the 174th Pa. Militia, for meri- torious conduct in the field, and with this rank he served until mustered out on August 7, 1863, at Philadelphia. During his term of service he took part in many important engagements, and received wounds which left their mark upon him to his death. At Charles City Cross Roads he had a sabre wound across his right arm; at Malvern Hill he was shot through the right arm, and received a shell wound in the knee; and at Antietam he was shot through the right lung, which caused him to fall from his horse and injure his hip. His soldiers, who one and all appreciated his gallantry and courage, presented him with a valuable chronometer, which he prized greatly and always carried, while the officers of his regiment presented him with a handsome gold- and silver-mounted sword. On returning to the paths of peace Col. Nyce remained in Stroudsburg for a few months, and in February, 1864, he was admitted to the Bar in the Monroe County Court. In April, 1864, he located at Milford, where he speedily gained a large and lucrative practice, and at his death he left a handsome competence. He was

active in municipal affairs, and twice served as chief burgess of Milford. Although a Demo- crat in politics, he accepted the Greenback nom- ination for State Senator in 1878,, his opponent being Hon. Allen Craig, of Carbon county, and while he failed to carry the election he re- ceived a flattering vote in his own county. In religious faith he was a Methodist, and for many years he was an active worker in the Church, serv- ing as superintendent in the Sunday-school until failing health compelled him to relinquish the du- ties of the position. Socially he was identified with the I. O. O. F. G. A. R. Post No. 458, at Milford, is named Col. John Nyce Post after him.

On December 28, 1853, Col. Nyce was married at Port Jervis, N. Y., to Miss Martha Ann Allen, and six children blessed the union: (I) John W., born July 15, 1855, married Margaret A. Quick, and resides at Caldwell, Kans .; for some years he operated the Caldwell Stock Exchange Bank, but retired in 1895 on account of ill-health, and July 3, 1897, he was appointed postmaster of the town by President Mckinley. In September, 1877, he was admitted to the Bar in Pike county, Penn., and prac- ticed there for a number of years ; served as district attorney two years, resigning that office in 1881, when he removed to Caldwell, Sumner Co., Kans., as just stated, and soon afterward was admitted to the Bar of that county. For two years he was mayor of the city ; also served as president of the school board of Caldwell, as city attorney, city treasurer and city clerk, also as clerk of the district court of Sumner county. He is a prominent mem- ber of the I. O. O. F., A. O. U. W., and F. & A, M., being a Knight Templar and Shriner. (2) Isabella C. resides with her mother. (3) Clarissa M. married Asa Overall, and died in Kansas in Sep- tember, 1876. (4) Mattie L. married J. Willis Cald- well, and died at Caldwell, Kans., November 23, 1889. (5) Bertha W. died at Stroudsburg in child- hood. (6) George McC., who is unmarried, was for some time a grocer in South Dakota; when the war with Spain broke out he enlisted in the service of his country, being one of the famous "Rough Riders," and subsequently re-enlisted in the Eighth New York Cavalry, in which he holds the rank of cor- poral, and at this time he is with his regiment at Puerto Principe, Cuba.

Mrs. Martha A. Nyce is a native of Orange county, N. Y., and belongs to an old and highly- respected family. Her grandfather, Sandford Al- len, was a prominent citizen of New York City, and for many years held public office. He married Clar- issa Hoddard, and had the following children : Wiliam C., Sandford, Henry, Thomas, Billins, Rox- ellina, Prudence J. and Bashby. Major William C. Allen, father of Mrs. Nyce, was born in New York City, and learned the carpenter's trade there in his youth. For some time in later life he made his home with Mrs. Nyce, but while on a visit to Port Jervis he died on January 14, 1894, at the age of eighty-two years. His wife, Elizabeth (Writer),

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a native of Otisville, N. Y., died at Port Jervis, January 8, 1888, aged seventy-two, and the remains of both were interred in the cemetery at Milford. This estimable couple had ten children : Clarissa J., deceased wife of Marvin Bowen; Martha A. (Mrs. Nyce) ; Amanda M., widow of Michael Nearpass, of Port Jervis; Catherine, widow of Richard Hem- mingway, of New York; Jeannette, who died in childhood; Sandford, who went south, and was never heard from afterward; and William H., Isa- bella, Elizabeth and Alferetta, who all died in child- hood.

BENJAMIN F. STARBIRD is a well-known farmer and valued citizen of Thompson township, Susquehanna county, who has had very little time to spend in idleness, and when not busy with his hands, has added to his store of useful knowledge and kept well posted on current events. As a man of sound judgment and intelligence, he is well wor- thy of representation in a book of this kind.

Mr. Starbird was born in Preston, Wayne Co., Penn., in February, 1833, and is descended from an old New England family. His paternal grand- father, John Starbird, was born in Brunswick, Cumberland county, district of Maine, in 1754, and in early life came to this State. He married Hannah Stroud (who was born in Monroe county, Penn.), in 1783, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth ( Mc- Dowell) Stroud, one of the first families of Mon- roe county, and the one for whom the city of Stroudsburg was named. John Starbird died in Stroudsburg in 1839, his wife in 1845. In their family were seven children, namely: Jacob be- came a resident of New York State; John, born in Stroudsburg, in 1786, married a Miss Price and settled in Wayne county, Penn., but later removed to a farm in Ohio, where he died leaving a family ; Elizabeth, born in 1788, married William Bortree and located in Sterling, Wayne county, where both died; William, father of our subject, is the next of the family: Daniel, born in May, 1801, died in childhood; Peter, born in 1803, died when a young man; and Frank, born in 1807, died unmarried at Easton, Penn., in November, 1854.

William Starbird, father of our subject, was born in Stroudsburg in May, 1798, and on reaching man's estate married, on September 26, 1824, Miss Elizabeth Barrager, who was born in Wayne coun- ty. They began their domestic life at Preston, that county, where from the unbroken forest the father developed a farm and erected thereon a log house and barn. Later he removed to Bucking- ham township, Wayne county, where his wife died in 1875, and he passed away in January, 1881. In politics he was first an old-line Whig and later a Democrat, and in religious faith was a Protestant, but not a member of any religious denomination. Thirteen children were born to the parents of our subject, all of whom reached manhood and woman- hood. (I) Ransom, born in Wayne county, in July, 1825, never married and died August II,

1862, on the old homestead. (2) Horace, born October 8, 1826, received a district school educa- tion and married Sarah Bunnell, of Herrick town- ship, Susquehanna county. They located on a farm in Wayne county, where both died, and their only daughter died later. (3) Emaline, born in 1828, married George Whitney, of Susquehanna, now a resident of Wayne county. (4) George, born in 1829, married Alice Lloyd, of Preston, Wayne county, and both died in that county in 1862, leav- ing two children, who are now residents of Bing- hamton, N. Y. (5) Alfred, born in May, 1831, never married, and was killed at Fort Stephens during the Civil war. (6) Benjamin F., our sub- ject, is next in the order of birth. (7) Edwin C., born in 1835, married Roxanna Hoover, of Lu- zerne county, Penn., and is a business man of Kingston. They have a family. (8) Ann, born in September, 1836, married Peter Tillman, of Sus- quehanna, and died April 13, 1867, leaving one son, Alfred, a resident of Hancock, N. Y. (9) John Q., born in 1838, married Elmyra Mitchell, of Lib- erty, Susquehanna county, and they make their home in Wayne county. They have four children. (10) William P., born in 1840, married Jane La Bar, of Wayne county, and has six children. He is engaged in business in Binghamton, N. Y., but still owns the old homestead in Preston Park, Wayne county. (II) Irvin, born in 1842, married Anna King, of Wayne county, where he died in June, 1897, leaving three children-Clair, Robert and Bessie. (12) Henry C., born in 1844, died October 8, 1862. (13) Caroline A., born in Sep- tember, 1848, is the wife of S. P. Jones, of Buck- ingham, Wayne conuty, and they have one son.

As a boy Benjamin F. Starbird attended the district schools of his native county during the winter months, and in early life followed lumbering and farming there, being a steersman on the rafts of lumber floated down the Delaware river to the Philadelphia markets until 1874. In 1860 he mar- ried Miss Emelinda A. La Barr, a daughter of George G. and Jerusha La Barr, representatives of a prominent pioneer family of Wayne county, where Mrs. Starbird was born in 1842. After his mar- riage our subject purchased a farm in Scott town- ship, that county, where he continued to make his home until 1868, when he bought the Messenger farm in Thompson township, Susquehanna county. Upon this place he has made many improvements, so that he now has one of the best farms of the locality. In connection with general farming he has been engaged in lumbering.

Mr. Starbird has been called upon to mourn the loss of his estimable wife, who was an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and died in that faith in March, 1891. Five children were born to them, namely: (1) Wilson Henry, born in Wayne county, in 1862, married Nellie Mayo, of Susquehanna county, a daughter of Chap- man and Louisa (Fancher) Mayo, of Harmony township, and they now have three children: Cora.

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E., born in 1891 ; Don J., born in 1894 ; and George H., born in 1897. After residing in Stevens Point for some years they located on his father's farm, of which he now has the management. (2) Nel- son F., born in April, 1866, married Emily Doo- little, of Gulf Summit, N. Y., and is now employed as foreman for the Essex Lumber Company at Newark, N. J. They have two daughters, Flor- ence and Olive. (3) Judson R., born in Wayne county, in 1868, is also interested in the lumber business in Newark. He married Arminda Love- less, of Elk county, Penn., and has two children : B. F. and Ruth. (4) Frank G., born in Thomp- son township, Susquehanna county, in 1873, mar- ried Maggie Hill, of Newark, N. J., and is in the employ of a lumber company in that city. (5) Nettie W. died in childhood. Politically Mr. Star- bird is a Prohibitionist and religiously a Methodist, having been a firm believer in the teachings of John Wesley for over half a century. He is a man far above the average in intellect. Although his edu- cation was limited to a few months' attendance at the district schools, he has become a well-informed man. As he grew older his mind craved the knowledge of books that had been denied him, and he became a great reader of good literature, buying all the books which his means would afford. He is now one of the best read men of his section. He is a student of human nature as well as history and the topics of the time, and is especially well in- formed on national and local affairs, and all that takes place within the legislative halls.

D. PORTER ANGLE, a prominent dairyman and agriculturist of Stroud township, Monroe county, is a young man of enterprise, and his large farm is kept in a fine state of cultivation under his able and judicious management.

Mr. Angle comes of good old pioneer stock, his ancestors in the paternal line having been early settlers in New Jersey, while on the maternal side he is a great-grandson of Capt. Posten, of Revolu- tionary fame, who came to Monroe county soon after the war for independence closed, and, with the Van Vliets, became the first to settle in what is now Stroud township. The tract of land upon which this hero originally settled is now the homestead of our subject, and its broad acres have a historical value apart from the market rating based upon their fertility. Samuel Angle, our subject's paternal grandfather, resided in New Jersey, where he and his wife, Elizabeth, died about ten years ago. J. G. Angle, the father of our subject, was born in New Jersey, and in early manhood settled in Middle Smithfield township, Monroe county. His first wife, whose maiden name was Annie Posten, was born at the present homestead, and after their marriage Mr. Angle purchased the place where he made his home for twenty-three years. He then returned to his old home in Middle Smithfield, where he still resides. His first wife died when our subject was a mere boy, and the father afterward married Miss

Sarah J. Van Vliet, of Stroud township, who died April 27, 1882. By his first marriage he had four children: (1) James died in early manhood. (2) Mary E., born in 1861, in Middle Smithfield town- ship, married Jacob Kaul, of that township, and later of East Stroudsburg, and they have two children : Jay and Edna. (3) Jabez G., Jr., born in Stroud April 6, 1865, at the present homestead, now resides in East Stroudsburg. He married Miss Emma Detrick, of Middle Smithfield township, and they had four children: Laura, Anna, Bessie and Jessie, the two last named being deceased. (4) D. Porter is mentioned more fully below. By the sec- ond marriage J. G. Angle had two children: (I) Lydia Lulu, who married Eugene Kinney, of Smith- field township, Monroe county, and has one daugh- ter, Verna ; and (2) George Angle, born April 27, 1877, in Stroud township, who is not married and resides in Middle Smithfield with his father.

Our subject was born September 7, 1863, in Middle Smithfield township, Monroe county, and his education was chiefly obtained in the Posten school in Stroud township. He remained at the old homestead assisting his father, and in Decem- ber, 1887, he married Miss Mary Agnes Detrick, of the same township. They settled at the old homestead, and he has since been engaged in farm- ing and dairving in connection with lumbering, his success in all his enterprises winning him a high reputation in business circles. The place contains IIO acres of well improved land, and his herd of dairy cows is among the largest in the township. Poitically Mr. Angle is a Democrat, and belongs to various fraternal organizations including the Junior Order American Mechanics. In religion he inclines to the Baptist Church, to which his wife belongs, and with which his parents united many years ago. Socially Mr. Angle and his young wife are popular, and Mrs. Angle is not only an efficient and capable helpmate in the management of the homestead, but is an active worker in religious and philanthropic movements, giving liberally of both time and means to any worthy cause. Two children brighten the home, Pearl, born November 18, 1892, and Carl, born January 10, 1804.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 285

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