Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 67

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 988

USA > Pennsylvania > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume I > Part 67
USA > Wyoming > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume I > Part 67

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).

William Griffith, eldest child of Andrew J. and Jemima (Sax) Griffith, was educated in the. public and private schools of West Pittston, and of Lehigh University, where he graduated in 1876, with the degree of civil engineer. He taught public school for one term at New Albany .. Bradford county, Pennsylvania, and holidays and:

a.J. Griffith.

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

Saturdays he surveyed nearby farms. In July, 1878, he went west and secured a position as transitman and assistant engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad Company, in whose interest he was engaged surveying and constructing rail- roads in Nebraska, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Colorado. He returned east at the Christmas sea- son in 1880, and became division engineer for the Lehigh Valley Railroad, resident at Bethle- hem, Pennsylvania. Two years later he became assistant on the geological survey of the Penn- sylvania anthracite coal regions, resident at Potts- ville, Hazelton and Bernice, Pennsylvania, en- gaged in mapping the Schuykhill, Lehigh and Bernice coal measures. During 1884, 1885 and 1886 he was engaged in private engineering prac- tice at Pittston. In 1885 he built the house at the corner of Susquehanna avenue and Parke street, West Pittston, which is still his residence. During 1887 and 1888, as assistant geologist, he had in charge the completion of the geological survey of the Wyoming and Lackawanna coal fields for the state. Subsequently opened an office in Scranton as consulting mining engineer and geologist, in which profession he is still engaged, having prepared numerous geological reports (many of which have been published), upon mining properties in all parts of the United States, and in Canada, Mexico and South America, not- able among which was an extended article on the "Anthracite Coal, with Estimate of Reserve Supply," which was published in the Bond Rec- ord, New York, and attracted widespread atten- tion in financial and business circles. He is recog- nized as one of the first authorities on questions relating to the economical geology of coal. A Republican in politics, though never ambitious for public office, he was appointed in 1892 by Governor Pattison to be a member of the com- mission to investigate and report on the prob- lem of and untilization of waste in mining of an- thracite coal. Early in life he united with the Presbyterian church, and is now an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of West Pittston, hav- ing been for ten years trustee, also deacon, and a member of the building committee for the new church. He is a member of the Wyoming His- torical and Geological Society ; the Franklin In- stitute of Philadelphia, the National Geographic Society, and the Scranton Engineers' Club.

Mr. Griffith married, June 4, 1885, Harriet E. Sinclair, at Trenton, New Jersey. She was edu- cated at the Young Ladies' Seminary at Law- renceville, New Jersey, daughter of William Davis and Abigail P. Sinclair, of Trenton. Her

father was senior member of the well known clothing house of Sinclair, Vannest & Co., of Trenton. His ancestors were active patriots and participants in the War of the Revolution.

H. E. H.

WILLIAM R. SAXE, director and stock- holder of the First National Bank of Pittston from its organization until his death, and stock- holder in the People's Bank of Pittston, Pennsyl- vania, was an important and influential citizen of that town. He was a representative, in the fourth generation of the Sax family in America, which in early tax lists is always written Sax, or Sox.

Jacob Sax, the founder of the Sax fam- ily in America, was born in Germany, April 9, 1720, and came here at an early date with his two brothers, George and William, and settled at Phillipsburg. Pennsylvania, where he spent the remainder of his days, and reared a family, one of whom was

(II) Conrad Sax, born February 18, 1753,. in Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, two miles from the "Shades of Death," where the white men fled to escape from the Indians. He married, June 27, 1787, Mary Beers, born March 3, 1760, died. March 21, 1842. They had fourteen children : George, Charles, Conrad, Jolin, (see forward), . William, Mary, Jacob, Elizabeth, Ellen, Mar -- garet, Ann, Sarah, Temperance, Julia.

(III) John Sax,fourth son and child of Con- rad (2) and Mary (Beers) Sax, was born in Cov -- ington township, near Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne- county, Pennsylvania, April 1, 1793. He fol- lowed the occupation of farming for a number of years, and then retired from that in order to open !! a hotel in Kingston, Pennsylvania, where the white settlers fled from the attacks of the Indians. This hotel Mr. Sax owned and managed for many- years and amassed a comfortable fortune. He was in every sense of the word a self-made man, never having had the advantages of the schools of that time. He died September 4, 1871. He. married Rebecca Wright Parrish, daughter of" Abraham and Jemima (Wright) Parrish, a des --- cendant of John Parrish, of Groton, Massachu- setts, and Stonington, Connecticut. (See Par -- rish Family). Abraham and Jemima (Wright) Parrish had: I. Rebecca, married John Sax. 2. Orilla. 3. Eleazer. 4. Anna. 5. Archi -- ippus. 6. Lucy Ann. 7. Mary Wright. 8 .. Elizabeth. 9. Joseph. 10. Jemima.

John (3) and Rebecca Wright ( Parrish) Sax had seven children : I. Abbie Ann. 2. Will --

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

jam R., the subject of this sketch. 3. Jemima, married Andrew Jackson Griffith. (See Griffith Family). 4. Mary Jane. 5. John K. 6.

James G. 7. Kate B. Mrs. Jemima Sax Gri- ffith and Mrs. Kate B. Saxe, the only ones living (1906).

(IV) William R. Saxe, second child and eldest son of John (3) and Rebecca Wright (Parrish) Sax, born Kingston, Pennsylvania, November 9, 1827, lived in that town until he was four years of age, when his parents removed to Pittston, Luzerne county, Pennsylvania. Here he was reared and was educated in the public schools and Wyoming Seminary. He was studious and quick to grasp a subject, and laid a substantial foundation of knowledge which was of good service to him later in life. He was apprenticed to the blacksmith's trade, which he followed for "some time in Canaan, Wayne county, Pennsyl- vania, giving it up in order to enter into partner- ship with a Mr. Clark in the mercantile business under the firm name of Clark & Saxe. This partnership continued for about three years, when Mr. Saxe bought out the interest of his partner and took in Charles H. Foster, and they con- ducted the business until 1875, when, having ac- quired a competence, he retired from active parti- cipation in the business interests of the commun- ity. He enjoyed this life of retirement for a num- ber of years and until his death, June 12, 1904, at his residence in West Pittston. His remains were interred in the West Pittston cemetery. Mr. Saxe was a man of force of character and ready to take the initiative in public affairs whenever there was need for it. He had many friends, and was esteemed and respected by all who knew him. He was a Republican in politics, and a member of the borough council and the school board for a number of terms. He was a member of the quarterly conference, First Methodist Episcopal Church, West Pittston, and had been a member. of the Methodist Church for fifty years, and very active in forwarding the interests of that institu- tion. He had always filled the positions of triis- tee, steward, superintendent of the Sunday school and Sunday school teacher, sometimes filling more than one of these positions at the same time. He had formed a church class before the church was organized.

William R. Saxe married, June 26, 1855, Ann Eliza Chumard, born in Canaan, Wayne county, Pennsylvania, April 26, 1833, daughter of Horace and Elizabeth (Transue) Chumard. and their children were: I. Harriet E., born .born September 22, 1856, died March 6, 1881.

2. Abbie Eloise, born October 3, 1858 ; married, April 25, 1886, B. F. Dewey, who is in the em- ploy of the Farmers' Dairy Despatch, and resides in Flemington, New Jersey, and had one son : Loren Saxe Dewey. Mrs. Dewey died in West Pittston, May 7, 1892. 3. Carrie May, born March 4, 1865, died April 17, 1885. 4. Will- iam E., born May 27, 1870. He was educated at the public schools and Wyoming Seminary, and has been for some time treasurer and secretary of the Wyoming Slate Company, at Slatington, Pennsylvania .. He married Genevieve Rommel, daughter of Frank and Cynthia ( Perrin) Rom- mel, (see Perrin Family), and they have one child : William Roderick Saxe, born May 3, 1904, in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. The following was copied from a beautifully engrossed mem- orial that was presented to the widow and son after the death of William R: Saxe, by a com- mittee from the First Methodist Episcopal Church of West Pittston, Pennsylvania :

William R. Saxe was a man who filled every station in life with credit to himself. He has from its organization filled the position of stew- ard, always using more than ordinary talent in promoting the best interests in the church of his choice. Having been faithful to the end, we be- lieve our loss is his gain, and as members of this official body we extend to his widow and son our Christian sympathy and prayers.

As a memorial of our esteem it is hereby Resolved, That this testimonial be suitably en- grossed and presented to his family, and copied in full upon the records of the Quarterly Con- ference :

Signed: Joseph Langford, Oscar L. Sever- son, and T. Wilbur Kyte, committee.

The Chumard family, of which Mrs. William R. Saxe is a descendant, traces back through many generations of French ancestry. Samuel Chumard, the first representative of the family in America, was one of three brothers who came to this country and settled near Canaan, Wayne county, Pennsylvania. He married Mary Polly Shaffer, and had five children : I. Emily, died at the age of twenty years. 2. Eliza, married (first) Mr. Lee, and had Mary, Elizabeth, and Sophroneus ; married (second) Jesse Clark, and had Emer De Ette and Adele R., who married Joseph Moore; she resides in Corning, New York. 3. Stacy, married Eliza Hoadley, and had William, Rachel, Mary, Eunice, Lucinda and Samuel. 4. William, married Mary Bowman, and had George William : resides in Caton, New York. 5. Horace, sketch follows.

J. J. Showmaker

Isaac & Shoemaking

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' THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

(II) Horace Chumard, third son and fifth child of Samuel (I) and Mary Polly (Shaffer) Chumard, born in Canaan, Pennsylvania, was educated in the public schools there. At first he followed agricultural pursuits, at the same time working at his trade of shoemaking, but having a natural ability for mechanics, he devoted a large portion of his time to that pursuit, although he never made it the business of his life. He married Elizabeth Transue, and they had four children. He died 1841. After his death his widow married (second) Joseph Swingle, and had one son, John F. Swingle, who served as a soldier in the Civil war, enlisting at the age of sixteen years, and serving with bravery; at the close of the war he went to Kansas and became a farmer there, married and reared a family.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Horace Chum- ard are: I. Simpson, deceased, born April 29, 1831; was a farmer at Canaan, married Sarah Jane Swingle, also deceased, and they had : Ada, Angeline, Lena, Edmund F., Alice, Jane, and Della. 2. Ann Eliza, who married William R. Saxe, as above stated. She was educated in the common schools of her native town and at the Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, Pennsylvania, taught school in Wayne county for about six years. She was highly respected and esteemed by her pupils as well as by the board of school di- rectors. Mrs. Saxe also taught for about three winters in Pittston, Pennsylvania. 3. Edmund M., an inventor and business man, now deceased, married Sarah Gregory, and resided in Brooklyn, Pennsylvania. , His widow, whose postoffice address is Milburn, New Jersey, makes her home for the greater part of the year with her sister, Mrs. William R. Saxe, of West Pittston, Penn- sylvania. 4. Martha D., married David W. Dale, and resides in Daleville, Pennsylvania. Her children are: Delena, Anna, Jesse, William, and H. E. H. Mary.

JACOB I. SHOEMAKER, a retired farm- er and manufacturer, of Wyoming borough, and justice of peace, is a representative in the pres- ent generation of a family which settled in Amer- ica a number of generations ago. They orig- inally came from Germany.

(I) Isaac Shoemaker, great-grandfather of Jacob I. Shoemaker, came from the vicinity of Raubville, Northampton county, to New Troy, in the Wyoming valley, in 1807 or 1808, and pur- chased the farm of Benjamin and Gilbert Car- penter. He died September, 1829, leaving a large and valuable property to his children, containing about three hundred acres of land, a grist mill,

saw mill and fulling mill. He reared a large family, three sons-Jacob I., Samuel and Isaac -. and four daughters-Katie, Rosanna, Annie and Sallie.

(II) Jacob I. Shoemaker, son of Isaac Shoe- maker (I), was born January 7, 1785. He- learned, in Freysbush, New York, the trade of saddler, and afterward came to Wyoming, where. he purchased a farm, operating this and conduct- ing "Shoemaker's Hotel," later known as the- Pollock House. Mr. Shoemaker married, No- vember 14, 1809, at Freysbush, for his first wife, Elizabeth Wolgemuth, who was born June 4, 1787, and their children were as follows: Isaac C., born August 27, 1810; Maria Catherine, October 19, 1812; Annie, May 15, 1815, died July 16, 1816; Rosanna, September- 25, 1817; William S., February 19, 1820; Margaret, May 30, 1822; and Sallie, March 31, 1825. The three first named were born in Freys- bush, New York, and the four latter in the Wyo- ming valley, Pennsylvania. The mother of this family died in 1839, and was the first person in- terred in Wyoming cemetery. He married, for his second wife, Elizabeth Chapin Shoemaker, widow of Isaac Shoemaker (2). One daughter - named Hellen was born of this marriage. Jacob I. died in 1851, and was laid by the side of his first wife.

(III) Isaac C. Shoemaker, eldest child of Jacob I. (2) and Elizabeth (Wolgemuth) Shoe- maker, was born in Freysbush, New York, Au- gust 27, 1810, from whence he accompanied his parents to the Wyoming valley. He was the- owner and proprietor of the Shoemaker grist mills and the Wyoming woolen mill, and later . admitted his sons into the business, which was then conducted under the style of I. C. Shoe- maker & Sons. He was one of the prosperous . and influential citizens of the community, and was highly respected by all who knew him. He . was one of the trustees of Wyoming Seminary and a trustee and official member in the Wyoming . Methodist Episcopal Church. He married, May 25, 1837, Catherine A. Shoemaker, a native of Pennsylvania, who died in 1880, and they had the following children : Helen, Jacob I., the sub- ject of this sketch; Samuel R., Mary A., mar- ried Henry Van Scoy, of Kingston, and is de- ceased ; Frances A. P., married H. Watson . Brownscombe, of Wilkes-Barre, also deceased ; Kate Irene, Isaac Charles, died in childhood. Mr. Shoemaker died January 18, 1875.

(IV) Jacob I. Shoemaker, second child and eldest son of Isaac C. (3) and Catherine A. (Shoemaker) Shoemaker, was born in Wyoming, .

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

Pennsylvania, April 7, 1839. He was educated in the common schools and Wyoming Seminary. and at the age of twenty-one was taken in as partner with his father in the manufacture of flour, feed, meal, yarns and flannels ; two years later his brother Samuel R. was also admitted to the firm, which was known as I. C. Shoemaker & Sons, until the death of the father, January 18, 1875 : it then became I. C. Shoemaker's Sons and continued so until 1881, when S. R. Shoe- maker, retired, the business being then conducted by Jacob I. alone until 1882, when he engaged in other pursuits, although still owning the above property. July 1, 1863, Mr. Shoemaker enlisted in Company E, Forty-ninth Regiment, Pennsyl- vania Volunteers, receiving his discharge Sep- tember 2, 1863, by order of Governor Curtin. Mr. Shoemaker has been a member and presi- dent of the borough council for several years, and is now (1906) also serving in the capacity of justice of the peace. He is president of the board of trustees of the Wyoming Methodist Episcopal Church; one of the trustees of the Wyoming Seminary since the death of his father ; president of the Wyoming Cemetery Association : was a director for several years of the Pittston Ferry Bridge Company ; a director of the Peo- ple's Saving Bank of Pittston, since 1875. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Grand Army of the Republic, and has filled all chairs in these organizations. He was appointed on the staff of Department Commander. Alfred Darte, G. A. R., in 1896: on the staff of Com- mander-in-Chief Eli Torrance, as aide-de-camp, May 15, 1902; and Department Commander R. P. Scott, as chief mustering officer for year 1902 and 1903. He married. December 23, 1863, Mary M. Sharps, daughter of John and Catherine B. (Breese) Sharps, natives of Pennsylvania, but of English origin. Mr. and Mrs. Shoemaker had children as follows :

I. Fannie, born October 14, 1864, educated at Wyoming Seminary; married, October 25, 1893, John Breese, a buyer for the firm of J. N. Adam & Company, of Buffalo. New York, in which city they reside. Their children are : Frances Margaret, born July 15, 1895 : Charles Le Moyne, April 5, 1898.

2. Edward N., August I. 1867, married, September 19, 1888, Carrie Stocker, and has one son Jacob I., born October 28, 1891. The family resides in Wyoming.

3. Nellie B., October 17. 1869, died July, 1871.

4. John S., August 22, 1877, died March 21, 1878.

5. Harry, November 15, 1880, married. Sep- tember 10, 1902, Josie Geiberson. H. E. H.

IRA R. SHOEMAKER, one of the most successful and prosperous farmers of the bor- ough of Wyoming, Pennsylvania, traces his de- scent from the Isaac Shoemaker first named in the preceding sketch.

(III) His father, William S. Shoemaker. fifth child and second son of Jacob I. (2) and Elizabeth (Wolgemuth) Shoemaker, was born in New Troy (now Wyoming), Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, February 19, 1820. He spent his early boyhood in the hotel and on the farm of his father, and was educated in the common schools of the vicinity. Shortly after his mar- riage he formed a copartnership with his brother in the milling business, under the firm name of I. C. & W. S. Shoemaker. Wheat flour was their specialty, and Carbondale the market whith- er it was hauled by horses and wagons, taking two days to make the trip. They conducted this business for several years, William S. finally disposing of his interest in the same to his broth- er. He also managed a large farmi left to him by his father, who was an extensive landholder, but, being of a speculative disposition, he con- tracted for several hundred acres of coal land adjoining his own, finally selling the coal to the Pennsylvania Coal Company, reserving the sur- face rights. He then purchased the Perkins es- tate, containing about one hundred and ten acres of good coal land, the surface being laid out prior to his death in town lots which were di- vided among his children. He held a one-third interest in the firm of Hutchins & Shoemaker until the death of Thomas Hutchins, when he and his son-in-law. John A. Hutchins, became equal partners, making fire-brick and terra cotta pipe. He was also one of the projectors and stockholders of the Wyoming Shovel Works, to which he contributed liberally. He was an earn- est worker for the success of the Republican party, and for several years was chairman of the second legislative district of Luzerne county. He was a member and trustee of the Presbyterian Church, and one of the building committee for the church of that denomination in Wyoming. During the Civil war Mr. Shoemaker was sut- ler for the One Hundred and Forty-third Penn- sylvania Volunteers.

William S. Shoemaker was married. Marchi II, 1841, by Elder Miller, of Abington, to Maria

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

"Tripp, daughter of Isaac and Catherine (La France) Tripp, residents of Providence township. Their children were: Katie, married Stephen J. Sharps; Rettie, married Denton D. Durland ; William M., married Jennie La Bar, and later, Mary L. Stark, of Wyoming : Martha, deceased, who was the wife of David O. McCollum; Jen- nie, who married John A. Hutchins, deceased ; Ira R., mentioned hereinafter, and Stella, de- ceased, who became the wife of Fred Sengfelder, of Wyoming. William S. Shoemaker died very suddenly July 17, 1884, and his wife, who was born in Providence, Pennsylvania, July 23, 1822, passed away at her home in Wyoming, June 8, 1883. Their remains were interred in Wyoming cemetery, of which association Mr. Shoemaker was president.

(IV) Ira R. Shoemaker, son of William S. (3) and Maria (Tripp) Shoemaker, was born March 7, 1852. He was educated in the com- mon schools and in Wyoming Seminary. He has followed farming all his life, and now resides on a farm left him by his father, which is a model of neatness and thrift, and from which he derives a goodly livelihood. He is a sound Repub- lican in politics, and a substantial citizen of his borough.

Mr. Shoemaker married, October 25, 1882, Martha H. Hatfield, who bore him five children : I. Thomas W. H., born January 5, 1886, a plumber by trade; 2. George H., March 2, 1889, now a student in Cook (New York) Academy ; 3. John R. H., January 5, 1890; James D. H., October 17, 1892: 5. Maria T., September 21, 1896. The three younger children are attending the schools of their native town, preparatory to pursuing advanced studies in the high school.

Mrs. Shoemaker is a daughter of James and Jane (Roberts) Hatfield, married December 24, 1850, resided on a farm; their children: Martha H., married Ira R. Shoemaker, as stated above; John R., married May Stevens, of North Da- kota, and had children : Martha and Johnett Hatfield ; George, married Elizabeth Willson, of North Dakota, and had children : Oscar, Marion and Maud Hatfield ; Lewis, married Ida Curtis, of North Dakota, and had children : Jane. Edna, Jame's and Lewis, junior ; Joshua G., married Isabel A. Wintersteen, of Plains, Pennsylvania, now living in North Dakota. James Hatfield, the father of these children, was born in Read- ing. Schuyler county, New York, near Seneca Lake, August 16, 1827, and died there 1899. He was a son of Joshua and Deboralı (Seaman) Hat- field, the former born February 25. 18044. son of

Joshua C., born August 27. 1768, died March 6, 1839. and his wife, Deborah Seaman, who were from Connecticut, of English descent and Quakers. Joshua, the son, was a farmer and died April, 1883. Jane (Roberts) Hatfield was a daughter of Lewis and Elizabeth ( Miller) Rob- erts, the former a farmer, whose family consist- ed of ten children: George, a resident of New York; Jane, married James Hatfield, as above stated; Julia, deceased, wife of a Mr. Cass ; Cyrus, a resident of Kansas ; James, deceased ; Mary, deceased, wife of Dr. Heist ; Lewis, junior, a resident of New York state; Gilbert, also a resident of New York state ; Charles, deceased, and Henry Clay, also was a resident of New York state, now deceased. Lewis Roberts, father of Jane (Roberts) Hatfield, was a son of John and Margaret (Van Vleet) Roberts, John hav- ing come to this country about 1800 from Wales, in company with his brother James. They were farmers and blacksmiths, and took up large tracts of land near Seneca Lake, town of Reading, Schuyler county. New York. John and Marga- ret (Van Vleet) Roberts had eight children, of whom but one is now living: Gilbert, George, Martha, Cyrus and Henry, twins; Gilbert, now eighty years old, a resident of Schuyler county, New York; William and Margaret Roberts. William Roberts, father of John Roberts, married Rachel Cammick, came to this country from Wales about 1770, settling in Reading, Pennsyl- vania. They had six children: John, born in Reading. Pennsylvania, June 1, 1778; Rachel, James, Mary, Fanny. William. William Roberts and family settled in Lodi, New York, in 1800. H. E. H.

HENRY YOUNG VAN SCOY. The death of Henry Young Van Scoy, which occurred at his home in Kingston, Pennsylvania, August 13, 1904, removed from that community one of its most successful business men, one who stood high in the estimation of his business colleagues and many patrons and who was noted for good judgment, rare discrimination and strict integ- rity. He was born in Wyoming, Pennsylvania, February 4, 1838, a son of Daniel and Lydia (Young) Van Scoy, and one of three children, namely : Cynthia, deceased, was the wife of the late Abram Hoover, of Wyoming, Pennsylvania. Heriry; Lydia T., widow of John W. Patten, late of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Daniel Van Scoy was born in Southampton, Long Island, 1804, educated in public schools of the district, became a farmer and developed into a successful business man. He later became

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Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 67

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin Publication date: 1906 Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 988

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 988