Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 4, Part 49

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 49
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 4 > Part 49
USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 4 > Part 49
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 4 > Part 49

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Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Van Horn, namely: (1) William, born in Thompson, in 1862, received a fair education in the liome schools, and now follows farming, his home being in Thonipson boroughi. He married Minnie Kim- ber, of Corning, N. Y., and they have one son- Maynard. (2) Nora, born in 1871. is now the wife of Ernest Jacobs, of Thompson, son of Robert Jacobs, and they have two children-Viola and By- ron. (3) Nellie E., born in Thompson, in July, 1877, is the wife of Herbert Burchell, a farmer of Thompson, and they have one daughter-Nina- born on June 19, 1896. (4) Samuel Guy, born in 1885, is attending the home schools and lives with his mother.

In his political views Mr. Van Horn was a Democrat, and he was called upon to serve as treasurer and inspector of his town. Socially he belonged to Frank Hall Post, No. 505, G. A. R., of Thompson. He was a man of exemplary habits and sterling worth, a good citizen, a brave soldier, an affectionate husband and kind father-one that commanded the respect and confidence of all with whom he came in contact.

LIEUT. DAVID MASON (deceased), in his lifetime an honored and highly respected citizen of Susquehanna, was born near Belfast, County Down. Ireland, December 14, 1824, a son of David and Elizabeth (Geddis) Mason.

The father, who was a machinist by trade, was born in the highlands of Scotland, in 1788, and in 1799 moved to Ireland, where he was married, his wife being a native of County Down, where their entire married life was passed. There the father died in 1852, his wife a year later. Of the seven children born to them our subject is the only son ; Elspa died in Ireland when a young lady; Eliza- beth married James Clauders, who was killed ncar London, England, in 1852, after which she and her only child came to New York, but she is now · living in Canada; Mary A. married a Mr. Arm- strong and remained in Ireland; Martha marricd Edward Mckinley and died a few years later in Ireland ; Ellen and one other daughter died in in- fančy.

In his native land the subject of this sketch grew to manhood and received a common school education. At the age of fourteen years he com- menced learning the machinist's trade and served a seven years' apprenticeship, being principally employed on stationary engines used in the manu- facture of linen. In November, 1851, he sailed for America on the "Constitution," which was wrecked on the New Jersey coast ninety miles from New York, but all the passengers were saved. being taken off on the lifeboats. After two months spent upon the water Mr. Mason finally landed in New York, where he worked at his trade for a short

time. Later he was for three years employed as a machinist in Paterson, N. J .. and from there went to Kingston, Canada, where he worked at his trade three or four months, and at Toronto for about the same length of time. In 1855 he came to Sus- quehanna, Penn .. and entered the shops of the New York & Erie railroad, where he was a trusted and faithful employe for over thirty years.

In 1858 Mr. Mason was united in marriage with Miss Honora Malee, of Susquehanna, who was born in County Waterford. Ireland. on Decem- ber 24, 1836, and came with a sister to this country. Her parents, John and Alice (Powell) Malee, spent their entire lives in Ireland. Of the six children born to our subject and his wife, Frederick F., Frederick A., and George all died in infancy ; Lena, born in Susquehanna, in 1865, was educated in the public schools of that piace, married William C. Kotz, of Easton, Penn., who is engaged in the butcher business, and now resides in Lancsboro, Penn. (they have one child, Mason W. Kotz, born February 12, 1897); David G., born on March 18, 1869, and also attended the public schools and learned the machinist's trade, now holding the position of car inspector for the Pennsylvania Rail- road Company, at Pitcairn, near Pittsburg; and Charles V., born December 14, 1874, was a student in the Susquehanna schools, and as a machinist he is now employed in the railroad shops at that place.

When the Civil war broke out Mr. Mason was among the first to offer his services to his adopted country, enlisting April 19, 1861. at the first call for volunteers, becoming a member of Company K, 6th Pennsylvania Reserves, under command of Capt. McCauley, of Susquehanna. At that time he was not a naturalized citizen. but his strong op- position to slavery caused him to take up arms in defense of the Union. At Camp Curtin he was elected first lieutenant of his company, and moved to the front as a commissioned officer, being mus- tered into the United States service in July, 1861. His first engagement was at Drainsville, December 20. 1861, after which the regiment went into win- ter quarters at Pierpont, Va. In the spring of 1862 they joined the army of the Potomac under Gen. McClellan and did guard duty at the White House during the Peninsular campaign. They partici- pated in the second battle of Bull Run, in August, 1862. and the battles of South Mountain and An- tietam ; were under command of Gen. Burnside in the battle of Fredericksburg. in December. 1862, where their losses were very heavy ; and were also with Gen. Burnside in his "stick in the mud" cam- paign. The campaign of 1863 opened with the bat- tle of Chancellorsville, and was followed by the battle of Gettysburg, where the Fifthi Pennsyl- vania Corps was literally cut down. Here Licut. Mason was detailed for other duties on account of disabilities, and was taken to Baltimore. where he remained until honorably discharged from the serv- icc in March, 1864.

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Returning to Susquehanna, he resumed worl: in the railroad shops, where, as previously stated, he remained for thirty years. He held the respect of his fellow workmen and the confidence and esteem of his employers. For the last few years of his life he lived retired, enjoying a well-earned rest. At an early day he purchased property in Susquehanna and lived there until 1870, when he removed to his last residence on Broad street, which he greatly improved and beautified. Since becoming an American citizen he cast his ballot with the Republican party, and as one of the lead- ing and most highly respected citizens of the place, he had been elected to the town council and also to the school board, on which he served most creditably for a number of terms. Socially he be- longed to Moody Post, No. 63. G. A. R., of Susque- hanna, and religiously, both he and his wife were earnest and consistent members of the M. E. Church. He passed to his last rest April 29, 1899.

HENRY EVERETT EMERSON, M. D., an able and talented physician of Milford, Pike county, enjoys a large and lucrative practice, and has also conducted for some time the leading drug store in that thriving little city. As he has always been a resident of the place, his popularity is based upon well-proved integrity and personal worth, and his best friends are those who have known him most intimately.

Our subject was born October 26, 1866, in the house which he now occupies as a residence, and received his academic education in the public schools and in a private school taught by Rev. E. H. Mateer, with whom he studied three years. He then took a course in the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, graduating in 1887, and on his return home he opened his present drug store. In his leisure moments he read medicine with his father, the late Dr. Vincent Emerson, and in 1888 he en- tered the Medical Department of the University of New York, where he was graduated in 1892. After taking the examination prescribed by the law of Pennsylvania, he established himself in practice at Milford, where he met with success front the start. In January, 1896, he went to Europe for a tour through England, Scotland and France, and during his ten months' absence he combined study with . pleasure, visiting hospitals and attending lectures in various colleges. On December 26, 1893, he was appointed examining surgeon of the board of pen- sions at Stroudsburg, and this position he held two years, going to Stroudsburg twice each month to attend to his duties. He is now the examining physician for several insurance companies and in the spring of 1898 he was appointed physician for the board of health at Milford. As a citizen he is public spirited and for some years he has been es- pecially active in educational affairs, being at pres- ent the secretary of the local school board. In politics he is a Democrat and he and his wife are prominent members of the Episcopal Church. On

October 9, 1885. lie was married in Philadelphia to Miss Nellie A. Burbage, by whom he has had four children : Alicia J., Gouverneur, Nellie and Madge. Mrs. Emerson was born January 15. 1867, at Gra- nard, Ireland, and came to America in 1883 to visit a sister in New York City. Her parents. James and Alicia Burbage, still reside in Ireland, her father being engaged in agriculture.

The Emerson family, which was identified from an early day with the Society of Friends, has been represented in this country since 1720, and John Emerson, the first of our subject's ancestors of whom we have a definite record. settled at an early day in the rich agricultural region near Frederica, Kent Co., Delaware. Our subject is of the sixth generation in descent from Jacob and Margaret Emerson, who resided in that county, Delaware. Their son John, our subject's great-great-grand- fatlier, married Unity Lowler. Vincent Emerson, our subject's great-grandfather, and his wife Mary, had nine children : John, Martha. Jacob, Elizabeth, Mary, Vincent, Unity, Pennel, and Ann.

Pennel Emerson, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was born August 4, 1779. and died April 2, 1854. He married Ann Jenkins and had four chil- dren : Pennel, born December 12, 1815; William, born October 16, 1818; Vincent, our subject's father, and Angeline, born in 1820.

The late Dr. Vincent Emerson was born June I, 1822, near Dover, Delaware, and was graduated in 1848 from the Medical Department of Pennsyl- vania College. On April 1, 1848, he located at Willow Grove, Delaware, engaging in practice, and on May 1, 1859, he removed to Milford, where he soon gained high rank in his profession. He was one of the examining surgeons during the drafts in the Civil war. Socially he was identified with the Masonic fraternity, having attained the thirty- second degree. His death occurred at the residence in Milford, August 1, 1896, and our subject's mother, whose maiden name was Jane B. Westbrook, still resides at the old home. Dr. Vincent Emerson married first Miss Elizabeth Marvel, of Willow Grove, Delaware, and three children were born of the union : (1) Miss Emma MI. Emerson resides at Slaughter, Delaware. (2) Dr. Gouverneur Emerson, a successful physician. died at the age of thirty-three, deeply mourned by a large circle of friends. He married Miss Alice Westbrook, daugh- ter of John C. Westbrook. (3) Anna B. married Joseph S. Daly, a commission merchant at Marydell, Md. Our subject was the youngest of three chil- dren of the second marriage. the others. Vincent and Elizabeth, dying in infancy.

Our subject's mother was born in Dingman township, Pike county, March 22, 1824. daughter of Col. John Westbrook and his wife. Sarah Brod- head. The Westbrook family is of Anglo-Saxon origin and has always been characterized by love of liberty, the first of its members to come to this country having been led to leave England through their desire for religious freedom. As early as

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1630 these pioneers were at Albany, N. Y., having come with some Dutch settlers from Holland to locate upon the manor of patroon Van Rensselaer. Jolın Westbrook was at Portsmouth, N. H., Octo- ber 9, 1665, and Job and John were there in 1689-90. Col. Thomas Westbrook, who is said to have come from Stroudwater, Gloucestershire, England, was a ship builder in Maine, where he owned an extensive tract of land, and founded the town of Westbrook, which was named in his honor. In 1721 he commanded the expedition against Nor- ridgewock, which broke up the settlement of the famous Jesuit priest, Father Ralle, and captured his papers. In 1723 he was appointed by Gov. Dunmore chief in command of the Eastern fron- tier. At an early day the family is heard from in Ulster county, N. Y., and some of its members there served with distinction in the Indian wars and in the Revolutionary army. Johannes West- brook, one of the most prominent pioneers of the Minisink valley, came front Guilford, Ulster county, N. Y., and a few years later his brother Anthony followed him. Anthony Westbrook became an ex- tensive land owner and in 1737 he was a justice of the peace and an elder in the Reformed Dutch Church. He married Antie Van Etten and had at least two children, Jacob and Johannes.

Jacob Westbrook, the next in the line of de- scent in which we are now interested, was married March 24, 1746, to Lydia Westfall, by whom he had six children : Blandina, Johannes, Sofferine, Solo- mon, Maria, and Jane. He owned a large tract of land on the eastern bank of the Delaware river, about eight miles below Port Jervis, in what is now Montague township, N. J. His residence was sub- stantially built of stone and was often used as a fort during the troublous times, as was the stone house of his son Johannes, three miles further down the Delaware river.

Solomon Westbrook, second son of Jacob and Lydia Westbrook, and grandfather of Mrs. Jane Emerson, was born October 6, 1762, and died March 30, 1824. On September 24, 1782, he mar- ried Margaret DeWitt, and in 1792 he removed to a tract of land on the west bank of the Delaware river, two miles below Dingman's Ferry, Pike county. This tract contained seven hundred acres and his house, which fronted the old stage road, was a large stone structure. He had five children : Jacob, John, Solomon, Margaret and Sofferine.

Col. John Westbrook, father of Mrs. Jane Emerson, was born January 9. 1789, in Sussex county, N. J., and died near Dingman's Ferry, October 8, 1852. On February 14, 1808. he married Sarah Brodhead, daughter of Judge Richard Brod- head and sister of U. S. Senator Richard Brodhead, both of Pike county. She was born February 12, 1792, and after the death of Col. Westbrook she married Rev. John Lee, of Newark, N. J., whom she also survived, her death occurring January 21. 1879. Four children of Col. Westbrook lived to adult age : Hannah, who married the late William

T. Wilson; Jacob B., deceased; Richard B., a resident of Philadelphia, and Jane B., Mrs. Emer- son. Col. Westbrook was one of the leading men of Pike county in his day and while his chier occupation was farming he was engaged at times in lumbering and mercantile business. Before he reached the age of twenty-one he was an officer in the State militia, and at one time he was colonel in the regiment of which his brother Jacob was major and his brother Solomon. a captain. In 1817, when twenty-eight years old, he was elected sheriff of Pike county, and in 1833 he was sent to the legislature, where he extended his acquaintance among people of note, gaining the friendship of such men as James Buchanan. and Thaddeus Stev- ens, then a member of the Assembly. He was always proud of his personal acquaintance with Andrew Jackson and when in a reminiscent vein delighted to tell of some of his conversing-at times with Martin Van Buren in Low Dutch, to the chagrin of the inquisitive politicians around them. During his term in the legislature the great "Anti- Masonic" controversy arose, and as the Colonel was an ardent Mason he took an active part in the pro- ceedings. In 1840 he was elected to Congress, and his faithful and untiring work caused a decline in health from which he never quite rallied. While he had never enjoyed a thorough scholastic train- ing, his keen mind readily grasped the facts and principles relating to any line of thought. and those who knew him preferred his judgment on legal questions to that of any practitioner, people coming from long distances to ask his advice or have him draw up wills and deeds. For such services he never made any charge and, in fact. benevolence was one of his leading traits. His integrity was never questioned and notwithstanding the oppor- tunities for enrichment which his public life afforded, he died comparatively a poor man. As a speaker he was able, forceful and eloquent. and among the relics cherished by his children is the manuscript of an oration delivered by him in his twenty-seventh year, which shows remarkable pow- ers of thought and expression. His progressive mind made him the champion of many movements which were but feebly supported in his day, the appropriation for testing the Morse telegraph sys- tem being supported by him in Congress. and through his influence with President Tyler a woman was made postmistress at Easton, Penn., that being probably the first appointment of the kind.

COMMANDER GEORGE M. BACHE, late a retired officer in the United States navy, and a resident of our country's capital, with a summer home amid the picturesque scenery of Great Bend, Susquehanna county, had one of the most brilliant records made by the younger naval officers who served in the Civil war.

Descending from a distinguished ancestry, Commander Bache was born November 12, 1840, in

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the District of Columbia. His father, George M. Bache, a native of Philadelphia and a gallant naval officer, was lost at sea in 1846, and his grandfather. Richard Bache, was the first Postmaster-General of the United States. The mother of Commander Bache was formerly Eliza Patterson, a daughter of Commodore Patterson, a distinguished officer in the United States navy. She had received a finished education abroad and after the death of her hus- band devoted herself to the education in Washing- ton of her three children-Harriet P., Dallas and George M. Harriet P. died when a young lady. Col. Dallas Bache is assistant surgeon-general in the United States army; he married a Miss Mc- Garrick, of Tennessee, by whom he had a family of four children-Hattie ; Carrie, wife of Lieut. Mc- Mahon, of Fortress Monroe; Bertha, studying art in New York City; and Dallas, who married Gen. Clarkson's daughter, of Omalia, and now resides at Santa Clara, Cal. The mother of these dying when the children were quite small, he formed a second union with a daughter of Gen. Forsythe; they have no children.

Young Bache received his appointment from the State of Pennsylvania in 1857, and until 1861 was at Annapolis. He passed from the Naval Academy immediately into the maelstrom and car- nage of war. He was first attached to the sloop "Jamestown," of the Atlantic Squadron, in 1861, and to the sloop "Powhatan," in the blockading squadron, in 1862. On July 16, of that year, when only twenty-two years of age, he was made a lieu- tenant, and was ordered from the blockading squad- ron to the Mississippi Squadron, in which he was given command of the ironclad steamer "Cincin- nati." From this time on to the close of the war he contributed to the. most dramatic chapters of One of the most exciting and brilliant per- formances which occurred during the attacks 011 Vicksburg derived its interest from the dogged courage and skill of Lieut. Bache. On May 29. 1863. Gen. Sherman signaled the flagship. request- ing that two gunboats be sent down to clear out a battery that prevented him from extending his right flank. Admiral Porter entrusted this delicate and hazardous undertaking to Bache. He attacked and silenced the battery head on, but as his vessel rounded to and opened her broadside the heavy battery on the bluff got her range with its heaviest guns. The first shots passed through the vessel's magazines and through her bottom, causing her to sink rapidly. The battery was too high for the vessel to return the fire of the battery. and all she could do was to creep along the shore, with lier machinery disabled and her hold rapidly filling with water, at a snail's pace, to get out of the way. The vessel was unprotected by iron on her stern. and the well-directed shots of the enemy riddled her. The vessel was in a sinking condition, and subjected to a tremendous fire, but Bache would not haul down his flag ; it was shot down, and he nailed it with his own hands to the stump of his flag-pole, naval history. Admiral Porter said that "Bache was constantly hunting for a fight, and he generally found what he was hunting for." He commanded the "Cincinnati" up the Yazoo, in December, 1862, against Haines' Bluffs, the first attempt of the army to capture Vicksburg. The main object of the expedition failed, but the work of the gunboats, in clearing the river of torpedoes, and in silencing the Confederate batteries, so as to make it possible for the soldiers to land, was wholly successful. To this success the "Cincinnati," under the fearless and intelligent command of Lieut. Bache, contrib- uted largely. From here the gunboats, under Porter, conveyed the army to Arkansas Post, where Bache, though a mere boy, displayed the qualities that naval heroes are made of. This fort was large and well constructed ; it mounted thirteen guns, aniong which were two ten-inch Columbiads, and one nine-inch Dahlgren. The former were mounted in heavily ironed casements, and the latter was mounted in an embrasure protected by sand bags, as were also the two rifled guns. All the guns pointed down the river to meet any attempts of gunboats to ascend the river. The fort itself was constructed within twenty yards of the wa *~~. ( at which time he received a shot through the

It was believed by the engineers of the Confederate army that no boat capable of navigating the river could possibly withstand the concentrated fire of the fort. The three ironclads "De Kalb," "Cincin- nati" and "Louisville," however, pushed steadily up to within fifty yards of the fort. The battle be- tween the fort and the gunboats lasted several hours, and resulted in the complete destruction of every gun in the enemy's works, and the sur- render of the fort and its garrison to the navy. The "Cincinnati" was constantly under fire during the short-range battle, and young Bache handled his boat with such skill and bravery that Admiral Por- ter praised him without stint.

Immediately following this splendid victory the "Cincinnati." under Bache, joined the expedition up the White river, and participated in the work of capturing St. Charles, a number of Confederate boats, and clearing the river as far up as Duvall's Bluffs, where a large amount of Confederate stores, including heavy guns, already loaded on the cars for shipment to Little Rock, were captured, and the depot burned. Bache then returned with his vessel to Vicksburg, and took part in all of the naval operations which led up to the surrender of that stronghold. He took part in the novel and trying expedition through Steele's Bayou and Deer Creek, in an effort to reach the rear of Vicksburg, which is without a parallel in naval operations, except it be the Yazoo Pass expedition, which was very similar in many respects. This expedition lasted for days, and officers and men, as well as the vessels, were subjected to a strain that rarely comes to the navy. Through it all Lieut. Bache acquitted himself in a manner to receive the highest com- mendation from the Admiral.

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shoulder. The boats had all been shot away and the "Cincinnati" was sinking. The order was given for all who could to swim to the shore; Bache was the last to leave the sinking vessel. Fifteen men were drowned in attempting to reach the bank, and more than twenty killed and wounded. Gen. Sher- man was an eye-witness to this brave perform- ance, and wrote: "The importance of the object to be accomplished fully warranted the attempt. It has proved successful, and will stimulate us to further efforts to break the line which terminates on the Mississippi in such formidable batteries." The Secretary of the Navy wrote a letter to Lieut. Bache, complimenting him very highly on his cour- age and skill. A sentence from the letter will not be out of place here. The Secretary said: "Amid an incessant fire of shot and shells, even when the fate of the vessel had been sealed, and destruction both from the elements and the enemy threatened, the officers and men appear to have stood bravely at their posts, and it is a proud record of the 'Cin- cinnati' that when her last moments came she went down with her colors nailed to the mast. It is with no ordinary pleasure that I express to you and the surviving officers and crew of the 'Cincinnati' the department's appreciation of your brave conduct."

Immediately after the loss of the "Cincinnati" the young lieutenant was given command of the "Lexington," one of the two vessels that saved Grant's army at Belmont, and again helped to save the day at Shiloh. When the colored troops were attacked at Milliken's Bend, Bache was on hand to protect them, and to punish the desperate men who refused to give quarter to the colored troops. He followed this by commanding an expedition up the White river and Little Red river, which resulted in the capture of several steamers used by the Confederates in crossing troops and for transportation, destroyed a pontoon bridge, and thwarted for a time the plans of Gen. Price and his army of 20,000 men. Lieut. Bache was in hot ac- tions at Blair's Landing, in Red river, and at Point of Rocks, La., and in numerous other fights with batteries on the banks of the Mississippi. His last battle while attached to the Mississippi Squad- ron was in June, 1864. He was then ordered to the command of the old "Tyler," at the mouth of the White river, and instead of allowing her to anchor in "luxurious idleness" he immediately started up the White river to find a fight. Gen. Joe Shelby was operating on the outskirts of Steele's army at Little Rock. and had been crossing and recrossing the White river at his pleasure. The "Tyler" found the ubiquitous and daring General with his com- mand at Clarendon. the same morning Shelby cap- tured the gunboat "Queen City," and came upon him a few minutes after he had blown up that vessel. A hot and decisive fight ensued between the three vessels under Bache and Shelby's battery. Two of the boats were disabled, leaving the brunt of the fight to fall upon the flagship "Tyler," com- manded in person by Bachc. He ran his vessel

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 4, Part 49

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