Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 412

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 412
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 412
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 412
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 412

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After his marriage Mr. Peters located upon the farm in Price township, Monroe county, where his widow is still living, and toits improvement and culti- vation he devoted his energies until life's labors were over, passing away on that place in 1894. He was a consistent member of the Baptist Church, and was a man well worthy of the high regard in which he was held by all who knew him. Always a patriotic and loyal citizen, he served for over a year in the Union army during the Civil war, and participated in a number of engagements, in which he did his duty nobly on the field of battle. As a citizen he was highly respected by all who came under his genial influence, and nowhere was his love more felt than in the home circle, where wife and family were his first consideration. In politics he was a Republi- can, and he acceptably served as supervisor of his township.

Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Peters : (1) Sarah, born in 1869, married Conrad Peters, of Stroudsburg, who is now engaged in farming in Stroud township, Monroe county, and they have two children, Clara and Burnie. (2) Lewis, born

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

in 1871, married Katie Batchelor, of Smithfield township, Monroe county, and they reside in Price township. Their children are George and Louisa. (3) Isaac, born in February, 1875, received the bene- fits of a public-school education, and after his father's death became manager of the homestead, in the operation of which he has displayed good business ability and sound judgment. (4) Daisy, born in October, 1877, was educated in the home schools, and is a refined and accomplished young lady ; she is a favorite among her companions, a comfort to her mother and brother in their home, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Reared by picus and religious parents, the children have be- come honored and useful members of society.

PRENTICE GAVITT was one of the brave men who laid down their lives on the altar of their country during the dark days of the Rebellion. Al- ways a patriotic and loyal citizen, he joined the Union army in the spring of 1861, soon after the opening of hostilities, and died in the service of his country November 17, 1861, honored and respected by all who knew him.

Mr. Gavitt was born May 17, 1824. His father, Richard Gavitt, was a native of Rhode Island, born April 22, 1796, and was married in Connecticut to Rebecca Williams, whose birth occurred October 6, 1794. At an early day they came to Susquehanna county, Penn., and took up their residence in Dimock township, where they spent their remaining days, the father dying August 4, 1847, the mother December 16, 1863. The children born to them were as follows: Temperance, now the widow of William Stone, of Lanesboro, Penn .; Prentice, our subject ; Peter, who was born July 10, 1827, and is now a resident of Sullivan county, Penn .; Mary, who was born June 24, 1830, and is the widow of Francis Rosencrants; Nancy; John, who was born May 3, 1832, and married Nancy Moore, by whom he has three children-Frederick, of Bridgewater township, Susquehanna county, and Clementine and Homer, both of Scranton, Penn .; and Thankful, wife of Albert Conklin, of Laporte, Sullivan county.

On attaining to man's estate Prentice Gavitt was married in Dimock township, July 12, 1846, to Miss Emiline Parke, who was born February 17, 1827, a daughter of Aaron Thomas and Elizabeth ( Phillips) Parke. The father was born in Wyoming county, Penn., June 28, 1803, while the mother was born in Pittston, Penn., February 3, 1808, and died March 1, 1841. Mrs. Gavitt is the oldest of their children, the others being as follows: John, born February 6, 1829, lives in Dimock township ; Rosella ( deceased) was the wife of Benjamin Ely ; Frances is the widow of Thomas Percell, of White Haven, Penn. ; Chester (deceased ) made his home in Dimock township; and Lorenzo D. died while serving as a member of a cavalry regiment during the Civil war. By a second marriage the father had five children, namely: Mel- issa, Orlando, Betsy, Burton and Cornelia. He made his home in Luzerne county, Penn., until

1842, when he removed to Bridgewater township, Susquehanna county, and throughout life he fol- lowed the occupation of farming. His father was Thomas Parke, a native of Connecticut, who mar- ried Lucy Eggleston, and died in Pittston, Penn. Mrs. Gavitt's maternal grandparents were Ozie and Levina (Davis) Phillips, who lived and died in Pittston, Penn., and her great-grandfather was John Phillips, a native of Vermont.

Seven children constituted the family of Mr. and Mrs. Gavitt: Charles, born July 10, 1847, en- listed, during the Civil war, in the IIth P. V. I., and also died in the service of his country in 1864; John, born February 26, 1849, is a farmer and car- penter, of Bridgewater township, Susquehanna coun- ty ; Jane, born December 30, 1851, died at the age of thirteen years; Libby, born January 12, 1853, is the wife of J. Ely, of Brooklyn township, Susque- hanna county ; Leroy, born December 26, 1855, lives in Hazleton, Penn., and was the first mayor of the city ; Willis (now deceased), born February 10, 1857, married Ellen Newbegal, of Wilkes Barre, Penn., and Ida, born May 1, 1861, is living with her mother in Dimock township. The family were liv- ing in Jessup township when Mr. Gavitt entered the army, and there he followed farming as a life work. He was a supporter of the Republican party, and was recognized as one of the most useful and valu- able citizens of his community, always willing to aid any enterprise which he believed would prove of public benefit. After his death his wife and chil- dren removed to Dimock township, where she pur- chased six and three-quarters acres of land, on which she has now made her home for thirty-three years. She has displayed good business ability in the management of her affairs, and has won the resepct and esteem of all who know her.

E. J. MESSENGER, a successful farmer and highly-respected citizen of Ararat township, Sus- quehanna county, was born in Thompson, Penn., in 1841, a son of John W. and Susan ( Funk) .Messen- ger. The father was born in the Mohawk Valley, N. Y., in 1818, and was a son of Ebenezer Messenger, a native of Vermont and pioneer of Susquehanna county, Penn. Throughout life the father followed the occupation of farming, and made his home in Thompson and Ararat townships, Susquehanna county, and later. in Sullivan county, Penn. His death occurred in Ararat township, in 1894. His wife is still living and makes her home with her son Avery, in that township.

Our subject was reared and educated in Sus- quehanna county, and was there engaged in farm- ing when the Civil war broke out. Feeling that his country needed his services, he laid aside all personal interests, and in 1861, in Bridgewater township, enlisted, in the three months service, as a member of Company D, 56th P. V. I. At Harrisburg, he re- enlisted for three years in the same company and regiment, and was assigned to Gen. Burnside's com- mand. Later he veteranized in the regiment, and

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

participated in all the battles in which the command was engaged. During the battle of the Wilderness he received a gunshot wound. He was honorably discharged in October, 1865, at Harrisburg, and on leaving the service went to Montrose, Penn. In 1869 he located near La Porte, Sullivan Co., Penn., where he opened up a good farm which he still owns. He continued to actively engage in agricul- tural pursuits at that place until 1898, when he came to Ararat township, Susquehanna county, and purchased a farm of thirty acres on which he now resides. He has met with good success in his chosen calling and has become quite well-to-do.

Mr. Messenger was united in marriage in Sulli- van county, with Miss Polly Gould, a native of Dimock township, Susquehanna county, and to them were born two children: John, now a resident of Binghamton, N. Y .; and a daughter who is now Mrs. Mead, of Wayne county, Penn. Politically Mr. Messenger is a Republican. The various enterprises inaugurated for the general welfare of the people have invariably enlisted his sympathies and atten- tion, and he has manifested the same loyalty in days of peace as in time of war.

ANDREW HALLET, a highly-respected resi- dent of East Stroudsburg, Monroe county, is promi- nently identified with the slate-roofing industry, and, in addition to an extensive trade as a dealer in materials connected with that business, he fills many contracts in his own and neighboring counties.

Mr. Hallet was born November 9, 1832, in Monroe county, son of James Hallet and grandson of Isaac Hallet. His ancestors settled at an early day in Orange county, N. Y., where Isaac Hallet passed his entire life, he and his wife, Margaret ( Hal- lock), both dying there. This worthy couple had the following children: James, our subject's father ; William, a farmer, who died in Northampton coun- ty, Penn .; Abbie, who married Thomas Jacobus, of New York City; Daniel, deceased, who remained in Orange county, N. Y .; and Phoebe, who mar- ried Horace Peck, a shoemaker in New York City, and later of Slateford, Penn., where both died.

James Hallet was born in Orange county, N.Y., in 1791, and engaged in farming in what is now Stroud township, Monroe county. His last days were spent in retirement at Slateford, where he died at the advanced age of eighty-two years and nine months. Politically he was a Republican, and in religious faith he was a Methodist. He married Rachel LaBarre, who was born in 1796, daughter of Joseph LaBarre, and died in 1883. Of their eight children, all lived to maturity, and all but one survive. The eldest, William, a farmer by occupa- tion, died in Pocono township, Monroe coun- ty ; Margaret married John Williams, of Slateford ; Ellen married Morgan Williams, and also resides at Slateford; Mary Jane married Hugh Williams, of Portland, Penn .; Abigail married Henry Matti- son, of Monroe county, now deceased; Joseph re- sides upon a farm in Warren county, N. J .; An-

drew, our subject, was seventh in the order of birth ; Charles occupies the old homestead in Stroud town- ship, Monroe county.

Our subject's youth was spent at the old home- stead, and farm work alternated with an attendance at the district school near by. He learned the car- penter's trade, but soon afterward became interested in the slate-roofing business, in which he has met with marked success. Since 1870 he has resided in East Stroudsburg, where he built his present resi- dence, and he and his family are much esteemed in the social circles of that city. He is a member of the M. E. Church and also belongs to the Senior Order of United American Mechanics, at Centre- ville, Penn. In politics he is a stanch Republican. He is of robust constitution, weighing 190 pounds, and at one time he "tipped the beam" at 205 pounds.

In 1859 Mr. Hallet married Miss Emily Meloy, a native of Orange county, N. Y., born August II, 1836, and five children have blessed the union : (I) Mary married Daniel Sayre, and died leaving one child, Mazie. (2) Ella married William Foster, of Springfield, Mass., and has one child, Delaphene. (3) Maggie married Willis J. Slater, of East Stroudsburg, and has two children, Harry and Carl. (4) John W., who is a slater by trade, is a young man of fine mental ability, and has recently patented an invention which promises to be valuable. He is unmarried, and resides at home. (5) Willis L. is a student in a business college at Springfield, Massa- chusetts.

SEYMOUR H. LAWRENCE. The subject of this sketch is one of the most prominent farmers of Lenox township, Susquehanna county.

For about a half a century Mr. Lawrence has been a resident of the county and for twenty-one years he has occupied his present spacious residence. The great-grandfather of our subject, Thomas Lawrence, was a wealthy Hollander, who prior to the Revolutionary war emigrated to America, and during that memorable struggle was living on land which is now a part of the City of Philadelphia. His son, Thomas Lawrence, the grandfather of our subject, settled with other members of the family on the Walkill river, Sussex county, purchasing a tract of one thousand acres, eight hundred and eighty of which are still held by the family and comprise one of the finest farms of New Jersey. He married for his third wife, Catherine Morris, of Morrisania, N. Y. He died in Sussex county, N. J., at the age of seventy-two years. His children were Maria, who married Judge Shea, of Philadelphia ; Richard M., father of our subject; Thomas; and Catherine, who died a spinster.

Richard Morris Lawrence, the father of our subject, was born in 1778, in Sussex county, N. J. He acquired the profession of surveying and in that capacity assisted in establishing the boundary line between the United States and Canada. On the St. Lawrence river he lost his horse through the ice while engaged in this work. He also assisted in sur-

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veying the Milford & Oswego turnpikes. Politically he was a Whig, and he resided permanently in Sus- sex county, N. J. He was a candidate for Assembly- man, but the district was too strongly Democratic for his election. He married Betsey Hamilton, and his three children were: Lewis M., who re- sided in Sussex county, and is now deceased ; Will- iam, who also died in Sussex county ; and Seymour H., the subject of this sketch. The father died in 1857, aged seventy-nine years.

Seymour H. Lawrence, our subject, was born June 17, 1829, in Sussex county, N. J. His early education he received in a log school house with a stone fire-place. He began farm work early in life, and in Sussex county married Hannah A. Pad- dock, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Shaw) Pad- dock. At the age of twenty-two, he migrated to Franklin township, Susquehanna county, and eleven years later removed to Harford township. Thence in 1865 he came to Lenox township, purchasing 130 acres of land, most of which was wild, and engaging in the arduous undertaking of clearing the property. For thirteen years he lived on that property, then in 1878 purchased near by seventy-four acres of land, most of which was cleared. There he has lived dur- ing the past twenty-one years. He is engaged in general and dairy farming and is one of the influen- tial and highly esteemed agriculturists of the town- ship.

To our subject and his wife have been born three children: W. D., a merchant of Lenox town- ship; Gus S., of Lenox township; and Alma, wife of Harry Shipman, of Montrose, Penn. An adopt- ed daughter, Alida Harding Lawrence, married A. W. Miles. In politics Mr. Lawrence is a stanch Democrat.

JOHN REYNOLDS, a retired farmer and hon- ored citizen of Oakland township, Susquehanna county, was born in March, 1819, in the town of Coxsackie, Greene Co., N. Y., a son of Jacob and Maria (Vannoten) Reynolds.

Jacob Reynolds, Sr., the grandfather of our subject, was a native of England, who on his emigration to America settled in Greene coun- ty, N. Y., where he followed farming for many years He left a family of four sons, namely : Reuben, Richard, Jesse and Jacob. Reuben located in Canada. The parents of our sub- ject both died upon the home farm in Greene coun- tv. In their family were eight children, all born in that county, namely: Eliza is now the widow of Isaac McGuire, by whom she had several children, and she is still a resident of Greene county, N. Y .; William married Rachel Garner, and lives in the same countty ; Caroline died unmarried in Greene county ; Isaac also died there leaving one son who still resides on the old homestead ; Peter died unmar- ried on the home farm; Andrew also lived on the old homestead throughout life; Elmyra married Walter Youman, and died in Athens, N. Y., leav- ing one son, William, a well-to-do farmer living

on the Hudson river ; and John, our subject, com- pletes the family.

John Reynolds was reared on the old homestead in Greene county, and during his early life fol- lowed farming and lumbering there. In 1843 he married Miss Zilpha Walters, a daughter of Jonas and Betsy Walters, who belonged to a prominent old family of Greene county, where she was born in August, 1827, and was educated in the district schools. Mr. Reynolds continued his residence in his native county for two years after his marriage and then, in 1846, removed to Delaware county, N. Y., and purchased 100 acres of land near Mason- ville, where he cleared and improved a farm. He erected upon the place a good house and barn, and in connection with general farming, he run a sugar camp in the spring, remaining there for twelve years. At the end of that time he came to Susquehanna county, Penn., and bought a farm near the town of Susquehanna, upon which he made his home until 1866. Since then he has purchased property in Oakland township, where, after having engaged in agricultural pursuits for many years with good re- sults, he now lives retired.

Mr. Reynolds, during the Civil war, enlisted, in August, 1862, in Company B, 137th N. Y. V. I. He went, first, to Washington, D. C., and from there to Harper's Ferry, and as a member of the 12th Corps, Army of the Potomac, he participated in the battle of Chancellorsville and also in the bat- tle of Gettysburg, where he received a slight wound. He was then transferred to the 20th Corps, under command of Gen. Sherman, and marched to Sa- vannah, where he was seriously wounded in the shoulder by a minie ball, which he still keeps as a relic of the days of hardships and privations when fighting for the old flag and the cause it represented. After a few days spent in the field hospital he was sent to the general hospital, where he remained until the following July, when he was sent to Elmira, N. Y., and was honorably discharged. He was in the service for three long years, and participated in many battles and skirmishes.

Mr. Reynolds' first wife died leaving two sons and three daughters, namely: (1) William H., born in Greene county, N. Y., has followed railroading and farming through life. He married (first) Mary Tanner, who died four years later leaving two chil- dren, who died in childhood. He then married her sister, Wealthy Tanner, who survived their mar- riage but three years, and for his third wife he wedded Eliza Munson, of Susquehanna, who died at the end of six years, leaving three children-Jen- nie, Minnie, and Grace ( Mrs. Ernest Retill, of Sus- quehanna). His present wife was formerly Miss Adda Atwood, and they now reside on his farm in Oakland township. (2) Martha J., born in Delaware county, N. Y., married Martin Pooler, of Susque- hanna county, and they live in the village of Oak- land. (3) Mary, born in 1850, in Delaware county, married Isaac Kent, of New York State, who works in the railroad shops, and they reside in the town of

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Oakland. Their children were- Leona (deceased wife of Henry Oxley), Bertha, Lillian, Mary, Leon, and Lloyd. (4) Watson, born in Delaware county, N. Y., is also employed in the railroad shops at Oakland. He married Josephine Wodden, of that place, who died leaving two sons-Leroy and Frank, and for his second wife he married Carrie Slack, of Deposit, N. Y. (5) Bessie, born in February, 185-, in Delaware county, was educated in the Oakland schools, and in 1869 married Noah Chamberlain, of Oakland, where he is engaged in the butcher busi- ness, and where he owns a nice home. They have seven children, namely-Frank, born in Oakland, in 1871, married Elizabeth Joyns, a native of Eng- land, by whom he has one child, Sarah E., and they reside in Oakland; Edith, born in Oakland in 1873, is a graduate of the Susquehanna Academy, and is one of the successful teachers in the Oakland schools ; Eva, born in New Milford, Penn., in 1875, is a grad- tate of the Oakland schools, and also taught for one term but is now engaged in dressmaking in Oakland ; Ina, born in New Milford, in 1878, is now the wife of William Pierce, a machinist in the shops at Oak- land ; Bessie, born in Oakland, in 1881, was educated in the schools of that place; Alfred, born in Oak- land, in 1884, and Ruth, born in July, 1898, are both at home. In 1870 Mr. Reynolds was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Alka Hol- enbeck, widow of Robert Eaton, by whom she has one daughter, who is now the wife of Henry Sykes, a railroad man of Oakland.

Religiously Mr. Reynolds and his family are connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church and they are held in high regard by all who know them. Politically Mr. Reynolds is identified with the Re- publican party, and fraternally he is a member of Moody Post No. 53, G. A. R. He has led an hon- orable and useful life, and by his many acts of kind- ness and deeds of charity has endeared himself to all with whom he has come in contact in either busi- ness or social life.

EDWARD BURKE. One of the most note- worthy residents of Choconut township, Susque- hanna county, is Edward Burke, who has lived to the age of ninety-six years, and whose residence in the township dates back to about 1830. He is notable, not only for his extreme old age and for his vigor and brightness, not only for his long residence in the township, but for his splendid type of citizen- ship and for his achievements in northeastern Penn- sylvania.

Our subject was born in County Clare, Ireland, in 1804, son of John and Eliza (Haley) Burke, who in 1810 emigrated to America, locating first in Bos- ton, Mass., and later in Monmouth county, N. J., where for a number of years he engaged in farming on shares. In 1825 he moved to Pennsylvania, pur- chasing land in Silver Lake township, Susquehanna county, and making a number of improvements. Selling this property he purchased a farm in Mid- dletown, Susquehanna county, and a few years later

he removed to Milwaukee, Wis., where he invested largely and wisely in real estate, realizing a hand- some revenue in rentals until his death in that city. He was a member of the Catholic Church, and po- litically was a Democrat. The family of John Burke consisted of four children: Edward, our subject ; Redmond; John; and Mary. Redmond was born in New Jersey, married a New York lady, and moved to Harper's Ferry, where he joined in the Confeder- ate army as an officer. He was taken prisoner, and afterward shot as a Rebel spy ; he left a family who are still residents of Virginia. John died when a young man, and was buried in New Jersey. Mary, born in New Jersey, married Michael Whalen, and settled in Choconut township, where both died leav- ing two children, James Whalen, a Catholic priest of Scranton, and Louisa Whalen, of Friendsville.

Edward, our subject, was educated in the dis- trict schools of New jersey. He came with his par- ents to Susquehanna county in 1825, and married Miss Catherine Donnelly, daughter of Thomas Don- nelly, one of the wealthy land holders of Choconut township. After his marriage our subject settled on land given him by his father-in-law. He cleared up a large farm, erecting fine buildings and becoming a prosperous and wealthy farmer. Later he rented his farm and moved to New York, where he engaged for a number of years in the wholesale hat and cap trade. However, he returned to his farm in Choco- nut township, where his wife died leaving one son, John Burke, who graduated from Hamilton Col- lege, was admitted to the Bar and is now a promi- nent attorney of Chicago, Ill. For his second wife our subject married Miss Mary Flanagan, of New York City, and to this union there were born five children : James, Rodman West, Eliza, Annie (de- ceased) and William. Mrs. Burke dying, our sub- ject for his third wife married Miss Bridget Hickey, of Apolacon township, daughter of James and Anna Hickey, one of the old families of Susquehanna county. To this union there were born two sons : Frank, who is now the capable and successful man- ager of the home farm, and Frederick, an active and prosperous business man in Wisconsin.

Politically our subject is a Democrat. He has been elected assessor and school director, and has filled various other local offices with ability and cred- it. Himself and family are members of the Catho- lic Church, to which he has always been a liberal con- tributor. Though now ninety-six years of age, his mind is as clear as that of many men of half his age. His memory is bright, and goes back clearly to the scenes and incidents of his early days. His habits have always been temperate, he has been thrifty, industrious and prosperous. Few if any citizens in Choconut township have experienced a more worthy or influential career.

RUFUS GRISWOLD has throughout his act- ive business life been principally identified with the agricultural and lumber interests of Wayne county, and now owns and successfully operates a fine farm

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 412

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