Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 2, Part 8

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1098

USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 2 > Part 8
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 2 > Part 8
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 2 > Part 8
USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 2 > Part 8

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took his wife and child to Camp Piatt, near Charles- ton, W. Va. He was a member of the Ist New York Veteran Cavalry, and remained in the army until the close of the war, after which he returned to Carbondale. His son was killed on the Gravity railroad, between that place and Honesdale. Mr. Hamlin died in Lackawanna county, in December, 1880, leaving a wife and two daughters-Virginia. wife of George Haney, of Ashley, Luzerne Co .. Penn. ; and Salina, who married T. E. Thomas. of West Virginia, and died in April, 1899, at Free- man. W. Va. ( Mr. Thomas was captain of a com- pany from that State in the war with Spain). (5) Charles S., our subject, is next in the family. (6) George H., born in February, 1830, came with his parents to Great Bend, Penn., during his youth, and here learned the trade of wagonmaking. He mar- ried Clarissa Griggs, of Windsor, Broome Co .. N. Y'., who died there, and for his second wife he wed- ded Elizabeth Harder, who is still living. After residing for some years in Broome county, N. Y., he returned to Great Bend, Penn., where he died April 3, 1892. He left no children.

Charles S. Hamlin was indebted to the district schools of New Milford, Conn., for his educational privileges. At the age of twelve he commenced working on a farm, and was thus employed for five vears, after which he learned the blacksmith's trade. In 1851 he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah A. Bound, who was born in Kirkwood, Broome Co., N. Y., in 1828, a daughter of John and Catherine Bound, and also received a district- school education. They began their domestic life at Great Bend, where Mr. Hamlin worked at his trade until 1855. and then purchased real estate in Lawsville Center, where he continued to follow his chosen occupation for some time. After a year and a half spent in Brookdale, Liberty township. he returned to Great Bend, in 1863, where he after- ward made his home. In 1864 he enlisted in the Ist New York Veteran Cavalry, and was on duty at Camp Piatt, near Charleston, until after Lee's sur- render, when he was honorably discharged from the service. After his return from the war he worked for two years for the Delaware, Lacka- wanna & Western railroad. In 1866 he purchased property in Great Bend, where he worked at his trade until 1880. and then bought the bus line be- tween Hallstead and the Erie railroad, which has since been conducted in connection with the livery stable at Great Bend-until his decease. under the firm name of Hamlin & Son. his son W. B. being the junior member of the firm. The firm name is now Mrs. C. S. Hamlin & Son, W. B. Hamlin man- aging the business. They enjoy an excellent trade. and are numbered among the leading firms of the piace. In 188; Mr. Hamlin erected his present fine residence at Great Bend.

Of the nine children born to our subject and his wife, four died in childhood. The others are as follows: ( 1) D. C., born in Kirkwood. N. Y .. July 10, 1854. is now engaged in blacksmithing in

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Binghamton, N. Y. He married Jennie Tingley, of Franklin township, Susquehanna Co., Penn., and has one daughter, Lillian, wife of Frederick Her- rick, a barber, of Hallstead, Penn. (they have one son, Leon R.). (2) George W., born in Laws- ville Center, Susquehanna county, in August, 1856, married Georgiana MIvers, of Carbondale, Penn. He followed railroading, and after his removal to Syracuse, N. Y., was killed on the road, on January . 6, 1895. He left five children-Mamie, Clara, Wal- ter, Maven and Harry. (3) Jonathan E., born in June, 1859, is a blacksmith of Great Bend, where he owns his home. He married Hattie Currier. of that place, and they have four children-May, Charles, Florence and Eddy. (4) Adelbert E., born in September, 1867, became chief clerk and general manager of the "Montrose House," Mont- rose, Penn., and died there on June 15, 1895, mourned by many friends as well as his family. (5) W. B. HAMLIN, born in Great Bend, October 21, 1870, completed his education in the higher schools of that town. At the age of seventeen he entered the Kirkwood Wagon Works, where he was employed for two years, and in 1891 became a brakeman on the New York, Ontario & Western railroad, which position he filled until losing his hand, the following year. He then served as yard- master at Mayfield ( Penn. ) yard for three years, and was station agent at Mayfield for one year. Returning to Great Bend in 1896, he entered into partnership with his father in the livery business, with which he is still connected. On November 2, 1898, he married Nellie Neely, of that place, a daughter of Gideon and Phoebe Neely, and they re- side with his mother. He and his wife hold mem- bership in the Methodist Episcopal Church.

From the organization of the Republican party Mr. Hamlin was one of its stanch supporters, and he served his fellow citizens as poormaster and judge of elections. Socially he was a member of Simerel Post No. 233, G. A. R., and Ottawa Tribe No. 255, I. O. R. M., both of Great Bend, his son W. B. also belonging to the latter order and to Odd Fellows Lodge No. 1009, of Great Bend. Re- ligiously our subject was a Presbyterian. as is also his widow. He was charitable and generous, giv- ing liberally to all Church work, or to any enter- prise for the good of his fellowmen. Although Mr. Hamlin started out in life for himself in limited circumstances. he prospered, and became quite well- to-do. His death was caused by heart disease after a year's illness.

H. C. CASE. Character wears better and longer than other human acquisitions, and in every community there are men who are known for their sterling and honorable traits. Among this number in Jackson township. Susquehanna county, must be mentioned the subject of this sketch.

Mr. Case is the representative of a pioneer fam- ily. His grandfather, Charles Case, was one of the carly settlers of Susquehanna county. Charles

Case, the great-grandfather of our subject, was Eng- lish born, and migrated to America in Colonial days. He served as a captain in the Revolutionary war, under Gen. Washington. The grandfather of our subject, Charles Case, was born in Connecticut and migrated with his wife to Gibson township in its wilderness state, clearing up a farm and there re- maining until death. His family of children were as follows: Riley, who settled at Great Bend ; Lou- isa, who married William Tallman and settled in Coventry, N. Y .; Treadwell and Trumbull, twins, Treadwell settling in Wayne county, Penn., and Trumbull on the old home in Gibson-two of his children surviving, Melvina, wife of Edwin Gard- ner, of Connecticut, and Zelia. wife of Abram Shoe, of Susquehanna; Lucinda, who married Joseph Washburn, of Jackson: and Horace G., the father of our subject.

Horace G. Case was born in Connecticut in 1809, and was a boy when he came with his parents to Susquehanna county. There he grew to manhood, inured to the toil and hardships of pioneer life, and developing the sterling traits of his character. He married in 1830, to Miss Mary Griswold, of Ararat township, Susquehanna county, and a native of Con- necticut. Purchasing a tract of wild land in Jack- son township, now occupied by our subject, Horace G. Case and wife there began housekeeping in a most primitive manner. He erected a log house and barn, commencing a home in a very crude way. He cleared up his farm, and later erected good, sub- stantial buildings. The greater part of his life he spent at this home. He was a thorough Chris- tian man, and he and his wife were among the first Church members of that section. They uni- ted with the Methodist Church, and he. with some of his neighbors, erected the North Jackson church, where for over forty years he had a license as an exhorter for the people. His entire life was spent in doing good, his worthy helpmeet assisting him in all his Christian duties. They were held in the highest esteem by the people of their communty for . their upright Christian character. Horace Case died in August, 1874. at the age of sixty-five years, his worthy wife remaining with her sons on the old home until her death. on May 28, 1899. at the ex- treme age of eighty-six years. For five years pre- vious to her death she was a great physical sufferer, being a cripple during that time. Her great com- fort was her faith in Christ, in which happy belief she died. The family of Horace G. and Mary Case consisted of four children, three sons and one daughter. (1) H. C., our subject, was the eldest of the family. (2) Bedell. born in 1839, married Miss Ellen French and farmed in Jackson until his death in ISTS. leaving a son, Charles, a railroad man of Wilkes Barre. (3) Lazell Case married Miss Etta Skinner, of Jackson, and settled on the old homestead in that township. where his wife died in 1889. leaving five children. namely : Matie, born in 1879, educated in Lanesboro High School. married N. E. Vergason, in March, 1898, and re-

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sides in Binghamton ; Emma, born in 1881, is now the adopted daughter of Landrus Meeker, an at- torney of Binghamton, N. Y .; Evangeline, born in 1883, at home ; Floyd B., born in 1886; and Leroy, born in 1889, the adopted son of Smith French. Since the death of his wife Lazell Case has re- mained on the old homestead, which he and his brother, our subject, are engaged in farming jointly, and bestowing his paternal care and affection in the rearing of his motherless children. (4) Mary Case, born in 1841, now the wife of Smith French, of Thompson township, has one daughter, Addie, wife of Ambrose Crosier, of Thompson.

H. C. Case, our subject, was born on the home- stead in July, 1837. He received a good common- school education, and in 1859 married Miss Martha Round, daughter of Nathan and Sybil ( Madison ) Round, old settlers of Jackson township. Nathan Round was born in Providence, R. I., in 1806; his wife Sybil Madison was born in Hartford, Conn., in 1809. Settling in Jackson township, they later re- moved to Windsor, where both died leaving three children: Hannah, now of Cooperstown, N. Y .; Louisa, wife of Louis Doolittle, of Windsor, N. Y .: and Martha, wife of our subject. After marriage our subject settled on the old home farm, where he has since lived continuously, engaged successfully in dairying and in general farming pursuits. Hat- tie, an adopted daughter of our subject and wife, married Emory Barber, and died leaving three chil- dren-Lynn; Fern, who is with her father at Bing- hamton; and Lyle, who is with our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Case are active and lifelong members of the Methodist Church. Politically he holds allegi- ance to the Republican party. He has always been identified with the local public interests and ranks among the sterling and most highly esteemed citi- zens of the township.

FREDERICK BAILEY JEWETT. Among the pleasant rural homes of Susquehanna county is that of Mr. Jewett, in Brooklyn township. The . residence is one of the finest, and the culture and artistic taste of its inmates are reflected in its ap- pointments, while a gracious hospitality adds a charm to its material comforts. The outside sur- roundings are also in perfect harmony therewith, as our subject is a thorough and systematic farmer and an enterprising business man.

Mr. Jewett's father, RODNEY JEWETT, was born in East Haddam, Conn., and was less than two years old when brought by his parents, Nathan and Electa (Fox) Jewett, to Susquehanna county. He had the usual advantages of a district-school edu- cation, and even in his boyhood learned that indus- try and economy must be characteristic of those who would gain a competence in a new country. That this lesson was well learned was illustrated in after life, as he accumulated a large property. which was distributed among his children. At the age of sixteen he began teaching school, and for ten years continued at this calling. besides working

on a farm. He was a self-reliant young man, and his parental training was no detriment in laying the foundation for his success as a business man. Although he had little to begin with upon reaching his majority, his ambition, judicious management, and will to accomplish whatever he undertook, to- gether with his sagacity, made him one of the most successful citizens of his time in the county. In 1874 the Susquehanna County Agricultural Works was organized at Montrose, for the manufacture of farm tools and steam engines. Rodney Jewett was president of this company until his death. He also held stock in the First National Bank. His residence, which was built in 1841, was destroyed by fire in 1872, together with a dozen outbuildings, and upon its site the present fine home of his son Frederick B. was erected.

Rodney Jewett was married, in 1836, to Miss Sally Maria Bailey, a daughter of Col. Frederick and Polly Bailey, who became residents of Brooklyn township, Susquehanna county, in 1807. Seven children blessed this union: Mary E., born in 1838. the widow of Charles Blake, a Methodist nnn- ister of Rome, Penn .; Nathan Rodney, born in 1839; Jane A., born in 1841, the wife of Hon. B. Wood, a lawyer of Effingham, Ill., who represented the Nineteenth Illinois District in Congress, and has been three times a member of the Illinois Legisla- ture ; Harriet E., born in 1842, the wife of Jonathan F. Gardner, an extensive farmer of East Bridge- water ; Gertrude E., born in 1844, the wife of Major H. W. Bardwell, of Tunkhannock, Penn. : Lavina A., born in 1846, the wife of William Stark, of Bridgewater township, Susquehanna county; and Frederick B., who completes the family. The moth- er of these children died in February, 1851. and in 1852 the father married Sarah B. Kennard. He died February 26, 1877. In politics he was a stanch Re- publican, and a prudent adviser in the councils of his party. Religiously he was a member of the Method- ist Church.

Nathan Jewett, grandfather of Frederick B. Jewett, was a successful comb maker in Boston, whither he had gone from his native State of Con- necticut. Poor health caused him to seek a change of climate, and on November 11, 1811, he came to Susquehanna county, Penn. He paid gold for his farm, which is now occupied by his grandson. Natlı- an Rodney Jewett. Besides farming he built one of the first sawmills in this country, which is still in use, and is pointed out as one of the old land- marks. His wife was in her maidenhood Electa Fox, and she was the mother of : Francis, who died at the age of twenty-three, while in New Orleans. and Rodney, mentioned above, these two being born in the East. and accompanying their parents to Pennsylvania : after the removal three more children were born: Elizabeth, who married Altred Mack. and lives near Albion, N. Y., at an advanced age: Lavina, now deceased, a graduate of Wyoming Seminary, who became a successful teacher ; and Allen, who enlisted in the 52nd P. V. I .. and wa-

Rodmy Sewell

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

killed at the battle of Beverly Ford, Va., in 1862, his rentains being brought home and buried in East Bridgewater cemetery (he. had married Joanna Passmore, and their children were A. Stanley, of Lincoln, Neb., and Libbie, wife of Random Brown- ing, a merchant of Rome, Penn.).

Frederick B. Jewett was born August 5, 1848, on the farm where he is now living, and was there reared to manhood, acquiring a good practical edu- cation in the select schools. He also obtained a good knowledge of business methods under the able direction of his father, whom he assisted in the farm work and other enterprises. He succeeded his father as president of the Susquehanna County Agricultural Works at Montrose, in 1877, filling that position in a most creditable and acceptable man- ner until the company passed out of existence, in 1885. In the latter year he returned to the old homestead, and has since given his attention princi- pally to farming. His home farm comprises 600 acres of valuable land, and in New Milford township. Susquehanna county, he also owns 400 acres which he operates, being one of the most extensive farmers of the county. He is also interested in the dairy business, and for this purpose keeps on hand from sixty to eighty cows. In the winter he resides in Montrose, where he has a beautiful home. In 1899 he purchased a fine estate, the homestead of the late Judge R. T. Ashley, in Brooklyn, and is fitting the place up so that it will in the future, as it has been in the past, be one of the finest residences in the village.

On September 5, 1877, Mr. Jewett was united . in marriage with Miss Henrietta Phinney, a lady of culture and refinement, and a daughter of Philander and Rebecca ( Bush) Phinney. Her father was a pioneer hotel man of New Milford, where he be- came proprietor of the "Egal Hotel" in 1857, and "there both he and his wife died. Their children be- sides Mrs. Jewett were: William B., Emma J., and Edward T. Mr. Phinney was a son of John and Lucretia (Summers) Phinney.

The Republican party finds in Mr. Jewett a stal- wart supporter of its principles and an active work- er in its interests. Socially he has been a member of Warren Lodge No. 240, F. & A. M., since he was twenty-one years old, also belongs to Brooklyn Lodge No. 313, I. O. O. F. In religious faith he is a Methodist, and one of the most zealous and act- ive workers in the Church in Brooklyn township. and was also one of the promoters of the Dimock Camp Grounds, of which he has served as superin- tendent for many years, and has also been treasurer. This camp ground consists of a fine grove of twen- ty-one acres,. on the Montrose railroad. It is well equipped with substantial buildings, comprising a home for ministers, boarding-house, good stable room, etc., and in August, 1809. after Mr. Jewett made his report to the stockholders of the ground. it was said to be in the best financial condition of any ground belonging to the M. E. Church in Sus- quehanna county, and Mr. Jewett has all the credit,

for he has had all the direction of that 'branch of the business for the past ten years. Honorable and up- right in all things, he has the respect and esteem of all who know him, and as a public-spirited and progressive citizen he gives his support to all en- terprises which he believes calculated to advance the moral, intellectual and material welfare of his town- ship and county.

HON. SIMEON B. CHASE. "Life," says a well-known writer, "is meaningless unless it is universal and coherent," and certainly it is only through a helpful relation with our time and a sys- tematic union with its currents of thought, feeling and purpose, that we can realize the power and worth of our own personality. To conscientiously ally one's self with any of the mighty movements that are shaping the future, is to invest life with new dignity, and especially is this the case when the energies are directed to reform, which will in time bring moral regeneration to thousands, and bless the nation through all time to come. The sub- ject of this biography, who has been for many years a leading champion of the temperance cause, has won international. fame, and even those who do not agree with his views cannot fail to admit his courageous defense of his convictions and his able and efficient work as- an organizer, writer and speaker. Wherever the arch demon of drink has lifted its head within the reach of his influence he has struck it boldly, squarely, and with telling effect, his energies having been consecrated to this noble work through nearly half a century. In future days, when the hard and often thankless toil of the reformers of to-day has come to fruition, the fol- lowing history will be read with interest as that of one who was, indeed. a pioneer of progress, and through wide perception of duty to his fellows best expressed the qualities of his own individuality.

Mr. Chase is a native of the quiet little village of Gibson, Susquehanna county, and his boyhood was spent amid the picturesque scenes of that re- gion. In both maternal and paternal lines he comes of good New England stock, and by inheritance and training he enjoyed the influences that tend to de- velop the higher life within. His father, Amasa Chase, and his grandfather, Rev. Daniel Chase, came from Hardwick, Vt., in 1816, and settled first in Jackson, Susquehanna county. There are some living to-day who recollect hearing the grandfather preach in different places in Wayne and Susque- hanna counties, Penn., and in Broome county, N. Y. Rev. Daniel Chase was of the sixth generation in direct line front Aquila Chase, who was born in England in 1618 and settled at Hampton, N. H., in 1639. His mother, Sarah Guile, was the daugh- ter of Samuel Guile, of Harford, Susquehanna county, who was of the sixth generation in line from John Guile (or Guild), of Dedham, Mass .. who was born in England in 1616 and came to America in 1636.

Under the instruction of a Christian mothier our

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

subject imbibed at an early age strong and definite ideas on the subject of temperance, and when only nine years old he pledged himself against the use of intoxicants and vowed to spare no effort to destroy the rum power. His education was so far advanced by his fourteenth year that he was employed as a teacher in the common schools near his home, and front that time to this he lias been a consistent advo- cate of the public-school system, which he regards as a basis of national prosperity. With the funds obtained by teaching he managed later to take a course in Hamilton College, where he was gradu- ated with honors in 1851, and soon afterward he began the study of law at Montrose, Susquehanna county. While engaged in his preparatory reading he established the Montrose Democrat in partner- ship with a cousin, E. B. Chase, thus making an effective beginning in political life. In 1854 he stood upon the Free-Soil Democratic platform with Galusha A. Grow, who was then just beginning that remarkable political career which elevated him to the then third highest position in the Republic, and brought him in close communication with Lincoln, Wade, Sumner and many others of that gallant array of patriotic giants then moving heaven and earth to save the Union from dismemberment, and our free institutions from the reproach of main- taining human bondage. Grow and Chase, both sons of Susquehanna county, and such sons as that county, noted for the high intellectual order and sturdy character of its citizens, always loves to honor, entered in 1855 the first Republican conven- tion ever 'called together in this country, and there pledged their young lives to the work of staying the progress of slavery in the free States. Return- ing home from that memorable gathering, in which they both took active part, Mr. Chase was requested by the members of his party to stand as candidate for the Legislature, and, consenting, was trium- phantly elected.

In 1857 the great problem to be solved in Penn- sylvania was the unification, so far as practical, of the Native American Party and the Free-Soil Dem- ocrats. Both factions agreed to call a convention to meet at the same place and time, with the under- standing that they would tinite provided a presid- ing officer could be chosen who had the confidence of the majority of the two parties. The conven- tion assembled at the due time, and Simeon B. Chase was elected as presiding officer, and David Wilmot was nominated for Governor. Thus the subject of this sketch became chief officer of the first united Republican convention ever hield in this Commonwealth. Thoroughly familiar with parlia- mentary law, self-possessed, firm. an eloquent speaker, of commanding and agreeable address, Mr. Chase presided over that turbulent body. preserving order and decorum, with an ease and dignity which at once ranked him among the ablest parliamentary leaders of the Republic. Here commenced a career filled with many brilliant political possibilities. But unhappily, in those days as in the present, astute

political diplomacy, and not a faitliful adherence to honest convictions, marked the pathway to suc- cess. In the public life of to-day many virtues seem to lose themselves in personal interests as rivers are lost in the sea, and still, no matter how unscrupulous a politician may be, he rarely op- poses virtue, but covertly persecutes it by pretend- ing it to be false, or insinuating that it may be capable of bad results. Such a nature was abso- lutely foreign to Simeon B. Chase. When he laid down the gavel used in the first Republican con- vention ever assembled in our Commonwealth he held not only subsequent gubernatorial honors se- curely in his grasp, but also brilliant probabilities in national politics. But he had his own convic- tions about certain moral questions which were agitating the people, and he was as firm in his views as was Hannibal faithful to the vow of hos- tility to the Romans taken at the altar of his gods. He claimed that to license the liquor traffic was a flagrant wrong against the peace and prosperity of our homes and the welfare of our country. He boldly, and with sublime courage, proclaimed to his colleagues and to the people of Pennsylvania that he did not believe that the field marshals of Satan had any right which the servants of God and the true patriots of the Republic were bound to re- spect. His would-be friends and political support- ers became anxious. They felt that this defiant atti- tude toward the strongly organized forces of the license system would imperil his chances of be- coming governor, and they urged him to modify his views on the question of no license. Knowing that truth was bound to be uppermost one time or an- other, he replied that sincere convictions are the first principles of duty, the basis of honor, of virtue and of religion. By abandoning them one may more easily gratify a worldly ambition, but in so doing a man becomes false to himself and to his Creator. In his own words, "I am, have always been, and ever will be, an open, earnest and active opponent to the encroachments of the rum influence upon the firesides and happiness of my country, and if that means political destruction I await it calmly, with the consciousness of having discharged one of the most sacred duties I owe to my fellow men."

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 2, Part 8

Author: Publication date: 1900 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1098

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1098