Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 85

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 85
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 85
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 85
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 85

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On his present farm Mr. Babcock was born October 10, 1839, a son of Ezekiel Gavitt Babcock. who was born in Connecticut May 22, 1797, a son of Isaac and Amy (Gavitt) Babcock, also natives of that State. There Ezekiel G. Babcock was reared, and on reaching manhood he married Miss Lydia Gardner, who was also born in Connecticut in 1797, a daughter of Jonathan and Eunice (La- tham) Gardner. Her father was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war. Of the fourteen chil- dren born to Ezekiel G. Babcock and wife, twelve reached years of maturity, namely: Mary Ann,

Jerome Gardner (deceased), Allyn, Lucy (deceased) and Laura (twins), Leroy Gilson ( deceased ), Ellen A., Mason and Phœbe ( deceased) (twins), Eunice and Emma (twins), Willis E., and Dovie and Lovie (twins). The father, who was a drover by occu- pation, died November 18, 1873, at the age of sev- enty-six years, and the mother died at the advanced age of ninety-three. He was a Democrat in pol- itics.

Willis E. Babcock was reared on the home farm and received a good practical education. He was married, in 1864, to Miss Florilla Sweet, who was reared and educated in Montrose, daughter of Am- brose Spencer Sweet, a native of Rensselaer county, N. Y. Her paternal grandfather. Clark C. Sweet, was born in Rhode Island, of Scottish ancestry. Ambrose S. Sweet married Cynthia Nichols, a na- tive of Bradford county. Penn., and a daughter of Isaac Nichols, who was born in 1799. a son of Isaac and Sarah ( Stevens) Nichols. The father of Mrs.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Sarah ( Stevens) Nichols was a soldier of the Rev- olutionary war, and was wounded at Danbury, Conn., dying from the effects. Mrs. Babcock is the eldest of a family of three children, the others being Mrs. Gertrude Shomaker and Elingham Tracie Sweet, of Scranton, Penn. Her father was a miller by trade and followed his chosen occupation in Montrose, Penn., for some years, dying there April 25, 1885, at the age of sixty-six years. Polit- ically he was identified with the Republican party. and socially affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias; while religiously both he and his wife were worthy mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She was born November 30, 1826, and died at the age of sixty-five years.

Mr. and Mrs. Babcock have one child, Cynthia. now the wife of Walter E. Talbot, of Schenectady, N. Y., by whom she has one son, Sidney Wells. Our subject has spent his entire married life on the old homestead in Bridgewater township, where he owns 100 acres of valuable land.

JACK ALEXANDER, a prominent and suc- cessful dealer in clothing and gents' furnishing goods at Forest City, Susquehanna county, was born in London, England, December 29, 1870, and is a son of Seelig and Kate (Cohen) Alexander, na- tives of Germany and London, respectively. Both are still living, the father at the age of sixty, the mother at the age of fifty-eight years. They make their home in London, where he is engaged in busi- ness as a merchant tailor. Their children are Jack, our subject ; Anna, who is with her parents ; Charles, a tailor of Philadelphia; and Mary, at home.

Jack Alexander was reared and educated in London, and was sixteen years of age when he first came to the United States. After clerking for a time in a clothing store in New York City he re- turned home, where he remained six months, and then took passage on a vessel bound for Australia, but was shipwrecked off the west coast of Africa, losing all his possessions. After nine months spent with his parents in London he returned to New York, where he clerked in the wholesale clothing house of Max Driesen until his marriage, and then came to Forest City. He has since been engaged in his present business, handling high-class clothing and men's furnishing goods, and has built up a large and constantly increasing trade, though he came here a stranger. He is a wide-awake, progressive business man, and is meeting with well-deserved suc- cess in his undertakings. His political support is always given to the men and measures of the Re- publican party, but he has never been an aspirant for office. Socially he is a member of the Sons of St. George, the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and the Knights of Pythias, all of Forest City.

At Scranton, Penn., February 26, 1896, Mr. Alexander was united in marriage with Miss Flora Driesen, and they have two children, Ruth J. and Rhea J. Mrs. Alexander was born in New York

City, in 1873, a daughter of Louis and Hannah (Cohen) Driesen, natives of Germany, who were married in New York City, and from there removed to Scranton, where the father is also engaged in the clothing and men's furnishing business. The children of their family are Sarah, wife of Joseph Block, a grocer of Scranton; Rhea, wife of S. L. Goldstein, of Binghamton, N. Y .; Minnie, a school teacher of Scranton; Harriet, a stenographer of that place ; Sophia, at home; Solomon, manager of his father's store; and Flora, wife of our subject.

CHARLES D. WASHBURN. At the age of seventeen, near the close of the Civil war, the sub- ject of this sketch enlisted in defense of the Nation's flag, imitating the example of his only brother, whose age permitted earlier enlistment. However, our subject was not too late to participate in some of the sharp, vigorous services which marked the closing years of the Rebellion.

Our subject was born in Jackson township, Susquehanna county, April 6, 1847, son of Joseph and Lucinda (Case) Washburn. His father was born in New London, Conn., in 1820, and about 1832 came with his father, Joseph Washburn, Sr., from Connecticut to Northeastern Pennsylvania. The trip was made with a sled drawn by a yoke of oxen. The grandfather of our subject, with his wife, Polly, and children, settled on a farm in Gib- son township, Susquehanna county, where he lived a worthy pioneer life. He died leaving four chil- dren, three daughters-Janet, Sally and Mary- and one son-Joseph, the father of our subject. Janet married Anson Ellsworth, and migrated to Illinois and later to Forest City, Iowa, where their children have become prominent and useful citizens. Sally became the wife of William Bowen, of Scott township, Wayne county, and had eight children, William B., Oliver, Polly A., Jane (deceased), Horace, Nathan, Rose and Dolly. Mary married Oliver Tennant, of New Milford, and died leaving six children, Jefferson (now of White Pine, Neb.), James (deceased), Judson, Julian, Aldridge, and Duaine.

Joseph Washburn, father of our subject, was educated in the common schools of Connecticut and Gibson township, Susquehanna county. After his marriage to Lucinda Case he bought and settled on a tract of wild land in Jackson township, where he cleared up a farm and erected good buildings, re- maining there through life. His wife died in 1852, leaving four children: Horace, Mary L., Charles D. (our subject), and Dora. (I) Horace was born in 1840, was well educated in the public schools, and in early life taught school. Enlisting in the I4Ist Penn. Heavy Artillery in 1862, he served three years in the Civil war. After the war he engaged in railroading on the Philadelphia & Erie road. He married Miss Kate Norton, of Sunbury, and settled at Renovo, where he remained for many years, serving as a railroad conductor until he died, in 1880, leaving two children, Willie and Bertram,

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

both railroad men of Renovo. (2) Mary, the elder sister of our subject, received a good educa- tion, and fitted herself for a teacher. She married Sylvester French, now deceased, a boss carpenter of the railroad shops at Susquehanna, and they had one child, Delbert French, a druggist of Susque- hanna. (4) Dora, the youngest sister of our subject, was born in 1850. She was educated at Mansfield and Susquehanna schools, and mar- ried Samuel Smith, a railroad machinist of Susque- hanna, and now a railroad employe of Renovo. They have two sons, Burton and Horace. After the death of his first wife, Joseph Washburn, the fa- ther of our subject, married Myra Case, who bore him one child, Nora A., now the wife of Lanson Wheeler, of Forest City, who owns the old Wash- burn homestead.

Charles D. Washburn, our subject, was edu- cated in the common schools of Jackson. He re- mained on the farm until his enlistment, at Scran- ton, in September, 1864, at the age of seventeen years, in Battery C, of the Ist Penn. Light Artillery. He joined his command at Harper's Ferry, went with the regiment to Winchester, and thence to Cedar Creek. Wintering at Maryland Heights, they removed in the spring of 1865 to Martinsburg, under Gen. Phil Sheridan, and were mustered out at Harper's Ferry in June, 1865. Our subject was in all the engagements of his regiment during his term of service. Returning home he took charge of his father's farm, and for some years operated it on shares. In December, 1870, he married Miss Arvilla French, daughter of Horace and Lucy (Hall) French, of Jackson township, and grand- daughter, on her mother's side, of Major Martin Hall, who served with distinction in the Mexican wvar. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Wash- burn lived on his father's farm for seven years. In 1879 he purchased the Frank Bryant farm, in Jackson township, on which he has since had his residence, erected a large barn, has remodeled the house, and made other general improvements. The home is one of the most attractive in the township. Evidences of neatness and care abound upon the farm, and within the walls of the hospitable and tastefully furnished residence culture and refine- ment are found. Mr. Washburn is a prosperous farmer, and his success is due to his thorough and sagacious business methods.

The family of our subject and wife consists of four children: Raymond F., Clayton D., Alice M. and Horace D. Raymond F. was born Octo- ber 21, 1871, and was well educated in the home schools. He married Miss Amity Tyler, of Lake View, Jackson township, daughter of Henry and Martha Tyler, and they have three children, Harold Delos, Earl F., and Newell R. Clayton D. Washı- burn was born August 23, 1873, and is a graduate of Factoryville College, and of Rochester Business College. For two years he was bookkeeper for a large canning company at Rochester, and he is now a traveling salesman. In 1898 he began the

study of medicine at the Philadelphia University of Medicine, Philadelphia. Alice M., born May 5, 1876, in her girlhood studies developed musical abilities of a high order. She married Alfred E. Henderson, now a workman in the Erie railroad shops at Susquehanna, and they have one son, Robert P., born January 15, 1899. Horace D., born July 2, 1887, is a student in the common schools.

Our subject and wife are active members of the Lake View Baptist Church. Politically he is a Republican, and has held a number of the local offices, including those of town treasurer and mem- ber of the school board, and has been school di- rector for many years. He is a member of Myron French Post No. 512, G. A. R., and himself and family are among the most influential and highly- respected citizens of the township. Their home is known for its generous hospitality, and for the genial kindness of both parents and children.

GEORGE M. NICHOLS. That service in the army during the Civil war broadened the minds of many of the soldiers, and paved the way for later achievement in peaceful occupations, has been attested by thousands of instances. Whether the boy, who had taken up arms in defense of the Union, returned to the farm or sought a career in town or city, the discipline and the development of the ranks made impressions that lasted through life, and where the material was right those impres- sions were most favorable. The subject of this sketch was one of the boys who returned to the farm. He devoted his energies to the clearing of a farm in Lenox township, Susquehanna county, and he has done his work well.

Mr. Nichols was born in Nicholson township, Wyoming county, October 22, 1843, a son of Reuben and Rozella (Steele) Nichols. The grandparents of our subject, Elijah and Catherine (Jackson) Nichols, were pioneer settlers of Wyoming county. Reuben Nichols was born in Wyoming county in 1810, and learned the trade of shoemaker. He mar- ried Rozella Steele, who was born in 1820, daugh- ter of Andrew and Eleanor Steele, and settled in his native county. He died in 1865, and his widow, the mother of our subject, now lives at Scranton, at the age of seventy-nine years. The family of Reuben and Rosella Nichols consisted of the fol- lowing children: Catherine, wife of Oscar Finn, of Lenox township: George M., our subject ; Au- gusta, widow of William Benjamin, of Nicholson ; Amanda M., unmarried, of Scranton: James A., a resident of Lenox township: Charles M., a Del- aware, Lackawanna & Western conductor, of Bing- hamton ; Wilbur, a railroad man of Scranton ; Mary E., who died young ; Henry, who died young ; Will- iam, a conductor residing at Scranton : Hiram, a rail- road man of Scranton ; and Jerome H., a Delaware, Lackawanna & Western conductor at Elmira, New York.

Our subject in his youth attended the graded schools and Nicholson Academy. He enlisted, in

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April, 1864, in Company H, 187th P. V. I., and served till mustered out, in August, 1865. While in service he became one of the victims of a small- pox epidemic, and was confined to the hospital for five and one-half months. Returning to Pennsyl- vania, Mr. Nichols was married, July 3, 1867, to Miss Gertrude Alice Smith, who was born Jan- uary 31, 1847, in Lemon, Wyoming county, daugh- ter of Ziba and Sarah (Stephens) Smith, and granddaughter of William Smith, who when a child of seven years was captured by the Indians, during the Wyoming massacre, and held in cap- tivity for seven years. He was taken to Canada, and remained there till rescued by an English of- ficer and restored to his old home. He afterward lived in Wilkes Barre. Ziba Smith, the father of Mrs. Nichols, was born in Wilkes Barre, January 12, 1798. He was married, in Nicholson township, Wyoming county, to Sarah Stephens, who was born February 14, 1808, daughter of Eliphalet and Jane (Van Auken) Stephens, the former of whom was from Connecticut. Ziba Smith died December 16, 1862, his wife August 30, 1890. He was a resi- dent for many years of Tunkhannock, Wyoming county, a prominent merchant and farmer, and owned a large portion of the land upon which Tunk- hannock has been built. In politics he was a Dem- ocrat, and he was the first register and recorder of Wyoming county. To Ziba and Sarah Smith were born children as follows: Jane Ann, born Septem- ber 25, 1832, married Miles Avery, and died July 4, 1872; Miles A., born March 1, 1835, married Lovisa Ely, and died December 9, 1898 (he was a resident of Springville township, Susquehanna county ) ; Catherine A., born April 21, 1837, married Edwin Quick, of Lenox township, and died March II, 1876; Elizabeth V., born May 15, 1839, mar- ried George Harding, of Nicholson, and died June 30, 1892; Ziba N., born July 17, 1842, a resident of Springville, married Mary Quick ; Sarah A., born March 29, 1845, became the wife of Moses Shields, of Nicholson; Gertrude A. is the wife of our sub- ject ; and George M., born March 25, 1849, mar- ried Augusta Brown, and died November 18, 1876 (he was a resident of Lemon township, Wyoming county ).

To our subject and wife have come five chil- dren, namely: Smith R., born June 1, 1869, a res- ident of Scranton ; Nellie A., born October 5, 1873, wife of W. G. Squires, of Lenox township, Susque- hanna county, who has one child, Gertrude E., born November 10, 1898; Mildred G., born October 30, 1877, a student of Millersville, Penn .; George C .; born June 30, 1884, at home ; and Beatrice V., born July 10, 1891, at home.

Mr. Nichols came to his present well-improved and valuable home of 118 acres October 22, 1866. It was then almost entirely wild land, and the eighty acres now under cultivation were cleared largely through his labor. His present residence, erected in 1881, is a modern structure, containing a furnace and other conveniences. Mr. Nichols has dealt to

some extent in real estate, buying and selling several tracts of land. For thirteen years he was in the agricultural implement business, but now devotes his attention exclusively to farming. In addition to general and dairy farming he engages extensively in stock raising, and his stock of Cotswold sheep is especially noteworthy. Our subject and family are members of the Grange. He is member of Capt. Lyons Post, G. A. R., of Glenwood, and his family are active workers in the Presbyterian Church. In politics Mr. Nichols is a stanch Republican. He has served as school director, and ranks as one of the most substantial and enterprising citizens of Lenox township.

GEORGE A. SWEPENISER, chief burgess of Milford, and commissioner's clerk for Pike county, is a man whose character and achievements command respect. As a citizen he has always been progressive and enterprising, and his patriotism was shown by gallant service in the Union army during the Civil war.

Our subject belongs to a patriotic family. His paternal grandfather, John Swepeniser, was captain of a company in the war of 1812, and served on Gen. Harney's staff, the sword that he carried being now treasured as a relic by our subject. His ma- ternal great-grandfather, George Ginther, was an of- ficer in the Revolutionary army, and George N. Swepeniser, his father, was with Davy Crockett during the war in Florida, and was the recipient of a bowie knife from Col. Bowie, this being now in the possession of our subject. All of Mr. Swepen- iser's male relatives who were of suitable age at the time of the Civil war took an active part in the de- fense of the Union, making a remarkable record for bravery and efficiency. Capt. John Swepeniser, mentioned above, was the youngest son of Wilhelm Schweppenheiser (the German way of spelling the name), an officer in the military service of the King- dom of Saxony. His three sons, Nicholas, Philip and John, came to America about 1788-90, and lo- cated in Philadelphia, where John was engaged as a gun manufacturer. He married Catherine Kehr, and they had eight children: William, Henry, George N., Joseph, Frank, Alfred, Marion, and Sarah A. (Mrs. Ernest Vogt).

The late George N. Swepeniser, our subject's father, was born and reared in Philadelphia, and was married there to Miss Fannie Ginther. In 1835 he removed to New York City, where he engaged in business as a contractor, erecting many important buildings, and later he went to California as a mas- ter mechanic in the employ of the general govern- ment, assisting in the building operations at the navy yard on Mare Island. He then returned to New York City, but having received a favorable impression of Pike county as a place of residence, while visiting in Greene township at one time, he finally decided to locate there. In 1860 he pur- chased a farm in that township, where he spent his remaining years, his death occurring March 30,

yours Truly Geo . A. Sucheniser

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1888, when he was aged seventy-five. He was al- ways active in public affairs, and during his younger days held office in Philadelphia as assessor and com- missioner. While in New York he was a member of the "Big Six" Fire Company. In religious faith he was a Methodist, and politically he was a Repub- lican from the time of the organization of the party, having previously been a Democrat. His estimable wife, who was born April 12, 1810, still resides at the old farm, and is well preserved physically and mentally. Our subject was the youngest of two children. Amanda (deceased) married John Noble, a builder in New York City, who resided on Staten Island.

The record of Mrs. Fanny (Ginther) Swepen- iser's ancestry, which is traced back to the year 1510, shows the Ginther family to have been of Saxon origin, and during the time between that date and about 1770 its various members occupied prominent positions in both the military and civil affairs of Saxony and Germany. About 1770, or probably a few years earlier, the younger members of the family emigrated to America, there being three Ginther families represented in the venture. One George and his brothers settled in Buffalo, N. Y., where Ginther's Lutheran Church is spoken of to this day; their cousin George settled in Philadel- phia ; and another set of relatives settled in Ohio. From the George who settled in Philadelphia de- scended Mrs. Swepeniser's family. He married, in 1777, an English Quakeress by the name of Mar- gery Pemberton, who lived till 1845, her husband dying in 1779. Their son George married a Miss Mary Fox, of Philadelphia, and Mrs. Fanny Swep- eniser was their daughter. During the occupation of the city of Philadelphia by the British army, twenty-eight British soldiers were quartered on the family of our subject's great-grandfather.

George A. Swepeniser was born in Philadel- phia July 27, 1845, and at the age of eight years went to New York City, where he remained abcut seven years. When fifteen years old he came to Pike county with his parents, and in February, 1863, he enlisted from that locality in Company D, 12th Penn. Cavalry, under Capt. Augustus Weiss. He saw much severe fighting, taking part in the famous engagement at Antietam, the second battles at Win- chester and Bull Run, and the battles at Snicker's Ferry, Harper's Ferry, Monocacy, Kernstown, Mar- tinsburg and Opequan. In June, 1864, he received a flesh wound in the right leg, and the same missile struck his right elbow, but he remained with his company. Later he was wounded in the hip at Monocacy by a bayonet, but he did not leave his company. At Winchester, during Sheridan's his- toric ride, he was struck by a bullet which missed his heart by half an inch, and, passing through his left lung, lodged under his shoulder blade, where it still rests. He also had the misfortune to be cap- tured, but was retaken after ten days, by Gen. Cus- ter's brigade. He was then sent to a field hospital

at Sandy Hook, and a week later went to a hospital at Frederick City, Md., where he spent two weeks. After two weeks in a Baltimore hospital he was transferred to McClellan Hospital, Philadelphia, where he remained until December, 1864. He re- joined his regiment at Charlestown, W. Va., being promoted to the rank of sergeant, and continued to share the hardships and triumphs of his old company until September, 1865, when he was discharged at Philadelphia.

For two years Mr. Swepeniser assisted his fa- ther, who was engaged in the building trade in Philadelphia, and then he went to Grand Tower, Ill., to take a position as bookkeeper with the Grand Tower Mining & Manufacturing Co. A severe at- tack of chills and fever compelled him to return East, and until 1888 he remained in charge of his father's farm in Greene township, Pike county. From 1888 to 1892 he was engaged in the manufac- ture of lumber in Bradford and Sullivan counties, this State, for the firm of H. Frisby & Co., and then, after one year at the old homestead, he made his home in Milford. In November, 1893, he was appointed to fill an unexpired term as county com- missioner's .clerk, and in 1897 was reappointed to that position. In 1897 he was also elected chief burgess of Milford, and while residing in Greene township he was frequently chosen to local offices. He still takes a keen interest in military matters, and is an active worker in the G. A. R., having served three years as commander of Post No. 575, Wayne county, and the same length of time as commander of Post No. 479, Pike county. For twenty-five years he has been a member of the I. O. O. F., and he is also connected with the Ma- sonic Fraternity as a member of Blue Lodge No. 344, F. & A. M., at Milford. Politically he is a Democrat, and for three years he served as secre- tary of the county committee.

On January 1, 1867, Mr. Swepeniser married Miss Margaret B. Wolfe, and three children blessed the union: William, who conducts the old home- stead, married Miss Alice Correll; Miss Nellie M. and Miss Frances are at home. Mrs. Swepeniser was born in Greene township, Pike county, and comes of excellent German ancestry. David and Christina Wolfe, her paternal grandparents, were natives of Germany, and came to America in 1818, locating upon a large tract of bottom land in Dreher township, Wayne county, now known as the Ger- man Flats. A few years after his arrival in this country David Wolfe was killed while clearing his land, a tree falling upon him, causing instant death. He and his wife had the following children: Fred- erick ; Wilhelmina ; Charles L .; Christina, who mar- ried George Waltz, Sr .; David, who married Eliza- beth Gilpin; Louisa, wife of Henry Busey; Cath- erine, wife of Adam Heverling; Christopher ; and Christine, unmarried.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 85

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