Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 37

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 37
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 37
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 37
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 37

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).

Thomas Stephens was born in Cornwall, Eng-

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land, March 28, 1819; and with the family came to America, locating in Honesdale. By occupation he was a farmer, butcher and milk dealer. In Dyberry township he purchased a farm on which stood a residence, but recently torn down, which was erected nearly one hundred years ago, and upon that place he died in 1860. In 1850 Thomas Stephens was married, by Rev. John D. Stafford, to Miss Mary Snell, a daughter of John and Elizabeth ( Wharry) Snell, who were born, reared and married in Corn- wall, England, and came to America when their daughter Mary was about twelve years old. She was their eldest child, the others being John, who died in this country ; Richard, who was lost at sea ; Samuel, a resident of Holyoke, Mass .; Elizabeth, deceased, wife of Jacob Faatz; Jane, widow of Charles Bodie, of Dyberry ; Maria, wife of William Gregory, of Dyberry; and Ellen, who died in in- fancy. The children born to Thomas Stephens and wife were as follows: Thomas, born May 30, 1851, died in Ohio, January 5, 1892 ; Elizabeth J., born January 30, 1853, was a successful teacher for many years in Wayne county, and is now the wife of W. L. Dunn, of Ohio; Frederick W. is next in order of birth; Alice Maria, born April 15, 1857, died February 13, 1865; and Ellen Lydia, born January 6, 1859, died March 17, 1860.

Upon the home farm Frederick W. Stephens passed his boyhood and youth, and in the district schools of the neighborhood acquired his education. As his father died when he was a mere child, much of the farm work fell upon his shoulders at an early age. He now owns the place, and his mother finds a pleasant home with him. In 1896 he erected his present comfortable and commodious residence, at a cost of $2,500. He has fifty acres of excellent land, all under cultivation, and in addition to gen- eral farming has devoted special attention to the milk business, retailing that product in Seelyville and Honesdale. He has been interested in this in- dustry since November, 1894.

Mr. Stephens married Miss Virginia Benney, a daughter of John Benney, of Seelyville, who was a soldier of the Civil war. They have two children : Carrie B. and Harry H. The parents are both con- sistent members of the Methodist Church of Hones- dale, and are held in high regard by all who know them. Fraternally Mr. Stephens is a member of the Knights of Honor and the Grange, while polit- ically he is independent, voting for the best man regardless of party affiliations. He has held nearly every office in the township, and is now serving his fourth term as school director.

RHAMANTHUS MENVILLE STOCKER was born at the Stocker homestead in Salem, Wayne county, October 5, 1848. He and his brothers as- sisted in all the work incident to felling forests and cultivating fields. He was educated in the public schools and Lafayette College, where his expenses were paid in part from money earned by him peel- ing hemlock bark and teaching school. He taught

a number of terms, and was among the first from Wayne county to obtain a permanent certificate.

Mr. Stocker spent about six years at Jermyn, Penn., teaching the graded schools four years, and clerking and merchandising the rest of the time. He then returned to the homestead, where he re- mained until his father's death. In the meantime he turned his attention to law and politics, and was elected register and recorder of Wayne county. He then removed to Honesdale, where he had pre- viously entered his name as a student in the law office of Waller & Bentley, and after the expiration of his term of office he continued his studies in the office of his preceptor. On May 10, 1886, he was admitted to the Bar of Wayne county, and since that time he has been engaged most of the time in the practice of his profession. He owns the homestead, and has never lost his interest in farming. He made his first political speech for Greeley, for President, in 1872; and he has spoken more or less for his party in all subsequent campaigns. He has written more or less for the press, and in 1886 assisted in the prepara- tion of the "History of Wayne, Pike and Monroe Counties," and in 1887 he was the editor of the "Centennial History of Susquehanna County." A number of reminiscences and pen pictures of pio- neers have been published by him, and he takes keen interest in local history. His sympathy and sup- port are given all worthy movements, and he is a member and elder of the Presbyterian Church of Honesdale. In political affairs he generally acts with the Democratic party, and in 1894 he was the Democratic candidate for Congressman from the Fifteenth district. Since 1895 he has been super- intendent of the Honesdale Water Company.

On April 19, 1893, Mr. Stocker was married to Maretta, daughter of Samuel H. Brown, of Hones- dale, and they have one son, Mortimer M. Stocker, born May 19, 1895.

James D. Stocker was born in Salem, March 9, 1850, and was educated in the common schools. For a time he taught school while assisting on the farm, but in 1872 he removed to Jermyn, Lacka- wanna Co., Penn., where he has since resided. He has been successfully engaged in merchandising and in running a meat market, while he has also been an active promoter of a number of corporations, in- cluding the Jermyn Water Co., and the Montrose Water Co., of which latter company he is president. He was the principal organizer of the Preston Park Association, and was its president for a number of years, and he is recognized as one of the leading business men in Lackawanna Valley. He is also a member and trustee of Carbondale Presbyterian Church. He has been twice married, both of his wives being daughters of Rev. A. R. Raymond, of Salem. He has two sons: Frank R., who gradu- ated with honor in the class of 1898 at Yale College ; he is now associated with his father in the mercantile partnership known as J. D. Stoker & Son. Claude, the youngest son, is at home, and attending school at Scranton.

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THE STOCKER FAMILY were among the pioneer settlers of the United States, but the date of the immigration of the first ancestor is not known. The name is sometimes spelled Stalker, and the fam- ily is probably of Scotch origin. John Stocker came to Fairfield county, Conn., from Saratoga county, N. Y., and married Mary Moorehouse, July 10, 1746. Their children were Thaddeus, John, Seth and Peter. These sons were all in the Revo- lutionary war, with the possible exception of Peter. Thaddeus responded to the first call of Connecticut for troops, enlisting in the 4th Company of the Ist Regiment of the Connecticut line commanded by Gen. Wooster, and was with Gen: Schuyler in the campaign along Lakes George and Champlain. He died at an advanced age at his home near Bantam Station, Conn. Seth and John were with the New York forces. Seth served from 1777 to 1782, and was an orderly sergeant. John probably died in the army as he never returned home. Mary Moore- house Stocker, the mother of these children, lived .to be one hundred and seven years old. A long article in a newspaper about 1830 told how that her eyesight remained good, and that her faculties were unim- paired. She could then mount a horse, spin and weave, and the statement was made that she had not seen cotton cloth or tea until she was eighteen years old.

II. John Stocker, who never returned from the army, had previously married Ruey Parks, who sur- vived him with two sons. Her father was also a Revolutionary soldier. John Stocker owned proper- ty on what is now known as Merwin Hill in Weston township, Fairfield Co., Conn. They had two sons, James Hill and John, the latter of whom was never married.

III. James Hill Stocker was reared by a relative, Jonathan Hill, and was apprenticed to Ebenezer Gunn, of whom he learned the trades of tanner, currier and shoemaker, which he afterward followed in connection with farming. He married Abigail Pepper about 1800, and made his home in Kent, Litchfield Co., Conn. His children were: Almon; Anson ; Alma, wife of Hiram Walker; Anna; Al- bert, who is mentioned below ; and Susan, wife of Walter Meeker, is still living (1898) at Weston, Conn., aged eighty-four. Anson became one of the pioneer settlers of Meshoppen, Wyoming Co., Penn., where he died at the age of eighty, highly respected. Two of his sons, James and Burrowes, were in the war of the Rebellion, and Alma lost her only son in the same war.

Albert Stocker was born July 18, 1811, in Kent township, Litchfield Co., Conn., on the hills over- looking the Housatonic river. He learned to read and to write with a quill pen, and in mathematics went as far as the double rule of three, which en- abled him to keep fair book accounts. He was early thrown upon his own resources, and by his industry he acquired an interest in a sawmill in New Milford township. In 1838 he married Lydia Rebecca Peet, and they commenced housekeeping in the home

which he had provided at Northville, Litchfield county. In 1840 he sold his interest in the mill, and removed to Salem, Wayne Co., Penn., where he purchased of Wm. Swan the Isaac Hewitt improve- ment, located on the old Luzerne turnpike. The farm, which lies north of Bidwell Lake, now Lake Hiawatha, was nearly all a wilderness at that time. It was traversed from east to west by the old In- dian trail which led from Wyoming, thence through Cobb's Gap to the Minisink on the Delaware. This trail was enlarged into a road by the Connecti- cut emigrants to Wyoming in 1762, and was fol- lowed by them in their migrations to and from the settlement.

The Stocker homestead also adjoins the Little Meadows farm, which was occupied by a squatter in 1770, who was killed by the Indians after the bat- tle of Wyoming. Mr. Hewitt had built a frame house with two stone chimneys and four fireplaces anda large oven. Into this home, which was comfort- able for the time, Mr. Stocker moved with his wife, and here they labored and reared their family. There was only a small clearing, and hard labor was required to fell the forests and reduce the rugged wilderness to cultivated fields. Mr. Stocker under- took this work in common with all the pioneers, and succeeded in making a comfortable home for his family. In all his labors he was assisted by his excellent wife, who contributed much to the gen- eral welfare of the family. She was a good spinner, and her mother and sister could weave cloth for use in the household. The labors of the pioneer mothers never seemed to cease, and Mrs. Stocker was an active woman, always looking after the comfort and advancement of her household.

One day in the month of May, just as the buds were bursting from their long winter's sleep, the death angel bore away the eldest born and only daughter, Melissa, when she was about six years of age. Three robust and romping boys subsequently received that mother's watchful care. She toiled and sacrificed for their good, and was careful in sending them to school, Sunday-school and Church. Both parents insisted upon obedience. The moth- er's determination is illustrated by a little well-re- membered incident. One of the boys, who had been sent to school, a mile distant over the hills, soon returned. The mother took him by the hand and led him quite a distance and sent him back again. Soon after he came back; he wanted to stay at home and roam in the fields. Most mothers would have yielded to the crying importunities of the little fellow whom she dearly loved, but a sense of duty overpowered all other considerations, and once more this mother took that boy, this time using the persuasion of a switch, and she led him more than half a mile to the top of the hill, and told him to go, and he went, and never tried to play truant again.

Mr. Stocker made it a rule never to purchase anything that he could not pay for in cash, con- sequently he was never embarrassed by debt. Rath-154

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

er suffer some inconvenience than incur indebted- ness. He was constable and tax collector for a few years, but was not an aspirant for office. His integrity was unquestioned, and he insisted upon others dealing fairly with him, and he was seldom imposed upon by traveling fakirs of any kind. A constant reader of the newspapers, he was well posted on current events, and had decided opinions about men and measures, which he expressed frankly and fearlessly. If his children exhibited any undue amount of playfulness, he furnished plenty of work and "Poor Richard's" maxims, which he considered were far more beneficial than baseball, cards or dancing; consequently his boys have none of these sportive accomplishments that are considered so essential in modern society ; but then, they had the privilege of going bare-footed in summer, and they learned how to swim in the lake that bordered on the farm, and were permitted to fish in its waters, after work was done, and to hunt partridges, pigeons. wild ducks and squirrels, while the 4th of July, which had been looked for- ward to all the year, was a holiday,

Mr. Stocker was not wealthy, and he had no bank account, but he was never without money. He never borrowed any money, and always had some to lend ; he never took a judgment note, and seldom or never lost a dollar that was due him. Trust money that he held as tax collector and gate- keeper were kept separate, and not broken in upon for his personal use. He was just as faithful in attending gate at twelve dollars a year as though it had been that much a day, and he would stay up until midnight to catch New Jersey teamsters that were in the habit of running the gate. He mar- keted his own products, and sometimes purchased of his neighbors for market, but his principal occu- pation was farming. He was a Democrat in poli- tics, but in township and county matters did not confine his votes to his party.

Stretching from the Stocker homestead to the Wallenpaupack river was a wilderness unbroken except by the Orrin Bidwell and Gabriel Davis' clearings until about 1850, when the Ledgedale tan- nery was established on the Wallenpaupack. The employes of this company were mostly Irish. At that time there was a great prejudice against for- eigners among the Yankee settlers, and Albert Stock- er was among the first of the Yankees to extend to these sturdy sons of toil the right hand of fellow- ship, insisting that they were entitled to the same rights that he enjoyed himself. To that end he favored liberal naturalization laws. He was sel- dom sick, and employed no physician for himself. On March 23, 1878, after foddering his cattle and eating breakfast, he was stricken with apoplexy and died almost immediately, aged sixty-six years. His wife lived twelve years after that, and died at the homestead in 1890, aged seventy-six. Neither of them were Church members, but they were sat- urated with Puritan ideas. Mrs. Stocker was a great student of the Bible, and could quote Scripture

suitable to almost any occasion. They had their faults-as who has not ?- but for robust honesty, sincerity and truthfulness the memory of their lives will stand like monitors to guard and guide the hearts and minds of their children. The three sons, Jerome T., of Peetona, Rhamanthus M., of Honesdale, and James D., of Jermyn, Lackawanna county, are noted separately.

The Peets are among the old Colonial families of New England. John Peet, the first ancestor of whom we have record, came from Duffield Parish, Derbyshire, England, in the ship "Hopewell," Capt. Bundock, sailing from London in 1635. He was one of the pioneer settlers of Stratford, Conn., and from 1640 to 1660 rang the bell of the Congrega- tional Church of that place, it being one of the very few bells in America at that time. He died in 1678, aged eighty-one, leaving two sons: John, born about 1638, and Benjamin, born about 1640. A large number of the descendants of Benjamin are residents of New York City, where they are clergymen, lawyers, doctors, merchants and trades- men.

II. John Peet died in 1684, leaving a family of seven children, among them a son John.

III. Sergt. John Peet, born in 1672, was mar- ried, in 1695, to Mary, daughter of Thomas Moore- house, and died in 1719, leaving a family of seven children, among them a son David.

IV. David Peet, born in 1698, was married in 1719 to Mary Titharton, who was probably a daughter of Timothy Titharton, a son of Daniel Titharton, one of the original settlers of Stratford. This pioneer represented Stratford in the Legisla- ture in 1647, 1649, 1652 and 1654, and died in 1661. In his will he mentions Daniel, Samuel and Timo- thy Titharton, to whom he gave estates in England besides land in New England. David and Mary Peet had the following children: Samuel, Mehet- able, John, Thaddeus, David (born in October, 1730), Mary, Patience, Hannah, Sarah and Benja- min. Nearly all of these children settled in New Milford, Conn., and Peet Hill, purchased by them in 1746, is still in the possession of their descend- ants.

V. John Peet, who was born in 1725 or 1726, married Rebecca Fairchild, from one of the pioneer families of Stratford. The Fairchilds are a family of long standing in England and Scotland, the name being Fairbairn in the latter country, and their coat of arms indicates that members of it were in the crusades from 1096 to 1400. John Peet was a large man, noted for his physical strength. He was a bloomer in a forge, and it is said that he could, with ease, lift an anvil weighing 750 pounds. His children were: Thankful, John, David. Abi- gail, Rebecca, Nathaniel, Mabel and Daniel. David, born in 1749, is mentioned as an ensign of militia in 1773, and in 1775 he was a lieutenant in the Revolutionary army, in the Ioth Company of the 15th Regiment, Connecticut line.

VI. Daniel Peet, who was born in 1765, was

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executor of his father's will, and undertook to pur- chase the interest of his brothers and sisters in the estate in New Milford, Conn .; but he was unable to make his payments, and in 1829 he sold his farm and with the money left after paying his debts removed to Salem, Wayne Co., Penn., whither four of his children had preceded him. He purchased the Samuel Hartford improvement on what has since been known as Peet Hill, and here he and his good wife Betsy spent the remainder of their days. He was six feet four inches tall, being just about the same height as Abraham Lincoln, and was of a quiet and contemplative disposition, while his wife was an active, energetic woman. They lived to advanced ages, he being nearly eighty-five and she seventy-four when they died. In religious faith they were Episcopalians. They had a family of ten children, five boys and five girls, all of whom grew to maturity. (1) Charles married Anna Wright, a daughter of Nathan Wright, one of the pioneer blacksmiths of Salem, and located in the southern part of that town. (2) Abijah married Hester Wright, and located on Peet Hill. (3) Polley was the wife of Moses Wright, an ingenious man who made spinning wheels and other implements for the settlers. Their home was on the "North and South road." (4) Betsey Ann retained the home- stead and cared for her parents. (5) Caroline be- came the wife of Abel Wright, and located on the "East and West road." (6) Albey died when thirty years of age. (7) Lydia Rebecca was the wife of Albert Stocker. (8) Daniel married Je- mima Hollister, and reared a large family of chil- dren. (9) Capt. John Peet lived on Peet Hill ad- joining his father. He was a man of good judg- ment, and, without any advantages for an educa- tion, he acquired by reading and observation suffi- cient knowledge to make his counsel of value. (10) Orinda became the wife of Abner Andrews, and they have a family of three daughters and one son. Four of the grandsons of Daniel Peet were in the war of the Rebellion, and one furnished a substi- tute. One died in the army, and two were con- fined for a time in Confederate prisons.

JOHN ST. BONNETT (deceased), until his death recently one of the proprietors of "Vineyard Cottage," a popular summer hotel near Strouds- burg, Monroe county, was a model landlord, his genial courtesy, no less than his thoughtful con- sideration for the comfort of his guests, being ap- preciated by all who had the fortune to spend the vacation season at that charming resort.

The Cottage is located about one mile north- west of Stroudsburg, on Brodhead creek, and is easy of access from the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroad, the proprietors sending a convey- ance to the depot to meet visitors. The attractions of the place are many and varied, and among the out-door sports special mention should be made of the excellent bathing and trout fishing in the creek. Within the house exists neatness, and artistic taste

reigns in every department, making it a favorite resort of a refined class of tourists.

Mr. St. Bonnett, who was a fine specimen of the French race, was born in 1820, in Chavanau, County Du Rhone, Department of the Lizere, France, a son of Clode and Camet Bonnett, who were natives and lifelong residents of France.

Our subject was educated in the French lan- guage in his native country, and as a young man learned the silk-weaving trade, which he followed in his own country for a number of years. In 1848 he married Miss Theresa Gerard, who was born in Lyons, France, March 14, 1826, and in July, 1853, he came to America with his family and his wife's mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Gerard. After a brief stay in New York City he went to Seymour, Conn., where he was employed by the Eagle Silk Co., and two years later he removed to Waterbury, Conn., where he was employed in weaving suspenders for the American Suspender Co. For eleven years he was foreman of the works, but in 1870 he sold his home in Oakville, Conn., and removed to Seneca, Kans., locating two miles north of the county seat, where he bought a farm, and was engaged in rais- ing corn and stock for fifteen years. In 1885 he sold his farm and purchased seventy-three acres of the old Brown homestead in Stroud township, Mon- roe county, where, in conjunction with his son Nicholas, he built a large cottage for summer boarders. He also planted a vineyard of ten acres, which has been producing for some time, and he pressed and made as much as a thousand gal- lons of wine per annum for a number of years. He : died October 31, 1899, at the age of seventy-nine years, from a stroke of apoplexy.

As a citizen Mr. St. Bonnett was greatly es- teemed, and he took much interest in political ques- tions as a stanch Democrat. While residing in Kansas he served two terms as supervisor. In re- ligious faith he was a Catholic, and his widow and family are prominent in the Church at Stroudsburg. Of his four children, the eldest, John, born July 15, 1848, in Lyons, France, was educated in Connecti- cut, and now resides in North Attleboro, Mass., where he follows electro-plating. Socially he is connected with the I. O. O. F .. also the K. of P. and F. & A. M. He married Miss Mary Fowles, of New Hampshire, and has two children, Frank and Addie. (2) Frank, born in France in 1852, was educated in Connecticut, and is now a resident of Lake county, South Dakota, where he owns a fine farm of 160 acres. He married Miss Margaret Kook, of Kansas, and has seven children, five daughters, Annie, Maggie, Louise, Clara and Flor- ence, and two sons, John and Frank. (3) Nicho- las was born in Waterbury, Conn., in 1856, and re- ceived a bood public-school education. He married Miss Maggie Moriarty, a native of Kansas, and they now reside in and manage "Vineyard Cottage," in which he owns a one-half interest. He has three children, Mary, Warren and Marguerite. (4) Louisa, born April 5, 1862, at Oakville, Conn., ac-

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companied her parents to Kansas, and while riding on horseback to school one day ( for she was an ex- cellent horseback rider, and very fond of the sport), she fell while crossing a creek, and was killed. Though but fifteen years old, she had already shown marked talent, was the pride and delight of the family, and had made a wide circle of friends.

LOUIS E. MERRING (deceased), who for several years was one of the leading farmers and representative citizens of Salem township, Wayne county, was born in Sussex county, N. J., March 25, 1846. In 1853 he came to Wayne county, where he grew to manhood. Throughout his busi- ness career he was interested in lumbering and farming, and, meeting with a fair degree of success in his undertaking, he was able to leave his widow n comfortable circumstances.

On August 22, 1869, Mr. Merring was united in marriage with Miss Victoreen Sheerer, the cere- mony being performed by Rev. Jacob Harris, a Methodist Protestant minister. She was born Oc- tober 15, 1852, in Jefferson township, Luzerne county, and is a daughter of James A. Sheerer, a retired farmer of that township, whose sketch ap- pears elsewhere.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 37

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