Families of the Wyoming Valley: biographical, genealogical and historical. Sketches of the bench and bar of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, vol. II, Part 36

Author: Kulp, George Brubaker, 1839-1915
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Wilkes-Barre, Pa. [E. B. Yordy, printer]
Number of Pages: 1114


USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Families of the Wyoming Valley: biographical, genealogical and historical. Sketches of the bench and bar of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, vol. II > Part 36


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47


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900


WILLIAM C. ROBINSON.


the Weekly and Law Times from 1873 to 1885. Mr. Chase has his office in Scranton. He is still a widower. In 1866 he was elected one of the auditors of the city of Scranton. In 1888 he was an independent candidate for additional law judge of Lackawanna county and received 6639 votes. His successful competitor was Frederick W. Gunster.


ZEBULON MARCY WARD.


Zebulon Marcy Ward, who was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., August 17, 1863, is a brother of Walsingham G. Ward, of Scranton, Pa. Z. M. Ward was born in Tunkhannock, Luzerne (now Wyoming) county, February 17, 1837. He resides in Patterson, N. J.


WILLIAM C. ROBINSON.


William C. Robinson was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., November 9, 1863. His father was John A. Robin- son, of Norwich, Conn., son of Elias Robinson, son of Timothy Robinson, great-grandson (supposed) of Rev. John Robinson, of Leyden. His mother was Mary Callyhan, daughter of William Callyhan, son of Andrew Callaghan, son of William O'Callaghan. His paternal grandmother was Anna Allyn, of Ledyard, Conn., a descendant of Robert Allyn, of Hartford. His maternal grand- mother was a descendant of James Rogers, of New London, 1660. Mr. Robinson married, July 2, 1857, Anna Elizabeth Haviland, of New York city. Her father, Henry Haviland, was of Boston, son of Henry Haviland, of London, England. Her mother was Mary Magdalen Jutau, daughter of John Jutau, of Bordeaux, France, later of the French consulate at Boston. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson have three children living-Philip Neri Robinson and George W. Robinson, of the New Haven county bar, and Paul Skiff Robin- son. William C. Robinson was born at Norwich, Connecticut, July 26, 1834. He was educated at the Norwich Academy, Williston


901


WILLIAM WURTS LATHROPE.


Seminary, class of 1849, and Wesleyan University. He graduated from Dartmouth College in the class of 1854, and at the General Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church in New York in 1857. He received the degree of LL. D. from Dartmouth College in 1879. From September 1, 1857, to August 1, 1859, he was resident missionary at Pittston, and from February 1, 1859, to December 1, 1862, rector of St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal church, Scranton, Pa. In 1863 he joined the Roman Catholic church, in whose communion he remains. He read law with Hendrick B. Wright, and after his admission to the bar remained in this city, practicing his profession, until 1864. From here he went to New London, Conn., and from there, in 1865, to New Haven, Conn., where he now resides. He was clerk of the New Haven city court from 1866 to 1868, judge city court, New Haven, 1869 to 1871, a member of the Connecticut house of representa- tives in 1874, judge of the Court of Common Pleas of New Haven county from 1874 to1876. He has been professor of law in Yale University since 1869. Mr. Robinson published "Elemen- tary Law," 1882, "Clavis Rerum," 1883, and has in press a "Treatise on Patent Law."


BURRELL BRACE.


Burrell Brace was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county August 20, 1863. He is a native of Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and is the only son of the late Alfred Brace, M. D., who set- iled in Wyoming in 1838, coming from Franklin township, in this county. He read law in this city with G. Byron Nicholson and Ezra B. Chase, and married, November 30, 1865, Mary Celestia Sherman, daughter of Rev. J. C. Sherman, of Abington, Pennsylvania. He has three children, and resides in Keelersburg, Pennsylvania.


WILLIAM WURTS LATHROPE.


William Wurts Lathrope, who was admitted to the bar of Lu- zerne county, Pa., August 8, 1864, is a native of Carbondale, Pa.,


902


HOWARD ELLIS.


where he was born October 9, 1840. He was educated at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, and Harvard Law School, and read law with his father, D. N. Lathrope. He is a descendant of Rev. John Lothropp, who emigrated to America September 18, 1634. (See page 857.) His father was Dwight Noble Lathrope, who was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county November 5, 1833. Mr. Lathrope married, September 1, 1870, Mary Overton Max- well, a daughter of the late Volney Lee Maxwell, who was ad- mitted to the bar of Luzerne county November 11, 1831. Mr. and Mrs. Lathrope have a family of four children-Maxwell D. Lathrope, Henry R. Lathrope, George H. Lathrope, and Eunice Lathrope. Mr. Lathrope practiced in this city for some time, but now resides in Scranton. He is one of the managers of the Lackawanna Bible Society, a director of the Young Men's Chris- tian Association of Scranton, a director of the Lackawanna Law Library Association, and has been president of the association. He is the minister's warden of Grace Reformed Episcopal church. In 1888 he was the prohibition candidate for congress and receiv- ed 1218 votes. While a resident of Wilkes-Barre Mr. Lathrope was one of the managers of the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation of Wilkes-Barre and for one year was president of the same.


HOWARD ELLIS.


Howard Ellis, who was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., August 15, 1864, is a native of Elkton, Cecil county, Md., where he was born July 6, 1834. His parents were Francis A. Ellis, a native of Philadelphia, Pa., and Eliza Ann Howard, a native of Elkton, the ancestors of whom emigrated to America about 1705. He read law with his father, Francis A. Ellis, of the Maryland bar, and with George W. Biddle, of the Philadelphia bar, and was admitted to the Cecil county bar January 4, 1864. Mr. Ellis has practiced at Elkton, Wilkes-Barre and New York. In 1875 he planned and started the New York Weekly Digest, which has been successfully conducted according to his plans,


903


DE WITT C. COOLEY.


and in the following year he planned the Law and Equity Reporter, which was consolidated in 1878 with the American Law Times Reports and has since been published under his editorial control as The Reporter. His sound judgment in the selection of impor- tant cases, and his careful work thereon, have sustained the cir- culation of that periodical and made it a general favorite, not- withstanding the rivalry and pressure in recent years of a rapidly increasing growth of local law journals and reporters. He is also the general editor of English Cases, a compendium of all the reports of Great Britain, her colonies, and the United States. Mr. Ellis married, October 21, 1872, Aurora Bassford, a great-grand- daughter of John Pell, of Schuyler Place, West Chester county, N. Y. He resides at Ridgewood, Bergen county, N. J. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis have a family of three children-Rosina, Elizabet Howard, and Rudulph Pell Ellis. Since writing the above Mr. Ellis has been appointed, by President Cleveland, consel of the United States at Rotterdam.


JOHN B. RHODES.


John B. Rhodes was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., August 31, 1864. He removed to Kansas in 1869, where he now resides.


DEWITT C. COOLEY.


DeWitt C. Cooley, who was born in New York, and admit- ted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., October 24, 1864, is a resident of St. Paul, Minn. He was twice married, his last wife being Louise J. Dunlap, a daughter of the late Rev. Robert Dunlap, D. D., of Allegheny City, Pa. One child survives this union-Frank D. Cooley, of St. Paul.


904


M. J. BYRNE.


JOSEPH E. ULMAN.


Joseph E. Ulman, who was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county August 29, 1865, is a son of Lazarus Ulman. He was born at Rehrersburg, Pa., January 25, 1828. He was educated at the Ithaca (N. Y.) Academy, and studied law at Lock Haven, Pa., with T. T. Abrams. During the years 1872, 1873 and 1874 he was burgess of the borough of Hazleton, Pa. Mr. Ulman married, February 17, 1857, Frances A. McCloskey, daughter of David McCloskey. Mr. and Mrs. Ulman have a family of four children-Ida Nancy Ulman, Emory Washburn Ulman, Edgar James Ulman, and Nellie Frances Ulman.


MICHAEL REGAN.


Michael Regan, who was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., November 12, 1866, is a native of Canaan, Wayne county, Pennsylvania, where he was born in 1836. His parents, Michael Regan and Catharine Regan nee Tobin, were born in Ireland. Mr. Regan was educated at the Normal School, at Prompton, Wayne county, Pennsylvania, and studied law with F. M. Crane, at Honesdale, Pennsylvania. He was ad- mitted to the Wayne county bar in 1865. From 1863 to 1866 he was register and recorder of Wayne county. He married in 1863, Margaret, a daughter of Patrick Rutledge, a native of Ireland. They have four children: Kate, married to John Shreve; John, Andrew and Frank. Mr. Regan practiced many years in this city but now resides in New York.


M. J. BYRNE.


M. J. Byrne was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., December 5, 1866. He is the son of the late Peter Byrne, LL. D., of the Luzerne bar.


905


FRANCIS D. COLLINS.


JOHN B. MILLS.


John B. Mills, who was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., April 13, 1839, is a son of Jacob Mills and his wife Prudence, daughter of Rev. Caleb Hopkins, a lieutenant in the revolutionary war, and the first Protestant Episcopal minister in what is now Columbia county, Pa. John B. Mills was born February 23, 1812, in Madison township, Columbia county, Pa. He was edu- cated under Dr. S. S. Lowry and Rev. George C. Drake, of Bloomsburg, Pa., and read law with George W. Woodward, in this city, where he practiced until 1857, when he removed to a farm in Columbia county. He now resides at Riverside, North- umberland county, Pa. Mr. Mills married, in 1833, Nancy Rafferty, a daughter of Peter Rafferty, of Armagh, Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Mills have a family of six children-Amanda T., married to Rufus C. Belding ; Henry Clay Mills ; Adelaide J., married to N. B. Welliver; James Rafferty Mills; Charles Denison Mills ; and Sarah M., married to Eugene Lenhart.


FRANCIS D. COLLINS.


Francis D. Collins, who was 'admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., December 24, 1866, is a son of the late Thomas Col- lins, who was at one time an associate judge of Luzerne county, Pa. In 1854 the latter was a candidate for register of wills of Lu- zerne county, but was defeated by Elisha B. Harvey. Francis D. Collins was born in Saugerties, N. Y., March 5, 1844. When quite young his parents removed to Dunmore, Luzerne (now Lacka- wanna) county. He was educated at St. Joseph's College, Susque- hanna county, Pa., and at Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, Pa. After his admission to the bar, he was, in 1869, elected district attorney of the mayor's court of Scranton. From 1872 to 1874 he represented Luzerne, Monroe and Pike counties as state senator. In 1874 he was elected a representative in the congress of the United States for the eleventh district, composed of the counties


906


FRANCIS EDGAR LOOMIS.


of Carbon, Columbia, Montour, Monroe, Pike, and a part of Luzerne county. He was re-elected in 1876. In 1879 he was a candidate for president judge of Lackawanna county on the democratic ticket, but was defeated by Alfred Hand, republican. In 1888 he was the democratic candidate for congress in the twelfth congressional district, but was defeated by Joseph A. Scranton, republican. Mr. Collins resides in Dunmore, but has an office in Scranton.


FRANCIS EDGAR LOOMIS.


Francis Edgar Loomis, who was admitted to the Luzerne county bar February 20, 1867, is a descendant of Joseph Loomis, who emigrated to this country from Braintree, Essex county, Eng- land, arriving in this country July 17, 1638. Deacon John Loomis, son of Joseph Loomis, was born in England in 1622, came to this country with his father, and died in Windsor, Conn., September 1, 1668. Thomas Loomis, son of Deacon John Loomis, was born December 3, 1653. He died August 12, 1688. John Loomis, of Lebanon, son of Thomas Loomis, of Hatfield, Mass., was born July 1, 1681. His first wife was Martha Osborn, whom he married October 30, 1706. His second wife was Ann Lyman, whom he married September 30, 1725. Timothy Loomis, of Lebanon, son of John Loomis, was born August 24, 1718. He died June 20, 1785. Elisha Loomis, son of Timothy Loomis, was born in 1748, and died February 7, 1820. Eldad Loomis, of Coventry, Conn., son of Elisha Loomis, was born in 1785. He married Fanny Jeffers, and died October 23, 1833. Elisha Nelson Loomis, M. D., son of Eldad Loomis, was born in Coventry, Conn., June 21, 1809. His wife was Rowena Loomis, a native of Harford, Susquehanna county, Pa. She was a daughter of Major Laban Capron, the first postmaster of Harford. (For further particulars concerning the Loomis family see page 771.)


F. E. Loomis is the son of Elisha Nelson Loomis M. D. He was born at Harford, Susquehanna county, Pa., February 7,


ยท


907


FRANCIS EDGAR LOOMIS.


1834. F. E. Loomis was educated at the Harford University ( formerly Franklin Academy ), and read law with William Jessup and William H. Jessup, Montrose, Pa., and was admitted to the Susquehanna county bar April 17, 1863. He has practiced and resided at Montrose, Scranton and Rockford, Ill. He was a journalist until he was twenty-nine years of age, and was one of the editors of the Montrose Republican in 1858-9. He was also a newspaper correspondent and reporter at Chicago, when Presi- dent Lincoln was nominated, and was connected with the Rock- ford (Ill.) Republican and Janesville (Wis.) Gazette. He was also a writer of serials, stories, sketches, &c., under the name of "Ned Lopez." Mr. Loomis has been twice married-first, July 4, 1857, to Fannie May Lord, a daughter of John Lord, a native of Wood- stock, Vt., and his wife, Maria Lord, a native of Limestone, New London, Conn. He was the son of Josiah Lord and Polly Lord, (nee Mack), of Limestone. He was married a second time, March 14, 1873, to Rebecca VanFleet, a daughter of Alva VanFleet, a native of Pittston, where he was born, February 1, 1810. He was the son of James VanFleet, a native of Orange county, N. Y., where he was born February 9, 1786. Mr. Loomis has had seven children, six of whom are now living. His eldest son, Arthur Benton Loomis, is married to Ella Bentley, of Binghamton, N. Y., and his eldest daughter, Hattie M. Loomis, is married to Edward D. Lathrop, of Carbondale, Pa, Mr. Loomis has resided for many years in Scranton, Pa. He is a member of the Universalist church, and is now a deacon and trustee in the same. He is president of the Susquehanna association of churches, compris- ing Lackawanna, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties. He has been general superintendent of Sabbath schools in said associa- tion, and frequently a delegate to the state conventions of the said church. He was three times a delegate from Pennsylvania to the general convention of the Universalist churches of the United States and Canada.


Mr. Loomis is in politics a zealous republican and was one of the first democratic young men in Susquehanna county to enter the organization, casting his first presidential vote in 1856 for Fre- mont. After building up an extensive practice his health failed him in 1874, the result of a serious railroad accident and over


908


CHARLES HOPKINS WELLES.


work. Since then he has had to give up active practice at the bar and now gives his principal attention to the loaning of money, collections, and sales of real estate. He has been an alderman of the city of Scranton, and in 1882 was a candidate for the state legislature in Lackawanna county, but was defeated by his demo- cratic competitor.


DANIEL HANNAH.


Daniel Hannah, who was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., February 21, 1867, is a native of Harford, Susquehanna county, Pa., where he was born January 21, 1838. He is the son of Archibald Hannah, born in 1793, and Mary Leslie, born in 1803, both of whom were from county Antrim, Ireland. He married, February 2, 1879, Lizzie A. Little, daughter of Levi P. Little, of Scranton. She died December 3, 1874. They had no children. Mr. Hannah married a second time, September 25, 1876, Rosalia Watson, a daughter of Walter Watson, born near Cold Spring, N. Y. Her mother was Candace Hammond, a descendant of Samuel Hammond, who removed to New Milford, Susquehanna county, Pa., in 1819, from Cheshire county, New Hampshire. His son, Lieutenant Colonel Asa Hammond, the grandfather of Mrs. Hannah, is in his ninety-fifth year, and is the oldest inhabitant in Susquehanna county. Mr. and Mrs. Hannah have no children. Mr. Hannah was educated at the Montrose, Pa., normal school and at the Millersville, Pa., normal school. He followed teaching in his young manhood, and then read law with Daniel S. Dickinson, at Binghamton, N. Y., where he was admitted May 10, 1865. He removed to Scranton in the follow- ing year, where he practiced until 1883. He now resides at New Milford, Pa.


CHARLES HOPKINS WELLES.


Charles Hopkins Welles, who was admitted to the bar of Lu- zerne county, Pa., March 2, 1867, is a descendant of Governor


909 .


CHARLES HOPKINS WELLES.


Thomas Welles, who was born in Essex county, England (see page 660), in 1598. The descent of C. H. Welles is through Samuel Welles, born in Essex county, England, about 1630, fifth child of Governor Welles; Samuel Welles, born in Wethersfield Conn., and removed to Glastonbury, Conn., first child of Samuel Welles; Hon. Thomas Welles, born in Glastonbury, fourth child of Samuel Welles ; John Welles, born in Glastonbury, Conn., son of Hon. Thomas Welles, and Hon. Ashbel Welles, son of John Welles. Ashbel Welles was born in Glastonbury, Conn., April 27, 1763, and died at Binghamton, N. Y., April 4, 1809. Charles H. Welles, son of Ashbel Welles, was born in Hartford, Conn., July 6, 1795, and died at Dundaff, Pa., March 26, 1852. He married, at Wyoming, Pa., February 12, 1824, Sarah, daughter of Fisher Gay, a native of Sharon, Conn, where he was born May 6, 1778. He was the son of Colonel Ebenezer Gay, a native of Litchfield, Conn., where he was born December 26, 1725. His second wife, the mother of Fisher Gay, whom he married Novem- ber 21, 1765, was Elizabeth Fairbanks. He died July 16, 1787. and his wife died December 8, 1827. Fisher Gay married, Feb- ruary 8, 1801, Elizabeth Mygett, of Amenia, Dutchess county, N. Y. He moved to Wyoming valley May 10, 1807, and settled on the farm where the Wyoming monument now stands, and lived there until his death, July 3, 1857. He gave the land where the monument stands, and was instrumental in its erection. His second wife, by whom he had no children, was Susanna Oster- hout, widow of Isaac Osterhout, mother of Isaac S. Osterhout, founder of the Osterhout Free Library in this city. Her maiden name was Susanna Smith, daughter of William Hooker Smith, M. D.


Charles H. Welles, son of Charles H. Welles, was born at Dundaff April 16, 1845. He was educated in his native village and at the Luzerne Institute, Wyoming, Pa. He read law with Samuel Sherrerd, Sherrerd & Hand, and Hand & Post. In 1869 he was elected clerk of the mayor's court of Scranton for a term of three years. He was one of the organizers of the Second Presbyterian church of Scranton, Pa., and is one of the elders of the same. He has also been one of the board of trustees in the same church. Mr. Welles married, October 20, 1869,


910


SAMUEL F. McDORMOTT.


.


Hannah B. Sherrerd, a daughter of John B. Sherrerd, M. D., of Scranton. (See sketch of Samuel Sherrerd.) Dr. Sherrerd was a brother of the late Samuel Sherrerd, of the Luzerne county bar. The wife of Dr. Sherrerd was Lucy M. Walters, of Nazareth, Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Welles have a family of four children-Lucy Sher- rerd Welles, Charles Hopkins Welles, Paul Bessel Welles, and Kenneth Brakely Welles. Mr. Welles resides in Scranton.


SAMUEL F. McDORMOTT.


Samuel F. McDormott, who was admitted to the bar of Lu- zerne county April 4, 1867, is a native of Espy, Columbia county, Pa., where he was born December 24, 1842. He is the son of James McDormott, who was the son of Michael McDormott, a native of Longford county, Ireland, who came to the United States after the suppression of the Irish rebellion in 1798. His mother is Ann, a daughter of Joseph and Catharine Shafer (nee Mower), of Hanover township, Luzerne county, Pa. Their parents were from Germany and settled in Northampton county, Pa., at or before the revolutionary war. The wife of Michael Mc- Dormott was Sarah Engle, daughter of Jacob and Catherine Engle, whose parents came to the United States from Germany and settled at Easton, Pa., about the close of the revolutionary war. S. F. McDormott was educated in the public schools of Wilkes-Barre and at Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, Pa. He read law with D. L. Rhone. He practiced from the date of his admission at Wilkes-Barre to the spring of 1873, from that time to February, 1880, at Spottsylvania Court House, Virginia, and since that date at Coffeyville, Kansas, where he now resides. He married, July 2, 1877, Catharine Tobin, a native of Wayne county, Pa. Her parents, John and Julia Tobin, were natives of the county Cork, Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. McDormott have one child-Richard Henry McDormott.


5


ORLANDO WELLINGTON SPRATT.


911


JEREMIAH D. REGAN.


Jeremiah D. Regan, who was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county August 19, 1867, is a native of Canaan, Wayne county, Pa., where he was born May 4, 1835. He studied science in the University of Northern Pennsylvania, Bethany, Pa., and after- wards studied the languages, and was professor of mathematics in St. Joseph's college, Susquehanna county, Pa. He studied law with his brother, Michael Regan, in this city, and has practiced here and at Scranton. His father, Michael Regan, and his mother, Catharine Regan, (nee Tobin), were born in Ireland. Mr. Regan married, January 1, 1867, Mary North, whose parents, Thomas North and Bridget North, (nee Mulligan), were also born in Ire- land. Mr. and Mrs. Regan have a family of three children- Frederick Regan, Ella Regan and Mary Regan.


ORLANDO WELLINGTON SPRATT.


Orlando Wellington Spratt, who was admitted to the Luzerne county bar October 30, 1867, is a native of Towanda, Pa., where he was born April 22, 1841. He is the son of Rev. George M. Spratt, D. D., a native of Quebec, Canada, and grandson of Rev. George Spratt, a native of England. The mother of O. W. Spratt is Abigail Reed, a daughter of Matthias Reed, a native of North- umberland county, Pa. O. W. Spratt was educated at the Buck- nell University, Lewisburg, Pa., from which he graduated in 1861, and the Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1866. He read law with George F. Miller, at Lewisburg, and was admit- ted to the Union county bar in 1863. Mr. Spratt was the busi- ness manager of the New York house of the American Baptist Publication Society from 1881-83. Since then he has been in charge of the business of the main house in Philadelphia, where he resides, and of the branch houses located in Boston, Chicago, New York, St. Louis and Atlanta. He married, August 30, 1882, Dora E. Watrous, a daughter of Rev. G. P. Watrous, a


1


912


IRA HALE BURNS.


native of Connecticut. Her mother, Prudence M. Knapp Wat- rous, was a native of New York state. Her grandfather, Pomeroy Watrous, and grandmother, Ethelinda Hurd Watrous, were born in Connecticut. Her grandfather, Alfred Metcalf Knapp, was born in Vermont, and her grandmother, Sallie Hart Knapp, was born in the state of New York.


IRA HALE BURNS.


Ira Hale Burns, who was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., January 21, 1868, is a native of Clifford, Susque- hanna county, Pa., where he was born July 19, 1842. His grand- father came from the north of Ireland, and was of Scotch descent. Jonathan Burns, known as Captain Burns, came from Otsego county, N. Y., about 1800, in company with his brother, David Burns. He located at first near the site of Dundaff, Susquehanna county, Pa., but in 1802 he removed to the east branch of the Tunkhannock, near the mouth of the creek that bears his name. Captain Burns was a strong, athletic man. He was fond of all active sports, and hunted a great deal for profit as well as pleasure. It was easier to lay in a store of bear meat or venison than to procure and fatten hogs. At one time, late in the fall of the year, he went out hunting on the Lackawanna mountains, south of where Carbondale now stands. While busily engaged in securing game to supply the family larder, the Lackawanna had become so swollen with rain as to be impassable. The weather had changed from the mildness of " Indian summer" to piercing cold. His tow frock was almost frozen to his body. His companion had become so discouraged that he sat down and declared he could go no further. Burns cut a whip and applied it with such vigor to his back that he was stimulated to renewed exertions. They built a fire on the bank of the river, and the next morning the water had so far subsided that they laid felled trees across the stream and went over safely. Burns then carried eighty pounds of bear meat and a rifle weighing twenty pounds a distance of twelve miles without laying them off his shoulder. At


913


1 JOHN MCGINNES RANCK.


one time he carried two bushels of wheat to the mill at Belmont, a distance of ten miles, and the flour in returning, and stopped but once each way to rest. Captain Burns had seven sons, the youngest, Ellery Burns, being the father of I. H. Burns. The wife of Ellery Burns was Harriet Clawson, a native of Newburg, N. Y., daughter of Benjamin Clawson.




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