USA > Pennsylvania > Sullivan County > History of Sullivan County, Pennsylvania > Part 12
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55
In the fall of 1879 Mr. Swank was elected constable of Davidson township, and most acceptably filled that position for two terms. In 1883 he was elected county auditor, and in the fall of 1885 was the choice of the people for sheriff of Sullivan county, both of which positions he filled with credit to himself and to the entire
93
HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.
satisfaction of the public. His duties were performed with an unselfish devotion that well entitles him to the respect which is so freely given him and to a place among the honored and valued residents of the county. Politically he is a Democrat, and socially is a member of Lairdsville Lodge. No. 986, I. O. O. F. When elected sheriff he re- moved to Laporte, where he now makes his home.
AMUEL KESTER. one of the leading S business men of Dushore, Pennsylva- nia, has shown in his succesful career that he has the ability to plan wisely and exc- cute with energy, a combination which. when possessed by men in any walk of life, never fails to effect notable results. He is now the junior member of the firm of Barth & Kester, manufacturers of doors, sash, blinds, molding, fine interior and exterior wood-work, rough and dressed lumber, and dealers in plastering, cements, sand, coal, brick, lath, lime, shingles, etc.
A native of Sullivan county, Mr. Kes- ter was born in Cherry township, March 5, 1848, and is a son of Charles and Elizabeth (Barth) Kester. During his boyhood and youth he pursued his studies in the public schools of that township, and on attaining his majority began his business career as a black- smith, working at that trade for three win- ters, while during the summer months he engaged in carpentering. He then engaged in contracting and building with his uncle, L. M. Barth, carrying on that business suc- cessfully until 1882, when they built their present plant and have since operated the same. Wide-awake, energetic business men, they have built up an excellent trade and both stand high in business circles. In his social relations Mr. Kester is an Odd
Fellow, and in political sentiment is a stanch Republican, giving his support to all meas- ures which he believes calculated to prove of public benefit.
Mr. Kester has been twice married-first to Miss Hannah L. Martin, daughter of . Louis Martin, and to them was born one child, Hattie, who now conducts a milli- nery s'ore in Elsie, Michigan. On the 15th of September, 1886, he married Miss H. Alvernon Strong, who was born at Three Rivers, Michigan. Her father, James Strong, became a soldier of the Civil war and was killed at Fort Fisher. One daughter, Mil- dred, graces the second marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Kester hold membership in the Lu- theran church, and in the social circles of the community occupy an enviable position.
R USH JACKSON THOMSON is one of the ablest lawyers practicing at the Sullivan county bar, having that mental grasp which enables him to discover the points in a case. A man of sound judg- ment, he manages his cases with masterly skill and tact. He has made a specialty of real-estate and corporation law, and in these lines has gained a most enviable rep- . utation.
Mr. Thomson was born at Hunlock's Creek, Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, March 18, 1849, and is a son of James Thomson and grandson of David Thomson. The lat- ter was a native of Litchfield county, Con- necticut, and came to Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, with his mother, a widow, who served as janitress of the first jail of that county. He learned the carpenter's- trade, which he made his life work. He married Susan Saylor, by whom he had three children, namely: George, James and William.
-
04
HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.
James Thomson, our subject's father, was born in Nanticoke, Luzerne county, March 21, 1820, and received a fair educa- tion in the public schools of his native town. On attaining his majority he commenced boating on the Pennsylvania canal, and was thus employed until 1853, when he ac- cepted the position of superintendent of the shipping department of Washington Lee & Company, large coal merchants of Nanti- coke. In the spring of 1856 he came to Sullivan county and purchased a farm in Cherry township, a mile and a half south- east of Dushore, where he followed farming for twelve years. At the end of that time he moved to Dushore, where he served as expressman for the following twelve years, and in 1876 was appointed justice of the peace, the duties of which office he has since most ably and satisfactorily dis- charged. He also acts as agent for several leading life, fire and accident insurance companies. In his political views he is a Democrat, and has been honored with a number of local offices, being one of the first jury commissioners elected under the new law, and also serving as school director many years, and as overseer of the poor. He is one of the most highly respected and pronunent citizens of his community, and lie and his estimable wife are faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was married, December 23, 1847 to Miss Eliza- beth C. Jackson, a daughter of Dr. Josiah Jackson, who is represented elsewhere in this work, and two children blessed this union: Rush J., our subject, and Mary B., wife of E. A. Strong, of Wyalusing, Penn- sylvania.
Rush J. Thomson was only seven years old when his parents located in Sullivan county, where he grew to manhood, his literary education being obtained in the
public schools and in the State Normal at Mansfield. At the age of fourteen he com- menced clerking in a general store at Du- shore and was so employed for four years, after which he taught school for two terms and then began the study of law in the office of William A. and B. M. Peck, of Towanda. On his admission to the bar May 1, 1871, he opened an office in Dushore, and was not long in building up the large and lucra- tive practice which he still enjoys. His skill and ability in his chosen profession are widely recognized and he has been called upon to serve as district attorney for three terms. He has been a director of the Citi- zens' National Bank of Towanda eleven years, and is also a trustee of the Robert Packer hospital at Sayre, Pennsylvania. Like his father, he is a supporter of the Democratic party, and is one of the most prominent and influental men of Sullivan county. He was married March 9, 1875, to Miss Fanny I., daughter of Rev. Richard Videan, of Forksville, Pennsylvania, for many years a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church and in later life a merchant at Forks- ville, in this county. Religiously she is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
H ON. F. B. POMEROY, deceased, was for many years one of the leading busi- ness men and prominent citizens of Dushore, Pennsylvania. He was a native of this state, born at Troy, Bradford county, April 24, 1826, and traced his ancestry back to Eltweed Pomeroy, who came from England to America in 1630 and settled in Northamp- ton, Massachusetts, and later at Windsor, Connecticut. His son Joseph was the father of Noah Pomeroy, who married Elizabeth Sterling. Their son Daniel mar- ried Naomi Kibbs and had a son Eleazer,
95
HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.
who married Priscilla Kingsbury, and had a son Ebenezer, the father of our subject. Ebenezer Pomeroy became a resident of Troy township, Bradford county, Pennsyl- vania, about 1818, and for some years car- ried on carding and cloth-dressing works, but afterwards purchased a large tract of land in that section, cleared it and resided thereon until his death, which occured in 1878. He married Laura Brewster, and to them were born ten children, as follows: Edwin S., Emily, Kingsbury, Fayette B., Augustus, Chauncey N., Sybil M., Mary, Frances and C. Burton.
Fayette B. Pomeroy, of this review, at- tended the local schools, and after complet- ing his education traveled as a commercial salesman for H. J. . Grant, of Ithaca, New York, for eighteen years. In 1870 he came to Dushore and embarked in the drug busi- ness, which he successfully carried on for over a quarter of a century. He met with marked success in all his undertakings and was recognized as one of the representative business men of the town. He took an im- portant part in the organization of the First National Bank of Dushore, was elected a member of its first board of directors, which position he continued to hold, and for two years prior to his death served as its presi- dent. He was a man of good executive ability, sound judgment and superior busi- ness tact, and was always cool and col- lected. In 1876 he was elected associate judge and served for one term, while he also at different times filled the offices of bur- gess, councilman and school-director. It is but just and merited praise to say of Mr. Pomeroy that as a business mian he ranked among the ablest; as a citizen he was hon- orable, prompt and true to every engage -. ment; and as a man he held the honor and esteem of all classes of people; while as a 12
husband and father he was a model worthy of all imitation, unassuming in his manner, sincere in his friendships, steadfast and un- swerving in his loyalty to the right. He died on the 15th of September, 1898, and . his death was widely and deeply mourned by the entire community.
In 1866 he married Miss Elizabeth Ellis, of Troy, Pennsylvania, who survives him with three daughters-Mrs. Walter Apple- man, of Wilkesbarre, Mrs. William Wad- dell, of Dushore, and Miss Emily Pomeroy, of New York city.
JOHN VICKERY RETTENBURY is a leading representative of the business interests of Dushore, Pennsylvania, where he carries on operations as a jeweler and watchmaker, and enjoys a large and lucra- tive trade. He has the most complete store of the kind in Sullivan county, and also has the finest repairing department in this section of the state. Of excellent business ability and broad resources, he has attained a prom- inent place among the substantial citizens of the community, and has won success by his well-directed, energetic efforts.
Mr. Rettenbury was born in Devonshire, England, November 30, 1831, and is the only surviving child of Hugh and Judith (Vickery) Rettenbury. His father was a prominent hotel man in his native country, where he died when our subject was a lad of five years. The mother afterward married again, and in 1842 the family came to America, locating in Niagara county, New York, where Mr. Rettenbury completed his education in the common schools. During his youth he learned the carpenter and joiner's trade, and later the jewelry and watch-making trade. In 1878 he located in Monroeton, Bradford county, Pennsylvania,
-
96
HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.
but in April of the following year came to Dushore, where he has since successfully engaged in business. In political sentiment he is a Republican, and he ever takes a deep and commendable interest in public affairs.
On the 28th of October, 1879, was cel- ebrated the marriage of Mr. Rettenbury and Miss Bernice Kellogg, who was born in South Branch, Bradford county, June 27, 1845, a daughter of Ezra and Lavina (Sweet) Kellogg. The father, who was a prominent farmer of South Branch, was born August 14, 1806, in Hadley, Massa- chusetts, and was a son of Anios and Eunice (Chadwick) Kellogg. Mrs. Rettenbury is a inost estimable lady and a member of the Universalist church.
JOHN D. REESER, one of the leading J retail merchants of Sullivan county, was born in Dushore, where he still resides, March 15, 1861. He received his educa- tion in the public schools of his native place and when eighteen years of age opened a confectionery store, which about a year la- ter he converted into a general dry-goods store. In 1884 he took as his partner E. G. Sylvara and continued the business until 1891, when he sold his interest to Mr. Syl- vara and opened his present establishment, which is one of the finest general depart- inent dry-goods and millinery stores in this section of the state. The millinery de- partment is under the management of Mrs. Reeser, who has proved herself thoroughly capable of attending to all its details and making of it a most popular resort for the ladies of the county. Mr. Reeser is a self- made man and his success in business is due entirely to his own efforts, his careful man- agement and strict attention to his affairs. He is a member of the town council and was
at one time president of the borough coun- cil, but has always preferred to give his time and attention to his large and increas- ing business instead of courting the fickle fa- vors of the political arena. He is a Royal Arch Mason and a member of the Northern Commandery. In politics he is independ- ent, voting for the candidates whom he considers the best qualified to fill positions of trust and responsibility.
Mr. Reeser was united in marriage March 4, 1884, to Miss Mary R. Burns, daughter of Henry C. and Clara Burns, and of this union three children have been born, name- ly: John D., Jr., Marjorie J. and Mabel D. Mrs. Reeser is a mnost estimable wo- man. Both she and her husband stand high in the estimation of their fellow citi- zens and are always ready to assist in any- thing that pertains to the growth and wel- fare of the community.
John Reeser, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was born in Berks county, Pehnsylva- nia, November 15, 1790, and was a miller and farmer by occupation. In 1821 he came to Sullivan county, locating at Loyal Lock Creek, on the farm known as the Ellis Stand, now owned by Mrs. Seaman. His wife, nec Madeline Betts, bore him nine children, namely: Danie!, William, Charles, Jeremiah, Amos, John, Reuben, Elizabeth and Susan. Mr. Reeser died December 9, 1860, at the advanced age of seventy years, and his wife January 8, 1869, having almost reached her seventy-sixth year.
Amos Reeser, son of the foregoing and father of John D., was born on the Ellis farm November 27, 1822. His school ad- vantages were very limited, and early in life he began business for himself by selling liquor throughout the county, subsequently condcting a hotel at Long Pond, now Lake Ganoga, and later ran the famous Ellis
97
HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.
Stand on the property where he was born. From this place he moved to Dushore and managed at different times all the hotels at that place except the Carroll house. He retired from active business in the spring of 1886, on account of poor health, and de- parted this life September 10, 1897. Mr. Reeser was married January 1, 1846, to Miss Rebecca Dieffenbacker, who was born in Columbia county, August 8, 1826, a daughter of Jacob Dieffenbacker, who came to Sullivan county in 1829. Of this union seven children were born, as follows: An- geline, whose first husband was Daniel Vaughn and who is now the wife of Hiram Nichols, of Sayre, Pennsylvania; Lyman died when eighteen months old; Valine, wife of George Honnotter, of Dushore; Emeline, who became the wife of William Scureman, and both are deceased; Mary, who is the widow of Barney Weiss, of Waverly, New York; Burnes is the wife of William McHenry, of Sciotavale, Pennsyl- vania; and John D., the subject of this sketch.
Amos Reeser was a successful business man and was prominent in his locality. He held the offices of school director, tax co !- lector, etc., fulfilling his duties with ability and to the general satisfaction of the public. In politics he was a. Democrat and socially was a member of the I. O. O. F. His widow still resides on the old homestead in Dushore.
L YMAN WILEY, a highly respected citi- zen of Lopez, Sullivan county, holds a responsible position in the mills of Jennings Brothers, the well known lumbermen, his ability and efficiency having won the entire confidence of the firm. For a number of years Mr. Wiley was engaged in business
for himself, meeting with success, and at various times he has made judicious real- estate investments, being now the owner of property in Duluth, Minnesota, valued at sixteen thousand dollars. including a house and lot purchased in 1884 and other prop- erty bought in 1888. He also owns a ten- acre orange grove near Emporia, Florida, but the heavy frost of 1894-95 destroyed his trees, and the new growth will take years of care before reaching a profitable condition.
Mr. Wiley derives his energy and busi- ness acumen from good Scotch-Irish stock. John Wiley, his paternal grandfather, was born in the north of Ireland, and after learning the cooper's trade came to Amer- ica, locating first in Troy. New York, and later in Dowagiac, Cass county, Michigan, where his death occurred. He was married after arriving in America, his wife dying in Cass county, Michigan. They had the fol- lowing children: James, a farmer near Pe- oria, Illinois; Robert, our subject's father; Josephine A., who became Mrs. Spencer and resided at Wellsville, New York, until the death of her husband, and she was after- ward killed by a runaway horse in Denver, Colorado; William, deceased, formerly a farmer at Dowagiac, Michigan; and a daughter, who married Moses Adamns, a farmer near Elkhart, Illinois.
Robert Wiley, father of our subject, was born at Troy, New York, but his youth was chiefly spent upon a farm in Steuben county, New York. As a young man he engaged in farming there, and in 1859 he removed to the vicinity of Dowagiac, where he pur- chased a farm. Politically he was a Demo- crat and he and his wife were both devout members of the Presbyterian church. . His death occurred at Dowagiac in 1865, when fifty-six years old, his wife departing this
-
98
HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.
-
life in 1852 at Addison, New York, aged forty-three years. This worthy couple had six children: J. S., deceased, formerly a well known lumberman at .Emporium, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth, wife of Luther Quick, a mechanic at Tiskilwa, Illinois; Lyman, our subject; Sarah, who married Henry Cunningham, a farmer in Highland township, Iowa county, Wisconsin; Emma, widow of William Ball, of Dowagiac; and Mary, who married Hugh Spencer, of High- land township, Iowa county, Wisconsin.
The birth of our subject occurred July 12, 1843, at Addison, New York, and dur- ing his youth he received a common-school education. At the age of fourteen he began work as a farin hand, receiving four dollars a month, thus requiring the labor of an en- tire month to enable him to buy a pair of boots. After a time he found employment in a sawmill in New York state as an un- skilled laborer, and later he removed to Emporium, Pennsylvania, and worked for his elder brother, who was then engaged in lumbering. . In 1866 he went to Greenville, Michigan, where he was employed in a mill as head sawyer for two years, and for four years he held a similar position at Manistee. saine state. He then returned to Emporium, Pennsylvania, and entered into partnership with his brother, continuing about thirteen years. On disposing of his interest in 1885 he went to Emporia, Florida, where he spent some time looking after his orange grove, but on his return to Pennsylvania he worked for a while as a band-saw filer at Emporium and Tidioute, Pennsylvania. In March, 1897, he removed to Lopez and took his present position as band-saw filer for Jennings Brothers.
In politics Mr. Wiley is a firm supporter of the Republican party, and although he is not ambitious for official honors he has
at times been chosen to fill local offices. He attends the Methodist church and for many years has been an active member of the Masonic fraternity, having joined it at Addison, New York, in 1864. He is fond of out-door life, being a devotee of the bicycle, and is a veteran in the League of American Wheelmen.
On November 8, 1880, Mr. Wiley was married at Addison, New York, to Miss Orvilla Rowley, daughter of Warren Rowley. She passed away while in Emporia, Florida, July 8, 1886.
JOHN C. DYER, a prominent resident of Colley township, Sullivan county, has been extensively engaged in lumbering and other lines of business, his efforts being uniformly rewarded with success, and as a citizen he is held in high esteem for his ster- ling qualities of character.
Mr. Dyer belongs to a well known family of Pike township, Bradford county, his grandfather, Samuel Dyer, a native of Long Island, having come to Pennsylvania in 1813, purchasing a farin on the old state .
road in Bradford county, where his death occurred some years later. His wife, Hilda Fairchild, a native of Connecticut, married again, but continued to reside in the same locality, To Samuel and Hilda Dyer the following children were born: Harriet, wife of Lyman White, of Herrick, Bradford connty; Ephraim, our subject's father; Martha, deceased, married Lyman Madison, of Herrick; William, a farmer at Elkhart Grove, Carroll county, Illinois; Alvira, de- ceased, married Henry Sherman and lived in Missouri until her death; Charles, a farm- er in Carroll county, Illinois.
Ephraim Dyer was born and reared in Bradford county and was a fariner by occu-
99
HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.
pation. In 1862 he moved to Kansas, where he became a prominent worker in the Re- publican party and in 1864 he took a posi- tion under the federal government, which he held for some time. He died at his home- stead at Abilene, Dickinson county, Kansas, in 1896. His wife, Linda Taylor, who is still living in Kansas, was born in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Jonathan Taylor. Of their children, Nelson, who served four years in the United States army, resides at Abilene, Kansas; Emily married Mr. Pattery, of Abilene, Kansas; J. C., our subject; Samuel died in childhood; Ellen married Charles Depew, of Nebraska; Oscar, a merchant at Wyalusing, Bradford county, married Mrs. Liberty A. Orton; Justina, widow of Mr. Wilder, resides in Kansas; Frederick settled in California; and Etha resides in Kansas.
J. C. Dyer, the immediate subject of this review, was born September 22, 1844, in Bradford county, where his youth was spent, his education being secured in the common schools of that locality. At the age of nineteen he found employment as a farm hand in Dutchess county, New York, remaining two years, and later he spent a short time in similar work in Carroll county, Illinois. On his return to Pennsylvania he began farming and milling in Terry town- ship, Bradford county, remaining about eighteen years. He owned about ninety acres of land, and during his residence there he devoted much time to lumbering. On disposing of this property he bought a farm in Pike township, Bradford county, which he sold two years later. He then ran a saw- mill at Bernice, Sullivan county, for a year and a half, and for eleven years past he has been connected with a lumber mill at Rick- etts, owned by Trixler & Terrill, being em- ployed as filer and foreman. Politically he
is a Republican, and while residing in Brad- ford county he served as school director and road commissioner, and in Sullivan county he has been a member of the elec- tion board in his township. For seven years he has been identified with the Masonic fraternity at Monroeton, Pennsyl- vania, and although not a church member he attends religious service and is always ready to assist in any worthy cause.
In 1866 Mr. Dyer was married to Miss Mary A. Buttles, a native of Terry township, and three children have been born to them, namely: Albert, who resides in Lopez; Worth, who resides on Long Island and is in the employ of the Long Island Railroad company; and Sadie, who married Murray Tozer, head bookkeeper for Jennings Broth- ers at Lopez.
W TILLIAM FLOYD RANDALL, M. D. -One of the most exacting of all the higher lines of occupation to which a man may lend his energies is that of the physician. A most scrupalous preliminary training is demanded, and a nicety of judg- ment but little understood by the laity.
Our subject is well fitted for the profes- sion which he has chosen as a life work, and his skill and ability have won for him a lucrative practice in and around Dushore, Pennsylvania, where he is now located.
The Doctor is a native of Sullivan county, born in Forks township, February 7, 1867, and is a son of Dr. Wallace J. and Sarah (Green) Randall. The father, who died at Forksville, October 3, 1881, was for twenty-two years one of the leading physicians of the county. He was born at Columbia Cross Roads, Bradford county, this state, and settled at Forksville in 1859. He was a prominent Republican and twice
100
HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.
was his party's nominee for congress. Fraternally he was a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows and the Patrons of Husbandry. Our subject is the oldest in his family of six children, the others being Esther M., now the wife of Rev. Charles Shonabacher: Moses L., a carpenter at Lincoln Falls, Pennsylvania; John W., who is still on the homestead farm at Forksville; Washington E., a clerk in a drug store at Forksville; and Maude, who resides with her inother at the old home at Forksville.
Dr. Randall, of this sketch, pursued his studies in the public schools of Forksville and Hepburnville, Lycoming county, Penit- sylvaania, and later took a two-years course in the academic department of the Williams- port Commercial College, and then graduat- ed in the business course in September, 1883. Subsequently he took a special course in German and a post-graduate course at the commercial college. After working for one year as bookkeeper for Lancaster & Stevens at Forksville, he entered the office of Dr. Francis Chaffee and began the study of his chosen profession. He spent the winter of 1886-7 at the College of Physicians & Surgeons in Baltimore, and in the spring of the latter year became inter- ested in the drug business at Forksville with Dr. Chaffee. In the spring of 1889 he graduated at the medical department of the University of Baltimore, and then opened an office at Forksville, where he engaged in practice for a time. He took a post-gradu- ate course at Jefferson Medical College, of Philadelphia, in the winter of 1892-3, and on leaving Forksville in the fall of 1897 at- tended lectures at Philadelphia for six weeks. On his return to Sullivan county he opened an office in Dushore, and was not long in building up a large and lucrative practice,
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.