Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II, Part 22

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin, 1837-1917; Hand, Alfred, 1835-; Jordan, John W. (John Woolf), 1840-1921; Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1026

USA > Pennsylvania > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 22
USA > Wyoming > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 22

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).

In the maternal line Mr. Lansing's American ancestry antedates the paternal line, and its rec- ord is replete with patriotic deeds. Almira Smith (Cornwall) Lansing was descended from Will- iam Cornwall, a native of England, who emi- grated to America early in the seventeenth cen- tury. William Cornwall and his wife, Joan (maiden name unknown) joined the church in Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1633. In May of the same year William Cornwall was one of the seventy-seven soldiers ( forty-eight of whom were from Hartford and vicinity) who nearly extermi-

nated the Pequot Indians in their fort at Mystic, Connecticut. Shortly after 1637 (probably in 1638) he settled in Hartford, his name standing. third in the list of inhabitants, and in February, 1639. is found on the records as sergeant-at- arms. In 1650 or 1651 he removed to Middle- town, fifteen miles below Hartford, where he owned a large tract of land, about twelve hundred acres. He was a representative from Middle- town in the colonial legislature in 1654, 1664. and 1665, and in 1664 was also constable. He chied in Middletown, February 21, 1678. His son John was a sergeant in the militia at Mid- dletown, Connecticut. Benjamin, son of Jolin, born in 1688, died in 1754, was one of fourteen volunteers who went from Middletown in 1707 in the expedition against Canada ; it is recorded. that he left an estate appraised at nine thousand pounds. His son Cornelius, born in 1722, was a lieutenant in the militia, and served in the French and Indian war, and participated in the siege of Quebec, under General Wolfe, in 1659. Ashbel, son of Cornelius, was born in Middle- town in 1754. He was a private in the Revolu- tion in 1775, fought in the battle of Bunker Hill, served with Arnold in the expedition against Montreal, and was captain in the War of 1812,. marching with his company from Middletown, Connecticut, to Sackets Harbor, New York. Ashbel, son of Captain Ashbel Cornwall, was born in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1784. and' died in 1868, and was the father of Almira Smith Cornwall, who was born in Broadalbin, New York, and became the wife of William J. Lansing, and the mother of James A. Lansing.

James Albert, son of William J. and Almira. Smith (Cornwall) Lansing, was born in Monta- gue, Lewis county, New York, October 17. 1851. He had the advantage of excellent schools until his thirteenth year, at which early age he entered' upon a self-supporting career, and from this time on his educational opportunities were limited to a few months in the school room at irregular in- tervals. For two years he worked upon a farm,

and then apprenticed himself to a tinsmith, under whom he so thoroughly mastered his trade that

shortly after completing his apprenticeship his- employer proffered him an equal partnership in the business. He elected, however, to travel in the sale of stoves, a pursuit which he followed with a large degree of success. The experience was also of paramount importance in directing him into a line of business in which he was destined to achieve both fortune and distinction, albeit it diverted him from what had been a prev-

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ious ambition, a legal career, for which he had a predilection, and for which he had made some preparation through private reading.

In February, 1882, Mr. Lansing located in Scranton, where he associated with himself Mr. A. C. Fuller, and the two purchased a controlling interest in the Scranton Stove Works. This establishment had been founded as early as 1866 by the Scranton Stove Manufacturing Company, comprising several of the most enterprising citi- zens, the late Colonel J. A. Price, Hon. J. J. Albright, J. Curtis Platt, H. S. Price. J. A. Linen, and Hon. William Connell. After the death of Colonel Price, Mr. Lansing succeeded to the presidency of the company, and has held this position to the present time. During this period a new plant has been built with a capacity of three times the output of the old foundry. The establishment was first located on West Lack- awanna avenue, and in 1892 was removed to its present site, whereon were erected new factories which, with more recent additions, have made the Scranton Stove Works the most extensive ex- clusive stove manufactory in the east, and one of the largest in the world. The grounds are nine acres in area, three and one-half acres being under roof, and four hundred operatives are engaged in the manufacture of the celebrated Dockash stoves and ranges, which reach every part of the United States, and nearly every foreign market open to American commerce.

While giving his first attention to this mam- moth business, which would seemingly tax the energies of any one man, Mr. Lansing extends his activities to various other enterprises which are important factors in the industrial and com- mercial life of his city. He was an original di- rector of the Scranton Bolt and Nut Company : and is now a director in the Groat Knitting Mill, the Foote & Fuller Company ; and the Roberts Supply Company, of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is also a director in the Scranton Savings Bank. He has also borne an active and intelli- gent part in public affairs. For six years he served as a member of the select council, and he has been a member of the sinking fund commis- sion from the time Scranton became a city of the second class, and in thiese relations labored most efficiently in the advancement of municipal inter- ests. The estimation in which he is held as a representative of all that relates to the founda- tions of Scranton's importance is evidenced by his prominence in the board of trade, he having served as president of that body, and identified with its manufacturers' committee for the long period of eighteen years. He has ever been rec-

ognized as one of the most progressive members of the board, and he was one of its principal fig- ures in inaugurating and effecting the enlarge- ment of its powers which has enabled it to ac- complish its most important results in behalf of municipal improvements and the encouragement of new industries and their concomitants. In one conspicuous instance Mr. Lansing and the board of trade accomplished a work which was of nation-wide importance and advantage, and for the successful consummation of which they received many warm commendations from all parts of the country. Mr. Lansing was the ori- ginator of the movement which resulted in the passage by congress of an act providing for the establishment of national banks of issue with a capital of $25,000 in towns of not less than three thousand population. This measure was formu- lated by Mr. Lansing, and was approved and urged by the Scranton board of trade, and was passed by congress in the form in which it eman- ated from the board. As a result, since the enactment of this law more national than private banks have been organized, a significant attesta- tion of the value of the measure in the populari- zation of the national banking system and the ex- tension of its benefits to the smaller towns throughout the entire country and to the people at large. The credit for this widely beneficent legislation is primarily due to Mr. Lansing, who may well take pride in his effort and in the large recognition which has been accorded him there- for.

Mr. Lansing is a Presbyterian in religion, an elder in his church, and superintendent of its Sunday school. He is a cheerful and liberal sup- porter of various benevolent and charitable in- stitutions, and was one of the founders of the Rescue Mission, which he long served in the cap- acity of trustee. His philanthropy has ever been tempered with that wise judgment which seeks such means of relieving the necessitous as will tend to the elevation rather than the degradation of the beneficiary, and he has aided many to hon- orable establishment in life. In politics he is an ardent Republican, and a forceful advocate of the principles and policies of his party, particularly along those lines in which he is broadly informed. finance, commerce, and manufacturing. He is a member of various business and social organiza- tions of the best class, the Manufacturers' Club of Philadelphia ; the Scranton Club, the Country Club, of Scranton : the New England Society of Scranton ; the Pennsylvania Society, Sons of the Revolution, of Philadelphia : and the Holland Society of New York. It is highly commendable

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in him that the three last named stand first of all social organizations in his estimation, de- voted as they are to the preservation of ancestral records, and holding aloft noble examples of true manhood and ideal citizenship. Himself the representative of illustrious forbears who have been identified with every stage of the nation's growth, from its first peopling to the present day, he affords, in his own excellent ideals and in- stincts, an excellent illustration of the really typical American who seeks to raise the stand- ards of citizenship and to elevate the individual and the community to a higher and nobler plane.

Mr. Lansing married, May 8, 1877, Miss Mary Frances Waters, of Copenhagen, New York. She is a daughter of Lyman Twining and Sarah Jane (Shepherd) Waters, both de- scendants of old New England families, and prominently identified with the Revolutionary epoch. To Mr. and Mrs. Lansing has been born one child, Ruth, February 14, 1892.

FRANCIS R. COYNE. No name is more thoroughly identified with the educational inter- ests of Lackawanna county than that of Francis R. Coyne, supervising principal of Old Forge borough schools. Professor Coyne comes of ex- cellent Irish ancestry. His great grandfather, Francis Coyne, was one of those who in 1798 went with the French contingent to assist Napo- leon against England. He lost his life in the conflict.

Francis Coyne, grandson of this brave sol- dier, was born in county Sligo, Ireland, and all his life followed the trade of a mason. After liv- ing for some years in England, he emigrated in 1870 to the United States and settled in Penn- sylvania, making his home in Old Forge. His wife was Catherine Richards, a native of county

Mayo, Ireland, and the following children were born to them: Catherine; Anna; Mary : Francis R., mentioned at length hereinafter ; James ; John ; and Patrick. The three daughters are now deceased. Mrs. Coyne, the excellent mother of these children, died in 1887, at Old Forge, and her husband passed away at the same place in 1896. He was a worthy and intelligent man whose sterling qualities and uprightness of life have been inherited by his children, who are all god citizens of the United States.

Francis R. Coyne, son of Francis and Cath- erine (Richards) Coyne, was born January 5, 1861, in the county of Durham, England, and was nine years of age when brought by his pa- rents to the United States. He received his pre-

paratory education in the public and parochial schools of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, finish- ing his studies under private tutors. In 1881 he was appointed to teach at Old Forge, and has, since been continuously engaged in educational. work. For the last fifteen years he has held his. present position of supervising principal of Old Forge borough schools, having under his charge. and supervision twenty-three schools. The high school building was erected in 1896 and has seven hundred and fifty pupils. The force of teachers. numbers fourteen and is composed of some of the ablest educators in the county. The twenty- three years of Professor Coyne's career as a teacher have been years of great progress, pro- gress which is the result in no small measure of his indefatigable labors. When he began to teach. there were one hundred and eighty-two pupils in the schools of Old Forge borough, and now, with less territory, the total number of pupils is one thousand six hundred. Professor Coyne is an enthusiast in his profession, and in order to fit himself to teach certain branches more thor- oughly took up the studies of chemistry and law. In the former he passed a creditable examination before the state board, and in 1900 established a drug store in Old Forge. In law he was privi- leged to enjoy the instruction of Judge Connelly, of Scranton, and in 1893 passed an examination, but never applied for admission to the bar. Pro- fessor Coyne is a public-spirited citizen, and it was chiefly owing to his exertions that in 1894 a postoffice was established in what is locally called Barbertown, the name of the postoffice be- ing Coyne. He has filled the offices of tax col- lector and justice of the peace, and in 1891 was elected by the votes of his fellow-citizens to rep- resent his district in the state legislature, serving one term. During this period he was one of the supporters of the compulsory education law, and it was through his influence that the educational qualification clause for the holding of the office of mine inspector was inserted in the ventilation law. While a member of the legislative body he was one of the thirteen who were elected to mem- bership in the American Academy of Political and Social Science. In politics he is a Democrat, and in religion a Roman Catholic. Professor Coyne married in 1897, Frances, daughter of Michael and Delia Joyce, and they are the parents of three children : Richard, Frances and Charles. Professor Coyne's library is one of the largest and best-selected in the Lackawanna Valley.

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PROFESSOR F. H. GREENE. The edu- cational interests of a community rest, as a whole, chiefly with the common and high schools. Upon the standard maintained in these institutions de- pends largely the future mental and moral pros- perity of the commonwealth. Lackawanna county is peculiarly fortunate in the character and ability of her educational instructors, and to none of these can she look with a more assured sense of reliance than to Professor F. H. Greene, supervising principal of South Abington high school. Professor Greene is descended on both sides from Pennsylvania stock, and is thus in more than one sense thoroughly identified with the state which is the scene of his labors.

Arnold Greene, a native of Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, married Lydia Tinkham, who was born in Waverly borough, Lackawanna county, and their children were: Dora, who be- came the wife of S. E. Finn ; Lester C .; Nettie, who married F. N. Snyder, and was before her -marriage engaged in teaching ; F. H., mentioned at length hereinafter; and two others who are ·deceased.

F. H. Greene, son of Arnold and Lydia (Tinkham) Greene, was born April 9, 1863, in Clifford, Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, and received his preparatory education in the com- mon schools of his native town. He then en- tered Mansfield State Normal school, from which institution he graduated with honor in 1891, receiving the degree of B. E. He after- ward took a post-graduate course at Bloomsburg State Normal school, supplementing this by a partial course at Bushnell College. He has the legal qualifications for teaching any township high school in the state. Professor Greene's ca- reer as a teacher began in 1883, when he taught his home school at Clifford. In 1884 and 1885 he taught in Jackson, Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, and in the last-named year as well as in 1886 was engaged in teaching at Upsouville, in the same county. In this county he remained for the five years following, teaching first at Royal and then at Uniondale. In the autumn of 1891 he moved to Lackawanna county, where he was engaged in teaching in the following places : from 1891 to 1894 in South Abington ; in 1894 and 1895 at Dalton ; and from 1896 to 1901 again in South Abington. During this period he re- turned for one year to Uniondale, Susquehanna county. In 1901 he engaged in mercantile busi- ness, but abandoned it in 1902, when he returned to his home at Clark's Green, where he now re- :sides. The same year he taught at Lanesboro, Susquehanna county, and in 1904 accepted his

present position of supervising principal of the South Abington high school. Professor Greene is eminently fitted for his office, not only in point of education, but by the possession of that union of force of character, tact, and personal magnet- ism which is necessary to constitute the success- ful educator. In his work he has the invaluable assistance of an admirably equipped and most efficient corps of teachers, and the school is now producing the best results which it has ever ac- complished. Professor Greene is a member of Waverly Lodge, No. 301, F. and A. M., Electric Star Lodge, No. 490, I. O. O. F., the Eastern Star, and W. S. Rogers Encampment, No. 221. He also belongs to Mary Griffin Rebekah, No. 84. Professor Greene married in 1899, Lulu B. Plough, of New York, and one child was born to them who is now deceased. The home of Pro- fessor and Mrs. Greene is one of the educational and social centres of the township, and is a point of attraction for a large circle of warm and de- voted friends.

ARCHIBALD F. LAW. It seldom occurs that remarkable capability for the conduct of large industrial affairs is found in the same indi- vidual, associated with highly cultivated literary tastes and such habits of life as permit of their enjoyment. A marked exception to the general rule is found in the person of Mr. Law, whose business activities extend to numerous of the most important and exacting industrial interests of the Lackawanna Valley, yet who finds abund- ant time for those mental pursuits which find their epitomization in the words of one of the deepest thinkers of old : "My mind to me a kingdom is." Coming from an excellent Scotch ancestry, his character affords evidence of the stock whence he came, and there is even witness to it in his physiognomy, showing, as it does, great strength of character, reserve energy, and, withal, kindli- ness of disposition. He was fortunate in his forbears, both in the land of their origin and in that of their adoption ; there and here they were men of intelligence and conscience, and through several generations their avocations were such . as by laws of heredity led him into his own, and in which he has conquered the largest measure of success.

The Law family is of great antiquity in Scot- land, and its members have adorned high places both at home and abroad, on the bench, in the professions, in military and civil life. That branch from which is descended Mr. Law held the estates of Penbroke prior to 1684, but dur- ing the troublous times preceding the union of

AF Laws

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the English and Scottish crowns these were confiscated. While the far greater part of the Scottish people were content to live the lives of small farmers and shepherds, the Laws in- clined to more active pursuits. John Law, fourth removed ancestor of Mr. Law, took up the call- ing of a mining engineer, and as such served throughout his life in the lead mines at Wan- lockhead, in Scotland. His son Charles followed in his footsteps, and at the same place.

Archibald Law, son of Charles and Ann ( Falconder) Law, was born in Wanlockhead, Scotland, in 1799, and was reared to mining en- gineering. In 1830, when thirty-one years old, he came to the United States, at once locating in the vicinity of Pottsville, Pennsylvania; and soon removed to that place, and subsequently to Car- bondale. At his coming he took employment with the Delaware and Hudson Coal Company in the capacity of mining engineer, and his extended knowledge contributed in very large, perhaps principal degree, to the development of the prop- erties and extension of the business of that cor- poration, a notable instance being the introduction by him (at Carbondale, in 1831, the year follow- ing his coming) of the present method of under- ground mining in place of that then in vogue- the working of coal from the surface, by stripping or quarrying. This momentous innovation was commemorated by a massive monument erected to mark the spot and honor the man, on the oc- casion of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the city of Carbondale. Mr. Law, before coming to the country, had made a close study of the proprieties of anthracite and the methods for its working, and he was recognized as a first authority upon these subjects from the start. Owing to his expert knowledge he was first made inspector of coal, to determine its qualities in combustion, and was also chief mining engineer of the Delaware and Hudson Company His rarely useful life was unduly shortened. In 1836 he suffered an accident from falling roof in the mine, and in 1843 occurred that which perma- nently disabled him, and hastened his death, which occurred six years later, in 1848. He was engaged in making a dangerous inspection of the mine pumps, when a mass of slate roofing fell, severely injuring his spine. He was a man of noble character, liberally educated, a diligent student of general literature as well as of that relating to his profession, and was possessed of a degree of literary ability which would have furnished him creditable occupation had he de- voted himself to that field. His wife, whom he married in Scotland, was Mary Shennan, a

daughter of John Shennan, who came with his family to Greenfield, Pennsylvania, where he passed his life as a farmer until shortly before his death, when he removed to Scranton. The children of Archibald and Mary (Shennan) Law were as follows, the three first named being born in Scotland: I. John S., who was for several years manager of the Dickson Manufacturing Company ; later president of the Miners' Bank of Wilkes-Barre, and at the time of his death presi- dent of the Lackawanna Coal Company ; he lived latterly in New York City, where he was engaged in banking, and died in 1892. 2. Charles, of whom further mention is to be made. 3. Mrs. McMillan. 4. Margaret, now Mrs. Cosgrove, of Pittston. The mother of these children out- lived her husband many years, dying in 1876, at the age of seventy-nine years.

Charles Law, son of Archibald and Mary (Shennan) Law, was born in 1833, in Carbon- dale, Pennsylvania, and was there educated in the public schools. Early in life, at the age of thirteen years, he entered upon an active career as an indentured apprentice to the mercantile business in an establishment conducted by Law & Howell, the senior partner being his elder brother. He was thus engaged for four years, and in 1850 became clerk for Andrew Watt, un- der whom he served until 1854, when he located in Pittston and established a mercantile business under the firm name of Charles Law & Company, which form was subsequently changed to that of Law & Campbell, and with which he was identi- fied as managing partner until 1878. The firm transacted a very extensive business, its trade ex- tending for a distance of seventy miles up the river. After retiring from this business Mr. Law became actively connected with the Hen- drick Manufacturing Company of Carbondale, as well as with other important local enterprises about Pittston, including banks, bridges, etc. Mr. Law is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and is a staunch Republican in politics.

In 1854 Mr. Law married Miss Ellen At- water, a daughter of Charles Atwater, an early merchant and postmaster of Providence, Penn- sylvania. The Atwater family were among the first settlers of Providence Plantation, and David Atwater, the immigrant, was one of the first planters at New Haven, Connecticut, and re- ceived a farm in the first division of lands. He died in 1692, and to him are traced all of the fam- ily name in this country. His son David, died 1736, was father of John, of Wallingford, Con- necticut, who had a son Moses, whose son, Dr. David Atwater, was a "noted apothecary" at New

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Haven, and chief of Washington's medical staff, and was killed by British troops in the Danbury raid, April 28, 1777. Dr. David Atwater had a son Eldad, who married Lydia Heaton. Their son Heaton lived in Wayne county, Pennsyl- vania, and married Clarissa Bishop. Of that marriage were born seven children, one of whom was Charles T., grandfather of Archibald F. Law. Charles T. Atwater was born in Connecti- cut in 1813, and came to Hyde Park, Pennsyl- vania, and thence to Providence. He was a mer- chant, in Providence and Dunmore, and for many years was associated with the late W. W. Winton in a mercantile business. He died October 22, 1853, aged thirty-eight years. He married Elizabeth Snyder, and of this marriage were born eight children, of whom four are living.

Charles and Ellen ( Atwater) Law were the parents of ten children :

I. Archibald F. Law, see forward.

2. William H., deceased ; he was paymaster for the Babylon Coal Company, and lost his life in the Duryea store fire in 1897.

3. John H., secretary of the Title Guarantee and Trust Company of Scranton.

4. Mrs. Thomas H. Watkins; her husband is of the firm of Simpson & Watkins, well known coal operators.

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Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II, Part 22

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin, 1837-1917; Hand, Alfred, 1835-; Jordan, John W. (John Woolf), 1840-1921; Lewis Publishing Company Publication date: 1906 Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 1026

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin, 1837-1917; Hand, Alfred, 1835-; Jordan, John W. (John Woolf), 1840-1921; Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1026