Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 417

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 417
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 417
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 417
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 417

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).

ter, who was born in Bristol, England, in 1612, and came to America in 1642, settling at Wethersfield, Conn., where he became prominent among the pio- neers. From him descended Timothy Hollister, fa- ther of Mrs. Betsey Andrews.

The subject of this sketch was born January 25, 1824, at Hamlinton, Wayne county, and was reared upon a farm. When he attained his majority his father gave him the homestead of 124 acres, which he operated successfully for many years. In 1867 he rented the place to a tenant and a year later he sold it for $5,000. Since that time he has resided at Hamlinton, where he followed carpentering for the first year, but later he retired from active work. He has always been prominent in local affairs, be- ing an ardent supporter of the Democratic party, and he has served in many township offices, includ- ing the assessorship, which he held for thirty years, and his interest in educational progress was shown by many years of effective work as school director. He is also active in religious circles as a member of the Methodist Church, with which he united at the age of thirteen years, having been baptized by an itinerant preacher. On December 30, 1846, he was married, at Jones' Lake (now Lake Ariel), Penn., to Miss Harriet Jones, who was born in that local- ity in 1826, the daughter of Amasa and Sophia (Cur- tis) Jones, natives of Connecticut, who settled in Wayne county in pioneer times. Mrs. Andrews died October 21, 1891, deeply mourned by a large circle of friends. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews had no children of their own, but their home was brightened by a neice, Laura Ann Lawrence, who is now Mrs. Alt, whom they had adopted in childhood. She still resides with our subject, and her intelligence and gracious manners make her an ideal hostess.

The Lawrence family is of Irish descent, and it has been identified with Wayne county from an early date, John Lawrence, Mrs. Alt's great-grand- father, having served in the Revolutionary war as a commander of a ship. George Lawrence, Mrs. Alt's father, was born in Philadelphia, and in 1860 came to the present site of Lake Ariel, Wayne county, where he engaged in farming. He died in July, 1864, at the age of thirty-six years, and his wife, whose maiden name was Laura Jones, passed away six years later, at the age of forty-two. She was born in that locality, the daughter of Asa and Lucina (Buckingham) Jones, and was a woman of fine ability and culture, having for some time pre- vious to her marriage taught school successfully in Wayne county. Mrs. Alt is the youngest in the fam- ily of four children: (I) Clara E. married Julian Swingle, a farmer and carpenter of South Canaan township, Waye county. (2) John D. died at the age of twenty-one, leaving a widow, Ada (Clark), who has since married John Atkinson, of Callicoon, N. Y. (3) George W. is a blacksmith at Marsh- wood, Penn .; he married Miss Alice Ackley, for- merly a school teacher in Lackawanna county. Mrs. Alt was born September 23, 1864, at Lake Ariel, and was married September 25, 1883, at the home of

our subject, to William H. Alt, a leading merchant of Hamlinton. Four children have blessed this union : Lawrence, born July 23, 1885; Cora H., born Jan- uary 28, 1889; and Elmer D. and Elva M. (twins), born May 14, 1892, of whom the former died June 10 of the same year.

DAVID H. BRYAN, one of the valiant de- fenders of the Union during the dark days of the Civil war, is at present an honored and worthy cit- izen of Monroe county, his home being in Jackson township, where he is successfully carrying on oper- ations as a general farmer and stock raiser.

Mr. Bryan was born in Luzerne county, Penn., March 24, 1842, and is of Irish extraction. His pa- ternal grandfather, John Sydney Bryan, was born, reared and married in County Armagh, Ireland, where he continued to make his home until his emi- gration to the United States, in middle life. He located in Newark, Del., and died in that State, in 184I, at the age of eighty-two years, having sur- vived his wife for a number of years. He was a designer in metal and wood, and followed that oc- cupation in both Ireland and America. In his family were six children, all now deceased, namely: Will- iam, a resident of Troy, Penn .; John, of northern Ohio; Andrew, of Delaware; John Sydney, Jr., fa- ther of our subject ; Lydia, wife of James Bensinger, of Delaware; and Jane, wife of William Northrup.

John Sydney Bryan, Jr., was also a native of County Armagh, Ireland, coming to the New World in early life, and locating in Kingston, Penn., where he purchased a home. He was a civil engineer by profession, and as such was employed for many years throughout the Eastern States, during which time he aided in the construction of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. In Delaware he was united in mar- riage with Miss Elizabeth Klaus, a native of that State, who died at Wilkes Barre, Penn., in 1892, at the age of seventy-three years. His death oc- curred at Allentown, Penn., August 6, 1877, when he had reached the age of seventy-eight years. He was a prominent representative of the Democratic party in his community, took an active and influen- tial part in public affairs, and served as sheriff of Luzerne county, Penn., for one or two terms, be- sides filling various township offices. Religiously both he and his wife were members of the Method- ist Episcopal Church.

David H. Bryan is the youngest in a family of seven children, the others being as follows: Lydia (deceased) was the wife of John Brineton, of Janesville, Penn. ; Andrew ( deceased) was a lum- berman of Allentown, Penn .; Jacob, a farmer, lives at Plymouth, Penn .; Elizabeth (deceased) was the wife of Joseph Blaine, of Kingston, Penn .; Mary (deceased) was the wife of Joseph Barney, of Kings- ton ; and Olive is the wife of David Emi, of Wyom- ing county, Pennsylvania.

The subject of this review obtained a good practical education, attending first the common schools, and later pursuing a commercial course at

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Bryant & Stratton's Business College, Philadelphia. Hardly had the echoes from Fort Sumter's guns died away before he offered his services to the gov- ernment, enlisting April 16, 1861, for three months, in Company C, 6th P. V. I., and re-enlisting, on the expiration of that term, for three years or during the war. He was chosen first sergeant of his com- pany in November, 1863, and at the close of the war was mustered cut with the rank of first lieu- tenant. He participated in a number of important engagements and minor skirmishes, including the battles of Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, and was with Gen. Sherman on the famous march to the sea. He was captured at Cheap Mountain, or Cross Keys, and held prisoner at Sal- isbury, N. C., for six weeks before being exchanged.

Returning to Luzerne county, Penn., Mr. Bryan engaged in lumbering, which he followed there for fifteen years, contracting for the Allentown Lumber Co. In 1877 he came to Monroe county, where his family had previously located, and took up his residence in Jackson township, on the old Det- rick place, owning II0 acres of land, seventy of which have been cleared and placed under excellent cultivation. Since then his entire time and atten- tion has been devoted to general farming and stock raising.

In 1867, in Jackson township, Mr. Bryan was united in marriage with Miss Levina Detrick, a na- tive of Monroe county, and to them have been born four children, namely: Jessie, Elizabeth, Romain and Nettie, all at home.

The Republican party has always found in Mr. Bryan an ardent supporter of its principles, and everything pertaining to the welfare of his com- rades in the Civil war finds in him a stanch friend. He first united with the Grand Army of the Repub- lic, and later became identified with the Veteran Union Legion, in which only soldiers who served for two years or more are eligible to membership. He also belongs to the Loyal Legion, with head- quarters at Philadelphia, and is a trustee of the Chattanooga Association-the Veterans National Park. In days of peace, as in times of war, he has always been found a true and loyal citizen, willing to sacrifice his personal interests for the good of his fellow sitizens, and he is justly deserving of the high regard in which he is held by all who know him.

EMERY A. HAZELTON, a well-known cit- izen and progressive agriculturist of Palmyra town- ship, Pike county, is a worthy representative of one of the highly-respected families of this section of the State. His paternal grandfather Abram Hazelton, was a native of County Tyrone, Ireland, where he grew to manhood, married, and continued to reside for some years thereafter, his children all being born in that country. Accompanied by his fam- ily, he came to America, and located in Sterling (now Dreher) township, Wayne Co., Penn., where he engaged in farming until his death, in 1857.

Williani Hazelton, our subject's father, was about four years old when he accompanied his par- ents on their emigration to the United States, and was reared in Sterling township. During his entire business career he followed the occupations of farm- ing and lumbering. He married Miss Sarah Cross, a daughter of Robert Cross, and she died December 10, 1884, while his death occurred October 14, 1893. The children born to them were as follows: Emery A., the subject of this review; Simon D., born Oc- tober 3, 1850, who now lives with our subject; Emeline, wife of A. C. Angel, of Dreher township, Wayne county ; Angeline A., wife of Florence Ro- backer, of Dreher township; and Abram and Elijah, twins, who died in infancy.

In Dreher township, Wayne county, Emery A. Hazelton was born, May 27, 1848, and there he grew to manhood, obtaining his early education in the common schools of the locality. Later he attended the Prompton Academy, and was thus well fitted by education for the responsible duties of business life. For some years he engaged in rafting on the Delaware river, and as a lumber contractor carried on operations in Pike and Wayne counties for nearly twenty years. In 1876 he located upon his present farm in Palmyra township, Pike county, and is now principally engaged in agricultural pursuits.

At Sterling, Wayne county, Mr. Hazelton was married, September 4, 1873, to Miss Sarah E. Bortree, the ceremony being performed by Rev. George Pritchett, a Methodist Episcopal minister. Her paternal grandfather, John Bortree, was a na- tive of County Tyrone, Ireland, as was also her fa- ther, Thomas Bortree, who came to America at the age of sixteen years, and found employment in Phil- . adelphia. Later he took up his residence in Ster- ling township, Wayne county, where he carried on farming throughout the remainder of his life, and died June 14, 1893, at the age of seventy-five years. There he had married Miss Elizabeth Simpson, who was also born in County Tyrone, Ireland, a daugh- ter of Joseph and Sarah (Allen) Simpson, and they became the parents of the following children : Margaret A., who married Arthur J. Rollison, of Arlington, Salem township, Wayne county, and died at the age of forty-nine years, eight months and sixteen days; John R., a prosperous farmer of Sterling township, Wayne county, who married Mary Jane Becker ; Lucy J., wife of Holland Rich- ardson, of Cherry Ridge township, Wayne county ; James A., a merchant of Lake Ariel, Wayne county ; Olive A., wife of George Sherman, a farmer of Lake Como, Wayne county ; Susanna M., wife of Nathan Cross, postmaster at Greentown, Greene township, Pike county; Sarah E., wife of our sub- ject ; Maria M., who died in infancy; Thomas W., a physician of Lake Como ; and Mary E., a resident of Sterling township, Wayne county. Mr. and Mrs. Hazelton have two children: Viola, born January 8, 1877, and Mabel, born September 9, 1886.

In political sentiment Mr. Hazelton is a stanch Republican, but at local elections he always en-

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deavors to vote for the best man, regardless of party affiliations. He has most acceptably served his fel- low citizens as supervisor (two terms) and as in- spector of elections, and is at present an efficient school director.

O. W. GELATT. In the pioneer history of Gibson township, Susquehanna county, no family name is more conspicuous than that of Gelatt.

George Gelatt, our subject's great-grandfather, came with his family to the wilderness from Massa- chusetts between 1809 and 1812. He was a farmer and carpenter and lived to the remarkable age of 102 years. Soon after his arrival he built a tavern on the Newburg turnpike, a half mile north of Smiley Hollow. He had a large family, and of these George Gelatt was the grandfather of our subject. George Washington Gelatt, the father of O. W. Gelatt, was reared in Gibson township, married Miss Susan Bills, and devoted himself to the arduous work that was incident in those days to pioneer life. He was born in 1818, and died in 1889. To George Washington and Susan Gelatt were born six chil- dren, namely: O. W., our subject; Henry, who died in Gibson township in 1898; Charles, a resident of Jackson township; Leroy, of Gibson township; Eugene, of Gibson township, and Estelle (Mrs. Lewis), of Clifford township.

O. W. Gelatt was born in October, 1847, in Gibson township. He was there reared, educated, and has since been a resident, and since 1896 he has been successfully engaged in the manufacture of extension ladders. He was married, in Gibson · township, in 1873, to Miss Sarah Tuttle, who is a native of Wayne county, Penn., daughter of John

. and - Tuttle, of Preston township, Wayne county. To our subject and wife have been born seven children, namely: Vernie, Julia, Albert, Anna, George, Fred and Hazel. In politics Mr. Ge- latt is a Republican, and he takes an active interest in the success of his party. He is public-spirited, enterprising-the possessor of many dominant vir- tues, and is a worthy representative of one of the old families which have been influential in Susque- hanna county from the time of the earliest set- tlements.

JOSEPH F. LANNON. In the busy commu- nity located in the thriving little city of Susquehanna, we find several energetic and thorough-going busi- ness men, who have attained success through their own enterprise, good judgment and perseverance. Among their number is the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch, and who is a member of the firm of Joseph F. Lannon & Co., leading grocers of Susquehanna.

Mr. Lannon was born in that town, March 19, 1854, a son of John and Catherine (Sullivan) Lan- non, natives of Ireland, who were married in Ma- chias, Me., and came to Susquehanna county, Penn., in 1847, locating in Lanesboro, where they continued to make their home throughout life. The

father, who was a mason and builder, died in 1893, aged seventy-five years, and the mother died in 1887, aged sixty-three years, the remains of both being interred in Laurel Hill cemetery. They were members of the Catholic Church and most estimable people. Their children were Thomas, now a resi- dent of Missouri; John P., foreman of the erecting crew for the Erie Company and a resident of Sus- quehanna; Sarah, who died when young; Joseph F., our subject; Robert M., a member of the Sus- quehanna County Bar, who died in 1886, at the age of twenty-six years; Mary M., who died when young ; and Robert, who died in 1860. On his emi- gration from Ireland to America, John Lannon, the paternal grandfather of our subject, located in Machias, Me., and there spent the remainder of his life.

Joseph F. Lannon was reared and educated in Susquehanna, and began his business career, at the age of sixteen years, as a clerk in the store of which he is now proprietor and which at that time belonged to Thomas McDonald, for whom he worked four and a half years. During the following seven years he filled the positions of clerk and bookkeeper in the store of John C. Rane, and then, forming a part- nership with P. D. Baxter, he embarked in his pres- ent business, which they have since successfully carried on.

In December, 1888, at Susquehanna, Mr. Lan- non was married to Miss Laura Hogan, and to them was born a son, Robert J. Mrs. Lannon was born in Susquehanna, November 4, 1864, a daughter of Michael and Mary (Clancey) Hogan. The father is now living retired in that city.

The Democratic party finds in Mr. Lannon a stanch supporter of its principles, and his fellow citi- zens, recognizing his worth and ability, have called him to public office. He served as burgess of Sus- quehanna for two terms with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents, and he was school director for seven years.

THOMAS F. CAWLEY, M. D., one of the most prominent and successful representatives of the medical profession in Monroe county, is now locat- ed at Saylorsburg, where he enjoys a large and lucra- tive practice. He was born in Hellertown, North- ampton Co., Penn., January 4, 1857, and belongs to a family which was founded in the United States by three brothers, John, Thomas and Benjamin Mc- Cawley (as the name was then spelled), who were natives of Lancashire, England, and were mill- ers by trade. They separated after coming to this country, Thomas locating in Newton, near Philadel- phia, Penn., and Benjamin, at Milton, this State, while John, the Doctor's grandfather, settled near Hellertown, in 1829, and there engaged in milling. throughout the remainder of his life. He married Mary McRoney.

Albert Cawley, the Doctor's father, was born in Lancashire, England, and came to America with his parents in 1829. He followed farming through-

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out life, making his home at Hellertown, Northamp- ton county, where he died April 20, 1889, at the age of sixty-eight years, and was laid to rest in the old Williamstown cemetery. He married Miss Elizabeth Long, a native of this State, who is now living on the old homestead at Hellertown at the age of seventy-one years. Both held membership in the Lutheran Church, and Mr. Cawley affiliated with the Republican party. In their family were three chil- dren : Sophia, wife of William Zaller, a farmer and lumberman of Northampton county ; William, who lives on the old homestead ; and Thomas F., our sub- ject

Dr. Cawley was reared on the home farm and pursued his studies in the public schools of the neighborhood until fourteen years of age, when he entered the Hellertown Normal, and subsequently graduated from that institution. He next attended the Keystone Normal, and at the age of. seventeen years commenced teaching school, at which he was employed for four years. In 1876 he began reading medicine with Hon. Henry D. Heller, present State senator from this district, with whom he remained for four years, and from 1877 until 1880 attended lectures at the Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York City. After his graduation from that noted school he located at Pen Argyl, Penn., where he remained until 1893, and then came to Saylors- burg, where he was not long in building up a good practice.

At Easton, Penn., September 16, 1880, Dr. Cawley was united in marriage with Miss Kate A. Strawn, and to them have been born three children : Harry, Florence and Dewey. Mrs. Cawley was born in the State of Pennsylvania, a daughter of James and Catherine (Wernerback) Strawn, natives of Bucks county. The father is now a prominent con- tractor and builder of Lower Saucon, Northampton county.

While living at Pen Argyl, Dr. Cawley took a very prominent and active part in public affairs. He assisted in organizing the borough and helped to build the first school house at that place. He served as the first secretary and treasurer of the school board, which offices he filled for two consecu- tive terms; made the draft for the building now known as the Lincoln building ; and was instrumen- tal in erecting the first Presbyterian church, in which he served as elder from the beginning until his removal from that place. The Doctor's present com- fortable home was erected at Saylorsburg in 1895, and its hospitable doors are ever open for the recep- tion of the many friends of the family, for he and his wife are widely and favorably known in this com- munity. In his political views he is an ardent Re- publican, and being a great reader he is well posted on the leading questions and topics of the day, as well as on the best literature.

THOMAS W. BORTREE, M. D., D. D. S. One of the most exacting of all the higher lines of occupation to which a man may lend his energies

is that of the physician. A most scrupulous prelim- inary training is demanded, a nicety of judgment but little understood by the laity. Our subject is not only a graduate of one of the leading medical colleges of the country, but has also completed the prescribed course in a dental college, and his skill and ability in both professions have won for him a large and lucrative practice in Lake Como, Wayne county, where he is now located.

Dr. Bortree is a native of Wayne county, born in Sterling in 1859. His father, Thomas Bortree, Sr., was born in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1815, and in 1832 came to the United States, taking up his residence in Sterling, where he married Miss Eliza- beth Simpson. There he purchased a tract of wild land, which he transformed into a good farm, mak- ing it his home until called to his final rest in 1893, his wife dying there the following year.

In the family were ten children, all born on the old homestead at Sterling: (I) Margaret A. mar- ried A. J. Rollison, of Hawley, Wayne county, and died leaving three children, Matilda, Ora and Le- roy. (2) John R., a contractor and builder in Wayne county, married Mary J. Becker, of Salem township, that county. (3) Lucy J. is the wife of W. H. Rich- ardson, of Waymart, Wayne county, and has eight children, Lenora, Andre, Jennie, Lizzie, Ellen, Roy, Ray and Holland. (4) James A. married Emma Ram- bel, of Chapman township, Wayne county, and is now engaged in merchandising at Lake Ariel. (5) Ollie A. is the wife of George Sherman, a farmer of Lake Como, Wayne county, and has one son, Ward. (6) Susanna M. is the wife of T. N. Cross, a farmer of Pike county, Penn., and has eight children, Hor- . ton, Earle, Theodore, Olive, Howard, Byron, Heber and Cora. (7) Sarah E. is the wife of Henry Haz- . elton, a farmer of Pike township, Wayne county, and has two children, Viola and Mable. (8) Maria died at the age of three years. (9) Mary E. was edu- cated in the public schools, and still resides on the old homestead.

Dr. Bortree obtained his early education in the common schools, and when not in school continued to assist his father in the labors of the home farm un- til he had attained his majority. He was married in 1881 to Miss Mattie L. Martin, of Sussex county, N. J., a daughter of Benjamin and Mary Martin, prosperous agriculturists of that county. After his marriage the Doctor located in Scranton, Penn., where he worked for the Iron Coal Co., for a year and a half, and then returned to Sterling, remain- ing on the old homestead for a year. In 1884 he com- menced the study of medicine in Lackawanna coun- ty, Penn., under G. A. Cole, and the following year entered Jefferson Medical Colege, where he gradu- ated in 1889. In the meantime, during the winter of 1886-87, he was in Florida with a patient from the college. After his graduation he was connected with the hospitals of Philadelphia for three years, but in 1893 returned to Sterling, where he engaged in practice until coming to Lake Como in 1896. In 1890 he also graduated from the Pennsylvania Den-

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tal College of Philadelphia, and is now successfully engaged in the practice of both professions.

In 1888 Dr. Bortree lost his first wife, and four years later he married Miss Anna E. Dunham, of Philadelphia, a daughter of Robert and Susan Dun- ham, the former a music dealer at Camden, N. J. The Doctor's second wife died in April, 1897, leav- ing one daughter, Edna, who was born in Sterling, in 1893. He has always been an earnest advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and while a resident of Sterling he held the office of auditor. He is an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Lake Como, and takes quite an active and prominent part in its work. He may well be numbered among the self-made men of the commu- nity, for through his own unaided efforts he has achieved success in life, first earning the money with which to pay his expenses at college. A man of broad resources, and progressive ideas, he has won distinction in his chosen calling, and is now one of the most prominent physicians, surgeons and den- tists of Wayne county.

O. J. SHAVER, a well-known citizen of Ararat township, who for several years has been prominent- ly identified with the agricultural interests of Sus- quehanna county, was born in January, 1859, in Schoharie county, N. Y., and in that State acquired his early education, making his home there until eleven years of age. In 1870 he was brought to Pennsylvania by his parents, Jacob and Letitia (Kline) Shaver, who located in Ararat township, Susquehanna county. Here he grew to manhood and became thoroughly familiar with every depart- - ment of farm work. In 1881 he settled upon his present fine farm of 170 acres in Ararat township up- on which he has since made many useful and valu- able improvements, and besides this property he owns a good farm of 100 acres in Herrick township. He carries on dairy farming, and has been remark- ably successful in his work.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 417

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