Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 3, Part 47

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1000

USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 3 > Part 47
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 3 > Part 47
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 3 > Part 47
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 3 > Part 47

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In early life Ira W. Ryder, subject of this sketch. followed farming in Mt. Pleasant township, Wayne county, but in April, 1882. he removed to Union Dale and turned his attention to mercantile business, which he continued up to the time of his death. He was appointed postmaster by President Cleveland, and had served about seven years in that office at the time of his death. He was a member of the Blue Lodge, F. & A. M., and was a Demoerat in polities.

On October 6, 1877. in Mt. Pleasant township, Wayne county, Mr. Ryder married Miss Jennie V. Washburn. a native of Ararat township, Susque- hanna county, and a daughter of Joseph and Sarah Ann ( Walker ) Washburn, also natives of that town- ship. Both died in Jackson township, Susquehanna county, the father in September, 1892, at the age of sixty-four years; the mother in July, of the same year, at the age of sixty-three, and they were laid to rest in Ararat, l'enn. In their family were the following children : Laura, deceased wife of Morti- mer Davis: Caroline, wife of Albert Westgate, a

farmer of Burnwood, Penn .; Dora, wife of Frank Holland, a farmer of Jackson township; Nelson, who died in Ararat; Jennie V., widow of our sub- ject ; and Frank, a resident of Burnwood. The fa- ther was twice married, his first wife being Laura Scobart, by whom he had four children: Chester, John. Luman and Stephen, all now deceased.

With Mrs. Ryder boards MISS MINA R. NOR- TON, an accomplished young lady who is preparing herself for the teacher's profession. She attended tlie publie schools until 1896, and during the fol- lowing two years was a student in the Scranton High School. She is a daughter of Lyman P. and Ella L. (Cardner) Norton, who were married in 1871, and had two children, the elder being Lewis WV., who is in the employ of the Erie Railroad Co., at Union Dale, and also boards with Mrs. Ryder. The mother of these children, who was a daughter of Stephen Cardner, died in 1885, at the age of thirty-four years, and was buried in Uniondale cemetery. The father has been connected with the Montrose Democrat for the past eight years. He, also, resides at Union Dale.

FRANCIS FARNUM HAYDEN. Among the successful farmers of Herrick township, Sus- quehanna county, the subject of this sketch is de- serving of special mention, his homestead on Elk Mountain being one of the noted farms in the State. The place comprises 100 aeres of land all wrested from the wilderness by his enterprise and energy, and the soil, though rough, is very rich. The loca- tion is beautiful, and the view is charming, as this is one of the four highest farms in the State of Penn- sylvania. Mr. Hayden has retired from active busi- ness. but for many years he carried on agricultural work on an extensive scale. and at one time he owned two other farms in the township. He was born April 5, 1828, at Roxbury, Mass., and is of good New England stock, his grandfather, Michael Hayden, having been a lifelong resident of Massa- chusetts : he was employed in cotton mills as super- intendent.

Milton Hayden, our subject's father, was born December 15, 1798. at Roxbury, Mass., and settled in Benton township, Lackawanna Co., Penn .. in 1818. after a few years returning to Roxbury. Later he again made his home in Lackawanna county, and in 1853 he located in Lenox township. Susquehanna county, where he continued in agri- cultural pursuits until his death. on February 7. 1862. He was an excellent citizen, and a leading member of the Clifford Baptist Church, in which he held office as clerk. On September 14. 1818. in Benton, Penn .. Milton Hayden was married to Miss Roxey Farnum, who was born June 14. 1803. and died at the home of our subject. June 14. 1877. her remains being interred at Benton, Penn. Her par- ents. Mr. and Mrs. Eliab Farnuni, were natives of Orange county. N. Y., but settled in an early day on a farm near Benton. this State. To the union of

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Milton and Roxey Hayden came the following chil- dren: Abigail, born February 11, 1820, married John Smith, and died May 23, 1868; Charles J., born November 21, 1821, died in Philadelphia, Penn., May 6, 1892 ; Clarissa, born October 3, 1824, died November 11. 1825: Mary Ann, born August 27, 1826, died in Providence, Penn., September 6, 1872 (she was the wife of Jolin Acker) ; Francis Farnum is our subject ; Harvey, born March 29, 1830, died January 29. 1870, in Luzerne county, Penn. ; Malinda, born June 11, 1835, married Reece Williams, and died June 18, 1858, in Scranton, Penn .; Mahala, born August 27, 1837, married William Dodd, and died August 25, 1862, in Lenox- ville, Penn .; Steplien A., born May 28, 1838, died in Parsons, Penn .. September 29, 1874: and George M., born November 28, 1839, died May 10, 1895, in Topeka, Kans. Five of the sons served in the Civil war, Charles J. and Harvey belonging to the same company as Francis, our subject.

On attaining his majority our subject left home, and for twelve years he was connected with the Dela- ware & Hudson Railroad Co., teaming or furnishing props and other supplies. He then engaged in farm- ing in Scott township, Wayne county, renting a farm for one year, and on April 5, 1857, he settled upon his present farm. In politics he is a Republican, and he has served nine years as school director and six years as supervisor, while he is active in religious work as a member of the Baptist Church at Elkdale, in which he had been a deacon for fourteen years. His patriotic spirit was shown by his enlistment, March 30, 1864, "for three years or during the war." As a private in Company G, 187th P. V. I., under Capt. Carling, he left Scranton for the front, and among the engagements in which he took part were the battles of the Wilderness, Petersburg, Weldon Railroad ( where he received a sunstroke ), and Cold Harbor. For some time he was in hos- pitals at City Point, Alexandria, Arlington Heights, and Washington, in January, 1865, returning to his company, and in August of the same year he was discharged at Harrisburg.

On April IS, 1849. Mr. Hayden was married, in Scott township, Luzerne ( now Lackawanna ) county, to Miss Mary J. Ogden, and they have had the fol- lowing children : Sarah, born March 15, 1850, mar- ried G. Alvey Corey, a farmer in Herrick township; Charles G., born September 25, 1851, died October 9, 1853; Martha M., born March 8, 1854, married Edward J. Thomas, a street railway conductor at Jermyn, Penn. ; George H., born August 14, 1856, is mentioned farther on ; Alice .A., born January 28, 1861, married Jolin Jones, of Horton, N. Y. ; Mag- gie MI., born September 15, 1863, married Jolin Davis, a farmer of Clifford township, Susquehanna county ; Jolin G., born June 4, 1866, died November 7, 1885; and Marion A., born September 27, 1874, died December 27, 1877.

Mrs. Hayden was born February 1, 1830, in Scott township, Lackawanna county, and belongs to

a highly-respected pioneer family of that section. William Ogden, her paternal grandfather, removed with his wife from New York State to a farm in Greenfield township, Lackawanna county, where their last years were spent. John Ogden, Mrs. Hay- den's father, was born in New York State June 15, 1803, and was engaged in farming in Scott town- ship for many years previous to his death, on No- vember 7, 1855. His wife, Sarah Engler, who was a devout member of the Baptist Church, was born March 20, 1809, daughter of Jacob Engler, of Pittston, Penn. She died September 8, 1898, at the old home in Scott township, at the age of nearly ninety years. Of the children born to this worthy couple. Joseph, born January 21, 1828, died June 24. 1864; Mary J. is the wife of our subject ; Han- nah. born January 10, 1832, died aged fourteen years : Elizabeth, born March 4, 1834, married Richard Short, and died September IS, 1879; Phoebe, born June 13, 1836, married Davis Reeder, and died in Tennessee ; Sarah E., born April 10, 1838, married Marcus Sholl, and died May 28, 1892; John W., born December 21, 1841, died November 8. 1855, in Scott township, Lackawanna county; William C., born August 18, 1844, is a farmer in Scott town- ship : Charles A., born June 24, 1850, died in Scott township, September 23, 1873; and Alice A., born September 11, 1853, died July 30, 1860.

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GEORGE H. HAYDEN. of Gibson township, Susquehanna county, is an enterprising and suc- cessful agriculturist, and although he has never sought public office he takes an active part in edu- cational and other movements, and holds the es- teem of his fellow citizens in a marked degree.

Mr. Hayden was born August 14, 1856, in Scott township, Lackawanna county. Until he reached the age of twenty-four he assisted his fa- ther on the homestead, and for three years taught school in Herrick township, Susquehanna county. He was also engaged in farming there for one year 011 his own account, and for one year was in the mercantile business at Burnwood, Susquehanna county, returning afterward to his farm. In the following year he went to Australia, where he spent two years, being interested in a process for enlarg- ing photos. He visited Melbourne, Sydney. Tas- mania and other points of interest, and on his return to this hemisphere spent six months in Toronto, Canada. Travel had ceased to have any attraction for him by this time, and he settled upon his pres- ent farm, a fine homestead of 156 acres. In pol- itics lie is independent, and the only office that he has been willing to accept is that of school director, which he held for three years. He and his family are prominent socially, and he belongs to the Baptist Church at Gelatt. He served as superintendent of the Sunday-school of the Baptist Church at Jack- son, and four years as superintendent of the Sunday- school at Gelatt. On October 20, 18So, hie was married in Gibson township to Miss Carrie Howell,

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and they have had five children, viz .: Jessie B., F. Reid, H. Ray, Henry G. ( deceased ), and Paul F. Mrs. Carrie Howell Hayden is a member of one of the prominent families of Gibson township, and was born July 21, 1859, at the present homestead. Her paternal great-grandfather was a sea captain, and perished in a shipwreck. Her grandparents, Israel and Freelove ( Madison) Howell, were born and reared in Rhode Island, and soon after their marriage removed to New York State, later settling in Susquehanna county, Penn., making their perma- nent home upon a farm in Gibson township. Israel Howell died June 19, 1872, aged seventy-seven years, and was buried in Manzer cemetery, and his wife died in 1840, her remains being at rest in the Smiley cemetery, Gibson township. They had a large family of children, as follows: Henry, Mrs. Hayden's father; Curtis, a retired farmer, residing in South Gibson; Silas, a fariner in Gibson town- ship; Elizabeth, deceased, who was the wife of George Potter; Vivian, who died in Gibson town- ship ; Harriet, who married Charles Fuller, a farmer in Sullivan county, Penn .; Rebecca, deceased wife of Alfred Hine; David and Freelove, who died in Gibson township; Betsy Ann, who married William Tarbox, of Deposit, Wayne county; and Charles V., who was born February 8, 1839, in a log cabin on the farm in Gibson township which he now owns and operates.

Henry Howell, father of Mrs. Hayden, was born in Binghamton, N. Y., and came to the present homestead in 1855. For many years he operated a sawmill and gristmill in connection with his farm, but he retired from active business some time be- fore his death, which occurred October 5, 1896, at the age of eighty years. His remains were interred in Manzer cemetery. As a man of sound judgment and high moral character his opinion was valued in the community, and he was frequently called upon to take important township offices. He married Miss Mahala J. Pickering, to whose efficient aid and wise advice he owed much of his success. Mrs. Mahala J. ( Pickering ) Howell is a native of Gib- son township, born August 17, 1822, daughter of Jolin Pickering. The latter was born in Connecti- cut, but became an early settler in Gibson township, where he followed farming for many years. At the time of his death, in January, 1857. when he was sixty-six years old, he resided at Nicholson, Penn., where his remains were interred. His wife, Sally Denny, who died at the age of sixty-six, was a native of Bloomingburg. N. Y .. and for many years was a consistent member of the Baptist Church. They had eleven children, viz .: Mary E., deccased, who married ( first ) Henry Felton and ( second ) Acias Cord; Solomon W., a farmer in Clifford township, Susquehanna county; Mahala J., Mrs. Howell; Sally A., deceased, who married ( first ) Albert Pratt and ( second ) Henry Lord: Ephraim, a farmer at Nicholson, Penn .; Emulas, a farmer in Lathrop township, Susquehanna county; Keziah, deceased,

who married (first) Henry Card and (second) Henry Ball; Eineline, who became the wife of Richard Brewer, of Wisconsin; Gaylord, a fariner in Lenox township, Susquehanna county; Olive, who married Philander Brown, of Lathrop town- ship; and Electa, deceased, who married Edwin Corey.

JOHN R. RAYNSFORD. the well-known proprietor of the "Tarbell House," of Montrose, Susquehanna county, and a leading business man and citizen of that place, was born in Binghamton, N. Y., September 13, 1847, son of Edward and Charlotte M. (Drake) Raynsford, of Owego, New York.

Joshua WV. Raynsford, grandfather of our sub- ject, was one of the most prominent and conspicuous meninthe early settlement of Bridgewaterand Mont- rose. The Ravnsford family was one of prominence in New England, whence they came to Pennsyl- vania. Joshua W. Ravnsford was born in 1779, in Windham county, Conn., the son of Joseph and Anna ( Waldo) Raynsford. In 1801, he migrated from his New England home to Susquehanna coun- ty. Penn., stopping at a clearing in Bridgewater township, known as that of Amalo Balch, located some two miles south of Montrose. He erected a log cabin, into which he moved his family in the spring of 1802, but a little later he built a more pretentious dwelling near by. Not long after the settlement of the son in Bridgewater the father joined him, erecting a frame house which was still standing some years ago, and in it was organized, in 1810, the first Congregational Church of Bridge- water. now the Presbyterian Church of Montrose. Mr. Raynsford was appointed a justice of the peace about 1812 and held the office in Bridgewater until 1817, when he moved into Montrose. In the village he first built the house in recent years occupied by F. M. Williams, and later the house opposite the Jerre Lyons home, to which he moved, afterward adding an office. His mother died in the old home, and the father died in the new one in 1832. A man of marked characteristics, the influence of Joshua WV. Raynsford could not fail to be felt. He was active in the social, political, educational and re- ligious interests of the community. His father, mother and wife were all constituent members of the first Congregational Church of Bridgewater, and he an early member of the Presbyterian Church of Montrose, being chosen one of the elders on the adoption, in 1823, by the Congregational Church of the Presbyterian form of government. He severed his connection with this Church and in 1829 he and his wife, with their eldest daughter, were confirmed by Bishop Onderdonk as constitu- ent members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, in the formation of which he was the chief instrument, and he became one of the first wardens of that Church. . He taught the first school kept in the present limits of Bridgewater township, in 1803-04,

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and was a leading spirit in establishing the Susque- hanna County Academy. He was very systematic and methodical in all of his affairs, and kept a diary, from which in liis after life he used to read for the pleasure of others many of the incidents of his pioneer life. For thirty years he was a justice of the peace ; during that period he had 36, 680 suits before him; took acknowledgements of one thous- and deeds; and united 104 couples in marriage. He was a man of great integrity and distinguished for remarkable practical gifts.

Mr. Ravnsford married for his first wife Hannah Lathrop, daughter of Walter Lathrop; she died March 17, 1831, aged fifty-one years, and he wedded for his second wife Lydia Treadwell, from Connecticut, who died October 7, 1854, aged sixty- eight years. Mr. Raynsford died November 12, 1852, aged seventy-three years. The children born to the first marriage were: Mary A., who married D. D. Warner, of Bridgewater and Montrose; Ed- ward, father of our subject; Salome; Frederick; Jones ; and Hannah.

Edward Raynsford was born in Montrose, Penn. He married Charlotte M. Drake, of Owego, N. Y., where he located in the mercantile business and there resided. He passed away November 27, 1881, in Sayre, Penn., his wife September 26, 1898, in Susquehanna, at the advanced age of eighty years. Their children were: (1) Alice married Marvin Day, of Owego, a speculator, and died in 1899. (2) John R. is referred to farther on. (3) Delphine married Col. Loren Burritt, a prominent officer of the Civil war, who was several times in- jured in the service. (4) Edward holds a re- sponsible position in the Erie railroad shops. (5) * Charlotte married Frederick Farrington, of Owego, now a government official at Washington, D. C. John R. Ravnsford was reared in Owego, N. Y., where nis father was engaged in business and there remained until coming to Montrose, Penn .. in 1863, as clerk for his father's cousin. Azur Lath- rop, by whom he was employed until 1874. When the Montrose & Tunkhannock branch of the Le- high Valley railroad was built to South Montrose he was appointed station agent, and shortly after- ward was elected secretary of the road. He was agent for a number of years, engaged also in the coal business until 1892, and sold all kinds of build- ing supplies. In connection with William 1I. Coop- er, a banker, and James I. Blakesly, president of the Montrose railroad, he erected the first and largest creamery in this section, which they successfully carried on for several years, and then sold to the American Dairy Company, which was establishing creameries throughout this part of the State. Mr. Raynsford was also agent for the Adams Express Company. remaining in the employ of the railroad company from 1874 until 1802. Since 1880, how- ever, with perhaps very little exception. he has been the landlord of the "Tarbell House," long a popular resort for families who spend the summer months

in the beautiful picturesque mountain town of Mont- rose, as well as for the commercial traveler. He is a most genial and accommodating host-an ideal landlord.

In 1866, at Montrose, Mr. Raynsford was unit- ed in marriage with Miss Mary Frances Tarbell, a daughter of John S. Tarbell. whose sketch appears elsewhere. They had four children, namely: Irene is now the widow of Hugh McCollum, a resident of Montrose; Arthur T., general agent for the Union . Mutual Life Insurance Co., of Maine, at Scranton, Penn., married Irma Weeden, and has one child. John R .; Leonard S. is with the Heckla Mining Co., at Calumet, Mich .; and Robert P. at home. For many years Mr. Raynsford was recog- nized leader in the Democratic party at Montrose, and during President Cleveland's first administration served efficiently as postmaster of Montrose. At one time he was candidate for prothonotary, and though defeated received the largest vote on the ticket. He has served as councilman, school direc- tor, chief of the fire department, and secretary of the Susquehanna County Agricultural Society, and his official duties have been performed with a promptness and fidelity worthy of all commendation. He and his. family are prominent members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, of which he has been vestryman for the past twenty years. He is a thirty- second-degree Mason, and has filled all the chairs in the Blue Lodge and Chapter, being past commander of Great Bend Commandery No. 27, F. & A. M.

CHARLES F. MEEKER. Among the more prominent farmers of Bridgewater township, Sus- quehanna county, is the subject of this biography, whose name stands high in the military records of the Civil war, as well as in the annals of the county.

Mr. Meeker was born in Washington, Litchfield Co .. Conn., in February, 1840, a son of Daniel C. and Harriet D. ( Dinsmore) Meeker, he a native of that State. The father was born in Litchfield coun- ty July 8, 1807, and was a son of Capt. Elijah Mceker, who spent his entire life in Connecticut, and was an officer in the Revolutionary war. Daniel C. Meeker was married in his native State, in 1832. to Harriet D. Dinsmore, who was born in Rutland, Vt .. March 31, 1807, and in 1846 they removed to Susquehanna county, Penn., locating first on a farm near Montrose, and later settling in that city. The father, who was formerly an anti-slavery man. finally became a supporter of the Republican party. He died in Franklin township, Susquehanna county, in June, 1878, and the mother passed away at the home of our subject, in Susquehanna, in September, 1879. In their family were four chil- dren. two son and two daughters, namely: Saralı J .. a resident of Ithaca, N. Y .. is the widow of Capt. George L. Stone, who enlisted at Montrose in 1863. in Company A. 141st P. V. I., was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg, and died at New Milford. Penn., in 1869; Mary J. in 1863 married L. B.

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Isbell, who served as lieutenant in the navy during the Rebellion, was rendered deaf by his service, and died at Ithaca, N. Y., in 1893; Henry C. was in the one hundred days' service, and is now living in Binghamton, N. Y .; and Charles F. completes the family.

Our subject was a child when the family moved overland to their new home in Susquehanna county, and he was reared and educated in Bridgewater township. In early life he learned the trade of an iron-molder, at which he worked in the Susque- hanna shops for several years. He now owns and operates a good farm of forty-four acres in Bridge- water township, pleasantly located one mile from Montrose, and under a high state of cultivation. He has made his home in Montrose for thirty years, and is numbered among its honored and highly-respect- ed citizens.

At Montrose, in April, 1861, Mr. Meeker joined Capt. Warner's company, and on May 7, 1861, enlisted, at New York City, in Company H, 25th N. Y. V. I., for two years. The regiment was mus- tered into the United States service on State Island, and assigned to the Fifth Army Corps, Army of the Potomac. Our subject participated in the engage- ment at Hanover Court House, the seven-days' re- treat, and the battles of Fredericksburg and Chan- cellorsville. Being taken ill he was confined in the hospital at Fortress Monroe and on Craney Island for five months, and was honorably discharged at New York City, August 10, 1863, returning to his home in Montrose.

Mr. Meeker was married in that city, October 13, 1864, to Miss Mary E. Carney, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Thomas Carney, who was a pioneer of Montrose and died in Bridge- water township. Five children were born of this union: Georgia F., deceased; a son who died in infancy: Grace, wife of H. A. Tingley, of Bath, N. Y .; Minnie, deceased ; and Charles Henry, who is married, and resides at Tingley Station, Susque- hanna county. Politically Mr. Meeker is a Re- publican, and socially he is an honored member of Moody Post, No. 537, G. A. R., of Susquehanna.

SAMUEL ALLEN, deceased. This honored citizen of Honesdale was for many years so promin- cutly identified with the best interests of this section, that the following memoir willl be of lasting in- terest. While Mr. Allen was enterprising and successful as a business man, his claim to the esteem of his fellow-citizens was based chiefly upon his personal worth. Public-spirited to an eminent de- gree, honest in all his transactions, kind-hearted and liberal to the poor, he went to his grave with any minor faults covered with charity as by a mantle, and leaving a large circle of friends in all classes of the community.

Mr. Allen was born November 2, 1818, in Chelsea, Vt., and in early manhood he engaged in various enterprises there, being connected for some

time with a stage line. On coming to Honesdale he continued the same business and later he built the "Allen House," a well-known hostelry, which gained an extensive patronage under the able man- agement of Mr. Allen and his sons. He took an intelligent interest in public questions, as became an American citizen, and although originally a Demo- crat he left that party during the agitation over the settlement of Kansas. During the Civil war he was an ardent supporter of the government, and when this State was threatened with invasion in the fall of 1862, lie enlisted in Company C, 24th Regi- ment of State Guards, known as the Relief Rifles. He was elected captain and proceeded to Harrisburg with his company, with which he served during the "emergency period." In November, 1863, he was appointed provost marshal for Wayne county, and he held that difficult and responsible position until relieved at his own request. He was a valued worker in the local Republican organization, and in 1852 he became a candidate for the State Senate. This was the only time his name appeared upon the general ticket, but he was chosen to local offices, and his duties in these positions were always fulfilled with fidelity and efficiency. For many years he took an active part in the management of the Wayne County Agricultural Society, and he was popularly regarded as one of its founders. Socially he was much liked and he was one of the leading members of the Masonic Lodge at Honesdale, which showed the respect and affection inspired by his life and personality in the resolutions passed at the time of his death, in 1875. The members of the lodge also took charge of the funeral services, the ceremonies being conducted according to the impressive and touching ritual of the order.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 3, Part 47

Author: Publication date: 1900 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1000

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1000