Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 68

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 68
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 68
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 68
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 68

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In his political affiliations Mr. Riefler is a stanch Republican, taking a deep and commendable interest in public affairs. He has acceptably filled the offices of postmaster at Tanners Falls, township assessor, and mercantile appraiser of the county. In 1895 he was an applicant for the office of county treasurer, and was beaten in the convention by one vote. At the Republican convention in 1898 Mr. Riefler was nominated by acclamation for the same office, and elected by a pleasing majority. So- cially he is a member of the Order of Heptasophs, and of the Exchange Club. His devotion to the public good is unquestioned, and arises from a sin- cere interest in his fellowmen.

JAMES E. DONEY, the well known pro- prietor of the "Pocono Lake Hotel" at Houser Mills, Monroe county, is a native of Pennsylvania, having been born in Powder Valley, Lehigh county, April 23, 1863. His father, Jacob Doney, was born and reared at the same place, and there he still re- sides at the age of fifty-eight years, honored and respected by the entire community. Throughout life he has been a farmer and stock raiser, and still carries on operations along that line. In the coun- ty of his nativity he married Miss Eva Esterly, who was born there and died in 1896, at the age of sev- enty-five years. Four children graced this union :

John G. Riflen

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Sarah, now the wife of Thomas Walter, of Spin- nersville, Lehigh county; James E., our subject ; Harry, an agent living in Bethlehem, Penn .; and Kate, wife of Samuel Kriekle, of Hosensack, Le- high county. Politically the father is a supporter of the Republican party, and he is a faithful mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

During his minority James E. Doney assisted in the work of the home farm, and attended the common schools of the neighborhood. At the age of twenty-one he commenced learning the shoe- maker's trade at Coopersville, Penn., and after mas- tering the business he followed it for two years at Spring Valley, Lehigh county. During the follow- ing two years he carried on business throughout Lehigh county as a horse dealer, and in 1892, in partnership with A. E. Shubberd, he opened a gen- eral store at Tompkinsville, or Houser Mills, Mon- roe county, conducting the same for two years. For the same length of time they engaged in the hotel business at that place, but in April, 1896, the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Doney opened the house known as the "St. James Hotel." There he did a general hotel business for three years. In 1899 he built the "Pocono Lake Hotel," moved into it in April, and on May 15 received a license, since when he has been doing a general hotel business. The interests and comfort of his guests are the great objects he is striving for, and no more genial and pleasant landlord can be found in a wide range of country. His house is well fitted up, is con- venient and comfortable, and the cuisine is unex- ceptionable. Besides his property in Houser Mills, Mr. Doney owns land in Bingham township, North- ampton county, Penn. The Democratic party has no more ardent supporter of its principles than he, and socially he is a charter member of the Patriotic Order Sons of America at Houser Mills, of which he has been treasurer since the organization.

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, an enter- prising and successful agriculturist of New Milford township, Susquehanna county, gives his attention to general crops, making no specialties, and the wis- dom of his course is seen in the excellent results obtained. Hekeeps well informed upon modern ideas relating to his calling, is a member of the local Grange, and his sympathies are with every pro- gressive movement.

Mr. Harrison comes of good English ancestry, and his paternal grandparents, Aaron and Sarah (Harrison) Harrison, were residents of Wiltshire, England. This worthy couple had eight children, namely : Samuel, James, Richard, John, Robert, George, Harry (who died in Washington, Conn.), and Mary A. (who never married). All are now deceased ; Robert, Harry and George were the only ones to come to America.

George Harrison, our subject's father, was born in Wiltshire, England, November 10, 1808, and came to this country in early manhood, locating first in Dutchess county, N. Y., and later in Litch-

field county, Conn. In 1849 he removed to this section, and settled upon a portion of our subject's present farm, but in 1889 he retired from active work and made his home in New Milford. He died in 1892, aged eighty-four years, and his re- mains were interred in New Milford, Penn. He married Miss Elizabeth Senior, who was born Sep- tember 3, 1810, in England, and died October 24, 1874, aged sixty-three years. Her parents, Will- iam and Sarah ( Harvey) Senior, came to the United States in 1830 with eleven children, and after spending some years in Dutchess county set- tled upon a farm in Connecticut. She died at our subject's present homestead in 1875, and Mr. Har- rison married (second) Mrs. Harrington Foster. He had five children, all by the first marriage: James is a commission merchant in St. Paul, Minn. William H. comes second in the order of birth. Frances A. married Frederick Percy, a carpenter of Bridgeport, Conn. Anna M. married (first) Will- iam H. Sherer, and (second) A. H. Thompson, a. machinist of Binghamton, N. Y. Ida E. died at the age of twenty-four years.

Our subject was born January 14, 1837, at Washington, Litchfield Co., Conn., and remained with his parents until he reached the age of thirty. He then purchased a farm in Franklin township, Susquehanna county, where he remained three years, but he has since resided at the old homestead. In politics he is an earnest supporter of Prohibition principles, and he is an active worker in the Frank- lin Presbyterian Church, with which he united in 1896. On March 20, 1866, he was married in. Franklin township to Mrs. Mary (Handrick) Ward, and three children have blessed the union .. Nellie married L. A. Sherwood, a farmer in New Milford township, and they have one son, Eugene Harrison, born August 23, 1897; Hattie married John Moffatt, also a farmer in the same township; and Miss Maude, a popular young lady, is at home.

Mrs. Harrison is a native of Franklin town- ship, and a member of an old and honored pioneer family, her paternal grandparents, John and Dotha (Gibbs) Handrick, of Connecticut, having come to. Susquehanna county about one hundred years ago. settling in New Milford township. Her father, Sheldon G. Handrick, was born in New Milford township, and as a young man followed the shoe- maker's trade, but later he engaged in farming in Franklin township. He died in 1874, aged sixty- one years. His wife, Louisa (Smith), died in Oc- tober, 1849, at the age of thirty-four, and their re- mains were interred at Upsonville. The Smith family is well known in Franklin township, and Sylvester and Polly ( Bates) Smith, parents of Mrs. Handrick, were highly esteemed residents of that locality, he being one of the seven brothers who first settled in Franklin township. Sheldon G. and Louisa Handrick had four children, as follows : Emma L. (deceased), who married D. D. Lathrop; Benjamin B., a resident of Hallstead, Penn .; Mary A. (Mrs. Harrison) ; and Augusta (deceased),

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

who married Charles L. Lawson, of Homer. Mrs. Harrison holds an enviable place in social life, and has been active in many movements of a philan- thropic nature. During the Civil war she helped in collecting supplies for the soldiers and forward- ing them to points where they could be used most effectively. Her first husband, William Ward, met a soldier's death at Gettysburg.

GEORGE ELTING VAN ETTEN. Mr. Van Etten is among the younger farmers of Lenox township, Susquehanna county. He is a member of an old and prominent New Jersey family, and in his agricultural career is demonstrating that the family success of the past has not yet departed from the representatives of the present. He is a wide-awake citizen, interested not only in his own affairs, but in all that pertains to the public good. His religious and political affiliations are active, and as a farmer he is keeping thoroughly in touch with modern progress.

Mr. Van Etten was born in Susquehanna coun- ty, September 22, 1861, a son of Peter Westbrook and Eliza (Gumaer) Van Etten. His great-grand- father was Henry Van Etten, and his grandfather, Isaiah Van Etten, was born in Orange county, N. Y., August 12, 1781, and died March 19, 1856. He married Belinda Westbrook, who was born January I, 1785, and died August 26, 1841.

Peter Westbrook Van Etten was born in Sus- sex county, N. J., February 14, 1814. He there grew to manhood, and in 1840 married Eliza Gumaer, who was born June 23, 1823, a daughter of Geradeus and Eunice ( Patterson) Gumaer. Geradeus Gumaer was born in Orange county, N. Y., a son.of Peter and Hannah (Van Inwiggen) Gumaer, and grandson of Peter and Elizabeth (Van Etten) Gumaer, of French birth. Eunice Pat- terson was a daughter of Jeremiah and Elizabeth Patterson. To Geradeus and Eunice Gumaer were born the following children: Jeremiah, who died in Sussex county, N. J .; Hannah, who married Selah Gordon, of Orange county, N. Y. : Cornelius, who died in Orange county, N. Y .; George, who married Sally Van Inwiggen, and died in Sussex county, N. J .; Isaac, who died in infancy ; Sarah, who married Elisha DePew, of Sussex county, N. J .; Lydia, who married Abner Brundage, of Lack- awanna, Penn .; Jane, who married John Van Gor- der ; and Eliza, the mother of our subject.

For about two years the father of our subject was a merchant in Sussex county, N. J. In 1844 he came to Luzerne county, purchasing a farm upon which he and his family lived about fifteen years. Then, in 1859, they came to Lenox township, Sus- quehanna county, buying and occupying a farm of 160 acres, and where they continued to reside until their death. The father was a Democrat until the formation of the Republican party, when he sup- ported its principles, and had been a member of the M. E. Church. He died March 4, 1898. To Peter W. and Eliza Van Etten were born the following

children : Henry J., who died aged fourteen years ; William Edgar, who lived in Luzerne county, and died at the age of forty-three years; Ursula Jane, born April 29, 1847, wife of Nathan Ransom, of Lenox township; Eunice Belinda, wife of Abram Kennedy, of Lackawanna county; Mary Elizabeth, who died at the age of thirty-four years ; and George E., our subject.

George E. Van Etten received a good educa- tion in the neighboring schools, and was reared on the home farm. He adopted farming as his voca- tion in life, and now works his mother's farm of 158 acres, and is engaged in general and dairy farming. He was married in 1883 to Miss Effie S. Wallace, daughter of Ferris Wallace, of Benton. To our subject and wife have been born two chil- dren: Hettie May, born October 12, 1886; and Lena Viola, born December 6, 1892.

In politics Mr. Van Etten is a stanch Repub- lican. He has served two terms as clerk of the township. Himself and wife are devout members of the United Evangelical Church, and he is also a member of Lenox Grange No. 931.

DAVID GUNN, who carries on a thriving wheelwright and blacksmith business in addition to cultivating his farm at Dingmans Ferry, in Pike county, is one of the prosperous and respected men of that place who may be truly termed as self-made, having worked up to his present station of pros- perity by his own efforts, and he occupies an en- viable position among the substantial citizens of Delaware township, where he has lived since child- hood.

Mr. Gunn was born August 4, 1844, in Still- water township, Sussex Co., N. J., a son of David and Mary ( Millheim) Gunn, both of whom were natives of Sussex county, where they lived until some years after their marriage. In 1847 they came to Pike county, Penn., settling in Delaware town- ship, where they passed the rest of their days, the father dying in 1856, at the age of fifty years, and the mother in 1873, at the advanced age of seventy- seven. They sleep their final sleep in the cemetery at Dingmans. Their family consisted of six chil- dren, of whom Abby married Gilbert Heater, of Delaware township; Ann is the wife of William Sovecool, a retired citizen of Newton, N. J .; Jesse served in the Civil war, and is now living retired in Delaware township, unmarried; Libby died when young; David is the subject proper of these lines ; Thomas died at the age of sixteen years. The father was a farmer by occupation.

Our subject's father dying when he was but twelve years of age, he was obliged to commence the struggle for a livelihood somewhat early in life, and engaged for a number of years in farm work. hiring out to different farmers. In 1864 he ap- prenticed himself to John Fuller, of Dingmans Ferry, for three years, and after the close of that period he worked at the carpenter trade until 1888, in which year he returned to his first trade, that of

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wheelwright, building the shop in Dingman's Ferry which he has since conducted so successfully. Mr. Gunn also does blacksmith work, and manages his farm, with profitable results in every branch of his business, from which it may be inferred that he has given his affairs the closest attention, neglecting no detail of his work either as a mechanic or as a farmer. He has surely merited all the good for- tune which has come to him, for he has . labored faithfully and diligently all his life, and until he was twenty-two years old he gave his earnings to his widowed mother. Though he takes the interest in public affairs which every patriotic citizen should take, he has never aspired to office, having served, however, for two terms as poormaster, and for a few terms as judge of elections. His political sym- pathies are with the Democratic party. He is quiet and unostentatious in his manners and habits, nevertheless he is well known throughout this sec- tion, and he is esteemed by all as one of the most thrifty, hard-working and deserving men of which the township can boast.

Mr. Gunn has been twice married, on the first occasion, in 1870, at Washingtonville, N. J., to Miss Margaret Lattimore, by whom he had two children, namely: Franklin, living with his father, who married Minnie Honesheltz; and Mary, wife of William Danley, a truck farmer of Westfall town- ship, Pike county. The mother passed away Janu- ary 8, 1875. She was a daughter of Hugh and Mary (Cortright) Lattimore. In 1886 Mr. Gunn married, for his second wife, Miss Martha Hohen- shelt, the ceremony taking place at Columbus, N. J. No children have been born to this union. Mrs. Gunn is a native of Monroe county, Penn., where her father, Samuel Hohenshelt, was also born, in June, 1828, and he still resides there, engaged in farming in Cherry Valley. His parents, Daniel and Gazialı (Labar) Hohenshelt, were natives of Ger- many and Monroe county, Penn., respectively, the father coming to this country and settling in Mon- roe county in early manhood, and he followed farm- ing there for the remainder of his days. Samuel Hohenshelt married Elizabeth Anthony, who was born January 1, 1830, in Monroe county, a daugh- ter of Conrad and Catherine (Fellencer ) Anthony, natives of Pennsylvania, who were.early settlers in Monroe county. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hohenshelt, viz .: Martha (Mrs. Gunn) ; Gaziah, wife of Charles Flight, a farmer of Mon- . roe county ; John, living on the home farm; Min- nie, married to Frank Gunn, a blacksmith, of Ding- mans Ferry; Mary, living in Monroe county, un- married ; William, at home, who is a glass polisher by trade; and Nora, also living at home.

STEPHEN VAUGHN TRUMBULL, of New Milford township, Susquehanna county, is the owner of a choice farm of 175 acres of valuable property in New Milford, and his residence shows in its ap- pointments the combination of comfort and good taste which distinguishes the typical American home.

As a citizen Mr. Trumbull is identified with the best interests of his locality, being especially prominent in religious and educational work.

Our subject is of Scottish descent in the pater- nal line, his grandparents, Charles and Mary Trum- bull, having come from Scotland to this country early in life, locating for a short time in Schenec- tady, N. Y., and then settling permanently in Bridge- water township, Susquehanna Co., Penn. The grandfather died in 1859, aged seventy-two years, and the grandmother, who was born in 1787, died in 1851. They had five chilren : Betsey ( Mrs. Fred Foster) ; Nancy (Mrs. John Martin) ; Mary ( Mrs. Hiram Baker) ; William, who died aged twenty- five years ; and John, our subject's father. Of this family none are now living.

John Trumbull, the father of our subject, was born in Schenectady, N. Y., and was about eight years old when he accompanied his parents to this section. Throughout life he was connected with agricultural interests, but he was also a skilled me- chanic, and for many years was engaged in business as a lumberman, contractor and speculator. When the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroad was being built he distributed the ties between Scranton and Great Bend. His prosperity enabled him to do much to advance the cause of religion, in which he was deeply interested, and he was one of the most liberal contributors to the building of the Presby- terian church at 'Montrose. As a boy hie united with the Church, and from early manhood held the office of elder. He died November 28, 1884, aged seventy-two years, and was buried in Hart Lake cemetery. His wife, Mary (Baldwin), who died March 4, 1881, was a native of Bridgewater town- ship, Susquehanna county, born in 1813, and her father, Matthew Baldwin, was a well known pioneer of that locality. Of the six children of John and Mary Trumbell, the eldest, William, lost his left arm in the battle of Gettysburg, and returned home ; he died four years later while he was holding a clerkship in the Treasury Department at Washing- ton, D. C. He married Miss Agnes Dubois, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Stephen V., our subject, was next in the order of birth; Jane married H. N. Tif- fany, a merchant and farmer of Bridgewater town- ship, who is now serving as justice of the peace; Mary, Barton and Lillie died in childhood.

Our subject was born April 7, 1843, in Bridge- water township, Susquehanna county, and remained at the old homestead until he reached the age of twenty-six. He then purchased a farm in Frank- lin township, and in 1885 he removed to New Mil- ford and at present he has his farms worked by others. Politically Mr. Trumbull is a Prohibition- ist of Republican antecedents, and while residing in Franklin township he served two terms as as- sessor. Since his removal to New Milford he has done effective work as a member of the school board. He belongs to the Presbyterian. Church, in which he has been ruling elder for the past thir- teen years, and for over thirty years he has been

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superintendent of various Sunday-schools. On

September 23, 1869, he was married at Great Bend to Miss Henrietta A. Gardner, and two children have blessed the union: R. Belle married D. B. Replo- gle, an attorney at Scranton, and has one daughter, Mildred; and Miss B. Maud is at home.

Mrs. Henrietta A. (Gardner) Trumbull is a member of a prominent family of Susquehanna county, and was born in Bridgewater township April I, 1851. Her ancestors settled in Connecticut at an early date, and Perry Green Gardner was among the pioneers of the Wyoming Valley, but returned to Connecticut after the massacre of 1778. His son Jonathan, who was twelve years old at the time of that historic event, visited the site many years later and found the "pewter" which his father had secreted under some rocks, and this he always used, thereafter, upon his table. Jonathan Gard- ner was married n New London, Conn., to Eunice Latham (1771-1853) and located first in Schoharie county, and later in Durham, Greene Co., N. Y. In 1820 he removed to East Bridgewater, Susque- hanna county, and purchased from William Jessup and Isaac Post 60 acres of land, upon which he built a log house. He died there in 1850, aged eighty-four years, and the remains of himself and wife now rest in the cemetery at East Bridgewater. They had the following children: Lucretia ( 1795- 1870) married Isaac Babcock and, came to Susque- hanna county before the rest of the family, locating at Dimock; Lydia, born in 1797, married Ezekiel D. Babcock, of East Bridgewater ; William ( 1800- 1854) settled on a farm adjoining that of his father ; Alexander, born in 1803, died at Waymart unmar- ried; Latham is mentioned below; and Hannah, born in. 1809, married Joseph Stanton, of Brook- lyn, N. Y., where she died some years ago.

Latham Gardner was born November 26, 1806, in Broome township, Schoharie Co., N. Y., and at the early age of eleven years started out to make his own way in the world. He began farm work at $3 per month, his wages increasing as he became more competent, and at sixteen he took a farm at Durham, N. Y., on shares, remaining there four years. For a year he was employed as a foreman in constructing a road over the Catskills, and for one year, 1829, he conducted a hotel at Durham and also served as postmaster, under commission from President Jackson. In 1829 he married Angeline Moore (1811-1881), a daughter of Joseph Moore, of Catskill, who removed to East Bridgewater in 1832 to spend his last days, he and his wife both being buried in a cemetery at Hart Lake. In 1832 Latham Gardner settled upon his father's homestead which he had paid for about seven years before, taking the title himself. Later he bought the Philo Luce farm adjoining, and in 1851 he sold the entire property and bought 200 acres in East Bridgewater. For twenty years he was extensively interested in stock dealing, making purchases in Bradford, Broome and Susquehanna counties for the mar- kets of New York, Philadelphia and other cities,

but he retired from the business in 1861. Polit- ically he affiliated with the Democratic party until the nomination of Garfield, when he supported the Greenback ticket. At one time he was the Demo- cratic candidate for county sheriff, but divisions in the party caused his defeat, and in 1884 he was the Greenback nominee for county treasurer, the party being, however, hopelessly in the minority. He and his wife had a family of eight children: (I) Philo M., born in 1831, settled in Missouri. (2) Jane E., born in 1832, married Joel Griffin, a merchant and miller at Hart Lake. (3) Frances Maria, born in 1834, married Harvey Griffin, proprietor of Hart Lake summer resort. (4) Edwin Latham, born in 1841, graduated from the medical depart- ment of Yale College, and practiced at Montrose for several years. He then took charge of the "Wyoming House" at Scranton, but later resumed his practice at Montrose, and in 1884 removed to Binghamton, N. Y. He died June 21, 1894. He became a member of the Susquehanna County Med- ical Society in 1869. (5) Juliet Augusta, born in 1846, married F. H. Millard, a farmer in East Bridgewater. (6) Harriet Amelia, born in 1849, died in 1860. (7) Henrietta A. is the wife of our subject. (8) Addison, who was a prominent mer- chant of Montrose, Penn., until his death which oc- curred January 2, 1896, married Emogene Van Allen, daughter of Chauncey and. Eliza ( Belcher) Van Allen, and had one son and one daughter.

WILLIAM F. RIEFLER. Among the young and enterprising citizens of Wayne county there is probably none more energetic or thorough-go- ing than the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. He has shown marked ability and force of character in his management of business affairs, and, as a member of the firm of Rieller & Sons, is at the head of some of the most ir.i- portant business enterprises of the county.

Our subject was born at Carley Brook, Or- egon township, Wayne county, September 19. 1871, and in the country schools near his boyhood home he began his education. Subsequently he at- tended the schools of Honesdale, and took a course in the Long Island Business College, Brooklyn, N. Y., from which he graduated in 1889. He next entered a polytechnic institute, to prepare for the study of law in Columbia College, but about this time the firm of Riefler & Sons began business at Tanners Falls, Wayne county, and he decided to take an interest in the enterprise. From the start he has had charge of the store, and also kept the books for the firm. He and his brother are very progressive and industrious business men, not afraid of manual labor, always looking out for the in- terests of the company, and at almost any time of the day may be seen around their factory or mills, overseeing and assisting in the work.

At Dyberry, William F. Reifler was mar- ried, May 15, 1893, by Rev. J. H. Transue, to Miss Carrie M. Adams, who was born March 29, 1869,

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 68

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