History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 150

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

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THOMAS MURRAY WATTS, farmer, LeRoy township, P. O. East Canton, was born at Towanda, January 4, 1825, a son of Squire and Margaret (Gregg) Watts, natives of Towanda and Dauphin county, Pa., respectively. He was the son of Francis Watts, of Scotch descent, who came to Towanda about 1782 or '83, and built and oper- ated a still a number of years; he settled on 200 acres of land, now a part of the town of Towanda ; he was a Revolutionary soldier who fought bravely for his country, for which he was granted a homestead in the State of Illinois; was in the Wyoming massacre, was captured, but by strategy made his escape. Squire Watts removed to Canton about 1825, and located on a one-hundred-acre lot, where he lived thirty-seven years, and met his death by a timber falling upon him.

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His family consisted of four sons and two daughters, all of whom grew to maturity. Our subject, being the eldest of the family, was reared and educated in Canton at the common school; in early life he learned the carpenter's trade, also devoted his attention to lumbering, and is now living on part of his old homestead. When forty years of age, March 8, 1865, he married Mary, daughter of Jacob and Polly Beardsley, of Canton. Mr. Jacob Beardsley removed from New York and settled in Beech Flats about 1830; he was the son of Isaac Beardsley, a native of Connecticut and a descendant of Puritan stock. The grandfather of Mrs. Watts on her mother's side, J. B. Farr, was a soldier in the War of 1812. Mr Watts' family consists of one son and four daugh- ters, viz .: Mary Louise, Grace Delphine, Margaret Marion, Thomas Murry, Jr., and Helen La Ville. He makes a specialty of lumbering, but works his farm to some extent, is a member of the F. & A. M., is a Granger and politically is a Democrat; has been honored with the office of commissioner nine years, held the same office in Sullivan county three years, was justice of peace at same time, and was school director thirteen years. He is a man of much thought and intelligence. J. N. WEAVER, master mechanic, Lehigh Valley Railroad shops at Sayre, is a native of Northampton county, Pa., and was born July 25, 1844, son of Henry and Marian (Semple) Weaver, the former of whom is a mechanic, a native of the same place, latter being a native of Scotland. J. N. Weaver, who is the fourth in a family of nine children, completed his education in the high school at Easton, Pa., and served an apprenticeship at the machinist's trade in Phillipsburg. He was employed by the L. V. R. R. as journeyman machinist in South Easton, where he remained until the fall of 1869, when he was transferred to Waverly, N. Y., and placed in charge of the engines and machines of this branch of the Lehigh Vailey Railroad. In 1880 the company moved their shops to Sayre, where he superintended the construction of the shops, and has been in the employ of the company since. Mr. Weaver was married in Waverly, N. Y., in 1872, to Miss Lila, daughter of Zura and Fanny (Lyman) Travis, natives of Sus- quehanna county (she was born in Bradford county, Pa., in July, 1847). To Mr. and Mrs. Weaver were born three children, viz .: T. Desmond, Agnes F. and Nellie F. The family are members of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Weaver is a member of the F. & A. M., Union Lodge, No. 108, Towanda; Cayuta Chapter, No. 245, and Northern Com- mandery, No. 16; also of the Provident Life and Trust Company. He is a Republican, and served serveral terms as member of the council in Waverly, and two terms as school director in Sayre.

HON. JAMES H. WEBB, attorney and counselor at law, Towanda, is a native of Tioga (now Chemung) county, N. Y., and was born December 4, 1820. His parents were John L. and Annis (Ham- mond) Webb, natives of Connecticut, and of English descent, agricul- turists, who came to this county in 1823, and located in Ridgebury township, west of Athens. Ile was a man of strong personality, and impressed upon his boys the lessons of an upright life and a vigorous brain and constitution, and died on his farm, in 1846. He left four sons and one daughter, and a marked incident of these brothers is the

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strong similarity of their political and public lives. These robust farmer boys acquired good educations, and all studied law and engaged while yet young men in the practice, except our subject, who began reading law in 1883, and was licensed to practice in 1885. Scattering, as by instinct, to different county seats, they rose rapidly in their pro- fessions; all were active and stanch Republicans, and every one of them was elected time and again to the Legislature, and this gentle- man was elected Speaker of the House at the beginning of his fifth term, and re-elected in the Senate. This apparently being the first break in the line where all moved abreast, it is reasonable to suppose that if there had been four speakers' chairs at the disposal of the body, the boys would have as a matter of course taken seats together; as there was but one chairman or speaker possible, the other three boys started a new departure, and all three were elected to the Bench. The youngest, Charles M., is now filling his second term as President Judge, in Wisconsin. If there is a family in Bradford county that has turned out more self-made men, who, as it were, have gone hand in hand, from the plow handles to eminence and fame, they can not now be readily recalled. James H. Webb was first married to Sally Cham- berlin; she died in 1879, and left four children, as follows: George, who is now in Government employ, Philadelphia; Charles G., bank cashier, Kansas; Edwin R. and William H. The second marriage was with Mrs. Mary M., widow of Joseph Munson, of Elmira. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Webb is an adopted daughter, Margaret. James H. Webb has served as register and recorder of Bradford county three terms, six terms in the Legislature, and in his public life has been an efficient friend of the county and its interests. His intelligence, probity and suavity have ever called about him since early manhood troops of admirers and sincere friends, and he has never had to swap his old friends for new ones; gentle and charitable, courageous for the right always, yet forgiving toward the faults of others; the living personi- fication of what Scotia's bard wrote:

" The rank is but the guinea's stamp-

A man's a man for a' that."

JOHN J. WEBB, contractor and builder, Towanda, is one of the prominent citizens of his township, and has contributed largely to the improvements of the borough. He was born in Orange county, N. Y., March 27, 1833, and is a son of David and Charity (Patterson) Webb, who were natives of New York, and of Welsh and Dutch descent. respectively, and for generations were tillers of the soil. David Webb, however, was a tailor by trade, and the father of six children ; the grandfather was a soldier of the Revolution. John J. Webb was the third in the family of children, and grew to manhood in his father's home. He received the advantages of a fair English educa- tion, and learned the carpenter's trade, and in connection with this occupation has carried on a farm which is situated in North Towanda township. He came to Bradford county in 1855, and first settled in Sheshequin township. In 1864 he enlisted in the First New York Veteran Cavalry, Company D, and was honorably discharged at the

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

end of the war, June 1, 1865. He married, January 12, 1859, Frances, daughter of Albert and Susan (Bull) Lent, whose mother was a native of New York, and her father of Wysox township, and the latter is now residing on the farm, where he was born in 1808, a representative pioneer of the valley. To this marriage have been born two children : Charity and Susan. Mr. Webb is a member of the G. A. R., Wat- kins Post, and a Republican in political affairs.

WILLIAM WEIGESTER, of Weigester & Morse, marble and granite works, Troy, Pa., was born in Peterboro, Canada, December 9, 1858, and is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Kimble) Weigester, natives of Germany. He was reared in his native town and educated in the common schools. He settled in Troy, Pa., in 1881, served an apprenticeship of three years with his brother, George, at the marble cutter's trade, afterward worked as a journeyman, and, on the death of his brother in 1886, carried on the business for the widow one and one-half years. In 1888 he purchased the business, which he con- ducted alone six months, when he formed a partnership with Mr. Frank Morse, and under the firm name of Weigester & Morse have since conducted a successful business. He married, September 8, 1886, Susie J., daughter of Benjamin and Lorinda (Putnam) Smiley, of East Troy, and has one son, Charles. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and in politics is a Prohibitionist.

C. H. WELCH, general foreman, locomotive department, L. V. R. R. machine shops, Sayre, is a native of Philadelphia, and was born May 1, 1855, only child of James and Eliza (Whitehead) Welch, the former a native of Norfolk, Va., and the latter of Philadelphia. The father, who was a rope spinner, died in Philadelphia in 1855 in his thirty- sixth year ; the mother now resides in Philadelphia. C. H. Welch was reared in Philadelphia, and received his education in the city schools. When seventeen years of age he went to Renova, and began an appren- ticeship at the machinist trade in the Philadelphia & Erie Machine Shops, where he worked until February, 1881, when he came to Sayre and found employment in the L. V. R. R. Machine Shops as journey- man until 1887, when he was made foreman of the machine department, and in July, 1889, was promoted to his present position. He was married in Renova, in 1878, to Miss Jennie, daughter of Rev. McCor- mick and Mary (Bolinger) Graham, natives of Clinton county, Pa. Rev. McCormick Graham is a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church ; his family consisted of seven children, of whom Mrs. Welch is the fifth in order of birth, and five are living. Of this marriage there were born two children : Claire and Willmina. The family are members of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Welch is a member of the F. & A. M., Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70, also of the Patriotic Sons of America, and in politics he is a Republican.

ARTEMUS WELLER, Litchfield township, P. O. Athens, was born in Tioga county, N. Y., February 25, 1840, a son of Frederick Weller, a farmer who spent the greater portion of his life in Athens township; his mother's name was Anna Spear; they had fifteen chil- dren, six of whom are living: Elizabeth J., married first to Isaac Osborn, and afterward to William Fish ; Erastus, married to Temper-

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ance Carey, resides in Tioga county, N. Y .; Rachel, married to Je- rome White, of Athens; Leartus, married to Amelia Cornaby; Daniel, married to Jane VanGorder, of Athens, and Artemus. Our subject came to Athens when three years old, and lived there continuously until 1878, when he removed to where he now resides. He attended school in Athens until about sixteen, and received a good common- school education. He enlisted in the army, October, 1862, in the One Hundred and Seventy-first Regiment, Company C, P. V. I .; he was in the service nine months, when he was stricken with paralysis and returned home helpless, and for two years after was unable to do any business. Recovering somewhat, he engaged in the sawmill business, in which he had worked but a short time when by misfortune he lost the fingers of his right hand, which prevented him from doing anything. He then engaged for a time in peddling, and for a period of three years thereafter he was employed at Athens with the Union Bridge Works. He came to Litchfield township and purchased the farm he now occupies, containing fifty acres; the handsome residence and sur- roundings attest the success which has attended his efforts. He was married, in 1869, to Celicia Fitzgeralds, daughter of Adam and Mahala (Carman) Fitzgeralds. Mr. Weller is a member of Perkins Post, G. A. R., No. 202, Athens. The family are members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, and in politics he is a Republican.

NATHAN V. WELLER, dairyman, Athens, a native of Chemung county, N. Y., was born March 18, 1842, and is a son of Jacob A. and Julia (Fitzgerald) Weller, the former a native of Newburg, N. Y., and latter of New Jersey. The father, who was a farmer. died at Greene's Landing, Athens township, this county, May 12, 1887, in his seventy- eighth year. Mrs. Weller died in 1876, in her sixty-eighth year. Nathan V. is the seventh in a family of twelve children, of whom two died in infancy; he came to Athens township with parents, March 4, 1843, was reared on the farm, and received the early part of his education in the public schools; then attended a private school two years. He enlisted in the army July 6, 1862, in Company I, One Hundred and Ninth N. Y. V. I., and some of the engagements that he participated in were the battles of the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, North Anna and Hatcher's Run; he was wounded at Petersburg and North Anna, and at Spottsyl- vania he was taken prisoner, but escaped the night after his capture with two others. He was mustered out at Tennallytown, June 16, 1865. After his return from the army he worked at the blacksmith trade ten years, and then abandoned it on account of ill health ; after- ward he engaged in farming and began the dairying business in 1875; his farm contains 208 acres of well-improved land with good buildings; he also handles agricultural implements. Mr. Weller was married in Athens township, November 8, 1865, to Miss Mary A., daughter of Edward and Agnes (Holmes) McMorran, natives of Scotland ; they immigrated to this county about the year 1849, and are now residents of Athens. Mrs. Weller, who is the youngest in a family of four chil- dren, was born in Scotland, August 21, 1844, and to them were born three children : Fred M., Harry E. and Mary A. The family are mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Weller is a member of the

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

F. & A. M., Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70, of the Chapter and Com- mandery, is also a charter member of the G. A. R., Perkins Post, No. 202, and a member of the Union Veteran Legion, No. 28, and of the Union Veteran Union, of Savre, also of the Royal Arcanum. Mr. Weller is a Republican, and has held the office of township treasurer, auditor and secretary of the school board.

N. A. WELLES, Wyalusing, the son of Matthias H. and Mary (Ackley) Welles, was born at Wyalusing, but spent most of his youth in Elmira, N. Y. He was educated in the public schools and Cornell University. After graduating, he came to Wyalusing, where he is connected with the M. H. & G. H. Welles Lumber Company. He is married, and has two children, Sayre and Mary Ackley. The family worship at the Presbyterian Church. He is a Republican, but inde- pendent in town and county matters.

RAYMOND M. WELLES, a prominent citizen of Towanda, was born in Wyalusing township, this county, in 1825, and is a son of Charles F. and Ellen (Hollenback) Welles. His paternal grandfather was George Welles, a native of Connecticut, who settled at Tioga Point (now Athens), in this county, about 1800, where he engaged in farm- ing and later in merchandising, and resided there until his death ; his wife was Prudence Talcott, of a noted Connecticut family, by whom he had five children, viz .: Susan, Mrs. John Hollenback, of Owego, N. Y.); General Henry (who married Sarah Spalding); Charles F .; James and Mary (Mrs. William Pumpelly). The maternal grandfather was Matthias Hollenback, of German and Welsh descent, a pioneer of the Wyoming Valley, who is said to have been the first trader at what is now Athens and Wysox, in this county, and at Elmira N. Y., and boated merchandise up the Susquehanna river on what was called " Durham boats; " he was for many years a resident of Wilkes-Barre, and died there. Charles F. Welles, father of our subject, was a native of Connecticut, and was reared in Bradford county from ten years of age. He had but three months of steady schooling in his life; however, he educated himself and studied law in Binghamton, N. Y., but never practiced his profession. Most of his life was spent in farming and in the land agency business. He was the first prothonotary, register and recorder of Bradford county, receiving his appointment to the office by the governor in 1815, and served in that capacity until 1822; he then removed from Towanda to Wyalusing, where he resided until his death. His children were as follows: Charles F., Jr .; Sarah ; Matthias H., Jane M. (Mrs. George M. Bixby); George H .; Henry H .; Raymond M .; John W. (whose name was changed to John Welles Hollenback by act of Legislature in 1862); William and Edward. Raymond M. Welles was reared in Wyalusing township and educated in the common schools and at Owego and Athens Academies. In 1850 he engaged as a dealer in agricultural machinery and hardware at Athens. In 1856-57 was engaged in the business of manufacturing fanning mills in Athens, and from 1857 to 1860 in the manufacturing of agricultural machinery, and from 1873 to 1876, was interested in agricultural works at Ithaca, N. Y. He has been a resident of Towanda since 1865. In 1850 he was married to Mary J., daughter

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

of Thomas and Anne (West) Page, of Athens township, formerly of England, by whom he has five children living, viz .: Charles P., Francis R., Edward M., Emma L. and Arthur T. Mr. Welles is a member of the Baptist Church, and in politics is an Independent.

CHARLES PAGE WELLES, eldest son of the above, was born in Athens, August 31, 1851, and was reared in Athens and Towanda and educated in the common schools and at Susquehanna Collegiate Insti- tute. He has been engaged in the crockery and fancy-goods business in Towanda since 1877. He was married, June 2, 1875, to Ellen, daughter of George and Sabra (Shinn) Best, of Quincy, Ill., and has five children, as follows : Ellen and Florence (twins), Alice, Amelia and Mary. Mr. Welles is a vestryman of Christ Episcopal Church, Towanda, and is a member of the F. & A. M., K. T. Scottish Rite, and I. O. O. F. and K. of P. He served two terms as auditor of Bradford county ; was elected a member of the borough councils of Towanda 1888, running 108 votes ahead of his ticket, and was elected burgess of Towanda in 1890, and re-elected to council in 1891 by the unanimous vote of the second ward. He is a popular and enterprising citizen, and in politics is a Democrat.

CHARLES WELLS, miller, Ulster, is a son of John J. and Harriet (Smith) Wells, both natives of Johnstown, N. Y., and was born in Mont- gomery county, N. Y., May 7, 1829. The Wellses are of Welsh, and the Smiths of English, descent ; their parents were born in Connecti- cut. His maternal ancestors came to this country in the " Mayflower," and landed at Plymouth Rock, in 1620; the next year the " Mayflower" bore, on its second trip, among its passengers, the ancestors of his family on his father's side. His father was a farmer and miller. The son attended the common schools of New York until the age of seven- teen, and secured a fair education. At the age of eighteen he ran away and shipped as assistant carpenter on the whaling-vessel, "Sophia," of Nantucket, bound to the Pacific, and forty-four long months were passed on the voyage; finally they reached Australia, and he left the ship, remaining at Sidney about two months; then secured passage for California, which place he reached in the fall of 1852, three years after the gold discovery; he started for the interior to mine gold immediately on landing, and located in Maraposa county; was at the mines six months, when he started to return home, coming via the Isthmus and by steamer to New York, which he reached in December, 1852. In 1853 he came to Pennsylvania, locating at Mason- town, and engaged in the lumber business until 1861. Was then in the navy as master mate; served on the United States supply ship, " Sup- ply," from which he was transferred to the United States sloop-of-war, " Lackawanna," and joined the West Gulf squadron. In 1864 he was promoted to ensign and transferred to the United States steamer, " Glasgow," serving on board that vessel as executive officer until the close of the war. The vessels on which he served were in the block- ading fleet on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and also participated in the capture of Mobile. Mr. Wells served altogether over three years in the navy. In 1865 he came to Towanda, and was appointed super- intendent of the mines at Barclay mountain. He built, in 1866, the

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

first steam gristmill that was ever erected in Towanda ; in 1868 he sold out and went to Ulster, where he purchased the Holcomb mill, running it until 1872, when he built the Ulster steam gristmill; in 1878 he added the roller process in this mill, for the manufacture of wheat flour. He has retired from active business. In 1857 Mr. Wells was married to Mary, daughter of G. H. Mason, of Towanda, and by this marriage there were three children : Cora and Ida (twins), and Charles A., a printer. Mrs. Wells died in May, 1865, and Mr. Wells after- ward married Mrs. Amelia (Birdsall) Payne, by which marriage there are three children : Emma J., Jennie V. and Kate. Mr. Wells is a member of the G. A. R., being one of the charter members of Gilmore Post, No. 227, and senior vice-commander. He has always voted the Republican ticket. When Mr. Wells was enlisted in the service, his name was spelled " Welles" on the books and papers, and he has never succeeded in getting it entirely corrected on the records. He draws a pension for injuries received in the service. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Amelia (Birdsall) Wells were of French origin, and on her father's side they were English, by name Betts, three brothers taking passage on the " Mayflower," the second trip she made to this country. Mrs. Wells' first husband, J. Arthur Payne, enlisted in the Union ser- vice March 24, 1864, died April 24, 1864, and is buried at Monroeton, this county.

J. M. WELLS, farmer, P. O. New Era, was born, June 18, 1843, reared and educated in Terry township, this county, a son of Daniel and Ruey (Strong) Wells, the former of whom was born in Terry June 27, 1820 ; the latter was born in Northumberland, Wyoming Co., Pa., April 14, 1825 ; they were married February 3, 1841. Daniel Wells is the son of Samuel, who was a native of Rhode Island and a shoe- maker by trade, who removed to this county as early as 1778, at that time a young man ; it is said that he owned most of Terrytown, four hundred acres, but by some mismanagement he lost possession of it, and it is now owned by the Terrys. Like all early settlers, he did not confine himself to shoemaking, but worked at other business. His family consisted of nine children. Daniel was adopted by Maj. John Horton, with whom he lived until of age, when he married Miss Ruey Strong. To them were born thirteen children -- six daughters and seven sons-all of whom grew to maturity; his grandchildren number fifty- six. He began with nothing, but by hard work, energy, patience and the co-operation of a devoted wife, he left behind him a large prop- erty, bequeathing to five of his sons a productive farm ; he was exten- sively engaged in the lumber trade, and during the war took a fair advantage of the high prices ; he lived in Terry township his entire life, with the exception of five years spent in Columbia county, this State ; he held the office of justice of the peace nine years, showing the confidence and trust reposed in him. The subject of this memoir is the second son, and, like his progenitor, is a successful man of busi- . ness and a practical farmer. At the age of nineteen (in 1862) with his brother George, whose age was twenty, he entered the army as a member of Company A, One Hundred and Forty-first P. V. I., for the term of three years, or during the war. J. M. was honorably

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discharged, on account of disability, and now enjoys a life pension. On February 22, 1872, when twenty-eight years of age, he was mar- ried, at Wysox, by Rev. David Craft, to Adelia A., daughter of James and Amanda Furman ; by this marriage there was born, January 10, 1873, one son, Herbert. Mrs. Adelia Wells died January 24, 1874, aged twenty-three years, and for his second wife Mr. Well's married, August 11, 1875, Miss Mary J., daughter of Dr. J. M. and Lydia Furman, a cousin of his first wife, by which marriage there were born four children, viz .: Anna A., Burtie G., Daniel F. and Jessie M., all of whom are living and unmarried. Mr. Wells, who is an exten- sive farmer, owns 225 acres of fertile and productive land, 200 of which are cleared ; his dairy is large, and he makes that branch a specialty, and his stock is of the Jersey breed ; it is said that there is iron ore on his farm; he is a member of the G. A. R., and a Democrat politically.

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History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 150

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