USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Families of the Wyoming Valley: biographical, genealogical and historical. Sketches of the bench and bar of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, vol. III > Part 14
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1184
FREDERICK M. CRANE.
JOHN TRIMBLE ROBINSON.
John Trimble Robinson, who was admitted to the bar of Lu- zerne county, Pa., April 4, 1838, was a descendant of William Robinson, of Massachusetts, who had a son Samuel Robinson, who had a son Rev. John Robinson, of Duxbury, Massachu- setts, who had a son John Robinson, who had a son Samuel Robinson, who had a son John W. Robinson, of Wilkes-Barre, whose wife was Ann Butler, whom he married January 12, 1808, daughter of Zebulon Butler by his third wife, Phoebe Haight. The other children by this wife were Lydia Griffin and Steuben Butler. (See page 326.) Faith Robinson, who was a daughter of Rev: John Robinson, married Jonathan Trumbull and had among other children Mary, wife of William Williams, one of the signers of the declaration of independence. John W. Rob- inson died in Wilkes-Barre in 1840, aged sixty-two years. John Trimble Robinson, son of John W. Robinson and Ann But- ler Robinson, was born in Wilkes-Barre December 30, 1814. He was educated in this city and read law with John N. Conyngham and Hendrick B. Wright. He died unmarried August 28, 1848. He was a brother-in-law of Hendrick Bradley Wright, whose wife was Mary Ann Bradley Robinson.
FREDERICK M. CRANE.
Frederick M. Crane, who was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., April 4, 1838, was born in Salisbury, Connecticut, in 1815. He practiced in this county, principally at Carbondale, until 1844, when he removed to Honesdale, Pa. In 1843 he was postmaster of Carbondale. In 1854 and 1862 he represented Wayne county in the legislature of the state. He died at Hones- dale January 8, 1877.
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1185
WILLIAM JESSUP.
WILLIAM JESSUP.
William Jessup, who was commissioned president judge of the eleventh judicial district of Pennsylvania April 7, 1838, succeeded Judge Scott. He presided here from April term, 1838, to January term, 1841, inclusive, when an exchange was effected between him and Judge Conyngham, as follows : In 1839 Judge Conyng- ham had been commissioned president judge of the thirteenth district, consisting of the counties of Bradford, Susquehanna and Tioga. By sections five and six of the act of April 13, 1840, it was provided that after the first day of the next April Luzerne county should be attached to the thirteenth district, and Susque- hanna county should be attached to the eleventh district, and the courts of the respective counties should be presided over by their local judges and the president judges of the respective districts. Thus Luzerne county was transferred to the district presided over by Judge Conyngham. By virtue of this legislative exchange of counties Judge Conyngham continued to preside in the courts of Luzerne from April term, 1841, to January term, 1849, inclu- sive, when his commission expired, February 27, 1849. By act of April 5, 1849, several changes in the judicial districts were made, and Luzerne, together. with Wyoming county, which had been erected out of it, was united with Susquehanna in forming the eleventh district, of which Judge Jessup was president judge. He again presided over the courts of Luzerne from April term, 1849, until November term, 1851, inclusive.
William Jessup was born at Southampton, L. I., June 21, 1797, and graduated from Yale College in 1815. He was a descendant of John Jessup, who is said to have come to Massachusetts in 1620; in 1637 he was in Hartford, Conn .; then, before 1640, of Weth- ersfield, from which he was one of the first settlers of Stamford in 1640 ; and thence, as early as 1649, of Southampton, L. I., New York. The cane carried by this early Puritan is now in the possession of ex-judge Jessup, of Montrose, Pa., his descendant. He had a son, John Jessup, of Oldtown, who married, June 16, 1669, who had a son, Henry Jessup, born March 12, 1681 ; died
1186
WILLIAM JESSUP.
iu 1736. His wife's name was Bethia. He had a son, Deacon Thomas Jessup, born February 28, 1721, and died May 20, 1809. He had a son, Major Zebulon Jessup, born September 15, 1755, and died June 8, 1822. He married, December 6, 1780, Zerviah Huntting, daughter of Samuel Huntting, a merchant of South- ampton. They Were the parents of William Jessup. Mrs. Zebulon Jessup died May 25, 1835. She was a descendant of Elder John Huntting, who resided in the east of England, probably in the county of Norfolk. He came to this country in August, 1638, and when the Rev. John Allen was ordained minister of the gos- pel in Denham, Mass., John Huntting was at the same time ordained a ruling elder of the church. He was one of the founders of the town of Denham. He died April 12, 1682. His wife was Esther Seaborn. He had a son, John Huntting, born in England, whose wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Payne, of Ded- ham. He had z son, Rev. Nathaniel Huntting, born November 15, 1675, and died September 21, 1753. He was a graduate of Harvard College, and from 1696 to the time of his death the faithful and laborious minister in East Hampton. He had a son, Samuel Huntting, born 1710, who was the father of Samuel Hunt- ting, the father of Mrs. Jessup. Samuel Huntting was twice married, his first wife being Mary Gardiner ; his second wife, the mother of Mrs. Jessup, was Zerviah Rhodes.
William Jessup removed to Montrose in 1818, and entered the law office of A. H. Read. The following winter he taught the first term of the academy in that place. He was admitted to the Susquehanna county bar February 2, 1820, and at once entered vigorously into the profession, and success attended him. Added to the labors of the office were those of register of wills and recorder of deeds, appointments conferred upon him by Governors Shultze and Wolf from January, 1824, to 1833. He declined a reappointment in the latter year. During this period in the his- tory of Judge Jessup, and for the ten years ensuing, he was a man of note throughout northern Pennsylvania. He stood at the head of his profession; he was engaged in every case of importance in his own and the adjoining counties, and having a military turn of mind, he took great pride and pleasure in having his regiment, of which he was colonel, better drilled and disciplined than any
1187
WILLIAM JESSUP.
other in the division. The name of Colonel Jessup was intimately known throughout this part of the state. He was a good judge, a spirited soldier, and a zealous and successful advocate. In 1851 Judge Jessup received the nomination of his party for the su- preme bench, but was not elected. After this he resumed the practice of his profession, and continued in it, laboring inces- santly, until disease lald him prostrate, and he was thus com- pelled to relinquish a profession which he had dignified and ennobled by a long life of unimpeachable integrity and an hon- esty of purpose. No client had cause of complaint for lack of industry and thorough preparation, of ability in management, or of personal or professional integrity ; nor could his opponent, in the person of party or counsel, make accusations of deception or un- gentlemanly practices. As a lawyer he had few equals, and very few superiors. Possessing a strong and a well-balanced judgment, and his memory fresh and overflowing with all the leading cases, with a strong physical frame, he possessed all the necessary ele- ments for thorough preparation, and he had the power of endur- ance, and, coupled with this, good oratorical qualifications. The late Christopher L. Ward, of Towanda, and, by the way, good authority, says of the judge that "his style of oratory at the bar was perspicuous, flowing, and strongly impressive. One of his most brilliant forensic triumphs may be reckoned his defence of the Rev. Albert Barnes, of Philadelphia, upon the charge of heresy before the general assembly of the Presbyterian church. In his character or position as a judge, he was remarkable for clearness and readiness upon any subject within the range of the profession, and for a prompt and proper dispatch of business. The bar in both districts where he presided was admitted to be equal in point of character and intelligence to any other in the interior of .
the state, and with scarcely an exception Judge Jessup com-
manded not only their respect for his learning and impartiality, as exhibited on the bench, but also their affection and esteem in the highest degree, as a man and a christian." These words, written many years ago, and by one who knew him well and intimately, are truthful and to the point. There was a peculiarity in one or two personal characteristics in him as a judge. No official entrusted with the power of a judge of the Court of Com-
1188
WILLIAM JESSUP.
mon Pleas of this state ever held the balances with a deeper set- tled conviction to administer the law with purity and impartiality. There was no taint of bad faith ; there was not the shadow of a shade of it. If there was any defect in his decisions, it was be- cause he relied more on his own judgment than the decision precedent-like Scott in this particular, and very unlike Conyng- ham, who would follow the precedent, though in conflict with his own judgment. "Stare decisis" is all well enough, till some organic cause makes the necessity of change. And when that change becomes necessary, one man may do it as well as the seven. Judge Jessup was the one to do this. Upon the bench his unre- laxed features gave no clue to the working mind within. To counsel it is painful that he cannot read in the judicial face some index to the judicial mind. It could not be traced here. He had a way of tearing slips of paper from his notes, and chewing them rapidly, when his mind was in labor, but this only showed mental agitation ; it gave no clue to the inside work, and coun- sel on both sides did not know the drift of the matter till it came in well-measured and strong utterances to the jury. Then there was no mistaking the character of the legal current, and there was this grand and consoling reflection, and which all lawyers can well appreciate, as well as endorse, that a cause that ought to be won was never lost under his administration of the law. Nor was there the least flinching from putting down the record of the charge that would prevent a higher court from having ample means to know what had been done below. He was an upright and learned judge ; a fit compeer of his cotemporaries, Scott and Conyngham ; and taking the three together, without dispar- ' agement to others, they may be severally classed as brilliant examples of judicial life. As to his every-day life, one related to him by family ties has truthfully said : "In his social and religious life he won the affection of the good and upright. His religious convictions were deep, and gave a charm to his intercourse with his fellow-men. He was affable and courteous in his bearing to the humblest of his acquaintances." The temperance movement, the interests of the oppressed, the cause of education, and the advancement of agriculture, received his early and continued hearty cooperation. He joined the Presbyterian church of Mont-
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II89
WILLIAM JESSUP.
rose September 3, 1826, and was ordained a ruling elder of the same August 2, 1829. He was widely known and highly hon- ored throughout the Presbyterian church, but nowhere did his christian character shine with greater lustre than among those who knew him best. He became vice president of the A. B. C. F. M., and cheerfully gave up two sons as foreign missionaries- Rev. Henry Harris Jessup, D. D., and Rev. Samuel Jessup, who have long been connected with American missions in Syria. In early life Judge Jessup was a democrat. In the conflict between Jackson and Adams he took sides with Henry Clay and remained- a whig. When that party assumed the name of Republican he went there. On the breaking out of the late civil war he was appointed by the governor of this state on a committee, in con- junction with a committee appointed on the part of Ohio and New York, to assure President Lincoln of the support of the people in suppressing it. This was the last of his official acts. Not long after this he was attacked by paralysis, from which he never recovered. He died at Montrose September 11, 1868. He married, July 4, 1820, Amanda Harris, of Southampton. She was a descendant of George Harris, who is first mentioned in the list of 1657 with the residents of North Sea, Southampton, L. I. He had a son George, who had a son Henry, who had a son Henry, whose daughter Amanda married William Jessup. Mr. and Mrs. Jessup left a family of ten children-Jane R., now deceased, wife of Colonel J. B. Salisbury, of New York; Mary S., wife of F. B. Chandler, of Montrose; Harriet A., wife of Isaac L. Post, of Scranton ; William H. Jessup, of Montrose (W. H. Jessup is a member of the law firm of Jessups & Hand, of Scranton, consist- ing of himself, his son, W. H. Jessup, Jr., and Horace E. Hand, his nephew. He also practices in Montrose in connection with his brother, Huntting C. Jessup. In 1878 W. H. Jessup was ap- pointed president judge of Susquehanna county, to succeed F. B. Streeter, deceased. In the election following Judge Jessup was the republican candidate, but was defeated by J. B. McCollum, democrat and greenback candidate.) Rev. Henry H. Jessup, D. D., a missionary at Beirut, Syria, since 1856; Rev. Samuel Jessup, a missionary at Beirut since 1862; Fanny M. Jessup, of Mont- rose ; George A. Jessup, of Scranton; Phoebe A., wife of Alfred
1190
GEORGE H. WELLS.
Hand, of Scranton (she is now deceased); Huntting C. Jessup, of Montrose, a law partner of W. H. Jessup. W. H. Jessup, Rev. Henry H. Jessup and Huntting C. Jessup are graduates of Yale college. Rev. Samuel Jessup entered Yale, but left before grad- uation ; he received the degree of M. A. with his class. 1
HARRISON WRIGHT.
Harrison Wright was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa, November 6, 1838. (For a sketch of his life and family see article headed Harrison Wright).
CYRENUS M. SMITH.
Cyrenus M. Smith was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., August 6, 1839. His wife was Eliza Gay, daughter of Fisher Gay, of Wyoming, Pa. He left four children-one son and three daughters.
GEORGE H. WELLS.
George H. Wells was admitted to the Luzerne county, Pa., bar January 6, 1840. He subsequently removed to Susquehanna county, Pa., and represented that county in the legislature of the state in 1863 and 1864.
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CHARLES DENISON.
WILLIAM E. LITTLE.
William E. Little was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., August 4, 1840. He was a native of Delaware county, N. Y., where he was born in 1818. He read law with Andrew T. McClintock, in this city. He removed from Wilkes-Barre to Joliet, Ill., where he practiced until his death, a few years since.
CHARLES DENISON.
Charles Denison, who was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., August 13, 1849, was a grandson of Colonel Nathan Denison. (See page 1088.) Lazarus Denison, son of Colonel Denison, was born in Kingston, Pa., December 5, 1773, and died there March 15, 1841. He is said to be the first white child born in Wyoming. His wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Hon. Benja- min Carpenter, whom he married February 14, 1802. (See page 1047.) Charles Denison, son of Lazarus Denison, was born in Kingston January 23, 1816. He was educated at Dickinson col- lege, Carlisle, Pa., from which he graduated in the class of 1838. He read law in this city with George W. Woodward. He was in continual practice in Wilkes-Barre from the time of his admis- sion until 1863. From the latter year until his death, June 27, 1867, he represented this county in the congress' of the United States. He married, May 7, 1845, Ellen E. Hulings, of Nor- folk, Va. In the proceedings of the United States senate, when Mr. Denison's death was communicated, Hon. Charles R. Buck- alew said :
"He was able to concentrate upon himself a large measure of popular favor, and possessed some marked qualities of mind and character for commanding it. His will was firm; his industry constant ; his temper steady, though sometimes pronounced, and his courage unquestionable. He was of the men who pursue an
1192
CHARLES DENISON.
object in private life with perseverance and zeal, and who, when placed in public stations, do not bend before the pressure of the times. But tenacity of purpose, resolute courage, and fidelity to conviction, important as they are to success in such a career as his, are not alone sufficient to secure it. He possessed, in addi- tion, a sound judgment, a sense and love of humor, and fidelity to associates|and friends. Hence he was able more perfectly to combine the elements of success as a professional and public man ; to win and hold and use the confidence and attachment of client and voter.
"Mr. Denison's political convictions were extremely ardent and uncompromising. What he said in the house of representatives, and his votes there, mark this trait of his character distinctly. It was never doubted that his political convictions were sincere, and he always gave them unflinching support." -
General Simon Cameron said in the same proceedings :
"I knew Mr. Denison very slightly. I knew his family well. He was born in the far-famed valley of Wyoming, perhaps the most beautiful part of Pennsylvania, if it is not of the United States. That valley was settled by some of the most intelligent people who came into Pennsylvania ; certainly by the most heroic and gallant and patriotic men that ever lived in any portion of this country. The earlier settlers were from New England. They came there at an early day ; they came when the bounda- ries of the state were not sufficiently known, and remained there a long time before their titles were properly settled. During the revolution the settlers were active in support of the cause of the country. After the revolution they were harassed by such troubles as the people of no other part of Pennsylvania were subjected to. They had great trouble about their titles, and they had to contend with a long series of Indian invasions and massa- cres of the most cruel kind. On one occasion nearly all the people had taken refuge in a block house, but were by some means surrounded and destroyed. In after years George Deni- son, the uncle of this gentleman, served several years in congress, and after having been in congress he served in our state legisla- ture. He was a man known to everybody in Pennsylvania for his very high order of talents and for his very great integrity. No public man has ever lived in Pennsylvania who has made such a record for these two great qualities as George Denison, and no man, public or private, in his day did more by his servi- ces in the legislature to develop the region which gave him birth.
"The people of that valley, from their earliest history, paid more attention to the cultivation of their intellects and their manners
1193
CHARLES DENISON.
than any other portion of our people. The first schools of any importance established in the state were in the valley of Wyom- ing ; and in consequence of this the immediate descendants of the earlier settlers were people of culture, far advanced above other portions of our people. It is, besides, a section of country most highly favored by nature. The valley itself, in its agricul- tural luxuriance, is equal to any part of the far-famed valley of the Mississippi. Every rood of it is cultivatable soil, and below the surface the earth abounds in as fine mineral coal as can be found in any other part of the world. There is no equal amount of territory so rich in soil and minerals as the valley of Wyom- ing. It was there that Mr. Denison was born, and there lived and died his ancestors. It was there that his associations were made. He could, therefore, hardly fail to have been a man of marked ability and marked culture.
"He and I did not agree in political sentiment, but his uncle and myself did. I have always believed him to be not only a man of talent and culture, but. a man of entire honesty and of the most pure life and high-toned sentiments. I knew, also, very well the family from which his wife sprang. They, also, were people who took part in the revolution and all the struggles of this country ; but they resided in a different part of the state. I offer to his wife and children my most sincere sympathy for the loss of their husband and father."
In the house of representatives of the United States Hon. S. J. Randall said :
"It was my privilege to be his associate in the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth congresses, and he was also present at the first ses- sion of the present congress in March.
"An acquaintance and association with him soon ripened into a regard and friendship, for I was not long in finding out his noble traits of character.
"As a legislator he was able, intelligent, and pure ; as a citizen, of patriotic motives and unyielding and unbending purpose and intent; as a friend he was true ; as husband and father he was affectionate and was beloved. In a word, he was a good man ; so lived and so died.
"In the public councils he commanded unbounded respect, and at his home his three elections to this house indicate in what esteem he was held. His example should not be without its lesson. A public man who can yield this life with such a name to live after him as Charles Denison may indeed be imitated."
Mrs. Denison died in this city in 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Deni- son left a family of four children-Charles Denison, of New York ;
1194
EDWARD EMMELIUS LE CLERC.
Elizabeth Brett, wife of the late George Henry Brett, Isle of Wight, England ; Maria Denison, Isle of Wight; and Mary, wife of Richard Winslow, formerly of Cleveland, Ohio, now resid- ing in France.
EDWARD EMMELIUS LE CLERC.
Edward Emmelius Le Clerc, who was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., November 3, 1840, was a native of Philadel- phia, Pa., where he was born August 19, 1819. He was the eldest son of Joseph Philip Le Clerc and Rachel Manning Cut- ter, of New York. J. P. Le Clerc was postmaster of the borough of Wilkes-Barre from 1843 to 1845. His grandfather was Joseph P. Le Clerc, a native of France. He was a brother of General Le Clerc, who married Pauline Bonaparte. His father was pres- ident of Metz under the first empire. The family residence of the father of E. E. Le Clerc was at the northeast corner of Union and Franklin streets. After graduating from Dickinson college he studied law in this city with his brother-in-law, Jonathan J. Slocum. Soon after his admission to the bar war was declared against Mexico, and in a short time thereafter two regiments of volunteers were called for as Pennsylvania's quota for the con- quest of our sister republic. The Wilkes-Barre company, under Captain Dana, at once offered its service, and was accepted. Le Clerc was anxious to join the army under General Scott, and being offered the position of lieutenant in a company being en- listed in Columbia county, entered the service and participated in nearly every engagement from the taking of Vera Cruz to the final assault on Chapultapec and the national capital. He was also an honorary aid to General Scott. He returned with the soldiers when the war was over, but broken in health, and, pos- sessing but a delicate constitution, did not long survive the many hardships he had endured while in the service. He died at Mount Airy, Philadelphia, August 11, 1847. He was an unmarried man. He was a poet of considerable ability, and many of his fugitive pieces have been going around the press for many years.
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1195
MORRISON ELIJAH JACKSON.
AMZI WILSON.
Amzi Wilson was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., November 7, 1840. He was a native of Pittston, where he was born December 17, 1795. He was a son of Isaac Wilson and grandson of Joseph Wilson. (See page 914.) He resided in Carbondale, Pa., the greater part of his life. In 1837 he was one of the school directors of Carbondale. In 1832 he established the Northern Pennsylvanian newspaper in Dundaff, Pa., and in December of the same year removed the establishment to Car- bondale. His was the first newspaper published in that city. In 1837 he sold the paper to William Bolton. He was an alder- man of the city of Carbondale for many years. He married, July 3, 1827, Lena Wetherly ; on February 5, 1837, Esther Wetherly. They were the daughters of Nathaniel Wetherly and his wife, Susanna Hubbard, of Scott township, Luzerne (now Lackawanna) county. On April 24, 1850 he married his third wife, Louisa Ayres, of Carbondale. Eight children survived Mr. Wilson-Julian N., Roderick, Henrietta, Josephine, Flora, wife of George H. Squier; Roscoe, Jarvis K., and Angie L., wife of William Geary. Mr. Wilson died in Carbondale May 27, 1872.
MORRISON ELIJAH JACKSON.
Morrison Elijah Jackson, who was admitted to the bar of Lu- zerne county, Pa., January 5, 1841, was a native of Berwick, Pa., where he was born February 10, 1817. The father of M. E. Jackson was Joel C. Jackson, who was born February 4, 1796, at Goshen, N. Y. The name of his wife was Eliza- beth Doane, a daughter of Benjamin Doane, of Chester coun- ty, Pa., who emigrated to Columbia county in the latter part of the last century, settled at Berwick, and followed his trade, that of a tailor, until his death in 1845. M. E. Jackson was educated in the schools of his native place, and read law with
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