Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 420

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 420
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 420
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 420
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 420

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).

1802

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ship, Susquehanna county ; Harrison (deceased), his death occurring in Washington, D. C., while he was employed as clerk in the War Department ; James, who was drowned in the Mississippi river ; Isaac, a farmer in Iowa; George, who died in Har- ford township, Susquehanna county ; and Charles, who died in Plymouth, Pennsylvania.

Our subject, who was born November 6, 1829, in Orange county, N. Y., remained with his par- ents until he reached the age of twenty-one, and later he assisted them with his earnings as a farm laborer in different places. For some time he was employed by farmers in Gibson township, and after his marriage, in 1863, he rented a farm for two and one-half years in that locality. On March 4, 1864, he enlisted at Harford for "three years or the war" as a private in Battery A, 43rd Penn. Vols., known later as the First Regiment Penn. Vol. Artillery. The battery, which was commanded by Capt. John G. Simpson and Col. Robert M. West, was assigned to McCall's Division, Army of the Potomac, and participated in the following battles: Drainsville, Mechanicsville, James Mills, second battle of Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Fort Darling, Deep Bottom, Petersburg, and was present at the fall of Richmond, where our subject's company assisted in demolishing the defenses. Mr. Daniels was discharged July 25, 1865, and on his return home purchased a farm in Lenox township, Susquehanna county, which he sold two years later, and the next two years he spent in operating a rented farm. He then removed to Wilkes Barre, where he engaged in teaming, but after thirteen years he resumed the business of farming, settling in Gibson township, and in 1890 he bought his present home- stead, an attractive place containing sixty acres. In politics he is a Republican, and he is one of the leading members of Post No. 512, G. A. R.

On August 11, 1863, Mr. Daniels was married, in Lenox township, Susquehanna county, to Miss Joanna Burns, and five children have blessed the union: (1) George died in infancy. (2) Har- riet married Irvin Witter, a farmer, in Jackson township; (3) Henrietta married the late Henry Gelatt, who operated a gristmill at Gelatt, and she now resides with our subject. She has one son, Arland M .; (4) Harrison, who con- ducts a gristmill at Gelatt, married Mary Ketch, and has two children-Margaret and Ruel. (5) James L. is at home. Mrs. Daniels, whose efficient aid has contributed largely to our subject's success, was born February 24, 1842, in Binghamton, N. Y., the daughter of Stephen Burns, a native of Massa- chusetts, who settled in Susquehanna county in 1849. He was a farmer by occupation, and after residing in Bridgewater township for some time he made his permanent home in Gibson township, where he died in 1882, at the age of seventy-two. He was married, in New York State, to Miss Hen- rietta Hoadley, a daughter of Asa and Thankful Hoadley, natives and lifelong residents of the Em- pire State. She died in 1887, aged sixty years, and

was buried beside her husband in Gibson cemetery. They had six children, namely: Charles, who entered the army during the Civil war and was not heard from afterward; Joanna, wife of our subject ; Ellen, who married Charles Lloyd, a railroad engin- eer at Wilkes Barre, Penn .; George, a farmer in Jackson township, Susquehanna county; Emma, wife of George Bennett, a retired farmer residing at Binghamton, N. Y .; Mary, who married Elias Tuttle, a farmer in Herrick township, Susquehanna county.

JOHN T. STOTZ, merchant, P. O. Brodheads- ville, Chestnut Hill township, Monroe county, Penn- sylvania.

JAMES F. LOVELACE. An honorable record as a soldier, won by active service from the first battle of Bull Run to Lee's surrender, gives this worthy resident of Lanesboro, Susquehanna county, a special claim to the respect of his fellow citizens, and his career as a business man and put- lic official has increased his reputation. For many years he has been prominent in commercial circles as a contractor and builder, and numerous mills, factories and tanneries in different parts of the State have been constructed by him. He may be said to make a specialty of bridge building, and among the large railroad bridges built under his oversight we may mention that of Queens Run Dam, on the Sus- quehanna, and the Philadelphia & Erie bridge, across the Little Mahoning, at Keating, Clinton Co., Penn- sylvania.

Mr. Lovelace was born October 30, 1836, in Sullivan county, N. Y., and is of English descent in the paternal line. William and Betsey ( Burns) Lovelace, his grandparents, were born in England, and coming to America settled on a farm on the Hudson river, near Poughkeepsie. They had six children: David A., our subject's father; Eli, a resident of Sullivan county, N. Y .; Cornelius, who settled in the West; Robert, who died at the old homestead; Sally (deceased), who never married; and Maria, wife of John Vallons, who settled near Cochecton, N. Y., and had one son, John, formerly sheriff of Sullivan county, New York.

David A. Lovelace was born at Poughkeepsie, and grew to manhood in Sullivan county, N. Y. For many years he followed lumbering on the Dela- ware river, and much of his time in later life was spent at the home of our subject. He was a Jack- sonian Democrat in politics, and in religious faith was a Baptist, while his wife, Barbara (Sumerfield), who was born at Rhinebeck, N. Y., was a devout member of the M. E. Church. Our subject was the youngest in a family of nine children, all of whom were born at the old homestead in Sullivan county, N. Y .: (I) Parmelia, widow of Dewitt Moore, resides at Monticello, N. Y. She has several chil- dren. (2) Robert married Miss Sarah Fields, of Montana, N. Y., and after residing for some time at Duck Harbor, Wayne county, moved to Stevens

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1803

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Point, Wis. Later he came back to Pennsylvania, where he died, but his children all reside in Wis- consin. (3) Eli married Miss Mary Axtell, of Delaware county, N. Y., and they moved to Stevens Point, Wis. He served three years during the Civil war in a Wisconsin regiment. (4) William S. married Miss Jane Axtell, of Sullivan county, and settled in Delaware county, N. Y., later moving to Wisconsin, where he entered the ministry of the M. E. Church, and he is now stationed in Missouri. His large family of children have settled in different parts of the West. (5) Lois E. married Ira Bailey, of Hancock, N. Y., who died leaving several chil- dren. (6) Charles D. married Lucetta Branning, of Wayne county, and settled there. He followed lumbering for many years, his death occurring in 1892. His wife survives him with several children, who are located in different parts of Pennsylvania. (7) Luther A., a farmer in Broome county, N. Y., was a soldier in the Union army, and was wounded at the battle of the Wilderness. He married Betsey P. Hulce, of Delaware county, N. Y., and has a large family. (8) Hulda A. (deceased) married George Kesler, of Sullivan county, N. Y., who died in Libby prison during the Civil war.

Our subject received only ten months of school- ing in boyhood, in an old log school-house in Sulli- van county, so that his education has been gained principally through observation and private study. When a young man he learned the trade of mill- wright and bridge builder, which he has since fol- lowed successfully. In 1856 he married Miss Par- thenia Dibble, of Broome county, N. Y., daughter of John and Nancy Dibble, and a member of one of the old pioneer families of that locality. After his marriage he settled at Deposit, Delaware Co., N. Y.,

and in 1861 he enlisted in Company C, 27th N. Y. V. I., under Capt. Lewis, of Binghamton, being assigned to the Army of the Potomac. He took part in the first and second battles of Bull Run, and went through the Peninsular campaign, and among his other engagements were the seven days' fight at Malvern Hill, the battle of Charles City Cross Roads, South Mountain, and Antietam, while later he was "stuck in the mud" with the troops under Burnside. At Chancellorsville the losses of his regiment were heavy, and his term expiring about that time, he came back home. He re-enlisted in the First New York Veteran Cavalry, and was on duty in the mountains of West Virginia, guarding the Baltimore railroad and other points until the war closed, his discharge being granted in July, 1865. He was wounded by a shell, the result being a permanently mutilated limb, and also contracted the measles during his service. After the war he returned to Deposit, and resumed contracting and building. He purchased real estate at Cannons- ville, Delaware Co., N. Y., where he resided seven- teen years, during which time (in 1878) he was the nominee of the Republican party for sheriff of Delaware county, and was elected for the term of three years; he also served three years as deputy

sheriff, and his able discharge of the duties of both positions was appreciated by the people. In 1884 he sold his property in Delaware county and bought a home in Lanesboro, where he has also been active in local politics, as a member of the Republican party. He was the first chief of police in the borough and has held numerous other offices, including those of overseer of the poor and township assessor (three terms), and at present he is a member of the Republican County Committee. He is a member of Lodge No. 396, F. & A. M., of Deposit; Lanes- boro Post No. 81, G. A. R .; Shawnduck Tribe No. 263, I. O. R. M., at Lanesboro; and an honorary member of the Good Templars, Grand Order of New York.

Mrs. Lovelace, who died in September, 1897, was a consistent member of the Baptist Church. They had eight children, of whom: (I) A. B., born in August, 1857, in Delaware county, N. Y., was educated in the schools of Deposit, and became a prominent educator in that section. He was also active in the Masonic fraternity. He married Miss Elma Luther, of Tyler Hill, Wayne Co., Penn., and settled at Lanesboro; he was killed at Fairlawn, N. J., on the railroad, his wife surviving him with one daughter, Blanche, who resides at our subject's home, and is a student at the local schools. (2) Stella, born in Delaware county, in 1860, is the wife of Ellsworth Lovelace, a lumberman at Clermont, Mckean Co., Penn. They have one daughter, Kitty. (3) Harris, born March 4, 1865, died in 1868. (4) Miles, born in Delaware county, in Au- gust, 1867, married Miss Louisa Millburt, of Nar- rowsburg, and now resides in Lanesboro, being employed by his father at the carpenter's trade. (5) Augusta, born in Delaware county in 1870, is now the wife of Fred Van Orden, of Lanesboro, and has one daughter, Alta E. (6) Sidney, born in Dela- ware county, in September, 1872, resides at the homestead, and works at the carpenter's trade with his father. He married Miss Ada Malpass, of Sus- quehanna, daughter of Daniel and Lucy Malpass, who came from England, her father being now a prominent resident of Susquehanna. Three chil- dren were born of this union-Lulu E., Leon A. and Luretta A. (7) Kitty M., born in May, 1875, died in May, 1876. (8) A. I., born in May, 1877, died in December, same year.

JACOB K. SHIFFLER, a prominent farmer residing in Greene township, Pike county, was born in Philadelphia, Penn., March 21, 1832.

Mr. Shiffler is a son of George and Rebecca (Vaughn) Shiffler, who spent their entire lives in that city. The father, who was a tobacconist, died in 1843, at the age of forty-five years, and the mother departed this life in 1863, at the age of fifty- three, the remains of both being interred in the Helverston burying ground of Philadelphia. They were the parents of the following children: George, who was shot and killed while living in Phila- delphia in 1844; William married Mary Jacobs, and

1804

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

died in Philadelphia ; Edward also died in that city ; Jacob K. is the subject of this review; Elizabeth, widow of Charles Foster, is a resident of Phila- delphia; Emily, widow of Charles Bartley, is also a resident of the Quaker City; John served three years in the Union army and died at the age of forty-three years and was buried in Philadelphia ; Louis, also a soldier in the Civil war, died at the age of eighteen ; and Henry died of croup at the age of three years. By a former marriage to a Mr. Allizer, the mother had two children: John and Mary, both deceased. She was a sister to the Vaughan Brothers, the first ship builders of the Quaker City ; their ship yard was near the elm tree under which Penn made the treaty with the Indians. Our subject's paternal grandparents were John and Mary Shiffler, natives of Germany and Philadelphia, respectively. The grandmother, Mary Shiffler, was a little girl during the war of the Revolution, and one time complained to the officers that the soldiers were stealing from her garden. She often visited the soldiers in their camp.

On leaving home, at the age of eleven years, Mr. Shiffler came to Greene township, Pike county, and worked for his cousin, Joseph Kipp, in the beech woods on his present homestead. A few months later he went to Drinkers, Lackawanna Co., Penn., where he was in the employ of Mrs. Susan (Kipp) Emerson for two years and a half. Returning to Philadelphia at the end of that time, he worked in a morocco factory for two years, and then again sought employment in the beech woods of Pike county, working for different farmers and lumber- men until 1853, when he purchased his present farm from his cousin, Thomas Kipp. His place at first consisted of only twenty-five acres, for which he paid $400, but he has gradually extended its boundaries until he now has eighty-two acres, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation and improved with good and substantial buildings, mak- ing it one of the best and most attractive farms of the locality. When he first came to this county wild game was abundant, deer and bear roamed at will, and the woods often resounded with the howl- ing of the wolves. At that time it took four days to go to Philadelphia with a team of horses.

On May 9, 1858, at Salem, Penn., Mr. Shiffler was married to Miss Harriet Bishop, the ceremony being performed by Rev. A. R. Rammel, a Pres- byterian minister, and the children born to this union were as follows: Emma, now the wife of Louis Wyland, a farmer of Greene township, Pike coun- ty ; Horace, who married Alice Burrus and is en- gaged in farming in the same township; Mary, wife of Perry Miller, a farmer of Greene township; William, deceased; and Clarence, at home. Mrs. Shiffler was born in Hawley, Penn., in July, 1838, a daughter of Hiram and Alvina (Daniels) Bishop, of New Hope, Penn., who became residents of Haw- ley in the early part of the nineteenth century. The father was a river pilot, taking lumber down the river to the Southern markets. He died in 1894, at

the ripe old age of eighty-eight years, and his wife, in 1860, and both were buried in the Baptist ceme- tery at Hawley. In their family were five children, namely : George, deceased ; Harriet, wife of our sub- ject; Ada E., deceased wife of Edward Forest, of Newbury, Penn., fireman on a railroad train ; David, a resident of Port Jervis, N. Y., who married Jane Randolph, and is a railroad brakeman; and Mary, wife of George Turner, who is employed by the rail- road company in the freight house at Scranton, Pennsylvania.

In September, 1864, Mr. Shiffler enlisted at Honesdale, Penn., in the Union army, and was mus- tered into the United States service, at Alexandria, Va., as a member of Company F, 51st P. V. I., under command of Capt. Jacob Brooks. He participated in various battles and skirmishes, including those at Boydton Roads and Fort Steadman, and was also present at the fall of Petersburg, but fortunately he was never wounded. When hostilities ceased, he was honorably discharged at Alexandria, May 17, 1865, and returned home. He is now an honored member of Newfoundland Post G. A. R., and is a stanch sup- porter of the Republican party. He has served as judge of elections, and supervisor of his township, and in whatever position he has been called upon to fill, his duties have been most faithfully and con- scientiously discharged. The spectacles used by his grandmother until her death, at the age of ninety- five years, were given to her son John, who wore them until he, too, passed away at the age of nine- ty-three, and are now used by our subject. They are old fashioned, with silver rims, but their quality is attested by their long service.

WALLACE B. STEVENS. The thriving town of Stevens Point, Susquehanna county, owes much of its prosperity to the foresight and enterprise of the Stevens family, and the subject of this sketch is now a leading merchant and agriculturist of that locality.

Mr. Stevens was born November 3, 1847, at Smith Hill, Wayne county, and is of English de- scent in the paternal line. Dr. Francis Stevens, the grandfather of our subject, was born and reared in England, receiving an excellent education. For a time he was ship carpenter on board of ocean ves- sels, and later he practiced medicine among the crews. On leaving the sea he located on a farm near Honesdale, his remaining years being spent in farm- ing and the practice of medicine. He died in 1828, and his wife, Ann Orsborn, died March 11, 1865. They had ten children, of whom the eldest, Fran- cis, was a minister of a Methodist Church in Wayne county. Two other sons, Mark and William, served as soldiers during the Civil war, and were held cap- tive for some time in Libby prison. Mrs. Ann (Ors- born) Stevens married again after the death of Mr. Stevens, her second husband being Richard Brown, by whom she had one child, Eliza J., now the wife of Sylvester Thomas, of Starrucca, Wayne county.

John B. Stevens, our subject's father, was born

1805

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

January 16, 1820, in England, and came to this country when nine years old. In 1846 he married Miss Koxy Cargill, who was born January 4, 1825, in Jackson township, Susquehanna county, a daugn- ter of Thomas J. and Sallie ( Cook) Cargill, natives of New Hampshire, and pioneer settlers in Susque- hanna county. Soon after his marriage John B. Stevens settled at Smith Hill, Wayne county, where he spent three years in farming, and he then pur- chased a large tract of land at the present site of Stevens Point, and cleared and improved a farm. He was engaged in lumbering on the Delaware and Lackawanna rivers for some time, and in 1858 he removed to Sullivan county, N. Y., where he con- ducted a grocery for three years. Finding mercan- tile business congenial he returned to Stevens Point, opened a store, and about the time the Jefferson rail- road was built through his land he erected a large dwelling house and store room combined. This formed a good nucleus for the growing town which was named in his honor, and for many years he con- ducted a constantly increasing trade there. He died July 18, 1895, and his estimable wife, who ably sec- onded his efforts in all lines, is still living at Ste- vens Point, on the homestead willed by him to her during her life. They had three children, of whom our subject was the eldest; (2) Elvina, born Octo- ber 14, 1849, in Wayne county, married Charles H. McDevitt, of New York State, and after residing for some time in Stevens Point they removed to Bing- hamton, N. Y., where Mr. McDevitt was employed in a lumber yard, but after an illness of about two years he died, September 6, 1899. They had five children-Judson, Maggie, JohnB., May and Chania. (3) Henry B., born in Harmony township, Susque- hanna county, March 10, 1852, and resides at the homestead.

Our subject was educated in the district schools of Harmony township, and for some years followed the carpenter's trade. As the father's health failed with advancing years the management of the busi- ness devolved upon him, and he had full charge of the estate for a number of years and is still manag- ing the same for his mother. Politically he was a Democrat, and for four years he held the office of assistant postmaster under President Cleveland's ad- ministration, and at this writing he is assistant post- master. He takes an active share in partisan work, and for eighteen years has been a member of the lo- cal election board, serving as clerk, inspector or judge. Socially he and his family are popular, and he belongs to Camp No. 20, Patriotic Order Sons of America, of which his son William is also a mem- ber, and to Starrucca Valley Castle No. 271, Knights of the Golden Eagle, at Stevens Point. In 1897 he was a delegate to the State and national meetings of the former order of Reading, Pennsylvania.

On July 3, 1873, Mr. Stevens married Miss Frances P. Tickner, daughter of William Tickner, a well known resident of Harmony township, Sus- quehanna county. They have two sons : George H., born August 26, 1874, who is now in business as a

barber at Binghamton, N. Y., and William A., born October 14, 1880, who follows the same occupation at Stevens Point, living in the same house with his father and grandmother.

CHARLES BRUSH (deceased) was one of the prominent agriculturists of Great Bend township, Susquehanna county-a man whose energy and ex- ecutive ability would have given promise of success in any line of life, and the result of his effort show that farming can be made both profitable and pleas- ant as an occupation.

He came of good pioneer stock, and was born December 29, 1826, in Oakland township, Susque- hanna county. His father, Jonathan Brush, was born and reared in Greenfield, Conn., and was married there to Miss Laura Mead, who was born in 1790, the daughter of Edmond Mead, a farmer in Con- necticut. For some years after his marriage Jona- than Brush remained in Connecticut, where he fol- lowed the shoemaker's trade; but in 1822, he re- moved to Susquehanna county, locating upon a farm in Oakland township. Later he spent a few years in Great Bend, and New Milford townships, but his last days were spent at his farm, where he died in 1842, at the age of fifty-six years. His widow after- ward married General Root, and her death occurred in 1866, her remains being interred in McCune's Cemetery. Jonathan Brush was a devout member of the Methodist Church, and an excellent citizen, his influence being always given toward the mainten- ance of law and order in the community. Of his eight children two were born in Connecticut; Ly- dia A. (deceased) married Mortimer Lindsay ; Re- becca (deceased) married Philander Finney ; Amy (deceased) married John Van Volkenburgh; Ed- mond died in Susquehanna, Penn .; Charles is men- tioned more fully below ; Irwin, a carpenter by trade, resides in La Platte, Neb. ; Rachel, widow of M. Mc- Clelland, resides in Sheldon, Iowa; and Eunice mar- ried Ely Conklin, of Brownell, Ness Co., Kansas.

Charles Brush always engaged in agricultural pursuits with the exception of one year ( 1883) spent in Binghamton, N. Y., in the carpenter's trade. From 1848 he had his home at his present farm which con- tains eighty-five acres, the greater portion being un- der cultivation. After his father's death he worked one season among farmers in Connecticut in order to pay off a mortgage on the place. The first dwell- ing house was a small shanty, but Mr. Brush re- placed it with a comfortable residence, while other improvements were made from time to time. He was a man who thought for himself on all matters, including politics, and his vote was cast for the men and measures of which he approved, without regard to party ties. For three years he served as school director, and he was prominent in religious work as a member of the Methodist Church at New Milford.

On July 4, 1851, Mr. Brush was married, in Oakland township, to Miss Catherine Van Volken- burgh, who was born March 21, 1834, at Windsor, Broome county, N. Y., daughter of Jonathan and

1806

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Jemima Van Volkenburgh. The following children were born of this marriage: Willis E. and Edna P. died in childhood; Orville J., who married Miss Hattie Sackett, is a farmer in New Milford town- ship, and also a licentiate of the Baptist Church ; Laura J. is deceased ; Rachel married Rev. John W. Chidester, a minister at Great Bend; Lydia M. mar- ried (first) Thomas Cortright (now deceased) and (second) his brother, James Cortright, of New Mil- ford township; Amy J. married Albert Rush, of Binghamton, N. Y .; John C., a resident of Winton, Penn., married Maggie Richards; Ulysses G., a farmer in Harford township, Susquehanna county, married Miss Jessie Savage; Noble married Bertha Porter, and resides in Pringbar, Ia. The mother of this family died December 17, 1873, and her re- mains rest in the Highland burying ground in Great Bend township. On April 26, 1877, Mr. Brush mar- ried Miss Lizzie Taylor, a lady of fine mental ability and culture, who taught school successfully for thir- ty years in Georgia, Kansas, New York, and Penn- sylvania. She was born May II, 1831, at Cairo, Greene county, N. Y., the daughter of Richard B. Taylor, and granddaughter of Thomas and Elia- beth ( Barker) Taylor, of England. Her father was born and reared at Cairo, and was a well known farmer and school teacher of that locality. He died in 1851, aged sixty years. His wife, Adelaide P. (Krotz), who died in December, 1879, at the age of seventy-five, was a native of Ulster county, N. Y., and a daughter of Frederick and Prudence ( Howell) Krotz. They had eight children, as follows: Miss MariaM ., a resident of Ulster county, N. Y. ; Thomas H., who is employed in the Custom House at Brook- lyn, N. Y .; Catherine A., who died in 1851 ; James B. and Charles H., who are engaged in mining at Col- orado; Merilla C., widow of Philip Lasher, of Ul- ter county, N. Y .; and Jennie, widow of Edwin S. Cook, of Greene county, N. Y. On February 21, 1900, after an illness of four weeks, Charles Brush passed to his last rest, and his remains were laid away in the Highland Burying Ground.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 420

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