History of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties, Pa.; with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers, Part 158

Author: Munsell, W.W., & Co., New York
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: New York, W.W. Munsell & co.
Number of Pages: 900

USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > History of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties, Pa.; with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 158
USA > Pennsylvania > Lackawanna County > History of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties, Pa.; with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 158
USA > Pennsylvania > Wyoming County > History of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties, Pa.; with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 158

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The " Christian" Church at Madisonville was organ- ized in the spring of 1842, at Bear brook school-house. by Elder William Lane, assisted by J. I. Harvey. The original members were Isaac Depew, B. L. and Mary A. Beemer, Samuel and Elizabeth Swartz and Samuel Hornbaker. Isaac Depew and Samuel Hornbaker were appointed elders and B. L. Beemer church clerk.

The meeting house was built in 1852, at a cost of $950. It was built by contribution, and is free for all denomina- tions when not in use by the "Christians." The lot was donated by William Evans.

The first pastor was Elder Alva Harmans. Milton Clark was pastor from 1848 till his death in 1873. The next pastor, Elder Henry Block, was succeeded after a year by Elder N. Russell (1874 and 1875), when Elder William Hornbaker preached one year (1876). Elder B. F. Summerbell supplied the pulpit for 1877-79. The present pastor is P. R. Pitman, from Carverville, Pa.

The deacons are Samuel Swartz, J. D. Hendershot, William N. Hockenberg, J. S. Hornbaker and Thomas Walters; Elders-Samuel Hornbaker, John Evans, Isaac . Biesecker, Eneas Swartz and Peter Hornbaker; church clerk, T. Walters; Trustees-Samuel Hornbaker, Thomas Walters, Isaac Biesecker, Peter Hornbaker and John Evans.

The membership is 36. The Sunday-school organized in 1852 with 50 scholars, Samuel Hornbaker superintend- ent. The present number is 80; P. R. Pitman is superin- tendent and Reuben Noack assistant superintendent.

Madisonville Lodge, No. 222, I. O. of G. T. was instituted September 5th, 1866, with 22 charter members. The original officers were: Irving Ives, W. C. T .; Mary Sipe, W. V. T .; John Montgomery, W. S .; William Hornbaker, W. C .; Samuel Hornbaker, W. T .; Darius Finch, W. M.

The lodge has initiated 500 menibers, and it is still flourishing. There are 27 members.

The present officers are: Peter Hornbaker, W. C. T .; Hannah Hornbaker, W. V. T .; M. M. Evans, W. S .; I. E. Mead, W. T .; C. J. Anderson, W. F. S .; J. M. Horn- baker, W. M .; O. L. Mead, W. C.

NEWTON TOWNSHIP.

NTIL 1842 this was a part of Falls township. In that year Wyoming county was formed from Luzerne, the easterly line of the new county running through Falls township; and in 1844 that portion of Falls southeast of the new county line was organized into a township, and named Newton, as many of the first settlers

were from a township of that name in Sussex county, N. J. Richard Gardner was the pioneer settler. He began a clearing (the present Kern farm) in 1803 and built a log house, but in 1807 sold out to Jesse Harding and moved to what is now Ransom township. Among the settlers that came soon after Gardner we find a Mr. Lutz, Zebulon Comstock, Elias Smith, Joseph Coon, John Mc- Millan, Charles McClusky, Parley Von Cleveland, Henry Walters, Henry Litts, Jacob Biesecker and Henry Beemer. Lutz located on the farm now owned and occupied by Henry Jacobs. Parley Von Cleveland located on the farm now owned by Henry Smith. Morgan J. Jones, a brother-in-law of Von Cleveland, located on the present farm of William Lacoe. James Williams took up the Van Sickler farm, where he died at an advanced age, surrounded by a large family. The farm now owned by William Ayers was cleared up by Zephaniah Haven. Adam Thompson in 1819 located on the farm of Truman Knapp. Two of his children, John and Mrs. Jane Courtright, still reside in Newton. Lewis Casner came, as did most of the pioneer settlers, from Sussex county, N. J. He located on the farm now owned by his son, Samuel Casner. William A. Brink took a tract including the present farms of Amos Learn, jr., and William Shelly, sen., and the Williams farm on the mountain. He died in 1858, at an advanced age.

Charles McClusky came from Orange county, N. Y., in 1818, and located on the present Kern farm. He lived in the log cabin built by Richard Gardner several years. His nearest neighbor was Elias Smith, ten miles distant. Two of Mr. McClusky's six children survive, viz., Timothy, who is still a resident of Newton, and a daughter living in Pittston.

Joseph Coons came from Sussex county, N. J., in 1816, and located on the fine farm now owned by his son, John Coons. Elias Smith also came from New Jersey in 1816, and bought 400 acres, through which ran Gardner's creek. He built a log house and cut a wagon road from it to Ransom; there had been no foot path and not even a marked tree to guide him to his place.

Henry Litts came from Sussex county, N. J., about 1816, with all his earthly goods and his family loaded on a sled, drawn by one yoke of oxen. He found his way by the aid of marked trees. He lived in a log house many years. His family consisted of five sons and two daughters. In 1842 he built a framed house, now owned by his son Lewis. He died in 1864. He has a daughter, Mrs. Jane Thompson, living in Newton. Mrs. Litts was one of the first members of the Baptist church, and loved for her acts of kindness and Christian benevolence. She died in 1861.

Henry Beemer was also a native of Sussex county, N. J. He cleared up a farm of which his sons, Sidney and Elias, retain a portion. Mr. Beemer died in 1863.

Anthony Lacoe was born in France, March 11th, 1780; came to Philadelphia in 1792, to Wilkes-Barre in 1810, and was married in 1811 to Miss Amelia Duprey, who died in 1844. He came to Newton in 1850 with his son's family, where he still resides. He is now in perfect

GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL RECORD,

LACKAWANNA, NEWTON, OLD FORGE AND RANSOM TOWNSHIPS.

A. B. M'KINSTRY.

This gentleman, whose extensive property is repre- sented among our illustrations, was born in Hudson county, N. J. His "Keystone Tannery " is the princi- pal institution of Schultzville. This village, how having about 200 inhabitants, was founded by John B. Schultz, who moved into Pennsylvania in the spring of 1858, from Illinois. In July of that year he commenced the erection of a large tannery, together with the other necessary building, for carrying on the tannery business-such as store, tenements, shop, etc. He carried on the business of tanning until January, 1866, when he sold the property to A. B. Mckinstry and Nial T. Childs, of Ulster county, N. Y. They carried on the business until May 4th, 1876, at which time A. B. Mckinstry purchased the interest of N. T. Childs, and from that time the business has been conducted under his name. The tannery is known as the " Keystone"; employs about 50 men, and has a capacity for tanning' 40,000 hides of Union crop leather (worth $175,000) per annum. A farm of 500 acres (considered the largest and most productive in the county) is worked in connection with the tannery; over 300 tons of hay are cut annually besides other crops.

The Gravel Pond farm of A. B. McKinstry, consisting of 105 acres, is situated in the borough of Glenburn, on the borders of Gravel Pond, two miles from Abington depot on the line of the D., L. & W. Railroad; 100 acres are in a good state of cultivation. The buildings are in fine condition. This place is particularly adapted for a summer resort, having the advantages of a fine grove on the border of the lake, and the lake itself being a fine place for boating and fishing.

JOHN ARMFIELD resides at Moosic, and is a miner by occupation. He was born in Cheshire, England, August IIth, 1838, and married Miss Martha Maynard, of Eng- land.

CHARLES ATEN is a native of Pittston; he was born in January, 1828, and married Henrietta Hoover, of Old Forge. He is a farmer.

JOHN BACORN, a superintendent of the D., L. & W. stables at Scranton, is a native of Newark, N. J., and was born December 27th, 1822. He married Miss Clarissa Hess, of Morris county, N. J. She died July 18th, 1879.

PHILIP BARRIER was born in Monroe county, Pa., November 5th, 1813, and in 1840 located in Ransom, where he carries on a farm. He married Miss Susan Dersheimer, of Ransom.

JOSEPH BEAGLE, lumberman and farmer, was born in Roaring Brook township, June 12th, 1863.

J. W. BOICE, formerly chief of police in Scranton, is now superintendent of "Hillside farm," Scranton poor

district. He was born in Walton, N. Y., June Ist, 1840. His wife was Maggie Vannakin, of Hamden, N. Y.

F. J. BOONE was born in Columbia county, Pa., June 9th, 1845. He enlisted in February, 1863, in Company E 79th Pa. volunteers, and was discharged July 12th, 1865. His wife was Ella Coolbaugh, of Lackawanna. Mr. Boone is a foreman for the Pennsylvania Coal Com- pany.

BURREL BRACE, who resides at Schultzville, was born in Wyoming county.

ELI BROWN was born in Scott township, Pa., Novem- ber 16th, 1858. He enlisted February 7th, 1865, in Co. A 147th Illinois volunteers, and was discharged February 7th, 1866. He was agent for the Pennsylvania Coal Company three years, and is now steward of the alms-house at Ransom. His wife was Frances E. Jakes, of North Moreland, Pa.

MICHAEL L. CARMODY was born in Ireland, in 1858, and came to Waverly, N. Y., in 1863. He lost a foot in 1869 on the Erie railroad at Waverly, and subse- quently attended school four years under Prof. C. J. Lang. He is now employed by the P. & N. Y. Railroad Company at Coxton.

ALEXANDER CONNELL was born in Nova Scotia, June 30th, 1840. He is a general merchant. His wife was Elizabeth Campbell, of Lackawanna township.

P. C. CONNOLLY was born in Scranton, October 17th, 1850. He is engaged in the mercantile business, and is a school director in Lackawanna.

OWEN CONNOLLY, merchant at Minooka, was born in Sligo, Ireland, in 1821. He has been a school director for twelve years. He married Catharine Boland, of Sligo.

GEORGE COON, who resides in Mountain Valley, was born in Newton, Pa., March 6th, 1848, where he is now engaged in farming. His wife was Jane L. Moore, of Vernon, Wyoming county, Pa.

M. H. COON, farmer, was born May 21st, 1836, in Newton. He married Martha Bitton, of Falls township.

LEVI COON was born in Newton, Pa., June 29th, 1834, and is a farmer. His wife was Eliza Hopkins, of Newton.

H. S. COOPER, M. D., is practicing in Newton. He was born in Pittston, August 29th, 1822, and married Irene Green, of Abington, Pa. She died and he married Augusta A. Weed, of Stamford, Fairfield county, Conn.

WILLIAM CORNELL is a farmer, carpenter and builder.

486 A

486 B

HISTORY OF LACKAWANNA COUNTY.

He was born in Kent county, R. I., August 10th, 1820. His wife was Mary Capwell, of Factoryville.

W. F. COURTRIGHT is a native of Stoddardsville, Pa., and was born May 23d, 1848. He is inside foreman for the Pennsylvania Coal Company at Old Forge. His wife was Miss Zilpha H. Winslow, of Wilmont, Pa.

JAMES COYNE, an engineer for the Pennsylvania Coal Company, was born in Durham, England, August 6th, 1850. His wife was Miss Ann Elizabeth Pointon, of Old Forge township.

M. L. COYNE, who was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, in 1847, is now a foreman for the Pennsylvania Coal Company at Greenwood colliery. His wife was Catharine Sullivan, of Hyde Park.

JOHN B. CROWELL was born in Plymouth, Pa., in November, 1840. He served three years in Company D 15th New York volunteers. His wife was Mary A. Jones, of Danville, Pa. Mr. Crowell is a miner.

ELIJAH DAGGER was born in Somersetshire, England, August 12th, 1844. His wife was Elizabeth Harris, of Monmouthshire, South Wales. Mr. D. is an inside fore- man for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company at Archbald.

JOHN DERSHEIMER is a native of Monroe county, Pa., and was born May 23d, 1822. His first wife was Mary E. Cole, of Newton, who died September 18th, 1853. His second wife, formerly Harriet S. Smith, of Abington, died July 25th, 1878. His son J. W. is principal of the Commercial College at East Greenwich, R. I. Mr. D. has a daughter, Eva Mary. He is a farmer.

BERNARD DERSHEIMER is a farmer and is supervisor of Newton. He was born in Monroe county, Pa., Sep- tember 17th, 1822, and married Rosella Rozell, of New- ton, Pa.

C. H. DORR was born July 12th, 1847, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and is now a merchant at Old Forge. He enlisted November 7th, 1863, in Battery M 2nd Pa. Artillery, and was discharged February 6th, 1866. His wife was Miss Louise E. Smith, of Old Forge.

THOMAS DRAKE is a native of Old Forge, and was born December 25th, 1828. He is a farmer. He married Miss Eliza McHale, of Old Forge.

L. K. DRAKE was born in Old Forge township, August 28th, 1835, and married Miss Hula A. Smith, of Old Forge. He is a retired merchant.

A. F. DoUD is an outside foreman for the Pennsylvania Coal Company. He was born in Madison, Conn., March 14th, 1834, and married Martha A. Knapp, of Olyphant, Pa.

J. W. FALLON is a native of Roscommon, Ireland, and was born June 24th, 1834. He is now engaged in min- ing. His wife was Miss Mary Conlin, of Easton, Pa.

ISAAC B. FELTS was born in Lackawanna township, August 2 Ist, 1820. He is a farmer, merchant and dealer in real estate.

JOHN FERN, superintendent of the Archbald mines, was born in Carbondale, March 14th, 1845. He enlisted August 9th, 1862, in Company I 132nd Pennsylvania volunteers, and was discharged May 24th, 1863. His wife was Euphemia B. Hall, of Bellevue, Pa.

PETER FINKLEY, who is a farmer and gardener, was born July 11th, 1829, in Prussia. His first wife, Mar-

garet Harold, of Hanover, died March 28th, 1851. His present wife was Lena Meltenberg, of Ransom, Pa.

F. H. FREEMAN, gardener and dairy farmer, was born in Lisle, Broome county, N. Y., March 18th, 1850, and married Lizzie B. Smith, of Lackawanna.

C. F. GARINGER, of Moosic, was born in White Haven, Pa., July 23d, 1854. He is now engaged in the lumber business. He married Miss Lina E. Ziegenfuss, of White Haven.

J. A. HANN, M. D., is a practicing surgeon and physi- cian of Newton. His wife was Frances H. Lewis, of Stanhope, N. J. Dr. Hann was born September 6th, 1818.

MORGAN J. HARRIS was born in Glamorganshire, South Wales, May 22nd, 1836. He is inside foreman for the D., L. & W. Railroad Company at the Taylor mines. His wife was Ann Price, of Glamorganshire.

G. W. HESSLER was born in Beaumont, Pa., April 27th, 1848, and married Emma E. Laflin, of Southwick, Mass. He is a furniture dealer at Moosic.

DAVID HOLLENBECK was born in Lackawanna, Sep- tember 2nd, 1825. He is stable boss for the Pennsyl- vania Coal Company at the Greenwood mines. His wife was Sarah Davis, of Lackawanna.

ANDREW HOPKINS, a resident of Milwaukee, was born in Ransom, January 8th, 1842. He is a farmer. His wife was Sarah Michaels, of Ransom, Pa.

DAVID HOPKINS was born in Newton, Pa., in 1834. He was married in 1861 to Martha Bedell, also of New- ton. He is a farmer.

P. F. HUBLER, M. D., is a surgeon and physician. He was born December 17th, 1850, in Huntington, Pa. His wife was Annie E. Good, of the same town - ship.

FREDERICK HUGGLER was born in Meyringen, Can- ton Berne, Switzerland, January 8th, 1857, and is at present an engineer for the Pennsylvania Coal Com- pany. His wife was Miss Ellen Wylam, of Old Forge.

LIEUTENANT D. M. HUTHMAKER was born in Monroe county, Pa., September 4th, 1833, and was married July 2nd, 1859, to Barbara A. Dersheimer, of Ransom. He has served his township as clerk for 15 years, judge of election, school director 7 years, and town auditor, and has been a justice of the peace since 1862. He was first lieutenant of the Union Invincibles of Pennsyl- vania. His children are Frank E., Alice May, Ada Ursula and Dora Ann.

JAMES INGLES, a. superintendent at the Taylorville stables for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Rail- road Company, was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, De- cember 18th, 1828. His first wife was Caroline Adrian, of Scranton, Pa.

ROBERT INGLIS was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, April 15th, 1803. He is horse farrier and superintend- ent of stock stables of the D., L. & W. Railroad at Taylor- ville. He was a justice of the peace for one term in Old Forge township. His wife was Miss Jennett Mon- teith, of Sterlingshire, Scotland.

H. P. JACOBS was born in Exeter township, December 5th, 1835, and is a farmer. His wife was Miss E. E. Reynolds, of Factoryville, Pa.

THOMAS JOHNSTON was born in Dumfriesshire, Scot-

486 C

GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL RECORD.

land, October 5th, 1827, and came to America in 1850. He has served 15 years as school director, 2 years as township treasurer, 2 years as township clerk, and is the present postmaster at Milwaukee, Pa. He is a miller and merchant. His wife was Catharine Duncan Ward- law, of Perthshire, Scotland.

A. H. KERN, of Schultzville, was born in Newton, September 20th, 1845. His wife was Alice I. Owen, of Falls, Pa. Mr. Kern follows farming and is a school director.

JOSEPH KIRCHER was born January 19th, 1841, in Germany. He enlisted in October, 1862, in Company G 177th Pennsylvania volunteers, and was discharged at the expiration of his term of service. He is a farmer and is the supervisor of Newton. His wife was Miss L. Kern.

WENTZLE KLIPPEL, a farmer of Ransom, was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, February 21st, 1821, and married Catharine Zeiss, also of Germany. He has held several important offices in his township, and is one of the school directors.

ALEXANDER LAIRD was born in Mairkirk, Scotland, June 2Ist, 1821. He is an inside foreman for the Penn- sylvania Coal Company. He married Jane Mitchell Schotz, of Jenkins, Pa.

DANIEL W. LA RUE is a farmer and carpenter. He was born May 5th, 1827, in Franklin, N. Y. His wife was Abigail Ann Warren, of East Benton, Pa. Mr. La Rue has been auditor and assessor of Newton township.

DAVID LEARN was born in Newton, Pa., January 29th, 1847. He is engaged in farming.

JOHN L. LEWIS was born in Monmouthshire, South Wales, December 25th, 1815. His first wife was Eliza- beth Edwards, who died in September, 1872; his second wife was Mary Morgan, of Hyde Park. Mr. Lewis is inside foreman for the D., L. & W. Railroad Company at the Pyne colliery.

A. A. LOCKARD was born in Buckhorn, Pa., January 28th, 1833. He enlisted March 17th, 1864, in Company G 52nd Pa. volunteers, and was discharged July 15th, 1865. He married Miss Hattie D. Swartz, of Scranton. He is at present a wheelwright at Moosic.

WILLIAM LOFTUS was born in Hawley, Pa., in 1850. He is a saloon keeper.

MARTIN MCDONOUGH, a general merchant at Minooka, was born in county Mayo, Ireland, in October, 1852. He is a justice of the peace. His wife was Bridget Murray, of Lackawanna.

DENIS MEHAELS, carpenter and joiner, was born in Ransom, in 1842, and married (December 30th, 1865) Samantha Ace, of Ransom, Pa.

JOHN D. MILLER was born in Scott township, Pa., May 15th, 1816, and is a blacksmith. His wife was Miss Mercy A. Decker, of Scott. Mr. Miller has been justice of the peace several terms, besides holding minor offices. He is now serving his second term as justice of the peace in Old Forge township.

S. H. MILLER was born November 2nd, 1829, in Pitts- ton, Pa. He is a foundryman and manufacturer of agri- cultural implements, and a specialty of his trade is the " Miller " plow. His wife was Miss Mary A. Stark, of Plains, Pa.

CHARLES MONIE was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, June 2nd, 1837, and married Helen Cullins, of Sterling- shire, Scotland. He is an engineer for the Pennsylvania Coal Company.

E. P. MUCKLOW, a clerk at Greenwood, was born June 17th, 1856, in Coalcastle, Pa.

WILLIAM E. OLDS was born in Bennington, Vt., Janu- ary 13th, 1818. He is superintendent of the Moosic Powder Mills, and has been engaged in the powder busi- ness thirty-five years. His wife was Miss M. M. Morgan, of Bennington, Vt.

GEORGE H. PEAREL is a machinist and millwright for the Moosic Powder Company. He was born June 28th, 1848, in Frederick, Md., and married Fanny K. Black- man, of Moscow, Pa.

CAPTAIN N. G. REED, of Milwaukee, is a farmer, and is justice of the peace. He was born in Abington, Pa., December 15th, 1827, and was married January 27th, 1869, to S. A. Petty, of Pittston, Pa. He has been post- master at Milwaukee, and captain of the "Union In- vincibles."

ADAM REINHARDT, who was born February 27th, 1838, in Weisenbach, Hesse Cassel, Germany, is outside fore- man at the Pyne colliery. Mrs. R. was Catharine Schulthus, of Lackawanna, Pa.

P. K. RICHARDS is a native of Ransom, and was born September 13th, 1832. His wife was Rosina C. Corse- lius, of Newton, Pa. Mr. Richards is one of the enter- prising farmers of Ransom, and has been honored with several important trusts in the gift of his townsmen.

H. R. SANDERS, driver boss for the Pennsylvania Coal Company, was born in Kirkwood, N. Y., October 29th, 1848, and married Nancy Goodwin, of Lackawanna.

CAPTAIN AMOS SAX is a native of Northampton county, Pa., and was born in 1823. He is engaged in farming. He was married in 1857, to Sarah A. Hopkins. He was a captain in the State militia.

JOHN SHOOK was born in Newton, December 27th, 1841. His wife was Maria Swartwood, of Exeter, Wyom- ing county, Pa. Mr. Shook follows farming.

GARRETT SMITH was born in Belvidere, N. J., Septem- ber 17th, 1831. He is a farmer and a miller, and is sup- erintendent of the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company's mill. His wife was Mary H. Landis, of Scranton.

WILLIAM N. SMITH was born in Newton, March 6th, 1844, and married Maggie Neary, of the same township. He enlisted October 2nd, 1861, in Company H 52nd Pennsylvania volunteers, and was discharged November 14th, 1864; was wounded at the siege of Charleston, S. C., August 27th, 1864.

GEORGE S. SNOVER, of Bald Mountain, was born in Blairstown, N. J., April 18th, 1838. He enlisted March 9th, 1863, in Company B 143d Pennsylvania volunteers, and was discharged June 20th, 1865. He is now a farm- er, and is school director of Newton. His wife was Mary Kresge, of Newton.

ADAM THOMPSON is a farmer. He is assessor, and was formerly school director. He was born at Schultzville, January 14th, 1840. His wife was Kate E. Smith, of Newton.

CHARLES THOMPSON was born in Carbondale, May 12th, 1844. He is an engineer for the D., L. & W. Rail-

486 D

HISTORY OF LACKAWANNA COUNTY.

road Company at Archbald. His first wife, formerly Ella Schoonover, of Wayne county, Pa., died April 5th, 1875, and he married Ella S. McArthur, of Scranton.

IRA TINKLEPAUGH, farmer and saloon keeper, was born November 29th, 1819, in Lackawanna, Pa., and married Aurilla Scott, of Moscow, Pa.

C. H. VAN HORN is a native of Fairmount, Pa., and was born August 15th, 1841. He is a merchant at Tay- lorville, and was elected a justice of the peace in Febru- ary, 1878, for five years. His wife was Miss Kate P. Atherton, of Old Forge.

JOHN VON WEISSENFLUH was born in Canton Berne, Switzerland, May 21st, 1831, and married Miss Ann Kel- ler, of the same canton. He is proprietor of the Wilhelm Tell Hotel at Taylorville.

JOHN WEBER is a native of Prussia, and was born April 2nd, 1823. He married Miss R. Tracey, of Germany. He is proprietor of the Union House at Taylorville.

JOHN WEBER, jr., was born in Germany, December 24th, 1849, and married Miss Minnie Youngblood, of Kingston, Pa. He is also engaged in the Union House at Taylorville.

THOMAS WEIR was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, February 27th, 1827. He is boss at No. 13 shaft of the Pennsylvania Coal Company. His wife was Ellen M. Hunter, of Manchester, England.

B. F. WHITE was born in Scott, Pa., December 19th, 1845. He is a wholesale dairy farmer.

BRITAIN WILLIAMS, who resides at Milwaukee village, was born July 7th, 1823, and is now a farmer.

J. B. WINSLOW is a merchant at Taylorville, of the firm of J. B. Winslow & Co. He was born April 26th, 1848, in Wyoming county, Pa. His wife was Miss Hannah J. Hunzinger, of Colley, Sullivan county, Pa.

LIEUTENANT J. B. WOOD was born in Warwick, Or- ange county, N. Y., August 9th, 1831. He enlisted Aug- ust 6th, 1862, in Company M 17th Pa. cavalry, and was discharged October 6th, 1863, at Washington, D. C., hav- ing lost his right leg in the battle of Upperville, Va., June 2 Ist, 1863. He was commissioned a lieutenant in February, 1863. His wife was Miss Mary C. Jackson, of Great Bend, N. Y. Mr. Wood is the proprietor of the Old Forge Hotel, at Old Forge.

A. WOODWORTH, of Bald Mountain, was born in Union, Pa., April Ist, 1841. He enlisted June 10th, 1861, in Company F, Pa. reserves, and was discharged in October, 1863. His wife was S. A. Hollister, of Brooklyn, Pa. He is a farmer.

NICHOLAS YOUNG was born in Prussia, January 10th, 1832. His wife was Harriet McEwen, of Tuthill, Ulster county, N. Y.

CHRISTOPHER ZEISS, a native of Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, was born June 27th, 1824, and married Eliza- beth Klippel, of Germany. He has been judge and in- spector of election, and is the present treasurer of Ransom township.

487

THE PIONEER PERIOD IN NEWTON TOWNSHIP.

health, and converses as fluently as a man of fifty. Paul Aten, aged 91, is in good health, and reads the papers without the aid of glasses. Mrs. Ringsdorf, though 91, is in the possession of all her faculties. Mrs. Benjamin, one of the early settlers of Newton, is now 85.

Zebulon Comstock, one of the early settlers of New- ton, was a bold and experienced hunter, and spent a good part of his time in hunting and trapping. On his return one evening from what is now Hyde Park, a huge panther sprang out of the thicket just behind him. He quickly turned around, faced the savage beast, and thus walked backward about half a mile, keeping his eye steadily fixed upon the eye of the panther, when the animal finally turned and left him the victor. Early the next morning Comstock shouldered his rifle, and, accom- panied by his faithful dog, returned to the spot where the panther sprang from the thicket. Here he found the remains of a deer the panther had killed and carefully covered with leaves. The dog followed the track of the panther about three miles, and treed him, when Comstock shot him.

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History of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties, Pa.; with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers, Part 158

Author: Munsell, W.W., & Co., New York Publication date: 1880 Publisher: New York, W.W. Munsell & co. Number of Pages: 900

Author: Munsell, W.W., & Co., New York
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: New York, W.W. Munsell & co.
Number of Pages: 900