Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II, Part 28

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 28
USA > Wyoming > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 28

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).

Perhaps no better evidence could be adduced of the high standing of Mr. Barker among the men of affairs of the city of Scranton than the fact of his connection with its board of trade, a body to whom is due more than to all other con- certed effort that stimulation of public spirit and local pride which has borne fruit in the inbring- ing of fresh capital and the upbuilding of new industrial and financial enterprises. Of this body Mr. Barker has been an honored and efficient member for several years past, and has served upon its manufacturers' committee, and also upon its committee on legislation and taxes-the two most important of all. Intensely interested in ed-

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ucational affairs, he has served continuously for nine years upon the board of school control, and only retired from that body when his selection for another place necessitated his resignation. While a member of the school board he was for several years chairman of the teachers' com- mittee, and also served upon other important committees, including those on the training school and on the high school. His retirement from the school board was coincident with his appointment by Mayor W. L. Connell to the position of city treasurer to fill out the unexpired term of the late Edmund J. Robinson, and on its completion he was appointed for a full term of three years by Mayor A. T. Connell. So bright a record of use- ful and honorable service affords excellent prom- ise of an everbroadening field of effort, and com- mensurate reward in the appreciation of his fel- low-citizens.

JOSEPH M. GRIFFIN, a well known resi- dent of Scranton, whose career has been char- acterized by the utmost integrity and upright- ness, and who has been zealous in all good works for the promotion of the interests of the city and the welfare of the citizens, was born in Provi- dence, Pennsylvania, June 28, 1855, a son of Levi and Betsey A. (Travis) Griffin, and grandson of Joseph Griffin, a native of Connecticut, who was the father of several children, among whom was Sarah and Levi.

Levi Griffin ( father) was born in New York state in 1815. In 1829, when fourteen years of age, he removed to Clarks Green, Pennsylvania. He was a carpenter by trade, and as a result of his extensive business as contractor and builder became the owner of considerable property in Clarks Green, where he was prominent in all en- terprises which aided the moral, educational and social welfare of its citizens. He was a worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. By his marriage to Betsey A. Travis, a native of Clarks Green, Pennsylvania, several children were born, three of whom attained years of ma- turity, namely : Henry, deceased ; Mary J., de- ceased ; and Joseph M. Mr. Griffin died Sep- tember 12, 1901, aged eighty-six years ; his wife passed away in 1878, aged sixty years.

Joseph M. Griffin was reared and educated in his native town, Providence. He gained his first practical experience in business life by learning the trade of stationary engineering, which he fol- lowed for seven years, abandoning it for the trade of carpenter, and this in turn he gave up to take up his present work, general contracting and

rigging, in 1884. He is one of the progressive- men in his line of business, which consists in re- moving buildings and erecting machinery of all kinds, electrical, steam and gasoline, which is well performed. His business takes him all over his native state, and he has also traveled over con- siderable of New York state. In 1899 he took up his residence in Scranton, erecting a beautiful and modernly constructed house at No. 1103 Am- herst street.

November 4, 1877, Mr. Griffin married Miss Alice Philips, daughter of Aaron and Linda Philips, and a native of Benton Center, Lack- awanna county, Pennsylvania. Four children were the issue of this union, three of whom are living, namely : Harry, born September 20, 1878, engaged in business with his father ; Theodore A., born September 11, 1881, a painter ; and Arthur, born December 13, 1885, a clerk. Mr. and Mrs. Griffin are Spiritualists in their religious belief. They are worthy and conscientious people, who command the confidence and respect of the com- munity in which they live.

RAYMOND A. BRINK. Prominent among the leading florists of Scranton is Raymond A. Brink. His grandfather, George W. Brink, was a farmer ; he served three years in the army dur- ing the Civil war, and was wounded while facing the enemy in a terrific charge. He married Rosina Shephardson, and their children were: Arvine, Charles, deceased ; Mate, and Otis D., mentioned at length hereinafter. Mr. and Mrs. Brink are both deceased, having passed away rich in the esteem and love of all who knew them.

Otis D. Brink, son of George W. and Rosina (Shephardson) Brink, was born in North Jack- son, Susquehanna county. He was a farmer and a worthy citizen, possessing the sincere rc- spect and full confidence of his neighbors. He- married Eva S., born in Susquehanna county, daughter of Benjamin and Minerva ( Percy) Baanker, the former a farmer and a man of in- fluence. Their other children were Samuel, Colonal and Sumner. Mr. and Mrs. Brink were the parents of one child, Raymond A., mentioned at length hereinafter. Mr. Brink died April 26, 1904, at the comparatively early age of forty- eight. His decease was felt as a loss by all who. knew him, but fell with peculiar severity upon his family to whom he was singularly devoted. His widow is still living.

Raymond A. Brink, son of Otis D. and Eva S. (Banker) Brink, was born February 4, 1878,. at Harford, Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania,.

ông" 2, charles BNOLL New York

JohnFlynn

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and received his education in the common schools of his native town. He was a close student of nature, and in early life entered the service of G. R. Clark & Company, leading florists of Scran- ton, with whom he remained fourteen years, rising from the position of an ordinary hand to that of assistant foreman. In the course of time he be- came foreman, and has now for some time been senior partner in the firm of Brink & Company. In addition to being an expert florist Mr. Brink is an experienced and practical landscape gar- dener. He makes a specialty of vegetables, and also of carnations and bedding plants. The firm has ten thousand square feet under glass, and is conducting a flourishing business. Mr. Brink has thoroughly mastered every detail of his call- ing, to which he is enthusiastically devoted. He is a member of the Knights of Maccabees, the Knights of Pythias, and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.

JOHN FLYNN, well known in this section of the state as a man of large affairs, as well as for uprightness and benevolence, was a fine ex- ample of the Irish character. Possessing all the sterling traits of his ancestry, he readily adapted himself to the environments of his adopted coun- try, and through his own unaided efforts, by in- dustry, economy and wise judgment, attained a position of independence in life, and left to his family the priceless heritage of an honored name.

He was born in Crossmolina, county Mayo, Ireland, about the year 1836, came to the United States in his young manhood, and entered upon a mining career in the Lackawanna Valley. At one time he engaged in farming, but pastoral life was entirely unsuited to his active nature. Mr. Flynn was a man of great executive ability, strict integrity. unfailing devotion to the interests com- mitted to him, and was for years the trusted foreman of leading anthracite coal companies. Subsequently he formed a partnership with John A. Mears, under the firm name of Mears & Flynn, taking contracts in railroad building. Under his personal supervision was constructed part of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad extension from Binghamton to Buffalo, and also a section of the Erie & Wyoming Rail- road, both pieces of work being pronounced by competent judges to be the most complete and perfect on either line. Later they engaged in the coal mining business, opening and operating the Old Forge collieries, and eventually secured the immense coal interests known as the Newton Coal Company, and were most successful in all their undertakings. As an authority on the subject of

coal mining, Mr. Flynn had no peer. Although. his employees numbered several hundred, nearly every man was personally known to him, and so vigilant was he for their safety, knowing the dan- gers of the coal mines, that an accident of any kind or loss of life was a very rare occurrence. It was a saying among his men that "You could not be hurt and work for John Flynn.'

He was also financially interested in various other enterprises, among them the West Side Bank, in which he was a stockholder. He ac- quired his property, which amounted to about half a million dollars, through strict attention to whatever business he was engaged in, and without a taint of dishonesty or duplicity attaching to it in the slightest degree. "His word was his bond," was always said of him, and none other was ever- required. He stood for the best, and the very nobility of his own moral character had the effect of raising others to his standard ; his presence, even, was a power for good.

Personally, he was warm-hearted and sym- pathetic. The poor and distressed always found in him a friend and father, whom they had no fear to approach, and who was ever ready to assist them by word and means. His benefactions were- liberally bestowed upon those charitable institu- tions that have for their object the alleviation of human suffering and the care of the widow and the orphan, yet so unostentatious was he that few knew to whom they were indebted for assistance. He was a member of the board of trustees of the Pittston Hospital Association, and was most ac- tive in securing subscriptions to its building fund and in otherwise furthering its interests and add- ing to its usefulness. He steadfastly adhered to- the religion of his forefathers and was a devout member of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church. A strictly temperate man himself, it always grieved him to see a fellow creature the victim of intemperance, and realizing the injury and loss it was to his workmen, in the hope of helping them and bettering their condition, he founded the Father Matthew Temperance Society. It grew from the beginning, became a great power and men were proud to belong to it. When it was well established Mr. Flynn withdrew from it, as he was no society man, but always interested him- self in it by bringing in new members and helping and encouraging it in every way. There are many men in our midst, men of honor, who say they owe him a great debt of gratitude, for with- out his helping hand their lives would have been wrecked.

In was in his home, however, that one most felt his genial, kindly nature. To bring his:

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friends into this quiet sanctuary was his greatest pleasure. A few years after coming to this coun- try he married Miss Mary Clark, also a native of county Mayo, Ireland, who was eminently worthy by qualities of mind and heart to be his helpmate. A devoted wife, a tender and loving mother, a friend to all, she ably assisted Mr. Flynn in all his interests. Eleven children blessed their union, seven of whom grew to manhood and woman- hood: Mary, James, Matthew, Agnes, Edward, Nellie and Frank. The daughters were all liber- ally educated at St. Cecilia's Academy, Scranton, which is conducted by the Sisters of the Immacu- late Heart of Mary, one of the finest teaching or- ders in the states. The eldest, Miss Mary, be- came a religieuse of this order and is now known as Sister Mary Salome, her vows being received by the late lamented and saintly Rt. Rev. Bishop O'Hara.

In the summer of 1892 Mr. Flynn, accom- panied by his wife and two youngest children, Miss Nellie and Frank, left for a trip to Europe, and at the time of his departure was apparently in robust health. On reaching his native land, after an absence of thirty-nine years, he was stricken with a fatal illness. It was a dreadful shock when the family received a cablegram, reading: "Father dangerously ill," shortly fol- lowed by another, "Father dead," the date being July 17th. It was a sad termination to an in- tended pleasure trip, but, when informed by the attending physicians of his fast approaching end, with the firm faith and confidence that always characterized his noble soul, Mr. Flynn bowed his head in humble submission to the all-wise de- signs of Divine providence. In a spirit of perfect resignation, he requested that a priest be sum- moned and fearlessly prepared his soul to meet his God. Strengthened and consoled in his last hours by the grace of the sacraments of the religion he loved, and so faithfully practiced dur- ing life, and comforted by the presence of his de- voted wife and children, he passed to his eternal reward. Though death overtook him in the home of his boyhood, his only request was to be brought home to be buried with his family. The remains arrived in Scranton, July 27. about 6:30 P. M., ten days after his death, and were at once con- veyed to St. Patrick's Church, where they lay in state during the night. Hundreds of friends kept vigil in this hallowed place until the next morning, when a solemn high Mass of Requiem was sung by Rev. Father Whelan, the rector, and a life-long friend of the deceased. Rev. Father Enright was deacon and Rev. Father Mangan, subdeacon of the Mass. There were many priests

in the sanctuary. The funeral, which was the largest ever held in the city, included people from all walks of life and from all parts of the valley. Father Whelan delivered a glowing panegyric, in the course of which he said that Mr. Flynn's hon- esty, piety, and nobility of character were riches far greater than even his large possessions. It was a worthy tribute to one whom all considered a friend. The entire service and all connected with it was most touching, and the whole congre- gation were, for the loss of such a friend, in tears. The deepest sympathy was felt for the family so unexpectedly and sadly bereaved. While deprived of the companionship of husband and father, his family have a sweet consolation in the recollection of his tenderness in his home, his worth as a man and a Christian, and the constant prayerful inter- cession of the holy Sisterhood for their kind bene- factor, and within whose hallowed circle is safely sheltered one whom he dearly loved.

THE SCRANTON FAMILY in America had for its progenitor John Scranton, who, with others, in all about twenty-five heads of families, made a settlement in Guilford, Connecticut, in 1639. They came from England, from the village of Guilford and the counties of Kent and Surrey, descended from a people who had their rise in the reign of "Bloody Queen Mary," under whose persecuting reign their meetings for religious worship without a liturgy were broken up, and some of them burned at the stake.

Seeking religious liberty, these early Puritans (as they came to be known) came to America, and among them was John Scranton. He was then probably under thirty years of age, and he lived until August 27, 1761, and died aged about sixty. As he was a free burgess, it is presumable that he was of the company which in Robert New- man's barn, in New Haven, June 4, 1639, laid the foundations of civil and religious policy by the adoption of an order of liberal government. That he was a man of prominence is attested by the fact that he was a member of the general court in 1669-70. He was twice married : (first) (prob- ably in England) to Joanna, whose family name is unknown, and who died July 22, 1661, about ten years before her husband : and (second) to Ada (Adaline Hill), the widow of Robert Johnson. The children of John Scranton were by his first marriage and were: 1. John, Jr., born (prob- ably 1641). died September 2, 1703, aetat sixty- two. 2. Thomas, born about 1643. 3. Sarah, born May 16, 1645 ; married John Bushnell.

John Scranton (2), eldest child of the immi- grant John Scranton, was the first of the family

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name born in Guilford, Connecticut. He was known as Captain John Scranton, and was nomi- nated in 1669 to be made a burgess, and at the next general court he was privileged to take the freeman's oath. He was twice married; (first) March 12, 1673-74, to Mary Seward, born Feb- ruary 28, 1652, daughter of William Seward ; and (second) December 10, 1691, to Elizabeth Clark, daughter of John Bishop He died in 1703, aged sixty-two, and left a large estate to his children then living. His children were:

I. John, born about 1676, died March 21, 1723.

2. Mary, born about 1678; married Joseph Stone, July 9, 1699, who died February 2, 1743 : they had eight children.

3. Mercy, born about 1680; married Samuel Cole (or Cowles), of Cheshire. December 27, 1717.

4. Mehitabel, born about 1682; whether of first or second wife is a question.

5. Elizabeth, born November 4, 1692, prob- ably of second wife; was married to William Rowlson, December 27, 1717.

6. Anne, born December 27, 1693 ; married Ebenezer Munger.

7. Ebenezer, born March 16, 1696.

8. Deborah, born December 3, 1697 : married Abel Chittenden, July 5, 1721.

John Scranton (3), also known as ,Captain John Scranton, eldest child of Captain John Scranton, Jr.,lived in East Guilford, Connecticut. He was a man of considerable property, and in his will made ample provision for the support of his negro man and his Indian slave, and privi- leged them .to choose with which of his children they should live. He was three times married ; (first) to Mary Morton, December 12, 1699; (second) to Mary (or Sarah) Evarts, daughter of John, and who died October 8, 1749; (third) to Mary, of Saybrook, daughter of Deacon Fran- cis Bushnell, whose son's wife was Sarah Scran- ton. The children of John Scranton were :

I. Mary, born July 6, 1701 ; married Benja- min Bushnell, of Saybrook.

2. John, born April 14, 1703; drowned in Hammonassett river, in 1740; his father saw him drown, but was unable to rescue him.

3. Josiah, born July 19, 1705 ; died Septem- ber 8, 1751, aetat forty-six.

4. Sarah, born November 25, 1707.

5. Submit, born June 18, 1712.

6. Noah, born January 20, 1714, died Decem- ber 4, 1760, aetat forty-six.

7 .. Ichabod, born February 19, 1717; died December 1, 1760, aetat forty-three.

8. Hannah, born March 3, 1718.

9. Ann, born May 16, 1720.

IO. Rebecca, born September 12, 1722.

Captain Ichabod Scranton (4), seventh child" and fourth son of Captain John Scranton (3), was a farmer, and lived in Madison, Connecticut. He was a captain in the old French war, and served as such in the campaigns against Louisburg and Ticonderoga. On returning from the latter place he was seized with smallpox at Albany, New York, and died December 1, 1760, aged forty- three. He was a man of patriotism, enterprise and great personal courage, and his death was mourned as a public calamity. He married Chloe, born March 3, 1723, died December 3, 1791, aged sixty-nine years, daughter of Abraham Fowler, of Guilford. She was a convert under the preach- ing of the evangelist Whitefield. The children of Captain Ichabod and Chloe (Fowler) Scranton were: I. Chloe, died May 26, 1788. 2. Eliza- beth, died in Bergen, New York. 3. Theophi- lus, born December 1, 1751 ; died February 16, 1827. 4. Abraham, born September 10, 1754. 5. Ichabod, born December 10, 1757; died May 24, 1792 ; he was an officer of distinction in the troop of cavalry in the French and Indian war.

Theophilus Scranton (5), third child and eld- est son of Captain Ichabod and Chloe (Fowler) Scranton, was a farmer. He married Abigail Lee, second daughter of Jonathan and Mary Lee, of Madison, born July 11, 1754, died December 23. 1840, aged eighty-five years and six months. Their children were: I. Erastus, born August I, 1777. 2. Parnel, born March 10, 1779. 3. Jonathan, born October 10, 1781. 4. Charlotte, born January 2, 1783. 5. Chloe, born October 2, 1784. 6. Theophilus, Jr., born April 13, 1786. 7. Hubbard, born May 4, 1788. 8. Lemon, born May 10, 1790, died August 20, 1791. 9. Icha- bod Lee, born July 15, 1792. 10. Henry, born November 1, 1794. II. Abigail, born May 15, 1797, died May 10, 1810.

Jonathan Scranton (6), third son and child of Theophilus and Abigail (Lee) Scranton, was a farmer and builder, a constructor of wharves and breakwaters. He was a leading member of the church in Madison. He died of erysipelas, July 27, 1847. He was twice married. His first wife was Roxanna, daughter of Ashbel Crampton, born May 30, 1789, died December 27, 1833, aged forty-four years, and to whom he was married January 27, 1805. "In her life she exhibited the purity and excellency of the gospel." She was the mother of all the children of Jonathan Scran- ton. After her death he married, in October, 1834, Jemima, daughter of Daniel Platt, and after

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the death of her husband she married Ebenezer Dudley, June 13. 1853. The children of Jonathan and Roxanna (Crampton) Scranton were : I. Erastus Clark, born November 16, 1807. 2. . Serenox Hamilton, born March 1, 18II. 3. Jos- eph Hand, born June 28, 1813. 4. Mary Rox- anna, born June 8, 1815, died September 28, 1816. 5. Jonathan Cornelius, born in 1818, died September 15, 1841. 6. Mary Roxanna, born April 2, 1820. 7. Catharine Sarana, born April 1, 1822. 8. Samuel Richard, born July 7, 1824, - died July 21, 1826.

Joseph Hand Scranton (7) ,third child and son of Jonathan and Roxanna ( Crampton) Scranton, was in early life a merchant in Augusta, Georgia, and later came to Scranton, where he became partner and general manager of iron works. He was twice married. His first wife, whom he mar- ried August 1, 1837, was Eliza Maria, daughter of Colonel J. Samuel Wilcox, of Madison. She was born February 22, 1823, and died August 3, 1841, at her father's residence in Madison, while paying him a visit. Her husband was ill at the time, and had no knowledge of her death until afterwards. She was the mother of two child- ren : I. Joseph Augustine, born in Madison, Connecticut, July 26, 1838. 2. Eliza, born in Madison, in August, 1841, died in infancy. Jos- eph Hand Scranton married (second), July 3, 1843, Cornelia, daughter of Judge William Wal- ker, of Lenox, Massachusetts, and their children were: I. William Walker, born in Augusta, Georgia, April 4. 1844. 2. Walter, born in Scran- ton, August 12, 1849. 3. Frances, born in Scran- ton November 20. 1851. 4. Alice, born in Scranton, in 1854. 5. Arthur. 6. Cornelia.

Theophilus Scranton (6), sixth child and fourth son of Theophilus and Abigail (Lee) Scranton, was owner of a line of mail and passen- ger stages between New Haven and Saybrook, Connecticut. He was twice married (first), July 2, 1810, to Elizabeth, born October 26, 1788, died July 11, 1845, aged forty-five years, daugh- ter of Chapman Warner, of Guilford, Connecti- cut : (second) June 23, 1848, to Lucretia, daugh- ter of Samuel Snow, and widow of Albert Nott. The children of Theophilus Scranton, all by his first marriage, were: 1. George Whitefield, born May 23, 1811. 2. Selden Theophilus, born Oc- tober 13, 1814. 3. Amelia, born April 10, 1818, died March II, 1839, aged twenty-one. 4. Car- oline E., born February 11, 1820. 5. Charles, born June 23, 1822. 6. William Lafayette, born April 19, 1824, died February 19, 1838. 7. Sarah Warner, born April 30, 1830, died November 10, 1845.

Colonel George W. Scranton (7), eldest son and child of Theophilus and Elizabeth ( Warner) Scranton, first carried on an iron manufacturing business in Oxford, New Jersey. He later, with his brother, Selden T. Scranton, began iron man- ufacturing in Scranton, and they are accounted the originators of the great if not the most con- plete and extensive works in America. He mar- ried, January 21, 1835, Jane Hiles, born in 1811, a daughter of George and Jane Hiles, of Bel- videre, New Jersey. The children of this mar- riage were: I. Elizabeth Warner, born March 17, 1838. 2. William Henry, born June 13, 1840. 3. James Selden, born November 3. 1841. 4. Ellen, born May 19, 1845, died July 11, 1845. Selden T. Scranton (7), second child and son of Theophilus and Elizabeth (Warner) Scran- ton, was a co-partner with his brother. Colonel George W. Scranton, in the iron manufacturing business in Scranton. He married, September 3, 1839, Ellen Clarissa, born March 2, 1821. daugli- ter of William Henry, of near Nazareth, Pennsyl- vania.

HON. JOSEPH AUGUSTINE SCRAN- TON, journalist, founder and proprietor of the Scranton Republican, member of Congress, etc., etc., was born at Madison, Connecticut, July 26, 1838, and is the eldest son of Joseph H. Scranton, one of the founders of the city bearing the family name.

When but nine years of age he became a resi- dent of Pennsylvania. He received an academic education and at an early age became interested in politics, affiliating with the Republican party. In 1862 he was appointed by President Lincoln to the responsible position of collector of internal revenue for the twelfth district of Pennsylvania, and held that office until 1866. In 1867 he founded the Scranton Daily Republican, of which he has since maintained the sole ownership and control. This journal, one of the most enterpris- ing and liberally managed in the state, is energet- ically Republican in tone, but is also sufficiently broad in its views to include within the ranks of its readers a large number of citizens of opposite political faith, who admire and desire to sustain a fearlessly honest and on many points essentially independent newspaper. It is published every day in the year and a special weekly edition is is- sued in addition. The plant of the Republican office, which includes a complete general printing and binding establishment, and a five-story stone and brick building, forty by one hundred and fifty feet, is reputed to be worth upwards of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

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Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II, Part 28

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