History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 153

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

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ERASTUS WILSON, farmer, Terry township, P. O. West Terry, was born in Eaton, Wyoming Co., Pa., September 12, 1837, a son of Andrew and Margaret (Bush) Wilson, the former born in Northamp- ton county, the latter in Monroe county, Pa. Andrew was a black- smith, and worked at his trade in early life; he came to this county in about 1854, and located in Wyalusing township, on what is known as "Oak Hill," where he purchased a farm of eighty-two acres, which he improved, and in a short time made a beautiful farm. At one time before he removed he held the office of constable; he died at the age of seventy-seven in the year 1883. His family numbered thirteen, ten of whom grew to maturity, and six are now living. Our subject, who is the sixth in the family, was reared and educated in Wyoming county, and has always confined himself to agricultural pursuits. In 1859 he married, at Wyalusing, Miss Eliza, daughter of John and Catharine Terry, and there were five children born to them, three of whom grew to maturity : Elma E., married to Lewis Hoff- man, by whom she had one son, Erastus, and afterward married Free- man N. Phillips ; Mary, married to Delmar Lenox, and George H. Mr. Wilson is a self-made man, having received only $400 from his father's estate ; the rest he has accumulated by economy and perse- verance. He is a successful farmer, raising grain and hay chiefly. In

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1889 he erected a beautifully constructed residence; has lived on his present property twenty-five years, and has the confidence of his fel- low-citizens, who have elected him to the office of road commissioner four years. In 1864 he entered the army, and joined Company I, Forty-fifth P. V. I., and served until the close of the war, at which time he was honorably discharged, and now draws a pension. Polit- ically he is a Republican.

REUBEN WILSON, farmer, Monroe township, P. O. Liberty Corners, was born in New York City, April 15, 1832, and is a son of Thomas and Caroline Wilson, natives of Connecticut, and of Scotch origin. In their family were two children, of whom Reuben, the elder of the two, came to Frenchtown in 1856, and three years later moved to Liberty Corners. On August 10, 1861, he enlisted, at Monroe, in Company K, Fiftieth P. V. I., and participated in the following battles : Pocataligo, Coosaw River, Second Bull Run, Poplar Springs, Chantilly, South Mountain, Antietam, Mine Run, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, South Anna, Nye River and Petersburg; was struck several times, and had his whiskers shot off, but was never wounded. At the expiration of his first term of three years he re-enlisted. and was dis- charged on surgeon's certificate of disability, December 28, 1864; he then returned to Liberty Corners, where he has since resided. Mr. Wilson was married, March 22, 1865, to Miss Harriet T. Gale, born March 13, 1840, daughter of John and Charlotte (Benjamin) Gale, and they have one child, Herman A., born January 9, 1866, married, December 30, 1885, to Mary Connmey, by whom he has two children : Nellie May and Ethel. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are members of the Methodist Episcopal and Baptist Churches, respectively; he is a mem- ber of the G. A. R. Post at Towanda, and is a Republican.

STEPHEN F. WILSON, farmer, Austinville, was born in Columbia township, this county, September 25, 1858, a son of James and Mary (Gustin) Wilson. His paternal grandparents, George and Jane (Fowler) Wilson, were among the pioneers of Columbia township, settling on the farm now occupied by Orr Wilson, which with the assistance of their sons they cleared and improved, and there they died ; their children are as follows: Letitia (Mrs. Hosea Kennedy), Nancy (Mrs. Labon Rockwell), John, James, William, Orr and Stephen. Of these, James was born in Southport, Chemung Co., N. Y., in 1815, was reared in Columbia township, and cleared and improved the farm now occu- pied by our subject, and died there ; his wife was a daughter of Thomas and Nancy (Kilgore) Gustin, by whom he had six children : Judd, Eva (Mrs. Stephen Kenyon), Stephen F., Hattie (Mrs. John Wolfe), Jessie (Mrs. Fred Watkins) and Frank (Mrs. Dr. G. M. Case). The subject of this sketch was reared on the old homestead which he now owns and occupies, and married Miss Flora Dewey, of Austinville. He is one of the enterprising young farmers of Columbia, and in politics is a Democrat.

MORGAN L. WINSTON, buyer of hides, leather and wool, Troy, was born in Stephentown, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., July 31, 1811, and is a son of Lewis and Lydia (Bennett) Winston, of English descent. He was reared in his native State, educated in the common school

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and began life as a tanner and currier in his father's tannery, in Che- nango county, N. Y., which business he followed until thirty years of age; for five years thereafter he was engaged as a boatman on the Erie and Chenango canals, and then for four years was manager of a tannery in Greene, Chenango Co., N. Y. About the year 1850 he came to Bradford county, locating in Columbia township, when he engaged in farming two years; then removed to Wells, engaged in farming there two years, and one year as buyer of grain, pro- duce and hides, and in 1856 he located in Troy, where he has since resided, engaged as a buyer and seller of hides, leather and wool. He was married three times, his first wife being Polly C. Benedict, his second wife Lucy Keech, and his third wife Harriet Madge, of Troy, by whom he has three children : Jennie, Nellie and Martie. Mr. Winston is a well-known and respected citizen of Troy ; is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and politically is a Democrat.

LELAND O. WOLCOTT, farmer and stock-grower in Windham township, P. O. Windham, was born in Warren township, this county, January 20, 1861, and is a son of Loren B. and Laura A. Wolcott, also natives of Bradford county. The maternal grandparents were Joseph and Laura Morey, natives of New York, who came to Bradford county in 1817, and located in Warren township; the paternal grandparents were Josiah and Lydia (Verbecks) Wolcott, of Connecticut, who came to Bradford county in 1830, and located in Warren township; on both sides they were agriculturists, and had boldly ventured into the almost unbroken wilds. The parents of Leland O. are still living, and have reared five children, of whom he is the eldest. He was reared on his father's farm and educated in the public schools of the vicinity. In 1880 he went to Windham township, where he commenced farming, and now is the possessor of a finely-improved farm of 120 acres. Leland O. Wolcott and Minnie Beckwith, of Orwell, were joined in happy wedlock ; she is the daughter of Austin and Julia A. (Russell) Beck- with, of Pennsylvania. Of this union there are three children, as fol- lows : Irving L., born February 1, 1886, and Florence and Flora (twins), born August 12, 1888. Mr. Wolcott is a Republican, and is now serving his fifth term as town clerk. Mrs. Wolcott is an exemplary member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

T. D. WOLCOTT, merchant, Athens, is a native of Litchfield township, this county, and was born February 11, 1840; his parents were Samuel P. and Lydia (Bidlack) Wolcott, natives of this county. Samuel P. Wolcott was a farmer, and was born December 27, 1811, and died in January, 1882; his maternal great-grandfather, Capt. James Bidlack, lost his life in the Wyoming massacre; it is a fact in his- tory that he was held on a burning brush heap by the Indians with pitchforks, and burned to death. The paternal great-grandfather, Silas Wolcott, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War; was with Washington through many of the hard campaigns during that strug- gle, and acted as one of Washington's body guards, during the memorable winter when the army lay encamped at Valley Forge. T. D. Wolcott is the third in a family of eight children, six of whom are now living. He received a common-school education, and the early

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part of his life was spent in the lumber business. He was foreman for Harris & Saltmons and Hunsicker & Harris, of Athens, Pa., and after- ward for Canfield & Cotton, of Williamsport, Pa. He quit the lum- ber business in 1872, and in the spring of 1873 engaged in the grocery trade with Mr. Gohl, under the firm name of Wolcott & Gohl, and continued in that business until the fall of 1888, when he sold to his partner. Since then he was engaged in building and improving his property until 1891, when he went into his former business again. He was married, in Wellsboro, Pa., January 15, 1872, to Miss Eva, daughter of Edwin and Samantha (Horton) Hastings, the former a native of Massachusetts, and the latter of New York; they have always lived in Tioga county since childhood, and he is one of the oldest merchants in Wellsboro. Mrs. Samantha (Horton) Hastings is a descendant of Barnabas Horton, who came with two of his brothers in the " Mayflower ;" Mrs. Wolcott is the eldest in a family of six chil- dren, and was born at Stony Fork, Tioga Co., Pa., July 18, 1852. To Mr. and Mrs. Wolcott were born five children, viz : Harry L., Carrie E., Mark P., and Edwin and Wyland (both deceased). Mrs. Wolcott is a member of the Universalist Church. Mr. Wolcott enlisted in the State Militia during the Civil War, but was out only a short time; he is a member of the G. A. R., Perkins Post, No. 202, also a member of the F. & A. M., Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70; has served one term as burgess of Athens borough, and politically he is a Prohibitionist.

HORACE L. WOLF, baker, confectioner and proprietor of res- taurant, Troy, was born in Troy, this county, August 27, 1850, a son of James and Anna (Mink) Wolf, the former a native of Columbia township, this county, a son of Michael and Betsy (Furman) Wolf. who settled in Columbia township in 1811; the maternal grandfather, Rev. William Mink, of Rhinebeck, N. Y., was a native of Germany, James Wolf, father of subject, who was a shoemaker by trade, and was for many years a resident of Troy. in later life removed to Elmira, N. Y., where he died in August, 1861 ; his children were ten in num- ber : William, Martha (Mrs. J. W. Harding), Charles, Jobn, Kate, Thaddeus, Lottie (Mrs. J. W. Gustin), Horace L., Frank and Howard. The subject of this memoir was reared in Troy, and educated in the public schools ; during the Grant campaign in 1868, he lost both arms by the premature discharge of a cannon. In 1887 he embarked in his present business in Troy, in which he has since successfully continued ; he is an enterprising citizen ; in politics he is a Republican.

NELSON WOLF, a prominent farmer of Columbia township, was born in Columbia township, this county, August 11, 1815, and is a son of Michael and Elizabeth (Furman) Wolf. He was reared in Colum- bia township, where he has always resided, and occupies the old home- stead of his father, which he partly cleared and improved. He married twice : his first wife was Cecelia Edwards, of Columbia town- ship, by whom he had four children : Sarah J. (Mrs. Bayton Shepard), De Witt, Mattie (Mrs. Harry Chase) and Miranda ; his second wife was Phebe Ferguson, also of Columbia township. Mr. Wolf is a member of the Presbyterian Church ; politically he is a Republican.

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RENSELEAR WOLF, farmer, of Columbia township, P. O. Vir- tus, was born in Columbia township, this county, May 7, 1813, and is a son of Michael and Elizabeth (Furman) Wolf. His father was a native of Connecticut, of German parentage, and located in Columbia township in 1813, and soon after settled on what is known as the Wolf settlement, and, with the assistance of his sons, cleared and improved the farm now owned and occupied by his son, Nelson, and died there. His wife was a daughter of William and Abigail (Hal- leck) Furman, pioneers of Columbia township, and by her he had eleven children, as follows : Abigail (Mrs. Robert Early), William, George, John, James, Michael, Martha, Renselear, Nelson, Horace and Maria (Mrs. Henry Gifford). Our subject was reared in Columbia township, where he has always resided, and cleared and improved the farm of 120 acres he now occupies. He married twice: his first wife was Emma, daughter of Obediah Brown, of Columbia township, and by her he had one daughter, Alice (Mrs. Abram Joralemon) ; his sec- ond wife was Martha, daughter of James Fries, of Columbia town- ship, and by her he had two sons : Jacob and James. Mr. Wolf is a leading and well-known citizen of the township; in politics he is a Republican.

HORACE WOLFE, retired farmer of Columbia township, P. O. Snedekerville, was born in Columbia township, this county, February 7, 1819, and is a son of Michael and Elizabeth (Furman) Wolfe, who settled in Columbia township in 1813. He was reared in his native town- ship where he has always resided, and cleared and improved the farm now occupied by his son-in-law, Lewis Hammond. His wife was Hul- dah Haynes, by whom he had three children : George H., Maria (Mrs. Lewis Hammond) and John H .; his daughter (Mrs. Hammond) has one daughter, Nora. Mr. Wolfe has been one of the most successful farmers of Columbia township, and is one of its leading and represen- tative citizens ; politically he is a Republican.

GEORGE H. WOLFE, farmer, P.O. Snedekerville, was born in Co- lumbia township, this county, October 11, 1854, and is a son of Horace and Huldah (Haynes) Wolfe. He was reared in his native township, educated in the common schools, and has always followed farming as an occupation. He lived on the farm where he has resided since 1880. On March 17, 1880, he married Belle, daughter of Ananias and Rachel (Gordon) Knapp, of Wells township, and has two sons, LeRoy H. and Hallock C. Mr. Wolfe is an enterprising and promi- nent farmer, and in politics is a Republican.

JOHN H. WOLFE, farmer, P. O. Snedekerville, was born in Columbia township, this county, November 8, 1858, a son of Horace and Huldah (Haynes) Wolfe, and a grandson of Michael and Eliza- beth (Furman) Wolfe, who settled in Columbia township in 1813. The subject of these lines was reared in his native township, where he has always resided, and has occupied his present farm nine years. In August, 1881, he married Hattie, daughter of James and Mary (Gustin) Wilson, of Columbia township, and they have three children : Fowler, Olive and Horace. Mr. Wolfe is one of the leading farmers

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of Columbia township, and is an energetic and enterprising citizen. Politically he is a Republican.

HOSEA C. WOLFE, farmer, P. O. Columbia Cross Roads, was born in Columbia township, this county, October 10, 1832, a son of George and Leefe (Kennedy) Wolfe ; his paternal grandparents, Michael and Elizabeth (Furman) Wolfe, settled in Columbia township, in 1813, and his maternal grandfather, Alexander Kennedy, was one of the pioneers of Springfield township. George Wolfe, father of subject, after reaching his majority settled on the farm now occupied by his son, John D. Wolfe, cleared and improved it and died there; his children were six in number, as follows; Lydia (Mrs. Charles W. Joralemon), Susan (Mrs. Oliver O. Besley), Hosea C., Rhoda (Mrs. Eugene Youmans), John D. and Betsey (Mrs. Jefferson Warner.) Hosea C. Wolfe was reared in Columbia township, where he has always resided, cleared up a good deal of land in the township, and has occupied his present farm since 1867 ; he is owner of four farms, con- taining, respectively, 170 acres, 107 acres, 100 acres, and 235 acres. He married, February 15, 1855, Lucy L., daughter of Levi and Fannie (Luther) Cornell, of Columbia township, and by her he had three children : Clinton A., Ella E. (Mrs. Charles P. Shaw) and George L. The last named was born October 26, 1865, resides on the homestead with his father, and was married, December 7, 1887, to Minnie E., daughter of Churchill and Ida (Goodrich) Strait, of Columbia town- ship, and they have one daughter, Dora. Mr. Wolfe is one of the most prominent and enterprising farmers of Columbia township. In poli- tics he is a Republican.

PETER WOLFE, farmer, P. O. Sheshequin, is a native of New Baltimore, N. Y., born February 18, 1820, and is a son of John and Esther (Parker) Wolfe, of New York. There were six children in his father's family, and four came to this county : William, Ephraim, Jane and Peter. The family were tillers of the soil, and came to this county about 1842, settling in Ghent. The grandfather, Peter Wolfe, served in the Revolutionary' War seven years, was a captain, and was a prisoner two years, confined in the hulks. The father was a success- ful farmer ; he sold the farm at Ghent, and bought 300 acres in the same township. Peter was reared at North River, N. Y., where he was educated until he was twelve years of age, when he commenced life for himself. In 1868 he bought the farm he now owns, and which consists of 100 acres of bottom-land, well improved, and has a dairy of eight cows. He married, February 21, 1845, Marshie, daughter of Roswell and Polly (Webster) Russell, the latter of whom was related by blood to Daniel Webster. To them were born the following chil- dren : Adelaide, married to Rufus Mallery ; John, married to Ethlen Brown, of Sheshequin ; Roswell, died when aged sixteen ; Ida, died in infancy; Kate, married to Cornelius Alliger; Peter, married to Emma Smith; Isabelle, married to Ossie Vandozer, and Jessie, married to Loyd Kinner, of Waverly; there are eleven grandchildren. Mr. Wolfe was in the country's service during the Civil War, four months, employed in the Construction Corps, serving in Tennessee; he is a Democrat in his political preferences.

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BEEBE W. WOOD, farmer and stock-grower, P. O. Laceyville, was born in Pike township, this county, December 29, 1827, and is a son of David Wood (born in Dutchess county, N. Y.) and Amy (Wells) Wood, the latter of whom is a native of Bradford county. The father of subject came with his parents to Pike township prior to 1800, where they took up a considerable tract of land. The father passed his life in that township, and had the following children: Polly Ann, Beebe W., William J., Sarah Ann, Abigail, Abner, Harriet and John A., of whom Beebe W. and William J. are the only residents of this county. Beebe W. Wood was reared on a farm and educated in the common schools of his day. At the age of twenty-one he pur- chased the farm where he now resides, the only improvements at the time being a small clearing and a small frame dwelling; the first purchase contained seventy acres, which he proceeded to clear and improve; he has added to it until he now owns over 200 acres well improved, 175 acres being cleared and under cultivation. He operates a large dairy, and has his farm well stocked with horses and cattle. Mr. Wood was united in marriage, April 30, 1856, with Susan E. Wood, daughter of Josiah Wood, of Pike township, and this union was blessed with two children : Mary, married to Cornelius Overton, now a farmer of Nebraska, and Ella (deceased). His wife dying in 1868, Mr. Wood married, November 4, 1869, Emma E. Wakeley, a daughter of Burton Wakeley, of Tuscarora. The family are members of the Baptist Church, at Laceyville; he is a deacon of the church, and also licensed to preach, but has not made a practice of preaching. He is a charter member of the Tuscarora Insurance Company, and has been its treasurer since its organization; politically, he is a Republican, and has filled various town offices.

CHARLES C. WOOD, master painter, Northern Division L. V. R. R. Shops at Sayre, is a native of Binghamton, N. Y., and was born July 10, 1834, a son of Orin and Sallie (Baldwin) Wood, the former a native of Connecticut, who settled in Binghamton, in early life; the latter a native of Montrose, Susquehanna county. The father, who was a mechanic and boot and shoe merchant, removed to Niles, Mich., in 1835, where he died in 1840, in his thirtieth year; the mother died in Candor, N. Y., in the spring of 1869, in her sixty-fifth year. Great- grandfather Baldwin was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. The family consisted of five children, of whom the last three died in Michi- gan ; the surviving brother, Orlando S., is a physician and resides in Omaha, Neb. Charles C. Wood came with his mother from Michigan to Susquehanna county, where he received a common-school education, and learned the baker's trade in Montrose. In 1853 he began an apprenticeship at the painter's trade in Sullivan county, and completed same in Owego, N. Y .. where he remained about four years; then went to Towanda in 1861, and worked at house and carriage painting. In October, 1869, he accepted the position of foreman painter on the railroad, which he has held ever since. Mr. Wood was married in Candor, N. Y., December 31, 1854, to Caroline E., daughter of Elijah and Marion (Boeie) Moody, the former a native of Massachusetts, the latter of Roylston, N. C .; her father, who was a merchant and exten- sive live-stock dealer, died in Towanda, in 1863; her mother died in

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same place in 1874. Mrs. Wood was the youngest in a family of seven children-five daughters and two sons-of whom three are living ; she was born in Montrose September 26, 1834, and died in Sayre, Novem- ber, 1886, a most estimable wife and a consistent member of the Epis- copal Church. To Mr. and Mrs. Wood were born three children, of whom two are now living, as follows: Minnie, wife of Edward Black- mure, of New York City, and Charles M. The family are members of and worship at the Episcopal Church. Mr. Wood is a member of the Knights of Honor, and is serving his third term as president of the Wilbur Hook and Ladder Company, No. 1 .; is also president of the Democratic club of Sayre.

C. M. WOOD, stone-cutter, Tuscarora township, P. O. Silvara, was born in Tuscarora township, this county, January 11, 1867, and is a son of W. J. and Elizabeth (Owen) Wood. His mother died, and his father married, for his second wife, Mary Finch. By the first mar- riage he had the following children : Milly, married to B. E. Wood, a lumberman, of Sullivan county, Pa .; Louie, married to James Harvey, a farmer, of Susquehanna county, Pa .; George, a farmer, of Bradford ; Hattie, married to Horace Bristor, a farmer, of Pike township; C. M .; Carrie, married to George Share, a miller, of Pike township, and Gertie, residing with her grandparents on Spring Hill. Our subject passed his boyhood in Silvara, and at the age of fourteen began life for him- self; he followed farming a few years, and then for five years was in the lumber business, and since then has been following the trade of a stone-cutter. He began his occupation in the Bennett quarry, and for the past several months has been in the quarry of Fish & Houdly; he is a Republican in politics, and takes an active interest in the political affairs of his neighborhood.

FRANCIS WOOD, farmer, P. O. East Smithfield, was born June 16, 1845, on the farm where he now resides, a son of Merit and Abi- gail (Kingsley) Wood, natives of this county. The Woods trace their genealogy back to the year 1582, and one of the family came to this country from Derbyshire, England, settling at Concord, Mass., in 1638 ; the great-grandfather of our subject was Samuel Wood, born at Westminster, Mass., in January, 1761; when sixteen he enlisted in the service of his country, and served through the Revolutionary War; in 1780 he was in the Department of West l'oint, and was one of the participants in the taking of Maj. Andre into camp after his capture by the three "cow boys." He settled in East Smithfield township, this county, in 1809, with his family. Francis Wood, who is the second in a family of five children, was educated in the common schools of the township and at Mansfield Normal School. He was married, December 28, 1869, to Louise D. Campbell, who was born July 17, 1847, a daughter of Alber and Rowena (Phelps) Campbell, of Athens. To Mr. and Mrs. Wood have been born five children, viz .: Raymond, born May 31, 1871; Minnie, born June 22, 1872; Merit, born August 5. 1877; Glennie, born January 29, 1879; and one not named, born November 17. 1890. The family are members of the Disciple Church, of which Mr. Wood is deacon. He is a strong Pro- hibitionist, and was on the ticket of the party in the fall of 1890 for

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sheriff of the county ; has a fine farm, dairying being his principal business, and is very prosperous.

J. M. WOOD, merchant, Allis Hollow, was born in Wysox, this county, May 10, 1857, and is a son of Henry and Mary (Waters) Wood, the father a native of Susquehanna county and the mother of Wales. His grandfather, Jonathan Wood, a pioneer, lived many years in Standing Stone, and his maternal grandfather, Morgan Waters, came to this county from Wales about 1830, and located first in Pike, and after- ward removed to Burlington, where he died. The father's family consisted of six children, four living, viz,: Nancy (married to Charles Daugherty), Frank D., Elizabeth and J. M. Our subject was born and reared on his father's farm in Wysox, attending the district school until he was aged twenty. When reaching his majority, he began farming for himself, and was so engaged until March 27, 1889, when he traded his farm for the property he now owns and a stock of gen- eral merchandise-his present business. He was married, December 7, 1880, to Fidelia A., daughter of Dr. M. E. Reed, of Standing Stone, now of Genesee Fork, Potter Co., Pa., and this marriage has been blessed with two children : Carleton H., born December 19, 1885, and Iva Christine, born December 18, 1887. Mr. Wood is a Republican, and has been postmaster at Allis Hollow since June 12, 1890.

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History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 153

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