History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 68

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

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Henry Biles was a native of Trenton, N. J., but while a young

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man he immigrated to Smithfield township, Monroe Co., Pa., and then, in his old age, about the year 1812, removed to the vicinity of Pitts- burg where he died about 1820, aged about seventy years. He married Phebe Patterson, and had a family of seven children, viz .: John, Charles, William, Robert and Henry (twins), Alexander (grandfather of subject) and Benjamin. He was married (the second time) to Miss Broadhead, by whom he had two children, Polly and Betsey. Of the sons: John and Charles followed surveying; William became a lawyer ; Robert a farmer ; Henry was a cripple, and Alexander was a printer. Alexander, the grandfather, was born October 28, 1783, married Roseanna Place, September 14, 1801, and died March 28, 1855 ; they had the following children : John, born January 2, 1802, married to Sallie Bramhall, February 13, 1825, and died February 6, 1880 ; Eleanor, born April 28, 1805, married to Jacob Strunk, January 17, 1823, and died May 22, 1878; Phebe, born February 27, 1807, married to Chandler T. Baldwin, September 12, 1830, and died July 10, 1831; Samuel W., born January 19, 1809, married to Matilda Jane Ennis, February 13, 1834, died May 1, 1859; James A., born November 22, 1810, married to Lizzie VanNoy, March 8, 1836, died November 6, 1877; Charles, born October 11, 1812, married to Jane VanNov, April 24, 1838, a resident of Wyalusing ; Polly, born April 27, 1814, married September 12, 1833, to Chandler T. Baldwin, the husband of her deceased sister Phebe, died February 19, 1856; Jacob P. (father of subject), born January 29, 1816, married to Mary Bunnell, August 15, 1839, died April 25, 1890 ; Rebecca, born April 19, 1818, married to James Depew, February 5, 1844, died May 9, 1857; Elizabeth and Alexander (twins), born February 8, 1820, died in infancy ; George, born July 20, 1821, married to Almedia Camp, December 12, 1843, died April 16, 1869 ; Lewis, born June 19, 1823, married to Catherine VanNoy, January 29, 1850, resides in Wyalusing ; Betsey, born May 23, 1826, married to Calvin Camp, May 12, 1847, live at Camptown. Samuel W. Biles had eleven children, all of whom died in early life; two only were married and left children. Mrs. Rebecca Depew has no descendants in the county. George Biles had eleven children, all of whom are deceased except one, George, who lives in Meshoppen. Jacob P. Biles, father, of our subject, had the following children : Helen M., born January 11, 1844, married to Allen Hover, May 15, 1873; James M., born September 3, 1845, married to Millie Wilson, August 7, 1870; Aaron, born September 10, 1847, died October 11, 1862 ; Mary, born December 16, 1849, died November 7, 1862 ; Sarah, born May 10, 1851, died May 7, 1853 ; Emily A., born May 14, 1853, died March 17, 1872; Anna E., born October 31, 1855, died March 15, 1870; John A. and Jacob M. (twins), born February 16, 1858; Jacob married to Ida M. Quick, November 29, 1882, and is now a physician at Meshoppen. Jacob P. Biles, the father, was captain for three years, from September 17, 1842 to 1845, in the Union Light Infantry, Fourth Volunteer Battalion, Second Brigade, Ninth Division of Pennsylvania Militia. John A. Biles married Sarah E. Kerrick, of Asylum, October 21, 1884; Martin L., born November 28, 1860, died May 1, 1884; Elmore L., born August 17, 1863, died June 13, 1885 ; Albert S., born

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July 25, 1866, died April 23, 1872. Mr. Biles is the father of the following children : Elmore H., born June 15, 1885; Frank V., born August 1, 1887, and Clarence E., born December 9, 1889. The father of subject was an extensive land owner, and one of the best farmers of the county ; a Christian gentleman, and at one time was connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, but severed his connection on account of some church quarrel, and never again united with any church. His farm was one of the neatest in the neighborhood, noted for fine farms. Although a man of limited education, he was a great reader, and kept thoroughly posted on all the leading questions of the day. He resided on the old homestead, now occupied by his son, from 1839 until his death, and reared a family of twelve children, eight of whom are dead, and four still living have become successful men and women. John A. Biles was born and reared on a farm, and educated in the common schools, at Keystone Academy, and at the Susquehanna Collegiate Institute, having graduated from the latter in 1889. He has followed teaching part of the time during the past ten years; is also a practical surveyor, and follows that, to a considerable extent ; is a farmer and owns about seventy acres of the old homestead, having always lived there, with the exception of from November, 1887, to May, 1890. He is a member of the Baptist Church of Camptown, of the Patrons of Industry, and is a Republican, taking active part in politics, but seeking no political emoluments.

CHARLES BILES, farmer, of Wyalusing township, P. O. Homet's Ferry. This gentleman, who is one of the pioneers of his section, was born in what is now Monroe (then Northampton) county, Pa., October 11, 1812, a son of Alexander P. and Rosanna (Place) Biles. His parents had a family of fifteen children, of whom three are now living, he being the eldest of the three; Lewis is a farmer, and Betsie married Calvin Camp, whom she survives, and now resides at Camptown. Our subject came to this county with his parents when twelve years old, and for a short period resided on Vaughn hill, on the farm now owned by S. S. Butts; from there they removed to Frenchtown, and there remained four years; then for three or four years they made their home on the premises now owned by George Homet, at Homet's Ferry, and then removed to the farm where Lewis Biles now lives, where they passed the rest of their days. This section was a wilderness at that time, and amid such surroundings young Charles was reared, having but poor facilities for acquiring an educa- tion. Leaving home when about twenty-one years of age, he built a small house on a clearing, where his present residence now stands, and started for himself, spending the next ten years in clearing the land and fitting it for cultivation. He leased a sawmill, and for one year was engaged in sawing lumber and rafting the same down the Susque- hanna. After undergoing the usual hardships of the early pioneer, and perhaps far more than his share, he at last developed a farm of eighty- four acres, as fine as the county affords, and, having secured a comfort- able competence, retired from active business, and, under the care of his daughter Emma, is prepared to pass his declining years in comfort. He was united in marriage April 24, 1838, with Jane Van Noy, daugh-

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ter of Peter VanNoy, of Sussex county, N. J., and this union was blest with six children, viz .: Adelia, married to N. A. Fuller, Eliza- beth (deceased), Lindly (deceased), Peter A., Emma V., and Delphine, married to J. M. Irvine. His wife died in 1877, since which time his daughter Emma has cared for him. Mr. Biles has been a life-long Demo- crat, an earnest worker for his party, but never a place seeker; his life has been one of hard and continuous toil, starting in life with no resources but good health and an earnest desire to succeed, he has secured a comfortable home and a fortune ample for his needs.

P. A. BILES, farmer and stock grower, of Wyalusing township, P. O. Homet's Ferry, was born on the farm where he now resides, June 12, 1850, a son of Charles Biles. He was born and reared on the farm and attended the common schools of the neighborhood until attaining his majority. Mr. Biles was married, March 26, 1872, to Margaret, daughter of Andrew and Margaret (Bush) Wilson, of Wya- lusing township, and to them have been born three children, viz .: Lizzie, Charles and Scott. Politically Mr. Biles is a Democrat, and now fills the office of school director. He has always resided on the farm and been a successful business man.

ALONZO A. BISHOP, Wysox, is a descendant of one of the pioneer families of this county. His father was Elihu Bishop, a tanner, who settled in Wysox township in 1803, and established a tannery on his place. The mother of our subject was Mary (Sweetlan) Bishop ; both parents were of Connecticut ; they had a family of four children. The father returned to Troy, N. Y., after a short residence, but soon went back to Wysox, where he died in 1857. Alonzo A., who is the youngest and only surviving member of their family, was born in Wysox township. this county, February 29, 1808, and attended school in the old frame church ; he operated a tannery and made shoes, and was thus engaged fifty-five years. He was noted for his integrity and honesty as a workman, and his products always found a ready sale at home, from those who knew him best. Mr. Bishop has farmed, for some years, a portion of his land, which he paid $102 per acre for, and during the Civil War he was offered $200 for it, and refused the offer which was, possibly, all it was worth; but the old homestead was not parted with, and here he has spent over fifty years of his long life. He has retired from active labor, and, in the gentle evening of his life, feels more and more attached to the dear old home. He was married in Wysox, one bright Sabbath day, in March, 1830, to Eveline B., daughter of Shepard and Sarah (Coolbaugh) Pierce, natives of Pennsylvania, of German and English descent, who came to Brad- ford county in 1806, and settled in Wysox, where he took up four hundred acres of valuable land, and, for many years, was the most extensive farmer in this community. Mr. and Mrs. Bishop have spent many years of their lives in Wysox, where they reared a family of seven children. Alfred S., the eldest, was born August 26, 1831, and is now a resident of the " Sunny South," where he was when the Civil War broke out; and if his father, who is a Republican, could have seen the name of Alfred S. Bishop on the Confederate roll, he would have felt that his boy was lost. The next, Frances M., born January 23, 1833,

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married Durius Williams, both deceased in 1880. Edward R., born September 18, 1835, is superintendent of the home farm, and is unmarried ; he attended the district school and Williamsport College ; is active in local politics, and has held most of the offices in Wysox ; served as collector for twenty years in Wysox township, is a Republi- can, a Mason, and a member of the Grange, and is well informed and a diligent reader. Elizabeth S., born May 14, 1837, is the wife of Jesse R. Smith. Mary, deceased, was born December 5, 1838, and became the wife of Robert Austin ; her death occurred in 1862. Joseph W. was born April 28, 1840, and is in the employment of the Lehigh Valley R. R. Co. Shepard E., the youngest, was born August 21, 1846. Mrs. Bishop is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Bishop served twenty years as a member of the school board in Wysox; was a drummer and bugle major in the rifle company there many years.

JOSEPH W. BISHOP, chief clerk, general office of the L. V. R. R., Sayre, is a native of Wysox township, this county, born April 28, 1840, and is a son of Alonzo and Evaline (Pierce) Bishop, the former from Connecticut and the latter born in Bradford county. The father was a mechanic, and operated a tannery in Wysox township, where the son grew to his majority and had the advantages of the public schools. He was also a student in the Collegiate Institute, Towanda. In 1867 he was employed by the L. V. R. R. Company, and was with the corps of engineers in the construction thereof, and until it was built, when he became the Towanda station agent. He was soon, however, transferred to the superintendent's office, Towanda, where he remained from 1871 to 1876, when the general offices of the com- pany were transferred to their present place, Sayre, and he came with them and continued in the same service. Joseph W. Bishop and Mary H. Wells were joined in marriage at Meshoppen, Wyoming county, in 1872. She is a daughter of Dr. Nathan and Mary (Horton) Wells, the former of whom was born in Orange county, N. Y., and died in July, 1886; the latter, a native of this county, survives. In their family there were three daughters and one son, Mrs. Bishop being next the youngest, born October 31, 1850. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Bishop have had children as follows: Louise W., Katherine W., Nathan Wells (deceased), and Howard Elmer. Mrs. Bishop is a mem- ber of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Bishop is a member of the K. of P. and of the Iron Hall, and is a member of the Democratic party. The family are widely known and highly respected.

G. M. BIXBY (deceased) was, during life, one of Wyalusing's most successful and highly respected business men. He was born in Campbell, Steuben Co., N. Y., October 30, 1820, a son of Solomon and Lucy (French) Bixby. the former of whom was a native of Con- necticut, and by trade a shoemaker, died in Steuben county, N. Y., May 7, 1843. His family comprised six children, of whom G. M. is the only one that ever lived in Bradford county. The father, after the death of his first wife, married a second time, and G. M. Bixby then went to live with his uncle, a hardware merchant of Rochester, N. Y .; he was educated in the public schools of that city, and, after finishing his schooling, became a clerk in his uncle's store, where he remained a

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HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY.

few years, and then entered the hardware business for himself, in Rochester, N. Y., where he remained until 1853, when he sold, and removed to Wyalusing, and conducted a general store and lumber business for C. F. Welles. After a few years he embarked in business for himself here, conducting a general store, and dealing extensively in lumber; then, in January, 1876, he opened the first and only bank at Wyalusing, conducting the same until his death, July 26, 1880. He had acquired extensive real estate interests in Wyalusing and adjoin- ing townships, as well as several valuable pieces of property in the borough. Starting in life a poor boy, without aid he accumulated a fortune, being eminently successful, and was renowned for his exact- ness and scrupulous honesty. Socially, he was loved and honored by all. Mr. Bixby was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and an earnest worker, was Sunday-school superintendent many years, and was always a liberal contributor to all benevolent or religious enter- prises. His death left a void that was difficult to fill. He was united in marriage, September 15. 1874. with Clara Dunklee. and to them were born two children : Robert M., born March 14, 1876-a student at Miller's School of Commerce, Elmira; and Bradford H., born October 14, 1879. After her husband's death, Mrs. Bixby assumed the management of his large estate, which she has conducted with consummate skill and judgment ; she is a member of and an earnest worker in the Baptist Church of Wyalusing.

HARRISON BLACK, farmer and stock grower, of Wyalusing township, P .. O. Wyalusing, was born in Wyalusing township, this county, December 4, 1825, a son of John H. and Hannah (Ackley) Black. John H. Black was born, of Irish parentage, in Wyalusing township, December 28, 1796, and passed his entire life in the town- ship where he was a farmer and mill owner, clearing a large amount of land and fitting it for cultivation. He died April 2, 1878; his wife had died in May, the previous year; of their family of six children three only survive, viz., Harrison, N. A. and Nancy P., wife of John I. Ingham, architect, of Elmira. Harrison Black attended school at Merryall, and had but limited educational advantages; his boyhood was passed in the woods and in the mills of his father, and when twenty-three years of age he started out for himself as a farmer, which occupation he has followed until the present time. In 1846 he pur- chased a farm containing one hundred and twenty-five acres, which he has since added to until he now owns one hundred and ninety acres of land, a large portion of it being covered with fine timber. He does a general farm business; his farm is beautifully located and well improved, and stocked with Holstein and Jersey cattle, and horses. He was married March 28, 1849, to Henrietta M. Gregory, and they have a family of three sons: C. H., a farmer of Wyalusing, who mar- ried Carrie Spencer; G. L., educated at the Wyoming Seminary and now a surveyor and mine superintendent of Wyoming, and John G., a railroad engineer of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Mr. Black has had to depend largely on his own resources, and has long filled a foremost place in the ranks of Bradford county's most successful farmers. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he

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fills the position of trustee ; he is a charter member of Wyalusing Lodge No. 508; of the I. O. O. F. at Camptown, has taken all subor- dinate degrees, and has passed all the chairs ; in politics he is a Demo- crat, and he has filled all the various town offices, being at present town commissioner.

JOHN BLACK, retired farmer, of Pike township, P. O. LeRays- ville, was born in Yorkshire, England, December 11, 1813, a son of William and Ann (Spencer) Black, woollen manufacturers. The fam- ily came to America in 1819, and on account of the English law forbid- ding mechanics to immigrate to America, the father passed himself as a gardener ; he worked at his trade successively in Kingston,. Muncy (then called Pennsborough) and Monroeton. In 1830 he purchased the farm on which John now lives, and built what is known as the Haigh Woolen Mill, which he sold to Joseph Haigh and L. L. Stuart in 1846 ; afterward he went to Carroll county, Ill., where he and his wife died in 1870. John Black attended the district school in Pike township, also the LeRaysville borough school, and at the age of twenty-five began life for himself by going on a farm one mile east, and in 1857 he bought of his father the homestead where he now lives. Besides attending to his farm he has dealt in real estate in Bradford county, but chiefly in the West. In 1838 he married his first wife, Harriet, daughter of Dr. Lemuel C. and Lucy Belding, natives of Vermont ; she died in 1847, and in 1848 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Uri and Phoebe (Barber) Cook. They have two children : Harriet E., born May 28, 1849, married to Paul C. Stern, an importer of toys and fancy goods in New York City, and Phoebe A., born September 10, 1853, married to George W. Buck, a real estate agent in Duluth, Minn. In his religious views Mr. Black is a Swedenborgian, and in politics he is a Republican. Mrs. Black is a member of the Congrega- tional Church at Potterville.

JOHN H. BLACK, farmer, of Tuscarora township, P. O. Spring Hill, was born on his present home March 20, 1842, and was educated in the common schools and at the Academy at Wyalusing, Pa. He is a son of Davis Dimmock and Lois (Marsh) Black, of New England. origin, the former of whom was born in Wyalusing township, this county, March 22, 1808 ; came to Spring Hill in 1830, purchased 106 acres of land (now owned by his son John H.), and died June 17, 1878, highly regarded by all who knew him. He was a man of strict business integrity, and a true patriot. He was a son of Joseph Black, who was born in Colchester, Conn., June 24, 1762, and married Alice Wells, whose father was a victim of the Wyoming massacre. Joseph Black settled in Wyalnsing in 1807, purchased over six hundred acres of land for $37, and at one time owned the only gristmill between Athens and Wilkes-Barre; he also owned one of the first sawmills in Wyalusing.

John H. Black enlisted at Canton, March 30, 1864, in Company G, Second Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Heavy Artillery, and was in the following battles : Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Ann River, Cold Harbor, Petersburg and several minor engagements, during which his regiment lost over eight hundred men. On July 12, 1864, he was

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taken sick and sent to City Point Hospital, from there to Mount Pleasant Hospital, Washington, D. C .; after a time his health had so far improved that he was detailed to do light duty about the hospital, and for six months he had charge of the dead house at Mount Pleasant. He was discharged August 3, 1865, and returned to Spring Hill, where he has since been engaged in business, when his health would permit. On July 4, 1866, Mr. Black was married to Sarah A. Bolles, by whom he had two children : George Melville, born July 7, 1867, died July 1, 1875, and Sarah Blennie, born February 3, 1874. This wife dying February 11, 1874, Mr. Black then married Marietta R., daughter of John F. and Malissa (Elliott) Dodge, of Terrytown. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Spring Hill, and in politics he is a Republican, and a strong advocate of Prohibition. He has been general agent for the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company thirteen years. and it may be truly said of him that he is a gentleman of high stand- ing in the community where he lives, and an earnest supporter of good government and all honest enterprises.

N. A. BLACK, retired merchant, Wyalusing, was born on the old Black Homestead at Merryall, this county, December 5, 1835, a son of John H. Black, a native of Exeter, Luzerne county, and Hannah (Ackley) Black, of Bradford county. His father was a farmer who passed his life on the old homestead, and had the following children : Harrison, of Wyalusing ; George, deceased ; Benjamin, deceased; Nancy, married to J. Q. Ingham, of Elmira, and N. A. Our subject was born and reared on a farm, educated in the public schools of Wyalusing, and upon reaching his majority engaged in farming, residing on the old homestead until 1885, when he removed to Hazelton, and for two years was proprietor and operator of a hat factory there; then embarked in mercantile pursuits, and conducted a produce store until the spring of 1891, when he sold his interests and returned to Wyalusing, purchasing property of L. D. Little, which he improved and made into as comfortable and elegant a home as the borough contains. He enlisted in the service of his country, October 15, 1862, in Company D, One Hundred and Sev- enty-first Regiment, P. V. I., and was discharged August 15, 1863, by expiration of term of service. He served on detached duty, and so escaped the hard battles, but was engaged in several severe skirm- ishes during his service, losing his health, and is now, in the prime of life, unable to engage in any active occupation. He was united in marriage, June 3, 1861, with Lizzie Billings, daughter of Samuel Billings, of Wyalusing, who was married twice, first to Elizabeth Stork, and Mrs. Black is a child by this marriage. The family wor- ship at the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mrs. Black is an active member. Mr. Black is a member of Franklin Lodge, No. 263, F. & A. M., and has taken the degree of Master Mason ; he is identi- fied with the Democratic party, vet takes but small interest in politics.

GEORGE W. BLACKMAN was born in Sheshequin, this county, February 19, 1831, a son of Franklin and Sybil (Beardsley) Blackman. The father was born in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne Co., Pa .. and came to Sheshequin with his father, Ichabod Blackman, when three years old, settling at the place known as Blackman's Ferry, opposite the mouth

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of Sugar creek. Six years after the settlement the father of Franklin Blackman was drowned near the mouth of Sugar creek. The sons and daughter of Franklin were ten in number, the subject of this sketch being the youngest. He received a common-school educa- tion, and at the age of nineteen commenced teaching; his first school was taught at Franklindale, and the first pupil that inter- viewed him was Thomas Ryan, who afterward became famous as member of Congress from Kansas, and is at this writing Minister to Mexico. He followed teaching for several winters, until 1856, when he married Ada M. Kinney, daughter of Guy Kinney, Esq., and to this union was born one son, Harry L., now of Streator, Ill. Mrs. Blackman died in February, 1869, and he married Miss Margaret E. Hillis, daugh- ter of Richard Hillis, of Herrick. He held many places of trust in his native town, having been twice elected justice of the peace, three times assessor, and nine years school director, and during the full term of nine years was secretary of the school board ; during his term of office ten new school-houses were erected. In 1873 he was elected district dep- uty grand master of the I. O. O. F., and was re-elected for five suc- cessive years. When he took charge of the office there were eleven Lodges in the county, with a membership of eleven hundred ; at the close of his terms, 1878, there were twenty-seven lodges, with a membership of twenty-four hundred. In 1878 he was nominated and elected pro- thonotary, and moved to Towanda, taking charge of the office January 6, 1879 ; he was renominated in 1881 without opposition, and elected by an increased majority. Notwithstanding the difficult positions he had held in his native town, but fifty-five votes were cast against him, of a total vote of nearly four hundred. In 1886, by a vacancy in the office of assessor, the county commissioners appointed him to fill the vacancy, and has held the office since by election, without opposition (borough of Towanda). He has held the responsible position of treasurer of the Bradford County Agricultural Society for the past five years, and also the first and present treasurer of the Towanda Electric Illuminating Company. He is now following his favorite occupation, that of farm- ing, having purchased the valuable home of M. Ward, in the borough of Towanda; he also owns the old homestead in his native town, Sheshequin.

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History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 68

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