Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 42

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 42
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 42
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 42
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 42

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Mrs. Sarah J. Harrison resides at the home in New Milford village, where her husband's last days were spent. She has been a member of the Presby- terian Church since childhood, and her sympathic interest in all good works has won for her the es- teem of the community. She was born August 15, 1823, in Sussex county, N. J., where she grew to womanhood. On June 24, 1869, she married her first husband, Samuel Foster, who died March 17, 1871, his remains being interred in Bridgewater township, Susquehanna county. By occupation he was a wagon maker, and in June, 1869, he opened a shop in New Milford, which he conducted until his death. In the paternal line Mrs. Harrison is descended front a well-known family of Bridge- water township. Her father, John Harrington,

was a native of Ireland, coming to America in 1816, and settling first in Wantage township, Sussex county, N. J. He was married there to Miss Jemima Roloson, a native of that township, and a daughter of Henry and Mary ( Van Sickle) Rolo- son, who were both born in New Jersey. In 1838 he removed to Susquehanna county, locating in Bridgewater township on a farm now occupied by his son Henry H. He died there at the age of seventy-six years, and his wife attained the ad- vanced age of eighty-four. They were much re- spected among their associates, and for many years they were active members of the Presbyterian Church. Their children were: William, who died at the age of seventy-three; Sarah Jane (Mrs. Harrison) ; Miss Mary E. ; Matthew J .; Mrs. Julia C. Townsend; Miss Matilda Helen; and Henry H., mentioned above.

CHRISTOPHER BYRNE. While not un- mindful of the value of material wealth, one of the chief aims of Christopher Byrne, a prosperous and influential citizen of Choconut township, Susque- hanna county, has been to bestow upon each of his children a liberal education. A man of superior intellect himself, his educational advantages were meager as compared with those which his family have enjoyed, and the bright and happy home that have been reared about him are lasting proofs of the wisdom of his endeavor.

Our subject was born May 27, 1829, in Coun- ty Meath, Ireland, thirty miles southwest of Dub- lin, son of Patrick and Bridget (Mclaughlin) Byrne. The parents, who were farming people, immigrated in 1850 to America, coming direct to Choconut township, Susquehanna Co., Penn., where for $4,000 a farm of 150 acres, stock and improve- ments, near St. Joseph, were purchased. Here Patrick Byrne spent the remainder of his days, dy- ing in 1854. His widow continued to reside on the farm until her death in 1871. She was a worthy Christian woman, a Catholic in religious faith, which was also that of her husband and family. To Pat- rick and Bridget Bryne were born six children, as follows: (I) Mary, the eldest, married George Bashford, and remained near the old home in Ire- land, where she died leaving a family. One of her sons, Patrick Bashford, is now a business man of Newburg, N. Y. (2) Christopher, our subject, comes next. (3) Margaret was educated in Ire- land, came with her parents to Choconut township, and here married James Carrigan, settling first in Forest Lake township, later moving to Bingham- ton, N. Y., where her husband died. To them were born nine children, John, Alice, Fannie, Andrew, Joseph, James, Katie, Annie (who died in 1899), and Mary (who died young). (4) James came to America with his parents and entered St. Joseph College to study for the priesthood ; but during his collegiate course he was taken sick and died. He was one of the bright, scholarly young men of the institution, with a very promising future. (5)

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Thomas obtained a collegiate education in Ireland, where he married and engaged in mercantile busi- ness for a time ; later he was interested in land and stock, becoming a prosperous and successful busi- ness man. He died at his home in Ireland, in 1887, leaving a widow and family. (6) Patrick, the youngest, came to America with his parents, was educated in St. Joseph College, married Miss Mary Kane, of Choconut, and resides on the old home- stead. Of his six children, four, Bridget, James, Maggie and John, are yet living.

Christopher Byrne, our subject, was for sev- eral terms a college student in his native land. He was twenty-one years of age when he came with his parents to America, in 1850, and after his father's death, in 1854, he remained with his mother for nine years, managing the home farm. His first marriage, in 1859, was to Margaret Goggin, by whom he had one child, Mary, who died when three months old. The mother passed away in Septem- ber, 1861 ; she was educated in St. Joseph School. In 1863 Mr. Byrne married Miss Mary Welch, who was born in 1840, daughter of Martin and Hannah Welch, old and prominent residents of Oxford, Chenango Co., N. Y., who had migrated from Ire- land in an, early day. In 1862 Mr. Byrne pur- chased, from Charles Nale, his lakeside home in Choconut, where he has made many improvements in the way of remodeling buildings, etc., and he has added to it by purchase, now owning some 200 acres ; the place is one of the well-cultivated farms and cultured homes of the county. To himself and wife have been born nine children, five sons and four daughters: (1) Bridget, born on the present home May 17, 1864, was well educated in the pa- rochial schools, and married Patrick Riley, of St. Joseph, where they reside; they have one son, Michael. (2) Hannah, born in Choconut in No- vember, 1865, married G. F. Coleman, and they re- side on his dairy farm on the north branch of the Wyalusing creek; they have had children as fol- lows, Margaret, Lorance D., Christopher, Mary (deceased), Martin, Anna May, Francis, and Nor- ine. (3) Mary C., born at the old home in Choco- nut, was well educated, being a graduate of Laurel Hill Academy of Susquehanna. She is a lady of culture, was for ten years a teacher in the district schools of Susquehanna county, and she is now one of the convent Sisters at Carbondale, Penn., living a most charitable, useful life. (4) Patrick, born at the old homestead in 1871, has always engaged in farming at the homestead; he is unmarried, and lives at the old home. (5) Margaret died when one year old. (6) Martin, born in Choconut in 1875, farms the home place. (7) Thomas, born at the old homestead, was well educated in the parochial schools, and is a graduate of Laurel Hill Academy, Susquehanna, and is now a teacher in the district schools of his county; he is a young man of culture and education. He has taken especial interest in poultry and stock raising on his father's farm. (8) Peter was born at the home

farm, where he was reared. As a student of Laurel Hill Academy, Susquehanna, in 1898, he was inspecting the stone railroad bridge at Lanes- boro, when he was struck by an engine and thrown from the bridge a distance of ninety feet, living only four hours after the accident. He was a young man of great promise, a hard student, and very popular with his associates and teachers. (9) Christopher, born in Choconut, has been a student of Laurel Hill Academy, also a teacher in the dis- tret schools of his county.

Politically Mr. Byrne has always been identi- fied with the Democratic party. He has held the office of school director and auditor of Choconut, has also been county auditor of Susquehanna coun- ty, and has taken considerable interest in the public affairs of the county. He and his family are de- vout members of the Catholic Church. As a farmer he has been a leading representative of his town- ship. For many years he has taken a deep interest in the development of agriculture and stock raising in his neighborhood, and his progressive and courageous ideas have proved beneficial both to himself and to the prosperous community in which he lives. Mr. Byrne was the first importer of Ayrshire stock to this part of the country, and has taken great interest in improving the breed of cattle in his county, expending large sums for that purpose. He had a herd-book, and has bred from it. He bought "Matchless the Second," bred bv C. J. Hays, of Unadilla, N. Y., and "Matchless the Third," a fine-bred heifer, when he started his large herd. For several years Mr. Byrne was captain of a company of cavalry organized in his town and Silver Lake.

GEORGE WASHINGTON SIMONS, of Hamlinton, Wayne county, is well known in busi- ness circles as the senior member of the mercantile firm of G. W. Simons & Son, and he has also been extensively engaged in agricultural work for many years. As a citizen he is held in the highest esteem, and he has frequently been chosen to fill various offices of trust and responsibility.

The Simons family in this section is descended form Richard Simons, our subject's grandfather, who came from Ireland in 1800, settling in Phila- delphia. He had eight children, six of whom were born in Ireland, the names of all in order of birth being as follows: Joseph, James, Richard, Abram, Thomas, William, Frances and Henry. Early in the present century they all removed to Pike coun- ty, where they made permanent homes. Richard Simons (2), our subject's father, was born in Coun- ty Tyrone, Ireland, and was a child when he accom- panied his parents to America in 1800. In 1816 he came to Pike county, where he remained seven years on a farm in Greene township. His wife, Hannah (Smith), a native of Philadelphia, and two children, a son and a daughter, came with him, the journey being undertaken in a wagon. On reaching Stroudsburg he was compelled to place his

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wife and children on horseback, as the road from that point was a mere "cow path" through the dense forest. While bringing his homestead in Pike county under cultivation he and his family en- dured many hardships, and at one time, in order to secure some ready money, he made the journey to Philadelphia on foot and worked for some months in a spade and shovel factory. About 1823 he re- moved to Sterling township, Wayne county, where he cleared another farm and there he met with de- cided success, being considered for some time pre- vious to his death one of the best farmers in this part of the State. He took a prominent part in local politics, serving in different offices, including those of supervisor and assessor, which he held for several terms. His sympathies were with the Dem- ocratic party in the main, but he voted for Henry Clay. In religious faith he was an Episcopalian. He died in 1860 at the age of seventy years, his wife passing away about twelve years later, aged eighty-four, and the remains of both were interred at Zion church, in Sterling township, Wayne coun- ty. Of their children, the eldest, Eliza, widow of John H. Bortree, resides in Sterling township, Wayne county ; John (deceased) married Ann Dob- son, who now resides in Dreher township, Wayne county ; Anetta married O. K. Harding, a farmer in Susquehanna county ; Louis, a resident of Ster- ling township, Wayne county, married (first) Katie Heller, and ( second) Maria Heller; George W., our subject, is mentioned more fully below ; Frances married Thomas Harford, a farmer in Ster- ling township, Wayne county ; Richard, a farmer in Salem township, Wayne county, married Caroline Heller ; William (deceased) married Charlotte Do- belle, now residing at Nobletown, Wayne county ; Mary is the deceased wife of Gabriel Wallrath, of Lackawanna county, Penn .; Catherine died at the age of sixteen years; Thomas, a twin of William, died in childhood.

Our subject was born June 19, 1827, at the old homestead in Sterling township, Wayne coun- ty, and during his boyhood he assisted his father in the work of the farm. At the age of twenty he formed a partership with his brothers, John and Lewis, and built a sawmill in the same township, where he followed lumbering for the next ten years. He then sold his interest to his brother Lewis and engaged in farming in that locality, continuing for fourteen years, when he disposed of his farm there and purchased his present homestead in Salem township, a fine estate of 160 acres. Soon after his removal he engaged in mercantile business at Hamlinton, and in 1883 he took into partnership his son Charles L., under the firm name of G. W. Simons & Son. He is a man of fine intellect, well informed, with polished manners, and while he has worked hard he has not neglected the social side of life. He belongs to the I. O. O. F., also to the F. & A. M., being a member of Blue Lodge No. 330, at Hamlinton, and of the Royal Arch at Honesdale. He is prominently identified with the Episcopal

Church at Salem, and in politics he is a stanch Re- publican. In 1886 he was elected commissioner of Wayne county for a term of three years, and he has held numerous other offices. While residing in Sterling township he served one year as asses- sor ; six years as school director ; ten years as poor master, and six years as supervisor.

On January 19, 1860, Mr. Simons was married at Hamlinton to Miss Emeline Nicholason, who was born September 24, 1839, in Salem township, Wayne county, a daughter of Zenas and Nancy Nicholason, natives of Connecticut, who settled in this section in 1804. Mrs. Emeline Simons died January II, 1895, her remains being laid to their final rest in the cemetery at Hamlinton. On Feb- ruary 5, 1896, Mr. Simons was married at Green- ridge, Penn., to Mrs. Emily (Potter) Leonard, widow of Alvin Leonard. Mr. Simons has two sons, both by his first marriage: (I) Charles L., partner in the firm of G. W. Simons & Son, is also mercantile appraiser for Wayne county. He married Miss Nancy Williams, and resides at Ham- linton. (2) Harry M., who is in the insurance business, married Miss Myra Emory, and resides at Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Mrs. Emily Simons was born September 18, 1840, in Salem township, Wayne county, a daugh- ter of Daniel and Samantha ( Pelton) Potter, na- tives of Connecticut, who settled in Salem town- ship in March, 1840. Her father was a successful farmer, much respected in the community. In pol- itics he was a Republican, and he and his fam- ily were members of the Episcopal Church. He died February 23, 1862, aged fifty-seven; his wife passed away April 29, 1880, at the age of sixty- six, their remains being interred in Salem cem- etery. Of their children, the eldest, Sarah E., widow of J. M. Nicholason, died January 7, 1899; Mary G., born January 5, 1837, married Dr. J. P. Fultz, of Mendota, Ill .; Emily, wife of our subject, is third in the order of birth; Samuel, born March I, 1842, and Lemuel, born January 14, 1844, both died June 19, 1844; Ellen E., born June 16, 1845, married Elijah B. Smith, a farmer near Hamlinton ; Amelia, born May 17, 1848, married C. H. Abbey, a farmer in Salem township, Wayne county; and Gertrude D., born August 21, 1855, died Decem- ber II, 1864. The Potter family has been iden- tified with Connecticut for several generations, and Jonathan Potter, the grandfather of Mrs. Simons, was a lifelong resident of that State, where he fol- lowed the trade of stone mason. He was born July 30, 1794, and died April 1, 1836; his wife, Anna (Goodrich), was born July 15, 1794, and died January I, 1838. The late Alvin Leonard, the first husband of Mrs. Simons, was born October 15, 1832, in the State of Maine, and became a music teacher. He died December 19, 1892, and his re- mains now rest in a cemetery at Carbondale, Penn. Of his two children, (I) William L., born July 25, 1863, married Miss Retta McCombe, and resides at Carbondale, where he is employed as assistant

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

vard master for the D. & H. Co. (2) Florrie M., born January 20, 1868, married Miss Hannah At- kinson, and died December 18, 1889.

PATRICK B. RYAN (deceased). Among the families of Ireland who have settled in the northeastern corner of Susquehanna county few, if any, deserve greater credit for their devotion in transforming the wilderness into a fertile and pros- perous region than the subject of this sketch.

Mr. Ryan was born in County Limerick, Ire- land, in December, 1810, and when a young man emigrated to America. For a time he worked in New York and other States, and in Oxford, N. Y., he married Sophia Murray, who was also born (in 1815) in Ireland. Soon after his marriage in 1842 he bought a tract of fifty-seven acres of wild land in Apolacon township, Susquehanna county, near Friendsville, where he erected a small log house and engaged actively in the work of subduing the forests. Twice he purchased farms adjoining his original purchase until he became the owner of a large tract of land. The primitive dwelling gave place to the present substantial frame house. Here the hardy, industrious and intelligent emigrant lived until his death in 1894, his wife preceding him to the grave four years. They were consistent mem- bers of the Catholic Church, and prominent in re- ligious work. Four children were born to Patrick B. and Sophia Ryan, Mary, the youngest, dying in infancy.

Francis P., the eldest, was born at Oxford, N. Y., in 1841. He was educated in the schools of Apolacon township, and in September, 1862, en- listed in Company H, 143rd P. V. I. He par- ticipated in the battle of the Wilderness and others, and was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg. Re- joining his regiment, he served until the close of the war. On January 10, 1866, he married Miss Mary Flynn, of Middletown. They settled in Friendsville, where he worked at his trade of wagon maker until his death in 1870; he left a widow and two children, Thomas F., who lives on the old homestead in Friendsville, and James P. Ryan, a resident of Scranton. (3) EMILY M. (RYAN) FLYNN, born in Friendsville in 1843, at- tended the district schools of Apolacon. She then entered St. Joseph's Convent in Choconut, and later was a student in the Montrose Normal School. She then began her successful career as a teacher, filling the duties of that profession for a number of terms. She is a lady of culture, well fitted for the duties of instructor. In 1862 she married Thomas G. Flynn, son of John Flynn, of Middletown. They settled in Friendsville, where he engaged in the grocery business two years, then bought a farm, where they resided until his death in 1866; he left a widow with two children, Francis, who resides with his mother on the Ryan homestead, and Al- fonso, who died in childhood. (4) Mathew E. Ryan, born in 1845, received a district-school edu- cation, and remained at home with his parents.

When a very young man he was elected justice of the peace, which office he filled until 1876, when he was elected county commissioner of Susque- hanna county, which office he filled with ability until his term expired. He was a member of the first board of commissioners under the new State constitution. Returning to the old home he there remained until his death in 1880. He was greatly beloved by his people, and was very popular among the officials of the county as well as at home. He was always identified with the Democratic party, which he served with devotion. In religion the Ryan family were all devout members of the Cath- olic Church, and were liberal supporters of Church work during their lives.

HON. PERRY A. CLARK. A history of Wayne county would be very incomplete and un- satisfactory without a personal and somewhat ex- tended mention of those whose lives are interwoven closely with its agricultural and political interests. One of the most influential and distinguished citi- zens of Cherry Ridge township is Hon. Perry A. Clark, who since reaching man's estate has taken an active and prominent part in political affairs, and has been honored by his fellow citizens with a number of importnat official positions.

Mr. Clark is descended from good old Revolu- tionary stock, his paternal grandfather, Perry Clark, having aided the Colonies in their struggle for independence at the time when the British took New London, Conn. He was a farmer by occupa- tion, and died at his farm homestead in Connecticut i11 1828, at the age of seventy-five years. Of his children, two daughters died in Wayne county, Mrs. Reuben Brown at Cherry Ridge, and Mrs. Thomas J. Lindsey at Honesdale. Two of his sons were soldiers in the war of 1812.

Eben Harris Clark ( father of our subject) was born in 1810, in Dutchess county, N. Y., during a brief residence there of his parents. In 1832 he re- moved to Greenfield, Penn., and the same year mar- ried Miss Maria E. Williams, who was born near Jewett City, Conn., in 1810, a daughter of Capt. Williams, who commanded a vessel and died at sea. She came to Dundaff, Penn., with her sister, Mrs. Thomas J. Reed. Shortly after his marriage Eben H. Clark sold his farm and removed to Carbondale, Penn., where he made his home until September, 1842, and then came to Cherry Ridge township, Wayne county, locating at what is now known as Clark's Corners. Here he rented and conducted a hotel for a few years, and then purchased thirty acres of land. At that time the hotel, or "inn," as it was called in those days, was an important relay station on the old stage turnpike between Milford, Penn., and Owego, N. Y., and Mr. Clark soon found it necessary to enlarge his hotel and property, adding 120 acres to his first purchase. He con- tinued in the hotel business until his house was de- stroyed by fire, in June, 1877. He was a genial and popular landlord, an upright, honorable busi-

PerryA. Clark

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ness man, and as a citizen was held in high esteem. He was well informed on the leading questions and issues of the day, was a stalwart Democrat in pol- itics, and capably filled several local offices in Cherry Ridge township, including those of super- visor and school director. His first wife died in 1862, and he afterward married Mrs. Julia Cole Fanning. He passed away in 1879, and she sur- vived until 1893, making her home in Worcester, Massachusetts.

By his first marriage Eben H. Clark had the following children: Maria J., born November 17, 1840, wife of Frederick 1. Keen, a liveryman, of Honesdale; Perry A., next in the order of birth; Susan S., born August 31, 1843, wife of John S. Eno, superintendent of the Borden Condensed Milk factory at Brewster, Putnam Co., N. Y .; Eben Har- ris, Jr., born November 6. 1845, who was elected sheriff of Wayne county, Penn., in 1882, and after serving one term was appointed deputy, in 1885; and Emily E. (now deceased), born July 4, 1850, who married William F. Sandercock, a lumberman of Honesdale.

Perry A. Clark, whose name introduces this review, was born in Carbondale, Penn., April 2, 1842; began his education in the district schools near his childhood home; later attended the Normal school at Prompton, Wayne county, and the Hones- dale Academy, and for four winter terms success- fully engaged in teaching. While attending school at Prompton he was drafted as a nine-months' man in the first State draft, but being under age he did not go to the front. In the fall of 1864, being again drafted for one year, he this time sent a sub- stitute. From his father he purchased the old homestead at Clark's Corners, and in 1878 built thereon his present comfortable residence.

On May 6, 1880, Mr. Clark was united in mar- riage with Mrs. Annie Eliza Cramp, who was born in Rye. England, February 25, 1843, a daughter of James Oliver, saddler and brushmaker by occupa- tion. Her parents died when she was young, and in 1865 she came to this country, October 2, of which year, she married Rev. Stephen T. Cramp, a Methodist minister, by whom she had one child, Stephana, married in 1899 to F. J. Varcoe, a Hones- dale merchant. By her marriage with our subject she has one daughter, Amy E., born April 21, 1881, who is a graduate of the Honesdale high school.

The Democratic party always finds in Mr. Clark one of its stanch supporters, and a most earn- est advocate of its principles. For nine consecu- tive years he served as deputy sheriff under the fol- lowing gentlemen: R. S. Dorin, John R. Ross and E. M. Spencer, and in the fall of 1876 was elected sheriff, a position he most creditably filled for one term, returning to his farm at the end of that time. He has been called upon to serve in nearly all of the township offices, and in 1892 was elected associate judge. For the past six years he has been chair- man of the Democratic County Committee. In the fall of 1896 he was again nominated for judge, but 12

was defeated by 300, while Mckinley carried the county by 1,300, which facts show the Judge's pop- ularity. He has been, since the date of its charter, which was obtained largely through his influence, secretary of the Wayne County Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Co., one of the most popular and successful local institutions, of which Paul Swingle is president ; H. C. Jackson, vice-president; and John H. Ames, treasurer. He is an honored and prominent member of the F. & A. M., Lodge No. 218, of Honesdale, of which he is past master.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 42

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