Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 4, Part 107

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1058

USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 4 > Part 107
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 4 > Part 107
USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 4 > Part 107
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 4 > Part 107

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ORVA C. HILGERT, a reliable and intelli- gent young agriculturist of Paradise township. Mon- roe county, was born there in August, 1873, and belongs to one of the most prominent and honored families, whose identification with her history dates from an early period in the development of the county.

Our subject's great-grandparents. George and Margaret Hilgert, are supposed to have been the first settlers of the county, and in Paradise Valley they made their home until called from this life. Their first home here was a bark cabin, which shel- tercd the family until a more substantial residence of logs could be erected. The land was all wild and unimproved, and they experienced all the hardships and privations which fall to the lot of the pioneer. George Hilgert was born in Northampton county, in 1766, and died in 1851, while his wife was born in 1768, and died in 1855. They reared a family of three sons and two daughters.

Charles Hilgert, the grandfather of our subject, remained upon the old homestead, whicre his fa- ther had begun the development of a farm, and to its further improvement and cultivation he devoted his time and attention until called from this lite. He was born in 18og, and died in 1888. and his wife, who bore the maiden name of Nancy Coffman, was born in October, 1812, and died in 1892. In their family were three children, two sons and one daugh-

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ter, namely : Uriah, Samuel and Matilda. Of these, Uriah entered the service of his country during the Civil war and died when still a young man, from fever contracted at that time. Matilda is now the widow of John W. Price, of Pocono township, and resides with her son on the old homestead in Price township, Monroe county.

Samuel Hilgert, our subject's father, was born in January, 1833, on the old homestead in Paradise Valley, and was there reared to manhood, receiving his education in the public schools of the locality. In December, 1855, he married Miss Emily Henry, a daughter of Charles Henry, one of the leading cit- izens of Monroe county. For some years after his marriage Mr. Hilgert engaged in lumbering at Henryville and then returned to the old homestead, which he purchased, and on which he continued to reside until his death, in 1897. His first wife died in December, 1877, leaving four children, of whom our subject is the youngest. The others are: Frances, born in 1857, is now the wife of Theodore Lake, of Newbury, Penn., and has one son Theodore ; Will- iam is mentioned more fully below ; and Minnie, born in 1871, resides on the old homestead with our sub- ject. For his second wife the father married Mrs. Elizabeth Brand, of Portland, Northampton Co., Penn., who since her husband's death has made her home in Slateford. There were no children by this union.

Appreciating the benefits of a good education, Orva C. Hilgert made the best use of the advantages afforded by the public schools, and by subsequent reading and observation he has become a well-in- formed man. He also obtained an excellent knowl- edge of farm work, and since his father's death has most successfully managed the home farm. In 1897 he was united in marriage with Miss Lizzie Nauman, daughter of Christian and Rosanna Nau- man, prominent residents of Paradise township, and he brought his bride to the Hilgert homestead, where four generations of the family have been born and have prospered. They now have a little son, Earl, born November 3. 1897. Politically Mr. Hil- gert affiliates with the Democratic party, and is now serving as judge of election. His father was also a lifelong supporter of that party, and took quite an active and prominent part in local politics, filling a number of township offices, such as constable, school director, nine years, overseer of the poor, su- pervisor and inspector of elections. Both parents united with the Methodist Episcopal Church. took an active part in its work and contributed liberally to its support, but at the time of his death the father was holding membership in the Evangelical Church. Socially our subject is a member of the American Protective Association. He is one of the progres- sive and skillful farmers of the community, and the neatness and thrift which pervades his place tes- tifies to his careful supervision. He looks after his brother's as well as his own interest in the farm.

William Hilgert, brother of our subject, de- serves more than a passing notice in the history of

his family. He was born on the old homestead, and during his boyhood and youth assisted his father in its operation, only attending school during the win- ter months, when the farm work was light. Being ambitious to succeed in life, he left home, and first worked as a common laborer on the railroad. With the money thus earned he bought books, which he eagerly pursued at night, often studying until two or three o'clock in the morning. Thus he improved every spare moment of his time. He married Miss Ida Seter, who died leaving one son, Clement. Sub- sequently he married Miss Alice Decker. of Paradise township, by whom he has three children : Charles. Francis and Russell. For the success that he has achieved in life he deserves great credit. for it is all due to his own industry, enterprise and persever- ance. He is .a man of fine moral character. and possesses more than ordinary business ability.

ANDREW J. ANDREWS. Among the hon- ored pioneers who still remain with us this venerable resident of Hamlinton, Wayne county, holds a lead- ing place. His long and useful career has rightly won for him the affectionate regard of the community in which his seventy-six years have been spent, and although he is now in feeble health his high char- acter and mental endowment convey to the rising generation a strong feeling of respect for the man of the earlier time.

The Andrews family is of excellent New Eng- land stock, and our subject's grandparents, John and Andrews, natives of Connecticut, came to the section and located in Salem township. Wayne county, one mile east of Canaan Corners. The jour- ney was made in an old wagon, the facilities for transportation being then of the most primitive sort. These worthy pioneers spent their remain- ing years in their new home, and at death were laid to their final rest in a cemetery in Salem township. John Andrews, the father of our subject, was born in Connecticut, and was about fourteen years old when the removal to this section took place. He grew to manhood in Wayne county, and there cn- gaged in business as a carpenter and farmer. He died at the age of fifty-five, and his wife, whose maiden name was Betsey Hollister, died at the age of sixty-three. the remains of both being interred in a cemetery at Salem Corners. Of their children. the eldest, A-, married Miss Orander A. Pect ; Andrew J., our subject, is mentioned more fully far- ther on; Maria died at the age of twenty-seven : Clement ( deceased ) married Miss Eliza McLean. who survives him and resides at Hollisterville ; Mary married Thomas Engle, of Dunmore. Penn .. a veteran of the Civil war : and Martha married 11. A. Engle, a farmer of Salem township. Wayne county.

The Hollister family, to which our subject's mother belonged. is of English descent. and their coat of arms shows them to be of ancient and hon- orable lineage. The first of the name of whom we have a definite record was Lieut. John Hollis-

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ter, who was born in Bristol, England, in 1612, and came to America in 1642, settling at Wethersfield, Conn., where he became prominent among the pio- neers. From him descended Timothy Hollister, fa- ther of Mrs. Betsey Andrews.

The subject of this sketch was born January 25, 1824, at Hamlinton, Wayne county, and was reared upon a farm. When he attained his majority his father gave him the homestead of 124 acres, which he operated successfully for many years. In 1867 he rented the place to a tenant and a year later he sold it for $5,000. Since that time he has resided at Hamlinton, where he followed carpentering for the first year, but later he retired from active work. He has always been prominent in local affairs, be- ing an ardent supporter of the Democratic party, and he has served in many township offices. includ- ing the assessorship, which he held for thirty years, and his interest in educational progress was shown by many years of effective work as school director. He is also active in religious circles as a member of the Methodist Church, with which he united at the age of thirteen years, having been baptized by an itinerant preacher. On December 30, 1846, he was. married, at Jones' Lake (now Lake Ariel), Penn., to Miss Harriet Jones, who was born in that local- ity in 1826, the daughter of Amasa and Sophia ( Cur- tis) Jones, natives of Connecticut, who settled in Wayne county in pioneer times. Mrs. Andrews died October 21, 1891, deeply mourned by a large circle of friends. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews had no children of their own, but their home was brightened by a neice, Laura Ann Lawrence, who is now Mrs. Att. whom they had adopted in childhood. She still resides with our subject, and her intelligence and gracious manners make her an ideal hostess.

The Lawrence family is of Irish descent, and it has been identified with Wayne county from an early date, John Lawrence, Mrs. Alt's great-grand- father, having served in the Revolutionary war as a commander of a ship. George Lawrence, Mrs. Alt's father, was born in Philadelphia, and in 1860 came to the present site of Lake Ariel, Wayne county, where he engaged in farming. He died in July, 1864, at the age of thirty-six years, and his wife, whose maiden name was Laura Jones, passed away six years later, at the age of forty-two. She was born in that locality, the daughter of Asa and Lucina ( Buckinghanı) Jones, and was a woman of fine ability and culture, having for some time pre- vious to her marriage taught school successfully in Wayne county. Mrs. Alt is the youngest in the fam- ily of four children: (1) Clara E. married Julian Swingle, a farmer and carpenter of South Canaan township, Waye county. (2) John D. died at the age of twenty-one, leaving a widow. Ada ( Clark ), who has since married John Atkinson, of Callicoon, N. Y. (3) George W. is a blacksmith at Marsh- wood, Penn. ; he married Miss Alice Ackley, for- merly a school teacher in Lackawanna county. Mrs. Alt was born September 23, 1864. at Lake Ariel. and was married September 25, 1883, at the home of

our subject, to William H. Alt, a leading merchant of Hamlinton. Four children have blessed this union : Lawrence, born July 23, 1885; Cora H., born Jan- uary 28, 1889; and Elmer D. and Elva M. ( twins ), born May 14, 1892, of whom the former died June 10 of the same year.

DAVID H. BRYAN, one of the valiant de- fenders of the Union during the dark days of thie Civil war, is at present an honored and worthy cit- izen of Monroe county, his honie being in Jackson township, where he is successfully carrying on oper- ations as a general farmer and stock raiser.

Mr. Bryan was born in Luzerne county, Penn., March 24, 1842, and is of Irish extraction. His pa- ternal grandfather, John Sydney Bryan, was born, leared and married in County Armagh, Ireland, where he continued to make his home until his emi- gration to the United States, in middle life. He located in Newark, Del., and died in that State, in 1841, at the age of eighty-two years, having sur- vived his wife for a number of years. He was a designer in metal and wood, and followed that oc- cupation in both Ireland and America. In his family were six children, all now deceased, namely : \Vill- iam, a resident of Troy, Penn .; John, of northern Ohio; Andrew, of Delaware; John Sydney, Jr., fa- ther of our subject; Lydia, wife of James Bensinger, of Delaware; and Jane, wife of William Northrup.

John Sydney Bryan, Jr., was also a native of County Armagh, Ireland, coming to the New World in early life, and locating in Kingston, Penn., where hie purchased a home. He was a civil engineer by profession, and as such was employed for many years throughout the Eastern States, during which time he aided' in the construction of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. In Delaware he was united in mar- riage with Miss Elizabeth Klaus, a native of that State, who died at Wilkes Barre, Penn .. in 1892, at the age of seventy-three years. His death oc- curred at Allentown, Penn .. August 6. 1877, when he had reached the age of seventy-eight years. He was a prominent representative of the Democratic party in his community, took an active and influen- tial part in public affairs. and served as sheriff of Luzerne county, Penn., for one or two terms, be- sides filling various township offices. Religiously both he and his wife were members of the Method- ist Episcopal Church.

David H. Bryan is the youngest in a family of scven children, the others being as follows : Lydia (deceased) was the wife of John Brineton. of Janesville, Penn. : Andrew ( deceased ) was a luni- berman of Allentown, Penn. : Jacob, a farmer, lives at Plymouth, Penn .; Elizabeth ( deceased ) was the wife of Joseph Blaine, of Kingston, Penn. : Mary ( deceased ) was the wife of Joseph Barney, of Kings- ton : and Olive is the wife of David Emi, of Wyom- ing county, Pennsylvania.

The subject of this review obtained a good practical education, attending first the common schools, and later pursuing a commercial course at

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Bryant & Stratton's Business College, Philadelphia. Hardly had the echoes from Fort Sumter's guns died away before lie offered his services to the gov- ernment, enlisting April 16, 1861, for three months, in Company C, 6th P. V. I., and re-enlisting, on the expiration of that term, for three years or during the war. He was chosen first sergeant of his com- pany in November, 1863, and at the close of the war was mustered cut with the rank of first lieu- tenant. He participated in a number of important engagements and minor skirmishes, including the battles of Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, and was with Gen. Sherman on the famous march to the sea. He was captured at Cheap Mountain, or Cross Keys, and held prisoner at Sal- isbury, N. C., for six weeks before being exchanged.

Returning to Luzerne county, Penn., Mr. Bryan engaged in lumbering, which he followed the: e for fifteen years, contracting for the Allentown Lumber Co. In 1877 he came to Monroe county, where his family had previously located, and took up his residence in Jackson township, on the old Det- rick place, owning 110 acres of land, seventy of - which have-been cleared and placed under excellent cultivation. Since then his entire time and atten- tion has been devoted to general farming and stock raising.

In 1867, in Jackson township, Mr. Bryan was united in marriage with Miss Levina Detrick, a na- tive of Monroe county, and to them have been born four children, namely: Jessie, Elizabeth, Romain and Nettie, all at home.

The Republican party has always found in Mr. Bryan au ardent supporter of its principles, and everything pertaining to the welfare of his com- rades in the Civil war finds in him a stanch friend. He first united with the Grand Army of the Repub- lic, and later became identified with the Veteran Union Legion, in which only soldiers who served for two years or more are eligible to membership. He also belongs to the Loyal Legion, with head- quarters at Philadelphia, and is a trustee of the Chattanooga Association-the Veterans National Park. In days of peace, as in times of war, he has always been found a true and loyal citizen, willing to sacrifice his personal interests for the good of his fellow sitizens, and he is justly deserving of the high regard in which he is held by all who know him.

EMERY A. HAZELTON. a well-known cit- izen and progressive agriculturist of Palmyra town- ship, Pike county, is a worthy representative of one of the highly-respected families of this section of the State. His paternal grandfather Abram Hazelton, was a native of County Tyrone, Ireland, where he grew to manhood, married, and continued to reside for some years thereafter, his children all being born in that country. Accompanied by his fam- ily, he came to America, and located in Sterling (now Dreher) township, Wayne Co., Penn., where he engaged in farming until his death, in 1857.

William Hazelton, our subject's father, was about four years old when he accompanied his par- ents on their emigration to the United States. and was reared in Sterling township. During his entire business career lie followed the occupations of farmi- ing and lumbering. He married Miss Sarah Cross, a daughter of Robert Cross, and she died December 10, 1884, while his death occurred October 14, 1893. The children born to them were as follows: Emery A., the subject of this review; Simon D., born Oc- tober 3, 1850, who now lives with our subject; Emeline, wite of A. C. Angel, of Dreher township, Wayne county ; Angeline A., wife of Florence Ro- backer, of Dreher township; and Abram and Elijah, twins, who died in infancy.

In Dreher township, Wayne county, Emery A. Hazelton was born, May 27, 1848, and there he grew to manhood, obtaining his early education in the common schools of the locality. Later he attended the Prompton Academy, and was thus well fitted by education for the responsible duties of business life. For some years he engaged in rafting on the Delaware river, and as a lumber contractor carried on operations in Pike and Wayne counties for nearly twenty years. . In 1876 he located upon his present farm in Palmyra township, Pike county, and is now principally engaged in agricultural pursuits.

At Sterling, Wayne county, Mr. Hazelton was married, September 4, 1873, to Miss Sarah E. Bortree, the ceremony being performed by Rev. George Pritchett, a Methodist Episcopal minister. Her paternal grandfather, John Bortree. was a na- tive of County Tyrone, Ireland, as was also her fa- ther, Thomas Bortree, who came to America at the age of sixteen years, and found employment in Phil -. adelphia. Later he took up his residence in Ster- ling township, Wayne county, where he carried on farming throughout the remainder of his life, and died June 14, 1893, at the age of seventy-five years. There he had married Miss Elizabeth Simpson. who was also born in County Tyrone, Ireland. a daugh- ter of Joseph and Sarah (Allen) Simpson, and they became the parents of the following children : Margaret A., who married Arthur J. Rollison. of Arlington, Salem township, Wayne county, and died at the age of forty-nine years, eight months and sixteen days ; John R., a prosperous farmer of Sterling township, Wayne county, who married Mary Jane Becker ; Lucy J., wife of Holland Rich- ardson, of Cherry Ridge township, Wayne county : James A., a merchant of Lake Ariel, Wayne county : Olive A., wife of George Sherman, a farmer of Lake Como, Wayne county; Susanna M .. wife of Nathan Cross, postmaster at Greentown, Greene township, Pike county ; Sarah E., wife of cur sal. ject : Maria M., who died in infancy : Thomas W .. a physician of Lake Como ; and Mary E., a resident of Sterling township, Wayne county. Mr. and Mrs. Hazelton have two children: Viola, born January 8, 1877, and Mabel, born September 9. 1886.

In political sentiment Mr. Hazelton is a stanchi Republican, but at local elections he always en-

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deavors to vote for the best man, regardless of party affiliations. He has most acceptably served his fel- low citizens as supervisor (two terms) and as in- spector of elections, and is at present an efficient school director.

O. W. GELATT. In the pioneer history of Gibson township, Susquehanna county, no family name is more conspicuous than that of Gelatt.

George Gelatt, our subject's great-grandfather, came with his family to the wilderness from Massa- chusetts between 1809 and 1812. He was a farmer and carpenter and lived to the remarkable age of 102 years. Soon after his arrival he built a tavern on the Newburg turnpike, a half mile north of Smiley Hollow. He had a large family, and of these George Gelatt was the grandfather of our subject. George Washington Gelatt, the father of O. W. Gelatt, was reared in Gibson township, married Miss Susan Bills, and devoted himself to the arduous work that was incident in those days to pioneer life. He was born in 1818, and died in 1889. To George Washington and Susan Gelatt were born six chil- dren, namely: O. W., our subject; Henry, who died in Gibson township in 1898: Charles, a resident of Jackson township; Leroy, of Gibson township; Eugene, of Gibson township, and Estelle (Mrs. Lewis), of Clifford township.

O .- W. Gelatt was born in October, 1847, in Gibson township. He was there reared, educated, and has since been a resident, and since 1896 he has been successfully engaged in the manufacture of extension ladders. He was married, in Gibson · township, in 1873, to Miss Sarah Tuttle, who is a . native of Wayne county, Penn., daughter of John and - Tuttle, of Preston township, Wayne county. To our subject and wife have been born seven children, namely : Vernie, Julia, Albert, Anna, George, Fred and Hazel. In politics Mr. Ge- latt is a Republican, and he takes an active interest in the success of his party. He is public-spirited, enterprising-the possessor of many dominant vir- tues, and is a worthy representative of one of the old families which have been influential in Susque- hanna county from the time of the earliest set- tlements.

JOSEPH F. LANNON. In the busy commu- nity located in the thriving little city of Susquehanna, we find several energetic and thorough-going busi- ness men, who have attained success through their own enterprise, good judgment and perseverance. Among their number is the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch, and who is a member of the firm of Joseph F. Lannon & Co., leading grocers of Susquehanna.

Mr. Lannon was born in that town, March 19, 1854, a son of John and Catherine ( Sullivan ) Lan- non, natives of Ireland, who were married in Ma- chias, Me., and came to Susquehanna county, Penn., in 1847, locating in Lanesboro, where they continued to make their home throughout life. The

father, who was a mason and builder, died in 1893, aged seventy-five years, and the mother died in 1887, aged sixty-three years, the remains of both being interred in Laurel Hill cemetery. They were members of the Catholic Church and most estimable people. Their children were Thomas, now a resi- dent of Missouri; John P., foreman of the crecting crew for the Erie Company and a resident of Sus- quehanna ; Sarah, who died when young; Joseph F., our subject ; Robert M., a member of the Sus- quehanna County Bar, who died in 1886, at the age of twenty-six years; Mary M., who died when young ; and Robert, who died in 1860. On his emi- gration from Ireland to America, John Lannon, the paternal grandfather of our subject. located in Machias, Me., and there spent the remainder of his life.

Joseph F. Lannon was reared and educated in Susquehanna, and began his business career, at the age of sixteen years, as a clerk in the store of which he is now proprietor and which at that time belonged to Thomas McDonald, for whom he worked four and a half years. During the following seven years he filled the positions of clerk and bookkeeper in the store of John C. Rane, and then, forming a part- nership with P. D. Baxter, he embarked in his pres- ent business, which they have since successfully carried on.

In December, 1888, at Susquehanna, Mr. Lan- non was married to Miss Laura Hogan. and to them was born a son, Robert J. Mrs. Lannon was born in Susquehanna, November 4, 1864, a daughter of Michael and Mary ( Clancey ) Hogan. The father is now living retired in that city.

The Democratic party finds in Mr. Lannon a stanch supporter of its principles, and his fellow citi- zens, recognizing his worth and ability, have called him to public office. He served as burgess of Sus- quehanna for two terms with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents, and he was school director for seven years.

THOMAS F. CAWLEY, M. D .. one of the most prominent and successful representatives of the medical profession in Monroe county. is now locat- ed at Saylorsburg, where he enjoys a large and lucra- tive practice. He was born in Hellertown. North- ampton Co., Penn., January 4, 1857, and belongs to a family which was founded in the United States by three brothers, John, Thomas and Benjamin Mc- Cawley (as the name was then spelled). who were natives of Lancashire, England, and were mill- ers by trade. They separated after coming to this country, Thomas locating in Newton, near Philadel- phia, Penn., and Benjamin, at Milton, this State. while John, the Doctor's grandfather, settled near Hellertown, in 1829, and there engaged in milling throughout the remainder of his life. He married Mary McRoney.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 4, Part 107

Author: Publication date: 1900 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1058

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1058