Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 8

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 8
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 8
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 8
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 8

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Since a child of two years Judge Sherwood has lived upon his present farm, and in an old log school house, supplied with slab seats and other primitive furniture, he obtained his early education ; but by extensive reading and practical experience in later years he has added greatly to the knowledge there obtained. For some years he assisted his father in his various business enterprises, and for a quarter of a century successfully engaged in hotel keeping on his own account. Merchandising, farming and stock dealing having also claimed considerable of his attention, and he still manages his fine farm of 240 acres, which is one of the most desirable rural homes in Wayne county, and an ideal summer resort.

Judge Sherwood was married in Wayne county, January 1, 1859, to Miss Annie Dix, a native of Hancock, Delaware Co., N. Y., and a daughter of Jesse and Jane (Kingsbury) Dix, now deceased, the father dying in November, 1849, and the mother, who belonged to a prominent pioneer family of Wayne county, dying in Buckingham township. To the Judge and his wife were born six children : Amos O., who is now engaged in the life and fire insurance business in Uniondale, Susquehanna Co., Penn; Jane, wife of Dr. F. P. Hough, of Bingham- ton, N. Y .; Myra, who died at the age of thirteen years; Bessie B., wife of H. R. Underwood, now of Scranton, Penn .; Cora, who died at the age of nine years; and Jesse Lewis, who resides at home, and is now serving as postmaster of Preston. Mrs. Sherwood is a member of the M. E. Church.

Judge Sherwood is one of the most zealous and active members of the Republican party in Wayne county, and his fellow citizens, recognizing his worth and ability, have often called upon him to serve in official positions. He has been a member of the school board, supervisor and treasurer of his township, and for six years was county commis- sioner. In 1896 he was elected associate judge of Wayne county, and he is thoroughly impartial in met- ing out justice, his opinions being unbiased by either fear or favor. Socially he is deservedly popular, as he is affable and courteous in manner, and pos- sesses a certain essential qualification to success in

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

public life, namely, the making of friends readily and of strengthening the ties of all friendships as time advances.

WALTER V. BURCHER (deceased) was a worthy representative of one of the most prominent pioneer families of northeastern Pennsylvania, its members having borne a most important part in the development and upbuilding of this region.

William Burcher, his grandfather, was a native of England, where he followed carpentering and building in early life. There he was married to Eliza- beth Passmore, and the following year they came to the United States, locating in Mt. Pleasant town- ship, Wayne Co., Penn., where he worked at his trade. He purchased a large tract of land, for which he paid all the money he had with him, the bal- ance to be paid when his partner arrived from Eng- land; but as the latter died on the voyage he lost both the land and the capital he had invested. Later he made another purchase; but when the last payment fell due it was found that a clear title could not be obtained, and in consequence he lost that property. He then removed to Damascus town- ship, Wayne county, where he bought land and spent the remainder of his life in agricultural pur- suits, dying there in 1839.

His wife had passed away some years previous. Their children, who are also now deceased, were: Sarah, wife of Warren Dimick, a hotel man of Painted Post, Susquehanna Co., Penn .; Helen, wife of Titus Yerkes, of Mich- igan ; Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Yerkes, of Damas- cus township, Wayne county; Massey, wife of Adam Cramer, of Mt. Pleasant township, Wayne county ; John, the father of our subject; and Sam- uel, who died in 1839.

John Burcher was born in London, England, and was about five years old when he came with his parents to the New World, being reared in Wayne county amid scenes of frontier life. He remained on the old homestead in Damascus town- ship, and throughout life followed the occupations of lumbering and farming, it being often said that he cleared more land than any other man in Wayne county. His political support was given the Re- publican party, and in 1861 he and seven sons cast their ballots for Abraham Lincoln. He died in October, 1892, and he was deeply mourned by all who knew him. He married Maxmillia Land, a daughter of John and Hannah (Skinner) Land, and they became the parents of the following chil- dren : William spent most of his life as a farmer in Damascus township, but was living at Narrows- burg, N. Y., at the time of his death; Mary died in infancy ; Lydia (deceased). was the wife of Isaac Tibetts, of Honesdale, Penn .; Samuel (deceased) was a farmer of Damascus township; Phœbe (de- ceased) was the wife of Jonathan Yerkes, a farmer of the same township ; Caroline, who is still living in Damascus township ; Walter V. is the next of the fam- ily ; J. L. married Jennie Hartwell, and is a grocer and lumberman of Honesdale; one unnamed died in in-

fancy ; James, a speculator of Elmira, N. Y., trav- eled over the West for the benefit of his health, but died at the old home in Damascus township; Joseph lives in Columbia county, Penn .; Titus C., twin brother of Joseph, died in 1868; and Avis died when a young woman.

Walter V. Burcher was born in Damascus township, November 17, 1837, and remained at home until he attained the age of twenty-four, but continued to engage in farming and lumbering in that township until 1885, owning and operating an excellent farm of 214 acres, 150 of which acres were under a high state of cultivation and well im- proved. On April 13, 1886, he came to Lacka- waxen township, Pike county, where he purchased a tract of 1,500 acres of timberland, built a mill and engaged in the manufacture of lath, shingles, etc., on quite an extensive scale, but afterward sold all but 360 acres. He became engaged in lumber- ing in partnership with his brother, J. L. Burcher, of Honesdale, and in farming in Wayne county ; he and his sister Caroline owned the old home- stead farm in Damascus township. He also had property in Middletown, N. J., and a store in Lack- awaxen township, Pike county, where he made his home. He was a most progressive and reliable business man, and the prosperity that crowned his efforts was certainly well deserved, for he was an indefatigable worker and possessed excellent busi- ness ability.

On March 25, 1863, Mr. Burcher was united in marriage with Miss Caroline Vasbinder, who was born June 12, 1836, a daughter of Z. B. and Catherine (Sherwood) Vasbinder, both natives of Mt. Pleasant township, Wayne county. Willie H., the eldest child of this union, was born June 3, 1864, and died August 25, 1872. A son, born Jan- uary 14, 1866, died on the 14th of the following month. Charles M., born July 30, 1873, is now a carpenter of Middletown, N. Y .; he married Ella May Ward, of Piermont, that State, and has two children, Lolita C. and Walter V.

Mr. Burcher was a stanch Republican in poli- tics, served as supervisor of his township, and at one time was the candidate of his party for the State Legislature, running against John Kipp, and received the largest Republican vote ever polled in Pike county for representative, a fact which plain- ly indicates his popularity and the confidence and trust reposed in him by his fellow citizens. So- cially he was an honored member of the Masonic fraternity for thirty-four years, and by all who knew him he was held in high regard. He died January 20, 1900, aged sixty-two years, and was buried with full Masonic honors. Mr. Burcher's grandmother, Elizabeth Passmore, and the mother of King George III, of England, were sisters.

JOSEPH H. SHULL, M. D. A man who at- tains success in either the legal or medical profes- sion, against the competition of men of active and brilliant mentality, is deserving of credit for the

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

achievement, and this well-known citizen of Strouds- burg, who has won a high standing in both callings, may well find satisfaction in his success.

Mr. Shull derives his ability from an honorable ancestry, and in the paternal line he is of German blood, the first of the name having emigrated to America at a very early period. Elias Shull, the great-grandfather of our subject, was a pioneer set- tler in what is known as the "Dutch Settlement," in the western portion of Northampton county, Penn., but the information now obtainable concerning him is very meagre.

Philip Shull, the Doctor's grandfather, married Margaret Bryant, a lady of English descent, and made his home at Martin's Creek, in Northampton county.

Hon. Elias Shull, the father of our subject, was a farmer in the same county, and at one time repre- sented his section in the State Legislature. He mar- ried Margaret Eakin, a descendant of an old Scotch- Irish family, and had six children: John E., prin- cipal of the public schools of Stroudsburg; Joseph H., our subject ; Jennie, who married Peter Ross, of Bangor, Penn .; Philip, a farmer of Union county, Penn. ; Samuel Eakin, principal of the schools at South Easton, and Elias, who is engaged in the printing business at Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. Shull was born August 17, 1848, at Mar- tin's Creek, Northampton county, and his education was begun in the schools of that locality. Later he pursued higher branches of study with an uncle, Alexander S. Shull, and in the academy at Blairs- town, N. J., of which A. A. Stevens was then prin- cipal. He then entered Lafayette College at Easton, Penn., with the class of '73, but after a year he left to engage in teaching at Easton. There he began his medical studies with Dr. Q. E. Snyder, and con- tinued them with Dr. Traill Green. On completing his preliminary reading he attended lectures at the Long Island Hospital College for a term, and after- ward he entered Bellevue Hospital Medical College, in New York City, where he was graduated in Feb- ruary, 1873. He began practice immediately in the hospital connected with the college, remaining nine months, and late in the same year he established himself at Stroudsburg, meeting with marked suc- cess from the start. With the exception of a few months in 1874 spent in traveling through the West and South, he has been in continuous practice, being recognized as one of the most reliable and skillful physicians of Monroe county. He possesses the spirit of the true student, and is constantly adding to his information on various subjects, and enlarg- ing the range of his activities. Some years ago he was called as an expert witness in some important cases in the courts of Monroe and Northampton counties, and his interest in legal procedure led him to study for that profession also, two years being spent in reading with Col. Charlton Burnett, of Stroudsburg. In 1877 he was admitted to the Bar in Monroe county after a creditable examination, and he has since conducted a general legal practice

in addition to his work as a physician. At times he has been active in business life, having been largely interested in the development of the State interests of Northampton county, and for some years he was part owner and editor of the Monroe Democrat, at Stroudsburg. He represented the 22nd Senatorial District of Pennsylvania, composed of the counties of Carbon, Monroe and Pike, from 1886 to 1890.

His eldest son, Claude, is associated with him in legal practice, having prepared for the Bar under our subject's instruction, and the firm is known as Shull & Shull. Dr. Shull is one of the leading Democrats of Monroe county, and as a citizen he is noted for his public spirit, his aid being given to every progressive movement in his community. He and his family are prominent socially, and he is identified with the F. & A. M., Barger Lodge No. 325, of Stroudsburg, the I. O. O. F., Martin's Creek Lodge and other organizations. On May 1, 1873, he married Miss M. V. Flory, of Bangor, Penn., and three children have blessed the union: Claude, Samuel and Lucille.

HON. LAFAYETTE WESTBROOK, of Stroudsburg, is one of Monroe county's favorite citizens, having been chosen many times to offices of trust and responsibility. As a business man, a soldier and a citizen, he has shown those qualities of character which command respect and admira- tion, and the story of his successful career will be of lasting interest.

Capt. Westbrook comes of good Colonial stock, members of the family having served with distinc- tion in the Indian wars and in the Revolutionary war, but, unfortunately, the records of the early generations have not been preserved as fully as might be wished. The family is of Anglo-Saxon origin, but religious persecution in England caused their emigration to Holland at an early period. In 1630 the name appeared on the records at Albany, N. Y., among the settlers on the manor of Patroon Van Rensselaer. On October 9, 1665, John West- brook was at Portsmouth, N. H., and in 1689-90 the names of Job and John appeared on the records .. In 1721, Col. Thomas Westbrook, said to have come from Stroudwater, Gloucestershire, England, was a shipbuilder and large landowner in the State of Maine, and the town of Westbrook, Maine, was named in his honor. In that year he commanded the expedition against Norridgewock, which broke up the settlement of the famous Jesuit priest, Father Ralle, and captured his papers. In 1723 he was appointed by Gov. Dunmore as the chief in com- mand of the Eastern frontier.

I. Anthony Westbrook, the first ancestor con- cerning whom we have any definite information, removed from Guilford, Ulster Co., N. Y., about 1737, and located in Montague township, Sussex Co .. N. J., where he became the owner of a large tract of land along the Delaware river and on Mini- sink Island. He was prominent among the settlers there, holding the office of justice of the peace, and

Lafayette Wear

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

left a record of the earliest marriages contracted in the Minisink Valley. He married Antie Van Etten, and among their children were two sons, Jacob and Johannes.

II. Jacob Westbrook, a son of Anthony, was married, March 24, 1746, to Lydia Westfall, and had six children, Blandina, Johannes, Sofferine, Solomon, Maria and Jane.

III. Solomon Westbrook, the next in the line of descent in which we are now interested, was born in 1762 and died in 1824. He located in Dela- ware township, Pike Co., Penn., and there owned 700 acres of land upon which he built a stone house that was occupied by the family for nearly a century, and in times of danger was used as a fort. In 1801 he was assessed with 150 acres of improved land, and at that time he was justice of the peace. Like many of the large agriculturists of his day, he owned slaves, and he was regarded as a wealthy and substantial citizen. He married Margaret De- Witt, and they had the following children: Jacob (1786-1847), who settled upon a portion of the old homestead, and was the father of John I. Westbrook, of Port Jervis, N. Y .; Col. John, born in 1789, who settled at the homestead, and was a member of Congress from 1841 to 1843; Solomon, our sub- ject's father ; Sofferine ; and Margaret, wife of Will- iam H. Nyce.

IV. Solomon Westbrook was born in 1794, and died in 1852: He was a man of fine business ability, and was well known throughout the Delaware valley. In 1819 he sold his farm to his brother Jacob, and purchased another in Middle Smithfield township, Pike county, where he resided until 1829. He then sold his place to John V. Coolbaugh, removed to Philadelphia for a year, and for five years following he conducted a hotel at Dingman's Ferry owned by Judge Dingman. While there (in 1832) he opened a store, and he also carried on mercantile business at Bushkill in 1830-31, and at Tafton in 1835-36. For .some time he was interested in lumbering at Blooming Grove. In 1835 he removed to the old stone house on the homestead, and in 1837 a para- lytic stroke nearly incapacitated him for business, depriving him of the power of speech. In 1842 he returned to Blooming Grove, where he and his wife spent their remaining years, his sons taking charge of his lumber business. He took much interest in local politics during his active years, and from 1822 to 1825 he served as sheriff of Pike county. He married Hannah Coolbaugh (1790-1874), a daughter of Judge John Coolbaugh, of Middle Smithfield township, Pike county, and they had six children : Margaret (deceased), who married the late John B. Stoll, of Branchville, later a resident of Newark, N. J. ; John C., of Pike county, who is men- tioned elsewhere ; Hiram, late a real-estate dealer of Ridgewood, N. J .; Lafayette, our subject ; Moses C., a farmer at the old home in Blooming Grove; and Susan, who married the late Theodore Grandon, of Newark, New Jersey.

V. Capt. Lafayette Westbrook was born De- cember 15, 1824, near Dingman's Ferry, in Pike county, and received an excellent education for that day at Delaware Academy. He became proficient as a surveyor, and in 1850 and 1853 was elected surveyor of Pike county, serving two terms with marked success. He is considered an authority on the location of land in that region, and at one time he assisted in making a map of Pike county ; throughout his life he has been more or less occu- pied with surveying.

In 1856 our subject was chosen to represent Pike and Monroe counties in the State Legislature, and so well did he perform his duties that he was re-elected the following year. In 1862 he assisted in raising Company B, 15Ist P. V. I., and entered the service with the rank of first lieutenant. On March 17, 1863, he was made captain, and this rank he held until honorably discharged, on July 27, 1863, at the expiration of his term. While in the service he was never absent from his command for one moment, and he took part in several important engagements, including the battles of Chancellors- ville and Gettysburg. On his return home he re- sumed work as a surveyor, and he also engaged extensively in lumbering in Blooming Grove, where he resided until 1882; in 1874 he was elected county surveyor against his own wishes. In 1866, he was again chosen representative in the State Legisla- ture, his district being changed to Pike and Wayne counties. His ability and experience made his services of so great value to his fellow citizens that, in 1867, he was re-elected without opposition. In 1877 and 1878, under the new constitution, he again represented Pike county in the Legislature-each county being entitled to a member-thus completing six years of service in this capacity. The Captain has been regarded for many years as one of the leading Democrats of this section, and at various conventions, State and National, he has taken an honorable part in the work of the party. At times he has held local offices, including that of justice of the peace, and his interest in educational advance- ment has been shown by his services as school di- rector. During all these years he has conducted his lumber business in connection with surveying, but in 1882 he removed to Stroudsburg, relinquishing a portion of his business cares; his investments, however, receive his personal attention, and for some time he has acted as a director and as vice- president of the East Stroudsburg National Bank. The Captain looks much younger than he is, and his active and cultured mind makes him a most agree- able companion. Socially he is much esteemed, and he is identified with the Masonic Fraternity, being a Master Mason in the Lodge at Milford, Pike coun- ty. During the war he received a certificate from the Grand Lodge, which he still holds.

In October, 1876, Captain Westbrook married Miss Emma Hill, of Newton, N. J .; their only child died at an early age. The members of the Hill, family, to which Mrs. Westbrook belongs, have as far as the

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

line is traced, been successfully engaged in agricult- ural pursuits. Mrs. Westbrook's great-grandfather, Samuel Hill, resided originally in lower New Jersey, but at an early day he settled near Newton, Sussex county, where he purchased a large tract of land. He had a family of eight children : Joseph, Jonathan, Joshua, Samuel, Nancy, Catherine, Sarah and Ann, and he left each a fine farm. Joseph Hill was born on the Hill homestead near Newton. He married Mary Price, and Luther, the father of Mrs. West- brook, was the eldest child of this union; there was one other son, Joseph Price, who did not marry.

Luther Hill was born in October, 1808, on the old Hill homestead above mentioned, and received his education in the common schools of the day. Like his forefathers, he followed agricultural pur- suits, but he was also interested in various commer- cial enterprises, and he accumulated a large fortune and obtained ahigh standing in the community where he lived, his force of character and the ability with which he managed everything he undertook giving him a prominent position among the intelligent men of his time and place. . He helped to organize the Merchants' National Bank, of Newton, of which he was a director up to the time of his death. Though not a politician, he took a deep interest in the welfare and progress of his section, and, besides filling various local positions to which his fellow citizens called him, he represented his district in the State Legislature in 1854-55, in his public life as in his private life displaying rare judgment and a high sense of honor and duty. In February, 1836, Luther Hill married Miss Abbie Dildine, who passed away in May, 1872, Mr. Hill surviving until June, 1873. They were the parents of nine children, five of whom grew to maturity, as follows: (I) Martha married Rev. L. J. Stoutenburg, and died in 1886; she had no children. (2) Emma ( Mrs. Westbrook) was next in the order of birth. (3) Elizabeth mar- ried Abram C. Hopkins, and died in 1892; she had no children. (4) Joshua is a banker of Pontiac, Mich. He has been twice married, first to Louisa Frank, by whom he had two children, Abbie and Louisa. To his second marriage, with Ellen Pru- ett, of Lexington, Ky., have been born four children, Joseph, Price, and Hunt and Mary (twins). (5) Amanda J. married Allen R. Shay, and became the mother of Henry D., Emma W. and Hilda J. She passed away August 15, 1889, when Hilda was but three days old, and the children have since made their home with their aunt, Mrs. Westbrook, who, as their guardian and trustee, is endeavoring with her usual kindness of heart to fill a mother's place for them.

JACOB L. RUTLEDGE, one of the influen- tial citizens of Damascus township, Wayne county, has been prominent as an extensive lumberman, farmer, dairyman and large land owner for many years in this part of Pennsylvania, and occupies a high position in business circles. He is a native of Damascus township, born August 20, 1828, son of

Alexander Rutledge, and is descended on both pater- nal and maternal sides from well-known pioneer families of Wayne county, people who were active and useful members of this community when it was still in its infancy, and bore a material part in its early progress and improvement.

The Rutledge family is of Irish origin, our subject's grandfather, Alexander Rutledge, having been born in Ireland in 1764, whence in the year 1804 he came to this country and settled in Sullivan county, N. Y., later removing to Damascus town- ship, Wayne Co., Penn., where he became an exten- sive land owner, and where he reared a large fam- ily, namely: Ann, Alexander, Jr., Edward, Susan, John, Sarah, Fannie, Christopher, William, and one that died in infancy. It was his boast that his five sons could out-chop any five sons in the State of Pennsylvania. They all became lumbermen and farmers. Alexander Rutledge was a Democrat in politics. Before coming to this country he had served as a soldier in Ireland on the side of the Protestants. He was a consistent member of the M. E. Church, in which faith he died in 1844. Alex- ander Rutledge had a brother Edward, who ran away from home and came to America, settling in South Carolina. Although prominent in public affairs, and one of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, little or nothing is known of his descendants.

Alexander Rutledge, Jr., son of Alexander, was born in Ireland in October, 1798, and came to this country at the age of six years. When a young man he married Mary A. LaTourette, who was born in 1808, in Staten Island, N. Y. Her father, Peter La- Tourette, settled in Wayne county, Penn., in a very early day, and there the young couple also located, on part of the tract in Damascus purchased by grand- father Rutledge, their home being along the New- burg turnpike. Here they remained until 1836, in which year they removed to near Rileyville, Mr. Rutledge having made a purchase of 260 acres, and they spent the rest of their lives on that place, Mr. Rutledge dying in 1864, and Mrs. Rutledge passing away in November, 1896, at a ripe old age. Like the rest of his family, Mr. Rutledge gave his prin- cipal attention to agriculture, clearing out a large farm, from his last investment, which was a credit to his industry and energy, and a decided improve- ment to the township in which it was situated. They were all active workers in the M. E. Church, and gave freely of their time and means to the support of Church enterprises.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 8

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