History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 105

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.)
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1340

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E. H. JACOBY was born May 12, 1834, at Mehoopany, Wyoming Co .. Pa., and is the third in the family of seven children of Leonard and Judith (Williams) Jacoby, natives of this State, of German and Welsh extraction. He was orphaned at the age of eighteen, and, being thus thrown early upon his own resources, he commenced business at the mason trade, having received instructions from his father. At about the age of twenty he had several severe attacks of hemorrhage of the lungs, and for more than a year fears were entertained that he would be a victim to consumption, but he finally recovered, and resumed busi- ness, doing a great deal of mason work by contract, and employing a number of men. On May 17, 1860, he was married to Julietta Aumick, of Eatontown, Wyoming Co., Pa. In 1861, he moved to Auburn township, Susquehanna Co., and was there drafted, in November, 1863, and reported at Scranton, January 14, 1864, but was exempted by paying $300. On February 6, 1865, his wife died, leaving one child. Mr. Jacoby dealt speculatively in tobacco and other commodities; also in real estate to some extent. In 1866 he became a resident of Brad- ford county, and December 31, 1867, he married Maria L., fourth daughter of Rev. D. Trumble, of Liberty Corners, and there have been born of this union, six children, as follows: Carrie E., born March 3. 1869; Alice C., born April 20, 1871; Arthur B., born October 16, 1875; Olin D., born December 2, 1880; Ralph B., born January 10, 1887; Stanley L., born September 16, 1889. In the spring of 1881 Mr. Jacoby purchased and moved on the farm where he now resides in Asylum township; in 1885 he erected a commodious farm house, a fine country residence. He is a prominent and successful farmer, a mem- ber of the Masonic Fraternity and the Farmers' Alliance. Politically, he was a Republican previous to 1872, since when he has voted with the Democratic party. He has never been an office-seeker, but has been sev- eral times elected to the offices of his town.

S. ATWOOD JAKWAY, retired farmer, P. O. Windham Centre, was born in Washington county, N. Y., December 22, 1818, and is a son of Fredrick and Betsey Atwood, also natives of New York. The father died in 1840, and the mother in 1861; they had six children, of whom Samuel A. was the fifth. The family were agriculturists, and our subject became a farmer, and prospered well, and when he retired from active labors he owned a fine farm of seventy acres. He came to Bradford county in 1861, and located in Windham township. He was married, in Saratoga county, N. Y., to Miss Delia, daughter of Thomas and Eliza Ellis, natives of Vermont, and to this marriage three children were born, as follows: Francis, Fredrick and Albert. The mother of these children died in 1859. Mr. Jakway married again, taking as his second wife Mrs. Eliza E. Spencer, daughter of William

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

and Ann Grimley, a family of English descent, and in their family of six children Eliza was the third. She grew to womanhood in Windham township, and first married Joseph G. Spencer, by whom she had one child, James A. Mr. Spencer died in 1864. Mr. and Mrs. Jakway have no children ; they are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He served his country one year, and was in the Army Construction Corps. In political affairs he affiliates with the Republican party.

F. H. JARVIS, principal of the Wyalusing schools, Wyalusing, was born in Orwell township, this county, December 22, 1862, and is the only child of John K. and Nancy Maria (Atwood) Jarvis, the former of whom, who was a teacher of instrumental and vocal music, died October 3, 1870. The ancestry of our subject, on his father's side, originally came from England and settled in Norwalk, Conn. His grandparents removed from Norwalk to Fairfax county, Conn .. whence they came to Pennsylvania about 1848, settling in Bradford county. He is a descendant of William Jarvis, who, in 1738, was one of the forty-two signers from Norwalk of the "Ernest Memorial " addressed to the General Assembly for the propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts. The 600, all over sixteen, embraced the members of England, living in His Majesty's Colony of Connecticut." William was one of the three of the Jarvis line, Samuel Jarvis (father of the eminent and distinguished Bishop of Connecticut) and Samuel Jarvis, Jr., the others who broke away from the standing order and helped extend the church, finally giving the Bishop of Connecticut, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Farmar Jarvis. The ancestry of F. H. Jarvis, on his mother's side, is as follows: He is grandson of Silas H. Atwood, he being son of Reuben Atwood, who was born in Ridgebury, Conn., and was the tenth of the thirteen issues of Mary (daughter of Dr. Henry Skelton) and Elisha Atwood, the latter born April 27, 1745, and died May 24, 1825. He was also the third son of Oliver and Louis (Wheeler) Atwood, their marriage taking place November 12, 1740.

Oliver born March 11, 1717, died January 30, 1810, was the last child of Dr. Jonathan, who emigrated from England to Northbury, and was among the early settlers. His father, Capt. Thomas Atwood, was, tradition says, for a time captain of a company under Oliver Cromwell. He was a physician of much note, and died 1628. The name of Atwood has been one of some consequence on both sides of the Atlantic, sixteen different families have entered their coats of arms in the Herald office, and ten of the same had graduated at differ- ent colleges prior to 1853.

F. H. Jarvis received his early education in the common schools of Orwell township, and at ReRaysville Academy. He entered the Col- legiate Institute at Towanda in the fall of 1882, and was graduated therefrom June 10, 1886. He taught his first term in 1882-83, and was attending school then until after his graduation. In the fall of 1886 he came to Wyalusing and took charge of the schools in that place, being at the head of the profession in this part of the county. On July 19, 1888, Mr. Jarvis received a life certificate from the Department of Public Instruction of Pennsylvania. In the oratorial contest of his class he received favorable mention. Ile is a member

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Wyalusing, in which he fills the office of steward, and is assistant superintendent of the Sabbath- school ; is also chorister of the church. He has excellent musical talent, and has taught vocal music successfully. He is secretary of the Bradford County Mutual Musical Alliance, and was an officer of the committee on permanent certificates, elected by the teachers of Bradford county. In politics he is a Republican, and was census enumerator for Pike township in 1890.

MOSES JEFFERS, JR., proprietor of the " Ulster House," Ulster, was born November 2, 1834, at Albany, N. Y., a son of Moses and Mary (Davis) Jeffers, natives of New York. His father was of Irish and his mother of Dutch extraction; in their family were seven children, four of whom are living. The family migrated to this State in 1859, locating in Susquehanna county, afterward in Carlisle, where the father died at the ripe age of four score and four. The son attended the com- mon schools of Ulster county, N. Y., receiving an average education ; on leaving school he was apprenticed to learn the trade of carriage- making, serving three years. He enlisted in Company A, One Hun- dred and Forty-first Regiment, P. V. I., August 7, 1862, and was discharged at Bailey's Cross Roads, Va., May 28, 1865, having served over three years, and participated in twenty-six battles, the most important of which were Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettys- burg. The total loss of hearing in his left ear was caused during the service by the explosion of a shell, and exposure. He is a member of Jackson Post, No. 74, G. A. R., of Wyalusing. Mr. Jeffers was united in marriage with Sarah, daughter of John and Sallie (Whitney) Rosen- crans, and two children were born to them : John C. and Sallie, latter of whom died in infancy. Mr. Jeffers, Jr., came to Ulster, November 26, 1886, and purchased the " Ulster House," which he now controls. His health was sacrificed in the army, and he has been unable to work at his trade since; he is one of Bradford county's successful citizens, and, in politics, is a Republican. The family worship at the Presbyter- ian Church.

CHARLES E. JENNINGS, dealer in groceries, provisions, etc., is a native of Herrick township, this county, born December 21, 1850, a son of Richard and Sally (Coe) Jennings, natives of New Jersey and New York, respectively. They came to this county when young, and were married here. Richard Jennings is a farmer, and resides in Standing Stone township. The paternal grandfather, Ira Jennings, who was a native of New Jersey, resided in this county twenty-five or thirty years, and died in Michigan. Charles E. Jennings is the fifth in order of birth in a family of twelve children, of whom ten are now living. He was reared in Herrick township, and received an academic education at Camptown; taught district school seven terms, and farmed in Standing Stone township until the spring of 1889, when he removed to Canton, and engaged in his present business. He was married in Canton, in 1881, to Isadore, daughter of Gilbert and Ada- line (Cronk) Lathrop, natives of Wyalusing township. Gilbert Lathrop is a farmer, and resides in Armenia township. Mrs. Lathrop died in 1888, in her sixty-second year. Mrs. Jenning's grandfather, Lawrence,

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

was a soldier in the War of 1812. She is the eldest in order of birth in a family of six children, and was born in Herrick township, in Jan- uary, 1857. To them have been born three children : Daisy, Franklin and Laura. Mrs. Jennings is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically he is a Republican. Our subject's brother, George, was in the War of the Rebellion, and was shot through right lung in the second day's fight, battle of the Wilderness ; lay on battle-field nine days, at expiration of which time he was carried twelve miles in an ambulance wagon, a portion of the road being corduroy ; but he sur- vived all this, and is living at the present day, but has been in very poor health ever since. Mrs. Jennings' grandfather, Lathrop, was a min- ister of the Gospel for over forty years ; had three sons in the Civil War, all of whom lost their lives there. Grandfather Cronk enlisted in the Civil War, also five sons, all of whom returned.

HENRY W. JENNINGS, farmer, of Granville township, P. O. Windfall, was born in Troy township, this county, January 17, 1829, and is a son of Ebenezer and Hester (Miller) Jennings, natives of Ver- mont and New York, respectively, who settled in Troy township in 1825, and cleared and improved a farm on which they lived and died their children were eight in number : Rachel (Mrs. Alphonzo Mott)' Mary (second wife of Alphonzo Mott), Laura (Mrs. Volney B. Taylor), Sarah (Mrs. Morgan Brown), Armelia (Mrs. Valentine Saxton), Emm , (Mrs. Seeley Lasher), Henry W. and Edwin. Henry W., the subjeca of this sketch, was reared in Troy township, and lived on the homet stead of his father until 1866, when he removed to Granville town ship, where he has since resided. In September, 1854, he married Terressa, daughter of Thomas and Isabel (Wilson) Case, of Canton township, and has two sons: Frank and Fred. Mr. Jennings is a pop- ular citizen and enterprising farmer; he is a member of the Free-Will Baptist Church, and in politics is a Republican.

S. H. JEWELL, of the firm of Ingham & Jewell, dealers in clothing, gents' furnishings, boots and shoes, Canton, is a native of Troy, where he was born October 28, 1863; his parents are E. S. and Armitta M. (Davidson) Jewell, natives of Vermont and Ithaca, N. Y., respectively. E. S. Jewell is a retired merchant of Troy, for a number of years a member of the firm of Jewell & Pomeroy. Our subject, who is the younger of two children, received his early education in the borough schools of Troy, and entered the Pennsylvania Military Academy of Chester, in the fall of 1879, graduating from there in the spring of 1883. On April 1, 1884, he returned home, and engaged in his present business in Canton. He was married in Canton, in March, 1889, to Anna B., daughter of James and Charlotte (Lindley) Ingham, natives of this county ; she is the younger of two living children, and is a member of the Presbyterian Church ; politically Mr. Jewell is a Republican.

AMOS JILLSON, retired carriage-maker, Warren, was born there September 14, 1832, a son of Richard and Lydia P. (Robinson) Jillson, natives of Connecticut and of Englishi descent. Richard Jillson followed the sea for many years of his life, prior to the War of 1812, when he enlisted as a volunteer, and served the three years of that war. In

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

1825, in Norwich, Conn., he married Lydia P., a daughter of Patrick Robinson, and the young husband and wife came to Bradford county, where he resided until his death, in July, 1874 ; his widow died January 3, 1888. They reared nine children, of whom Amos, who was the fourth, spent his young days on his father's farm in this township. In September, 1864, he enlisted in Company I, Forty-fifth P. V. I., and went directly to the front with the Ninth Corps of the Army of the Potomac, of which his command was a picket regiment, and under fire daily, and exposed to the constant hazards of war. At a place called " Fort Hell" he was detailed to level the terraces between the picket-line and the fort, preparatory to a charge on the enemy, and while thus employed was under severe fire all the time, and at Fort Rice was with the alarm guard, and exposed to heavy firing of shot and shell, continu- ously. These are but samples of the service he was in, and some of his severe exposures. He was stricken with sickness in front of Petersburg, the effects of a severe cold, and was sent to the Ninth Corps Hospital, at City Point, where he was confined six weeks, and his slow recovery showed that his constitution was shatterd, and every indication was that he would never wholly recover; but he joined his regiment, returned to Washington, was in the grand review, and was discharged at Harris- burg, in June, 1865, when the long and cruel war was over. He returned home, and, as soon as physically able, engaged in his trade of carpentering, but was not strong enough for heavy work, so changed to making carriages, and purchased a factory and operated it with entire success. He was married in Orwell to Helen M., daughter of Burton and Sally (Elsworth) Russell, natives of Connecticut, and of English and Scotch descent. Mr. Jillson is a Freemason, and has passed all the degrees of the Blue Lodge. While he is prematurely old, from much exposure in the cause of his country, he is at peace with all mankind, and grateful to the country for which he fought and suffered. He draws a pension of $17.00 per month.

ALFRED JOHNSON, drayman, Troy, was born in Columbia town- ship,this county, February 1, 1853, a son of Simon and Eliza (Bab- cock) Johnson. His father was a native of Vermont, and in early manhood settled in Troy borough, where he worked at his trade of carpentering. He was a member of the Baptist Church, and died in 1858; his wife was a daughter of Vincent Babcock, a pioneer of Brad- ford county; by her he had the following children: Betsey, Martha (Mrs. Charles Howland), Lucy (Mrs. N. J. Stewart), Reuben, Willard and Alfred, the subject of this sketch, who was reared in Troy town- ship, educated in common schools, and, after attaining his majority, worked as a farm hand until 1879, when he embarked in the dray business in Troy, in which he has since successfully continued. He was married, September 27, 1877, to Amy, daughter of Fred and Malvina (Berry) Kerrick, of Grover, Pa., and by her he has two children: Bessie and Harry. Mr. Johnson is a member of the Baptist Church, served as constable of Troy one year, and in politics he is a Republican.

FRANK E. JOHNSON, farmer and stock-grower, P. O. Potter- ville, was born March 7, 1841, in the house he now occupies, a son of

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

Joel and Sophronia (Benham) Johnson, the former of whom, a son of Asahel and Beula (Hitchcock) Johnson, natives of Connecticut, was born May 18, 1799, and was the first white male child born in Orwell township; his wife was born in Connecticut, and is now in her eighty- seventh year. Asahel Johnson was married March 3, 1788, and had the following named children : Lydia, born September 11, 1788, died February 19, 1802; Artemus, born June 24, 1790 (was twice married and had two families of children ; lived many years in Orwell, but removed to Clearfield county, Pa., where he died, April 21, 1857); Simeon, born February 27, 1792 (married Lydia Benham, and removed to Illinois, where he died December 15, 1878); Amanda, born May 24, 1794 (married Amisa Bowen and removed to Illinois, where she died September 15, 1865); Charlotte, born June 27, 1796 (married Chauncy, son of Capt. Josiah Grant, removed to Illinois and died May 2, 1840); Joel, born May 18, 1799, died November 6, 1880; Wealthy, born Janu- ary 15, 1801 (married Lorin Brown, and removed to Canada ; she died September 15, 1825); Julia, born May 22, 1804 (married Henry John- son, and removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, died August 22, 1832); Clarissa, born May 30, 1806 (married Roswell Wilson, removed to Illinois and from there to Iowa, where she died in 1860); Lydia, born May 8, 1808 (married Harry Wilson, and died in South Warren); Nelson, born May. 25, 1810 (married Olive Fletcher, and died in LeRaysville); Mary, born May 6, 1812, died in Clearfield county, Pa. Joel Johnson married June 1, 1820, and had the following named children : Asahel, born March 16, 1821 (was twice married, first to Ann Bowen, and then to Fannie Graham ; he died October 23, 1862); Amanda, born November 13, 1822 (married William Browning); Jehial, born October 5, 1825 (married Caroline Bosworth, and died April 7, 1863); George W., born September, 1827, died at the age of nine years ; Harriet, born Septem- ber 12, 1829 ; Emeline, born in October, 1832 (married John Russell); Avery, born August 7, 1834, died aged three years; George N., born September 14, 1838 (married Alice Chaffee, and resides in LeRaysville); Frank E .; Charlotte S., born November 20, 1843 (married Lycurgus L. Maynard, whom she survives). Joel Johnson, who was among the foremost of the pioneers of this section, was born in the wilderness, and from his infancy he was inured to toil and hardships. As soon as he was able to wield the ax, he commenced his conflict with the wilder- ness, and has cleared and cultivated many a broad acre. His father settled on 3,000 acres of land, and built his first cabin close to where the Conklin homestead now stands. Joel took a portion of his father's land upon reaching his majority, and. with the exception of a short time passed in the "Phalanx," at LeRaysville, spent his life on the farm now owned by his son, Frank E .; he was a man of sterling integ- rity, noted all over the new county for his hospitality. A large por- tion of his life was spent in lumbering, and he probably operated the first sawmill ever built in that section of the township; he was one of the early stage drivers on the route from Towanda to Montrose, and made the trip, a distance of forty miles, every day from 1847 to 1851. Frank E. Johnson was born and reared on the old homestead, received a common-school education, and upon reaching his majority adopted

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

farming as an occupation, which he has continued to follow. Ile owns 115 acres of the old homestead, having the same well improved, and under a high state cultivation, being also well stocked with cattle, sheep and horses. He was married, December 21, 1865, to Julia Hutch- inson, and had the following named children : Avery, born October 7, 1866 (married Mary Barton ; he is a farmer of Susquehanna county, Pa.); Alice J., born February 11, 1869 (married C. L. Wilmot). The mother of these children dying November 7, 1871, Mr. Johnson mar- ried February 6, 1872, Bertha, daughter of Albert and Julia (Ward) Chaffee, of Potterville, this county, who had a family of ten children, of whom Mrs. Johnson is the sixth. By this union there is one child, Lonie M., born March 20, 1874. She was educated in the common schools, and at Rome Academy, and is a teacher by profession, having taught two terms in this county. Mr. Johnson is a Republican in pol- itics, and has held several offices in Orwell township. He has upheld the name of the family for hospitality and interest in public improve- ment, and ranks among the prominent farmers of the county.

GEORGE N. JOHNSON, furniture manufacturer, LeRaysville, was born in Orwell township, this county, September 14, 1838, a son of Joel Johnson, who was the first male white child born in Orwell town- ship, in May, 1799 ; he was a son of Asahel Johnson, a native of Con- necticut, and was the first settler in Orwell township ; he took up and cleared a claim, and followed farming the balance of his life. Joel Johnson attended school until his nineteenth year, then engaged in farming and manufacturing furniture, principally bedsteads, which were in great demand at that time, many of which are still in use. He discontinued that business in 1846, gave all his time to farming, and has held the various town offices ; was a New Churchman. He mar- ried Sophronia Benham, and had ten children, viz .: Asahel, deceased ; Amanda, wife of William Browning ; Avery, deceased ; Wellington, deceased ; Jehiel ; Harriet, deceased ; Emaline, wife of John Russell ; George N .; Frank, and Lottie, wife of L. Maynard. George N., the subject of this sketch, attended the district school until his seventeenth year, and high school two winters, then learned the furniture trade. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Forty- first P. V. I., and mustered out January 28, 1863; then purchased the old shop in which he learned his trade, and started in business $1,500 in debt. In 1870 he moved to LeRaysville, and erected a building, the tower part of which he has since used in conjunction with his fur- niture business ; in 1887 he moved his old building to where it now stands, put on an addition, and has since used the whole as a finishing department, and has followed undertaking. He has been generally successful. Mr. Johnson is Republican, and has been borough coun- cilman twelve years, and school director six years ; he is a member of LeRaysville Lodge, No. 471, F. & A. M., and of G. A. R. Post, No. 33. He was married in December, 1861, to Alice, the second of three children of Luther and Julia (Waterman) Chaffee, and they have had eight children, viz .: Scott W., born in Orwell township, November 15, 1862 ; Annie, born in 1864, married to J. B. Keeler; Cora, born in 1866, married to F. H. Pierce; Willie, born 1868, died in infancy ; Nellie,

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

born in 1872 ; Julia, born in 1876; Arthur, born in 1878 ; Mattie, born in 1881. Of these, Scott W. attended district school until his eighteenth year, then went to work in his father's furniture factory. In his twenty- first year he was taken into partnership under the firm name of Johnson & Son, and has continued since; he is W. M. of LeRay Lodge, No. 771, F. & A. M .; is member of Post, No. 232, Sons of Veterans, and of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; politically he is a Republican. He married, in 1885, Sadie Averill, and they have had one child, Day, born July 1, 1887.

H. F. JOHNSON, attorney, Athens, was born in Greene township, Chenango Co., N. Y., January 19, 1837, a son of H. F. and Esther A. (Frisbie) Johnson, natives of Connecticut, the latter of Litchfield county. The father was a farmer, born in February, 1795, and died in Maine, Broome Co., N. Y., in 1871; the mother was born in August, 1800, and died in 1866. Grandfathers Johnson and Frisbie served in the Revolutionary War, one as captain, and the other as a non-commis- sioned officer; the ancestors on both sides of the house came across in the "May Flower." The subject of these lines is a distant relative of Col. Dick Johnson, who killed Tecumseh. He is the fourth in a family of five children, and was reared on a farm, completing his He education in Athens Academy, attending about six terms. removed to this county in February, 1849. He bought a farm in Litchfield township, but had to quit farming on account of his health. He began reading law in November, 1879, under Evans & Maynard, was admitted to the bar in December, 1881, and began the practice of his profession in January, 1882. He enlisted in August, 1864, in Company H, Fifteenth New York Engineers, was in charge of the pontoon train, and served in the infantry; was mustered out July 1, 1865. He was married in Owego, N. Y., March 11, 1860, to Miss Euphemia D., daughter of Samuel P. and Lydia (Bidlack) Wolcott, natives of this county. Her grandmother was Col. John Franklin's last wife. Samuel P. Wolcott died in Litchfield township in January, 1882, in his seventieth year, and Mrs. Wolcott died in September, 1881, in her seventieth year. Euphemia D. Johnson is the second in a family of eight children, of whom six are living, and was born in Litch- field township, this county, October 18, 1837. To Mr. and Mrs. John- son were born two sons, as follows: Oscar, married to Ada Munn, daughter of Rowen Munn (Oscar is a store-keeper in Litchfield Centre); and Warren W., law partner with his father (he was admitted to the bar in 1889, at the age of twenty one, and subsequently married Miss Aaronette B. Spear, daughter of Henry F. Spear, who died in Guatemala, Central America). Mr. H. F. Johnson is a member of the G. A. R., Perkins Post, No. 202; is a Democrat, and was nominated by his party as their candidate for the Legislature in 1878, and although the county had at that time a regular Republican majority of about four thousand, he was defeated by less than one thousand votes.

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History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 105

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.) Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Chicago, S. B. Nelson Number of Pages: 1340

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.)
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1340