History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 87

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 812

USA > Pennsylvania > Bradford County > History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches > Part 87

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He is a strong temperance man, and has been very active in organizing and keeping up a temperance society in his place. He is classed as one of the best business men in his township. A cut of his residence, etc., can be seen on another page of this work.

WILSON CANFIELD.

The subject of this sketch was born in Connecticut, Dec. 28, 1790. His parents, Andrew and Eunice Can- field, came from Connecticut to Wyalusing creek, Bradford Co., in 1797. His educational advantages were quite lim- ited. He lived with his parents until he was large enough to engage in lumbering and rafting, and then began to work . on a farm summers, and in the winter and spring at logging. and rafting. When he was twenty-five years of age he bought some land upon which a portion of Le Raysville is built. He was united in marriage to Julia Seymons, Feb. 17, 1818. She was a danghter of Gould and Martha Seymons, who emigrated from Connecticut to Bradford County in 1800. The result of this union was the birth of three children, viz., Chandler, Aurelia, and Elizabeth, all of whom are living, and are well settled in life. Mr. Can- field united with the Methodist Episcopal church nearly fifty years ago, and has been a consistent Christian ever since.

WM. S. DAVIS.

The subject of this sketch was born in Glamorganshire, Wales, Feb. 27, 1827. He was a son of Samuel and Mary Davis. His parents emigrated to America in 1831, and settled near where Mr. Davis now resides. His father died in 1876, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years. Mr. Davis lived at home till he was twenty-five years of age. He then married, May 29, 1852, Elizabeth Phillips, a daughter of John and Jane Phillips, who emigrated from the same place in Wales as Mr. Davis' father. They had born to them seven children, viz. : Joseph R., John B., Samuel, Mary J., Ruth, Daniel, and Gomer. Joseph R. is a professor in Union college, Schenectady, N. Y. Mr. Davis is a member of the Republican party, and has, since his affiliation, been true to its nobler principles. He united in early life with the First Welsh Independent Congrega- tional church, of Bradford County, of which he has been an active and prominent member. He is strictly temperate in his habits, and upright in all his business transactions.

HORACE B. CHAFFEE.

The subject of this sketch was born in Bristol Co., Mass .... Sept. 28, 1828, and was a son of Wilder Chaffee, who moved to Bradford County in 1832. He attended a common dis- trict school in the winter, and worked on his father's farm in the summer until nineteen years of age, when he began to learn the blacksmithing trade. Mastering his trade at the end of three years, he began business for himself in Sheshequin, where he built up a large business by his skill and industry. He married Polly Gore, of Sheshequin,

John Black

Elizabeth Black

RESIDENCE OF JOHN BLACK, PIKE TP., BRADFORD COUNTY, PA.

DR. C. S. DUSENBERY.

MRS. C.S. DUSENBERY.

PHOTOS BY G. H. WOOD.

RESIDENCE OF DR. C. S. DUSENBERY, LE RAYSVILLE, BRADFORD CO., PA.

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

March 4, 1851. The fruits of this union were five children, viz. : Frank, Omer H., Willie A., Fannie S., and Fred- erick A., all of whom are living except Willie, who died March 4, 1877. Mr. Chaffee moved to Pike township in 1852, where he has followed the blacksmithing business, in connection with farming, up to the present time. He has filled many town offices, the duties of which he discharged very acceptably. A cut of his residence, with portraits, can be seen by referring to another page of this work.

C. S. DUSENBURY, M.D.,

was born in Dryden, Tompkins Co., N. Y., and was de- scended from one of the early emigrants from Holland who settled in this country. His educational advantages were such as could be obtained by attending a common distriet school, where, by faithful application, he laid the foundation of a good thorough education. His father's stringent circumstances made his services needed upon the

farm until nineteen years of age, when he apprenticed him- self to a dentist in Dryden village. At the expiration of two years, having mastered his profession, he came on foot to his present home, Pike, where he at once began the practice of his profession with success. In the spring of 1861, having earned enough to pay off a mortgage on his father's farm, and a surplus besides, he began the study of medicine under the late Benjamin Dewitt, M.D. After having read the required time, he entered Bellevue medical college, New York city, from which he was graduated with distinction in 1865.

His wife, Lucy W. Haigh, is a daughter of Joseph Haigh, one of the most prominent citizens of Pike. He has held the most important town offices, discharging their duties satisfactorily to the people, and was honored with the presi- dency of the Bradford medical association, gaining by his courtesy and talent the respect of his associates. A cut of his residence and grounds can be seen by referring to another page of this work.

RIDGEBERRY.

THE township of Ridgeberry is situated between Che- mung Co., N. Y., on the north, and the townships of Athens on the east, Smithfield and Springfield on the south, and South Creek on the west. The township is well watered by the Bentley creek and its tributaries, the principal ones being Fall, Trout, and Buck's creeks, and Miller's run in the southern part of the township. The Bentley passes from south to north through the entire length of the town, west of the centre.

The surface of the country is hilly and much broken, but the soil is fertile and well tilled at the present time. It was originally covered with rock-oak, chestnut, white- and yellow-pine. The pine was mostly in the swales and in the valley of Bentley creek. The land was more easily cleared than in other towns, where the growth was of a different character and heavier and more dense.

CIVIL HISTORY.

The township was organized in 1818 from the townships of Athens and Wells. It was named Ridgeberry by Sam- uel Bennett, who called his own farm by that name on account of the berries which grew abundantly on the hill. In 1850 the population of the township was 1616; in 1860, 1785; and in 1870, 1476; of whom 194 were foreign born. The area of the township is about 40 square miles.

The township is divided into twelve school districts fully within the limits of the same, and one joint district with South Creek, each one of which has a school-house in the town.

There are two post-offices in the township, Ridgeberry 44

in district No. 1, and Bentley Creek post-office in district No. 2.

SETTLEMENT.

The first settlers in the present township of Ridgeberry, as far as can now be ascertained, were Isaac Fuller and Joel Campbell, who came to the town with their families in 1805 or 1806. Their nativity was Mammiscotten,* Orange Co., N. Y., from whence they came to Ridgeberry to find a better, if not a heavenly country. They came in with ox- teams, and drove several cows in. They made their first settlement on Bentley creek, one mile from the State line, on property now owned by William J. Fuller, son of Abial Fuller, and by Mrs. E. R. Beckwith; also on lands two miles farther up the creek, on farms now owned by John and Alexander Stirton. The Campbells moved away from the town in 1820. The land was government property, and the Fullers lived there until they gained possession by settlement.

The inconveniences and privations of the wilderness were experienced in full measure by these pioneer families. Their dwellings were made of logs, and roofed with bark or shakes ; their nearest mill was at Sheshequin, twenty-five miles distant by the shortest road; they ate their samp and johnny-cake made from pounded corn, rendered palatable for daintier tastes by the addition of maple-sugar of their own making; roasted their potatoes in the ashes, and boiled beans in their kettle suspended over the fire from a forked stick ; but venison and bear steaks and roasts, wild-turkeys,

# Mamakating ?

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

pigeons, and grouse, and delicious trout graced their tables at all seasons of the year.

They chopped and burned their fallows, and with a sharp- ened stick made holes in the ground among the logs and stumps, into which they dropped their corn, and covered it up with their fect. They formed logging-bces to clear off the logs on their wheat patches, and harrowed in their grain with drags with wooden teeth ; their plows were wooden ones, called " bull" plows. The back-logs for their fire-places they drew into their houses with a horsc.

The family of Isaac Fuller, when he came to Ridgeberry, consisted of his wife and eight children,-viz., Beulah, born Sept. 19, 1774, married Nathaniel Campbell ; Betsy, born Sept. 23, 1776, and died in her youth; Charity, born March 12, 1779, never married; Isaac, born August 18, 1781, married Rachel Van Curen, of Mammiscotten (Mama- kating ?), died in Ridgeberry; William, born May 20, 1784, married a Campbell, and died on Post creek ; Abial, born Feb. 8, 1787, married a Campbell ; Lemuel, born May 24, 1790, lived and died in Ridgeberry ; Peter, born Oct. 11, 1796, moved to Michigan and died there. Isaac Fuller came first to Ridgeberry to view the land and then returned for his father's family. He was a volunteer in the war of 1812. Abial was drafted, and started for the seat of war, and met his brother, when orders werc received for their re- turn home, the war having closed. Peter's son, Isaac, served in the war of the Rebellion, and Lemuel's grandsons also.

Joel Campbell's family, at the time of his settlement in Ridgeberry, consisted of his second wife, his brother Ben- jamin, and seven children,-viz., Joshua, Ezekiel, Joel, Jonathan, Nathaniel, Benoni, and William. Nathaniel married Beulah Fuller, and their three children came with them to Ridgeberry. They had five grandsons in the war of the Rebellion, four of whom died in the service. Na- thaniel died on his original location, as did his wife sub- sequently. The Campbells joined the Mormons largely. Joel Campbell and his wife lived to be very old people.

Mrs. E. Fuller, now of Ridgeberry, says that Adam Ridenbar and his family were in the township when the Fullers and Campbells came.

Samuel Bennett was among the foremost men in the township. He came to the hill on which his farm was situated, and which is still known as the Bennett farm, in 1807, and was the first settler on the hill. It was covered with berry bushes, and he gave his place the name of Ridgeberry, and being active in the organization of the township, the people gave him the privilege of naming the town, and he conferred upon it the name of his farm. He was the first tailor in the township. It is said that he adopted a unique method for cutting an overcoat for a Mr. Rickey. He sewed the breadths of the cloth together, wrapped it around his customer, and cut it out with a butcher kmfc. It was the best he could do, but no report is preserved of how the garment fitted. The hill is known as Durkee hill,* and was settled and considerably advanced in clearing before a settler had come to the hill on the west of the creek. Mr. Bennett came from Orange Co., N. Y.

Another prominent citizen of Bradford County was Vine Baldwin, who came to Ridgeberry in 1808 or 1809. He was the son of Thomas Baldwin, who, with his wife and other members of his father's family, were among the first settlers of Wyoming valley, and were from Norwich, Conn. Thomas was in the battle at Wyoming. Waterman and Ada Baldwin, his brother and sister, were captured in the fort and taken to Tonawanda creek, near Niagara, by Corn- planter, a chief of the Iroquois, where they were held until peace was restored, when they were released. Thomas served with Col. Franklin, and hunted Indians and Tories along the Susquehanna. Thomas and Franklin were scout- ing somewhere about Wyalusing, and found two " cow-boys" (Tories) cncamped. Each of the scouts got a bull's-eye watch, though the stem of Franklin's was shot off.

During the captivity of his brother and sister Thomas scouted the Susquehanna and Chemung valleys, hoping to meet and release them. He heard the report of a gun one day, and soon saw a white man running and an Indian after him. He fired and wounded the pursuer, who turned about and ran off. The white man was scalped, shot, and stabbed seven times. Thomas then followed the Indian, and found him sitting in the grass, with his rifle across his lap. He advanced with his rifle at his shoulder, and finger on the trigger, ready to fire if the savage stirred. The Indian sat still, and striking his gun out of his reach, Baldwin said to him, "I will pay you for scalping a white man alive!" and commenced hacking at his head with his tomahawk. The Indian scratched his head and grunted, whereupon the heart of the avenger failed him in his cruelty, and he sunk his hatchet into the brain of the helpless victim, and left him. He took the white man along with him to the sct- tlement, where he recovered from his wounds, and made an annual pilgrimage to his preserver's house while he lived.

Thomas also commanded one of the companies of volun- teers sent in pursuit of Roswell Franklin's family, and per- sisted in the pursuit when the other companies turned back, and rescued the children, though Mrs. Franklin was shot. Seven of the company were left on Frenchtown mountain to watch the Indians while the rest went out to kill game, supplies having been exhausted. Five of these were Col. Franklin, of Athens, Thomas Baldwin, Joseph Elliott, of Wyalusing, Handy, of Elmira, and IIammond Stevens. The hunting party were under strict orders to return at nine A. M., but did not get in, and about noon the Indians were scen coming along the trail. The seven men on guard formed a semicircle, and as the Indians canie within range opened fire on them, expecting the return of their comrades every moment. Baldwin showed his hat on his ramrod, and drew the fire of the Indians, and, as they looked out from their coverts behind the trees, gave them the contents of his rifle. One of the redskins getting into close quar- ters, Baldwin held his hat on his hand and received the bullet through his hand. The Indian rushed forward with his tomahawk, when Baldwin fired into his face, having only powder in his gun, and burned the Indian horribly. About this time the Indians ran, and as they left Mrs. Franklin looked above the log behind which she was lying, and was shot and killed by the Indians. The children were taken back to their friends. When the treaty was

* The Susquehanna company's township Durkee covered this part of Ridgeberry, hence the name of this part of the township.

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

made at Newtown, Baldwin saw his Indian whose face he had burned, and, upon inquiry, the Indian corroborated the fact, saying, " Yankee fired big gun in my face."

Baldwin was with Sullivan at the battle of Baldwin's creek, where the Indians and British fought together be- hind breastworks. He got in the rear, and was having a busy session by himself, firing into the enemy's back. When the Indians ran one of them jumped over the log behind which Baldwin lay, and seeing him gave him the contents of his gun in his knee, the ball passing on and lodging in his thigh. He rode to Tioga Point on horse- back, had his wound dressed, and retired with the army to Wyoming.

In the spring of 1783 he pushed a canoe up the river, carrying his wife and few household goods, and settled in Sheshequin for the summer. Here Vine Baldwin was born the same year, the first white child born in the valley of the Sheshequin after the Revolution. He, Thomas Bald- win, made several trips to the mill just above Wilkes-Barre, with grists. He assisted to build the first mill in Athens, near the stone mill on Shepherd's creek, near Sayre; Spalding and Prinee Bryant being his associates. He moved from Sheshequin to the battle-ground where he was wounded, now the town of Ashland, Chemung Co., N. Y., and used the breastworks for several years. He built the first grist-mill on Baldwin's creek, in Chemung county, and died and was buried there.

Vine Baldwin was reared on the farm on the battle- ground, near Wellsburg. While a boy he used to haul goods from the Catskills, on the Hudson river, to Elmira. He married Sally Burt, the daughter of Thomas Burt, of Chemung, the family being originally from Cbester, Orange Co., N. Y. Vine settled on Bentley creek, about a mile above Wellsburg, in the township of Ridgeberry, where he built a grist- and saw-mill and a distillery. He ran his lumber down the river, and built the first raft he ever saw at Wellsburg, which was the first beginning of that business on the Chemung.

Mr. Baldwin moved to Troy in 1821, and built the Troy House, or rather the first house on the site of the present hotel of that name, and opened the same to the publie. He built the first store and traded there, burned potash, operated a distillery, bought and drove cattle, drew his pot- ash east and brought back goods, loaded goods on wagons in New York city, and drew them thus to Troy, his oldest son, Thomas, being his chief teamster. Mr. Baldwin lived ten or twelve years in Troy, and accumulated a good prop- erty. He took a contract to build twenty miles of turnpike in Potter county, and executed the same, but lost the greater portion of his pay, and his property in Troy was absorbed in paying his men.

He then moved to Tioga county about 1831 or 1832, bought 900 acres of land, which was called the Marslı farm, sold corn, hay, and pork on Pine creek for lumber, and ran the latter down the river, mostly paying for his farm ; but in the spring of the great May flood he lost six- teen rafts, which ruined him financially. He sold his in- terest to Gen. George Kress, his son-in-law, and moved to Chemung in 1836, and cleared up the Manning farm.

While at Troy, he had a line of stages from Troy to Ral-

ston, and carried the mail. Other parties wanted to get the mail-route, and undertook to do so by main force, but though three of them attacked him while having the mail-pouch in his hands, he discomfited them, and was unmolested for the remainder of his contract.

Mr. Baldwin died at the residence of M. C. Baldwin, his son, in Chemung, June 20, 1873. His family consisted of five sons and three daughters, viz. : Charlotte, married Gen. George Kress ; Thomas, married Polly, daughter of Reuben Wilbur ; Robert C., married a Foulke, and lived in Che- mung ; Vine, married a Border, and lived in Wellsboro', Pa .; Morgan, lives in Michigan ; Miles C., born Nov. 5, 1819, in Ridgeberry, lives in Chemung; Mary, born in Troy ; Martha, born in Troy, and died in Chemung.

George, a brother of Vine Baldwin, moved into Ridge- berry from near Wellsburg about 1822, and settled near the line, about one mile below Wellsburg, on the farm now owned by David Burt.

Griswold Owen came from Chemung to Ridgeberry about 1809. He was born in Connecticut. When seven years old his father with his family moved to Orange county, thence to Unadilla, and thence Griswold eame to Chemung, where he married Anise, daughter of Elder Roswell Goff. He settled first on the ereek near the upper part of town, and after a few years moved to a farm next above Centre- ville, where he lived until his death. His father-in-law, Roswell Goff, came from the Shawangunk mountain on horseback, and brought his daughter (afterwards Mrs. Owen) in his arms. She was born June 1, 1788, and gave the faets concerning Mr. Owen and Mr. Goff. John Cummins came in from Hartford, Washington Co., N. Y., about 1812 or 1813. He settled on the farm now owned by John Thompson. He married a sister of James Covell, and died while living with his son more than twenty years ago. Captain Calvin West came from the same place as did Cummins, his wife being a daughter of James Covell. He came in 1813, or thereabouts, and settled on the farm now occupied by Robbins, about half a mile below Centre- ville. He moved to Wisconsin about 1870 or 1871. He began in indigent circumstances, and by thrift became wealthy, in the lumber and milling business. He built the mill below Burt's. He was elected captain in the inde- pendent company that succeeded the old militia.

Jonathan Kent came from Southport to Ridgeberry about 1313, and settled on the farm on which Pennyville* is now situated. After several years he removed to Big Flats, taking his family with him, and died near Watkins, N. Y. His wife was a daughter of Elder Goff.

James Covell was a soldier of the War of 1812. He came to Ridgeberry in 1816, at which time there was but one framed house in the town, the same being Vine Bald- win's. He came from Hartford, Washington Co., N. Y. His sister, Mrs. John Cummins, and daughter, Mrs. Calvin West, were already in the town, and, while visiting them, he was so favorably impressed with the country, he brought his family in, and made the town his home the remainder of his life. He bought the possession of Silas Campbell,

# This is the common name for Bentley creek, and came as a term of reproach on account of a little grocery which some roguish boy said did only a penny business.

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

who had made a clearing of about an acre. John Roberts, of Philadelphia, was the owner of the tract. His son, Calvin T. Covell, now occupies the farm, and on which his father died in 1864, aged eighty-nine years. He built his present house on the farm in 1832. He was very systematic in his methods of work, and accomplished a great amount of labor without driving hard. His son, Calvin T., was born in Plattsburg, and was seven years old when the family came to Ridgeherry. The season of 1816 was the cold season, and Mr. Covell paid $13 for a barrel of rye flour at Tioga Point. He was a captain in the War of 1812, and a brother of his was a lieutenant in the same.

Maj. Alpheus Gillett, a Revolutionary soldier, came to Ridgeberry in 1826, or thereabouts. He lived about a mile and a half above Pennyville, on the farm now occupied by his grandson, Aaron Gillett. He and Aaron Marcellus, his son-in-law, came together from Boston, and made a pos- session, which Mr. Gillett subsequently sold to Vincent Owen. Henry Wells, of Wellsburg, built a house on the place for tavern purposes, and Marcellus bought him out. The latter remained on the place ten or twelve years, and then joined in the sale of it to Owen. He roared a family, the greater portion of whom live in the immediate neigh- borhood.

Elijah Buck assisted in the survey of the Roberts land, and received land for . his services at sixpence per acre. This he gave to his son, Jolin, who settled on it in 1826 or 1827. John died on the farm in 1857. The place is now occupied by D. H. Burnham, in the upper part of Pennyville. John Buck came from Buckville, N. Y. He was the postmaster for many years.

Sturgis Squires came from Yates Co., N. Y., to Ridge- berry, in 1827. His brother Peter had been a resident of the town for some twelve or thirteen years when Sturgis came, and bought a portion of his possession, which was located on the James Wilson warrant. Mr. Squires lived in Colum- bia, Bradford County, when he was about ten years old (1801), and was in Cabot hollow when the difficulties occurred, arising from the conflict of titles. He then returned to Connecticut, and was in the army during the War of 1812, after which he went to the lake region of central New York, and from thence came to Ridgeberry. Peter held his land by possession, as did Sturgis a portion of his, the owner neglecting to pay the taxes on the same. Peter was an early settler in Columbia township, and came to Ridgeberry because of the lighter clearing.

Among other early settlers may be named the following, the exact dates of whose settlement we have not been able to obtain : Joseph Batterson, on the hill on the farm now owned by Lawrence Amy. He was from Connecticut, and moved away from the town several years ago. A Mr. Pierce settled for a short time on the place now occupied by the widow Griswold.

John L. Webb, who for one term held the office of sheriff of the county, was an early comer and a prominent settler in the township. He was the father of Hon. James H. Webb, of Smithfield.

Job Stiles lived three miles south of Wellsburg, on the farm now owned by William Dickinson. He was a Revolutionary soldier, and had a large family, but all are gone. Some of

his family came in as early as 1810 or '11. He married his wife in the barracks. She was a Burnham, a daughter of Asahel Burnham. Mr. Stiles and his wife died on the farın adjoining Vincent Owen. Kinney Burnham, a son of the above, came later, in 1835, and settled east of Penny- ville, on the hill. Asahel was another son of the elder Burnham. Abram Westfall settled on the farm occupied later by John Stirton, a Scotchman, who is yet living on the farm. Mr. Stirton's wife was an English lady, and they reared a large family, the sons being among the fore- most men of the town. Jonathan Davidson was a carpenter, and lived about a mile from the Bennett farm.

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History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 87

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts Number of Pages: 812

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 812