USA > Pennsylvania > Lycoming County > Genealogical and personal history of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. Volume I > Part 7
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The Sprout families are descendants of two brothers who came from Scotland probably (fifteen or twenty years after) with the Pilgrims, landing at Plymouth. As far back as I can trace my own ancestors, is my grandfather, Nathaniel Sprout, whose wife's maiden name was Thrasher. He was a soldier in the French war and in the battle of Bloody Pond near Lake George. He had eight sons and three daugh- ters-Michael, Robert, James, Ebenezer, Nathaniel, Jr., Samuel, Nathan and Lemuel are the names of the sons in regular order; and Hannah, Mercy and Abigail are the names of the daughters. James, Robert, Ebenezer and Samuel were soldiers in the Revolutionary war. James was in the battle of Bunker Hill, and was surrounded by the enemy, but
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made his escape. Ebenezer, Sr., was taken prisoner at Ticonderoga, and was in Captain Hudang's artillery. Neither of them were killed or wounded. Michael settled in Vermont. His wife's maiden name was Warner. He had two or more sons, James and Daniel; one (or more) daughters, Rachel. Robert had one son and three daughters, all de- ceased. James had one son, Williard, and three daughters, Roxana, Polly and Cintha. Ebenezer, Sr., had one son, Ebenezer, Jr., and two daughters, Relief and Polly, by his first wife (whose maiden name was Thayer) and nine by his second wife, three of whom died in infancy; the other six were Ezra, David, Charles and Hozea, Mariam and Sa- lome. Nathaniel had four sons, Nathaniel, Jr., Amos, Edon and Levi; and two daughters, Esther and Zuba. Samuel never married and is de- ceased. Nathan, whose wife's maiden name was Dana, had two sons, Amoia D., and Josia; and three daughters, Lucinda, Clarinda and Me- linda. Lemuel never married.
Descendants of Ebenezer Sprout, Sr., of Massachusetts: Ebenezer Sprout, Jr., married Miriam Burrows, daughter of Amos Burrows, Sr., of Stafford, Tolland county, Connecticut. He had eight sons-Asa R., Ariel B., Erastus T., Charles, Zebina E., Amos B., Samuel E., and Lewis B .; and three daughters-Mary Ann, Emeline N., and Sophronia M.
Ezra Sprout, son of Ebenezer, Sr., had three sons-Alfred, Brad- ford and Elmer; and four daughters-Amanda, Emeline, Orrilla and Luthera. David Sprout, son of Ebenezer, Sr., had one son and one daughter (names forgotten). Charles Sprout (son of Ebenezer, Sr.) married Hannah Anderson, and settled near Lockport, Niagara county, New York. He had five sons and two daughters; the sons were Charles, Jr., adjutant of the Twenty-eighth New York Volunteers, and fell in the battle of Cedar Mountains while leading the advance and foremost in
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the fight ; it is said by soldiers of his regiment that from ten to fourteen of the enemy lay dead around him bearing the marks of his weapons, and he had himself seven bullet wounds, one piercing his heart, besides other sabre and bayonet wounds. Holton George (also in the war, most of the time in North Carolina at Newberne, etc.) ; Seneca; and John. Names of the daughters: Adaline and Carrie. Hozea Sprout, also son of Ebenezer, Sr., died of consumption about the age of twenty-one. Miriam, daughter of Ebenezer, Sr., married Robert Sprout (had no children). Salome (her sister) married Jacob Sampson, number of children not known by writer.
We cannot give the number and names of the grandchildren of Ebenezer, Sr., but to return to those of Ebenezer, Jr., the father of the writer, we will try to give some of his grandchildren's names and residences, though they are so many and so scattered throughout the United States that it would be almost impossible to give the names and residences of all.
Ebenezer Sprout, Jr., was born in Massachusetts, September 23, 1787, and died at Picture Rocks, Pennsylvania, January 10, 1871. His wife was born in Connecticut, July 4, 1789, and died at Picture Rocks, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1878. Their eldest son, Asa R., was born in Massachusetts on April 25, 1816, and died at Picture Rocks, Pennsyl- vania, October 5, 1888. His wife was Mary E. Bates. They had one son, died in infancy. Ariel B. was born in Susquehanna county, Penn- sylvania, February 12, 1818, and died April 2, 1890. His first wife was Julia Bergstresser, of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, by whom he had four children, three of whom died in childhood, Samuel B. only surviving. He had four also by his second wife who was Rachel A. Cowles, and who with her children-Sidney, Alton, Edna and Vennie- still survive, the two sons being noted electrical engineers, Sidney re-
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siding at San Francisco, California, and Alton unsettled, his business re- quiring his presence in nearly every state in the Union, Cuba and other countries. Sidney's presence was required at the World's Fair at Chi- cago during the Columbian Exposition. Erastus T. was born in Susque- hanna county, Pennsylvania, November 14, 1819. His first wife (now deceased) was Mary Eddy, by whom he had seven children-Henry, Alice, Emma and Eva (twins), Charles E. and Lucy J. His second wife was Angeline Freeman, and both are now deceased. Charles was born in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, September 18, 1821, and died August 5, 1888. His wife was Jane Hinds of Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania. She died September 23, 1889. They had eight children-James M., Susie, Edgar, Lewis H., Jane H., Samuel, Richard and George. Jane H. died at the age of eleven years. Samuel and Richard died in infancy. James M. was a soldier in the war of the Re- bellion ; Edgar was a noted dealer in and manufacturer of lumber; Lewis H. was a printer, and assistant in the publication and circulation of the "Independent Republican" of Montrose, Pennsylvania; George is a farmer on the old homestead near Montrose, Pennsylvania.
Zebina E. was born in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, Octo- ber 22, 1822. He married Elizabeth Nichols, the only survivor of triplets. He had seven children-Edwin, Ellen, Samuel, E. Burton, Elizabeth, William and Frank. This family occupied the old Ebenezer Sprout, Jr., homestead and most of them were farmers. Amos B., (the writer of this sketch) was born at Forrest Lake, Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, May 7, 1826; married Catherine G. Hinds, of Montrose, Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania; they had four children. He has been engaged in school teaching, manufacturing lumber, sash, blinds, etc., at Picture Rocks, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania; he was the first justice of the peace of said borough, acting for twenty-one years. He
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died at Picture Rocks, Pennsylvania, August 30, 1904. The names of his children are Judson H., Gordon D., Morton I., and Orpha D. The three sons are engaged in manufacturing of handles, excelsior rakes, turning, etc. The sons of Judson H. (W. Austin and Boyd B.), Austin is in the United States Navy and Boyd B. is a dentist in Williamsport. The children of Gordon and Morton and Orpha are young and at home. Samuel E. was born near Montrose, Pennsylvania, June 20, 1828. He married Mary Sutton, and they were the parents of four children- Marion, Clarence E., Annie and Willis.
Clarence E. is an attorney, practicing in Williamsport, Pennsyl- vania; Willis is in Potter county, Pennsylvania, principal manager of a large lumbering and kindlingwood manufactory; Lewis B. (youngest son of Ebenezer, Jr.) was born at the old homestead in Susquehanna county, May 4, 1830; married Ellen Donnelly, of said county ; they had six children, Maggie, Augusta, Charles, Annie, Lucilla and Fred M. This family has been almost exclusively engaged in manufacturing the following articles : Sash, blinds and doors, lumber buggy springs, horse hay forks, pulleys and elevators, etc., and now under the firm name of Sprout, Waldron & Company, they are very extensive manufacturers of flouring and feed mills, which are sold throughout the United States and territories and in other countries. The Sprout families have been the inventors and patentees of many new and useful articles. Time and space will not permit us to give a further sketch of the different fam- ilies descendant of the Sprout ancestors. We will just give the names of the husbands and children of Mary Ann, Emeline, and Sophronia M., before named. Mary Ann married Joseph Krause, a German by birth. The names of their children are: I, Franklin J., who served in the Civil war, was a prisoner at Andersonville, and was paroled in 1864; 2, William E .; 3, Martha; 4, Edgar, lost an arm in the battle of the
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Wilderness; 5, Catherine E .; 6, Phillip P. Emeline married Will- iam F. Lathrop, of Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania. The names of their children are James, Charles and Juliett; two or three died in infancy. Sophronia M., married Charles Wells of Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, and three children were born to them : Melissa M., Ida J. and Harriet L.
LEWIS B. SPROUT.
Lewis Bosworth Sprout, deceased, during an unusually active career was known as a prime leader in the industrial life of Lycoming county and one of the pioneer manufacturers of Muncy valley. In his physique and personality he exemplified in a remarkable degree the dis- tinctive qualities of the sturdy Scotch ancestry, whence he sprang and which is epitomized in the preceding narrative in this work. He was the direct descendant of two brothers who came from Scotland fifteen or twenty years after the landing of the Pilgrims. His father, Eben- ezer Sprout, resided in Massachusetts and married Miriam Burrows, of Connecticut. Together they journeyed by wagon with three children from Massachusetts to Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, where the remainder of the family of eleven were born.
Lewis B. Sprout, the subject of this sketch, being the youngest, was born May 4, 1830, on the homestead near Montrose, Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania. Here he spent his boyhood days, receiving such education as the common schools afforded and working upon his father's farm until old enough to obtain employment for himself. He entered upon an independent business career at the early age of eighteen years, engaging in the manufacture of a wagon spring known as the "Sprout Wagon Spring," and later in the manufacture of sash and blinds at Montrose. In this relation he manifested such energetic spirit and
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marked business ability as to win the confidence and esteem of some of the most prominent citizens of the place, whom he ever held in high re- gard and with whom he formed lasting friendships. In 1854 he came to Picture Rocks, Lycoming county, where six years previous his elder brother, A. Ransaleer Sprout, and their uncle, Amos Burrows, had be- come the pioneer settlers, and established the first sash, door and blind factory in that part of the country. He became associated with them in 1856, and one year later purchased the business, affiliating with his next older brother, Samuel E., in the firm of S. E. & L. B. Sprout. Their business prospered and in 1866 they located in Muncy, where they added to their line of trade the Sprout Hay Fork and Elevator, of which valuable device their brother, Ariel B. Sprout, was the inventor and patentee. In 1874 the brothers dissolved parnership and Lewis B. continued alone in the manufacture of hay forks, elevators and other hay tools. In 1880 he sold the business to his son-in-law, John Wald- ron, and retired from active employment. He never ceased, however, to bear a deep interest in the welfare of the business and was at all times relied upon for his clear judgment in decisions of perplexing and mo- mentous questions concerning the conduct of the business.
His active disposition prevented him from remaining long in idle- ness, and upon the urgent request of his son Charles H., and son-in- law, John Waldron, he decided to enter into partnership with them, which he did in 1892, being incorporated later under the firm name of Sprout, Waldron & Company, which has become widely known in the manufacture of an extensive line of flour and feed mill machinery, buck- wheat flouring mills and other specialties. Mr. Sprout was thus pri- marily instrumental in laying the foundation for what became in his day a mighty industrial enterprise, employing many workmen and sending its products into every state of the Union and into many foreign coun-
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tries. His interest and devotion to the business was not so much that he might acquire wealth, but that he might place the industry upon such a foundation as to make it a profitable and an enduring enterprise for future generations. His wisdom in thus planning can only be realized when we are reminded of the fact that within seven years death entered the ranks of its officers three times, and removed every member elected at its incorporation in 1895. Nevertheless, in spite of affliction and loss by death and fire, they have continued to build upon the foundation so securely laid.
The first to be stricken was Charles H., Mr. Sprout's eldest son, who was taken ill of appendicitis while absent on a business trip and died at the Albany State Hospital, March 16, 1896. Despite his intense grief, the father devoted himself more diligently to business, taking upon himself the duties of secretary in addition to those of treasurer. But the grief on the sudden death of his son and the loss of one whose filial devotion, kindness, intelligence, energy and mechanical ability made him a pillar upon whim a fond father could confidently lean, soon undermined Mr. Sprout's health and sapped his energies. Nervous prostration seized upon him and he passed peacefully away on the evening of June 9, 1898, at the age of sixty-eight years. Thus closed the life of a prominent, progressive, persevering, successful citizen and an ideal Christian gentleman.
Lewis B. Sprout was not only watchful and active in every detail of his commercial life, but as a Christian the same energy of action and excellence of judgment which marked the development of the business man was present also in the spiritual life, working out that ripe and full experience which characterized his religious associations. He was con- verted when a very young man in the Baptist church at Montrose, and was until the time of his death a devoted and faithful member of that
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denomination. He loved to serve the cause of Christ in every depart- ment of church activity, and was never known to neglect any duty or shirk any responsibility in that service. He aided with his influence and means every cause which he deemed worthy, whether material or spir- itual, and was particularly helpful in religious and educational concerns. The latest work, one in which he took an all absorbing interest and de- light, was the erection of the handsome and substantial Baptist church edifice on the northeast corner of Penn and Market streets. The build- ing project was in a large degree due to his proposition to the congrega- tion at a meeting in 1890, and its consummation was largely the result of his energetic labors and generous contributions. He took great de- light in watching the progress of the erection of the building from his beautiful residence nearby, and was an active participant in the dedica- tion services which took place about a year before his death.
As a citizen Mr. Sprout was ever loyal to his convictions of justice and right, as he was in every phase of his well developed character. He cast his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont, and continued a Republican for many years, aiding in every work where good govern- ment and wise legislation were needed. He was very enthusiastic in his desire to see the abolition of the liquor traffic, and fought with all his characteristic energy for the submission of the constitutional amend- ment to the people, which was defeated in 1889. His disappointment in his party to sustain this movement led him to forsake their ranks and cast his influence with the Prohibition party. He continued with this party until the time of his death, using every means within his power to advance the cause of temperance reform and uplift humanity.
Mr. Sprout was an educated man in the best sense of the word. To his deep regret, he was limited in his youth, as we have stated, to a common school education. However, his youthful days were not his
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only school days, and we know him to have been an earnest student all his life. His education was practical, not theoretical, and was acquired in the school of nature and among men rather than from books. He conceived nature to be simply the production of the Almighty, regulated by a wisdom, the laws of which can only be discovered by observation. He, therefore, studied science in nature. He read law in the works of the Great Law-Giver and had a clear conception of its relation and ap- plication to man. Feeling conscious within himself of an honest pur- pose to serve others and perpetuate their welfare in business, church and public relations, he found ready justification for every act, having in his judgment those ends in view. His purity of speech bore witness to a virtuous life. As determined as he was cautious, as magnanimous as he was impulsive, as clear-headed as he was energetic, as firm as he was just, his influence will continue to be felt in every field in which he la- bored.
Mr. Sprout married, in 1855, Miss Ellen Donnelly, of Susquehanna county, and to them were born six children: Maggie Amelia, who be- came the wife of John Waldron; Augusta, married to H. G. Lichten- thaler, died August 16, 1887; Charles Howard, of whom a sketch fol- lows; Annie Laurie, died in infancy; Lucilla Marion, wife of Stephen Soars, treasurer of Sprout, Waldron & Company; and Fred Murray, president of same corporation.
CHARLES H. SPROUT.
Charles Howard Sprout, deceased, was a man of unusual ability and beautiful personal character, and passed away just after having fairly entered upon a career which held out for him the most brilliant prospects.
He was born at Picture Rocks, Pennsylvania, April 22, 1860, the
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le Sprong
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elder of the two sons of Lewis B. and Ellen (Donnelly) Sprout, and the third of their six children. He was of studious habits and had acquired a good practical education by the time he was seventeen years of age, when he entered the factory established by his father, which be- came that of Sprout, Waldron & Company. In 1883 he became asso- ciated with John Waldron in the firm of Waldron & Sprout, and when this was succeeded by the corporation of Sprout, Waldron & Company in 1895, he became its secretary, holding this position until his death at the early age of thirty-six years. During this all too brief period he displayed talents of the highest order-intelligence, prudence, diligence -and to these qualities added decision of character, and a measure of affability which endeared him to all with whom he was in any way asso- ciated. Some of the largest advancements made by the company were during his connection with it, and he bore an intelligent and active part in the erection of the new factory in the first year of his association in the firm (1883), in the installation of the machinery for the manufac- ture of French buhr mills, in 1884; and in the rebuilding of the plant after its destruction by fire on February 22, 1888. He was of an invent- ive turn of mind, and afforded valuable aid in the setting-up of new machinery, introducing various modifications and improvements of his own designing. His interest in the establishment amounted to enthu- siasm, and he persisted in his labors in spite of severe physical ailments and almost up to the moment of his death. He had been accustomed to journey to various portions of the country in the interest of the busi- ness, and was on such an errand in March, 1896, at Catskill, New York, where he was suddenly stricken down with appendicitis. Twice before, during the previous five years, he had endured great suffering from the same malady, and had often declared to his friends that in the event of another attack he would place himself in the hands of the surgeons. He
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was taken by friends to the City Hospital in Albany, New York, and his wife and his brother, Fred M., were summoned to his side and found him in such serious condition that there seemed no possible remedy but by surgical treatment. An operation was performed on Sunday morn- ing, but was unavailing, and on the evening of the following day he closed his eyes in that last sleep which falls upon the sons of men. A devout Christian, while saddened to part from his loved ones, he held fast to his faith in an awakening in a better and brighter land, and passed away, his last utterance being in the words of the beautiful psalm which has ever been a solace to the dying righteous: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."
In his youth Mr. Sprout was baptized into the communion of his parents, that of the Baptist church, and he maintained an unsullied chris- tian walk and conversation throughout his life. Without bearing his heart upon his sleeve, he ever manifested a tender brotherly solicitude for those about him, and in every presence carried himself as a modest unconscious exemplar of the beauty of holiness. He deemed a strictly abstemious life a part of his religious duty, and out of similar considera- tion ever gave a hearty support to the cause of prohibition, seeking to preserve the weak and infirm of purpose from a temptation which could only be for their undoing if yielded to. In all his family relations he was an ideal man-a reverential and dutiful son, a loyal brother, and a de- voted husband.
Mr. Sprout married, December 9, '1880, Miss Tranie Shipman, daughter of Amos Shipman, of Muncy Creek township, who survives her lamented husband. Their union was unblessed by children.
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John Waldron
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JOHN WALDRON.
John Waldron, deceased, was during his early manhood a splendid type of the citizen soldiery of the nation which consecrated its effort to the preservation of the Union, and, at the close of the gigantic struggle, turned gladly away from scenes of carnage and glory to engage in the arts of peace, to the betterment of the land and of all their fellows.
Mr. Waldron was born in Moreland township, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, January 23, 1844. He was educated in his native town- ship, and at the age of eighteen years, when just prepared to enter upon an active career, was turned aside by the call of President Lincoln for troops to enforce the national authority. He was at that age when patriotic spirit ran high, and on August 14, 1862, he enlisted in Com- pany G, One Hundred and Thirty-first Regiment Pennsylvania Volun- teers. He bore himself with soldierly ability in the stirring campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, marked by many desperate battles, until that at Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 13, of the same year, where he was wounded in the hip. He was discharged for disability resultant from this wound, May 23, 1863. Having recovered, he re-enlisted in January, 1864, in Company C, One Hundred and Eighty-seventh Regi- ment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and participated in the ensuing great campaigns under General Grant until in the operations in front of Peters- burg, Virginia, he suffered the loss of his left arm, June 18, 1864. He was long invalided on this account, but even this was not sufficient to dampen his patriotic ardor, and on recovering, though incapacitated for field service, he sough to yet serve his country, and took a position in the quartermaster's department, February 5, 1865, and continued therein until June 20 of the same year, when the collapse of the rebellion ended the necessity for his services.
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Soon after leaving the employ of the government Mr. Waldron went to Missouri, where he labored upon a farm for two years, and then attended a commercial college in St. Louis, where he paid special atten- tion to telegraphy. In 1875 he returned to Pennsylvania and accepted a position as a telegraph operator at Montgomery, and was subsequently advanced to that of station master, and served as such until 1880, when he resigned and located in Muncy, at once becoming identified with the industrial interests of that place. Purchasing the manufacturing busi- ness of his father-in-law, the late Lewis B. Sprout, he continued the manufacture of hay forks, elevators and other hay machinery, until 1884, when he associated with himself his brother-in-law, Charles H. Sprout, and began the manufacture of flour milling machinery. In 1895 the firm was incorporated under the name of Sprout, Waldron & Company, Mr. Waldron becoming president, and continuing in that position® until his death. He was a prime factor in making the company what it is today, among the most extensive manufacturers in its line in the United States, its products being in demand in all parts of this country, and in many foreign countries. Nor was the great success of the enterprise achieved without struggles and discouragements. Twice were the fac- tories burned down : On February 22, 1888, and on February 7, 1900, but were each time rebuilt, and upon a larger scale, and long before his death it was the great satisfaction of Mr. Waldron to witness the pos- session of an entirely modern plant, equipped with all that could be of advantage, a well systematized management, and an output of product of such superior quality that at the Louisiana Exposition the Sprout, Waldron & Company factories were awarded the highest award for one of their specialties, grinding mills. He also witnessed important changes in the personnel of the management: The death of Lewis B. Sprout, the treasurer; and of Charles H. Sprout, the secretary-the first named
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