History of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, Part 134

Author:
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Harrisburg : R. C. Brown
Number of Pages: 1454

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MICHAEL HICKEY was born in Middle Swanzey, Cheshire county New Hamp- shire, May 25, 1850, and is the only child of Charles and Mary (Hogan) Hickey. His parents were natives of County Clare, Ireland, and immigrated to New Hamp- shire in 1844. In 1850 they removed to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and settled in Tioga township, where his father found employment with Joseph Aiken. His mother died in December, 1851, and his father was again married to Ellen Mc- Namara. Michael was reared in Tioga township, and in early manhood began work on the railroads, which he has pursued in connection with farming up to the present. He has been section boss for the Erie company at Mitchell's Creek for twenty-nine years, and is one of the oldest and most faithful employes of the company. In 1877 he purchased sixty acres of land half a mile east of Mitchell's Creek, to which he has added at different times until he now owns a well-improved farm of 320 acres, which is managed for him by his oldest son, Charles D. Mr. Hickey was married December 19, 1869, to Mary McCarty, of Caton, Steuben county, New York. Seven children have blessed this union, named as follows: Charles D., Michael, James, Mary C., Anna, Margaret and Theresa. The family are members of the Catholic church, and in politics, stanch adherents of the Democratic party.

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Mr. Hickey's father makes his home with him. Although a man who has had to make his way in the world by hard work, Mr. Hickey has found time by liberal reading to keep well abreast of the progress of the age, and is one of the intelligent and well informed citizens of the township.

C. W. LOVELESS was born in Saratoga county, New York, and there married Leafy Graham, a native of the same county. In 1854 they came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and settled on Mill creek, in Tioga township, a mile above the present home of his son, C. O. Here he followed lumbering until 1884, when he sold out to his son, C. O., and went to South Dakota, where he died March 22, 1894, aged sixty-five years. His widow makes her home with her children in Tioga county. The following named children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Loveless: C. O., of Tioga township; William and Frank, residents of Potter county, South Dakota; Fannie, wife of Frank Woodward, of Wysox, Bradford county, and Leafy, wife of William Archer, of Tioga township.

C. O. LOVELESS was born in Saratoga county, New York, December 7, 1850, and was in his fourth year when his parents, C. W. and Leafy Loveless, came to Tioga county. He was reared on the homestead in Tioga township, attended the district schools in boyhood, and has made farming and lumbering his life vocation. In 1884 he bought out his father, and now owns a well improved property of 413 acres, a part of which is timber land. On December 20, 1871, Mr. Loveless mar- ried Harriet VanNess, a daughter of Peter V. and Celia VanNess, who has borne him five children, viz: Harry, Edith, Fred, Mark and Ella. Mrs. Loveless' parents are residents of Mansfield. In politics, Mr. Loveless is a Republican, and has served as supervisor and school director. Both he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Tioga, and he is also connected with Tioga River Lodge, No. 797, I. O. O. F. Mr. Loveless is a successful farmer, and a man of in- tegrity, enterprise and public spirit.

JEREMIAH MILLER was born in Claverick, New York, December 19, 1783, and married Sally Campbell, May 17, 1808. She was a native of Nobletown, New York, born January 16, 1787, and was of Scotch ancestry, while her husband was of Ger- man descent. Mr. Miller was an early settler of Bradford county, Pennsylvania, where he followed farming until 1854, in which year he moved to Tioga county and settled.on Mann hill, in Lawrence township. He died in Illinois, October 1, 1859, while on a visit to relatives. His wife died in Tioga, October 3, 1862.

CEPHAS C. MILLER was born in Smithfield, Bradford county, August 17, 1817, a son of Jeremiah Miller, and removed to Lawrence township, Tioga county, in 1854. He remained in that township nine years, and then located in Tioga bor- ough. In 1874 he returned to Lawrence, remaining there until December, 1880, when he settled on the farm on Mill creek, in Tioga township, now owned by his son, Charles L., where he has since lived. Mr. Miller was married December 20, 1846, to Lucia D. Kelley, a daughter of Lewis and Matilda Kelley, of Bradford county, and has four children, viz: Mary, wife of John L. Inscho, of Tioga; Flora, wife of Arthur Tilden, of Waverly, New York; Charles L., of Tioga township, and Katie, wife of George Castle, of Elmira.

CHARLES L. MILLER, only son of Cephas C. Miller, and grandson of Jeremiah Miller, was born in Lawrence township, Tioga county, March 10, 1856. He ob-

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tained a common school education and was reared a farmer. On March 25, 1885, he married Mary T. Kimball, a daughter of Dayton C. Kimball, of Mitchell's Creek, and has two children, Harry Ray and Flora May. In politics, Mr. Miller is a Republi- can, and in religion the whole family are members of the Baptist church. He has served as township auditor for three years, and is an enterprising and progressive citizen.

JACOB H. WESTBROOK, son of Solomon and Elizabeth Westbrook, was born in Middlebury township, Tioga county, October 1, 1832. He was reared on his father's farm, and received a common school education. On October 12, 1859, he married Mary Angie Dutton, a daughter of Dean and Sallie (Stevens) Dutton. She was born on the farm where they now reside, October 12, 1841. Her parents were natives of Vermont and early settlers of Tioga township. Her father died April 27, 1871, aged sixty-two years, and her mother in November, 1883, aged eighty years. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Westbrook, as follows: Elroy, a resident of Olean, New York; Walter, who lives in Elmira, and Anna, wife of George L. Strait, of Mansfield. In politics, Mr. Westbrook is a Republican. He is one of the successful farmers of the county, and is the owner of a well- improved farm of nearly 300 acres.

JOHN G. KENTCH was born in Meissen, Saxony, Germany, there grew to man- hood and married Sophia Stanoel, to which union were born the following children: Morris S., Pauline, Julius, a resident of Silver Bow, Montana; Otto, a resident of Blossburg; Hulda, wife of Frederick Coster, of New York; Mary, wife of Joseph Poggendorf, of Tioga township; Francis and Thomas, both deceased, and John G., a resident of Tioga township. The oldest son, Morris S., came to Tioga, Pennsyl- vania, in 1850, and in 1854 his father and other members of the family followed. Mr. Kentch died September 28, 1854, a few days after his arrival in Tioga, aged sixty-four years. His wife died in November, 1887, at the ripe old age of eighty- seven.

MORRIS S. KENTCH, oldest son of John G. Kentch, was born in Meissen, Saxony, Germany, June 24, 1827, grew to manhood in his native land, and in March, 1850, married Caroline Matte. They immigrated the same year to Pennsylvania, and settled in Tioga township, Tioga county, where four children were born to them, viz: Oakley, a resident of Farmington; Amanda, wife of Edward Sticklin, of Wells- boro; James, a resident of the same place, and Ellen, wife of Frederick Sticklin, of Fall Brook. Mrs. Kentch died on November 7, 1874, and October 7, 1876, he married Laura Clarke, a daughter of Septimus Clarke, of Chatham township. She died September 11, 1880, aged thirty-six years. He was again married November 19, 1884, to Mary Hussey, a native of England and a daughter of William and Eliza- beth Hussey. She was born January 20, 1832, and died March 5, 1897. Mr. Kentch enlisted October 16, 1861, in Company D, Fifty-seventh Pennsylvania Vol- unteers, and participated in the Peninsular Campaign, the battle of Fair Oaks, and the Seven Days' Fight before Richmond, in all of which he proved himself a brave and patriotic soldier. While on duty at Hampton Roads as brigade butcher, he met with an accident which resulted in crushing and permanently crippling his right leg. He also received a gunshot wound in the right index finger, necessitating its amputation. His brother Thomas served in Company K, of the same regiment.

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In politics, Mr. Kentch is an ardent Republican, and in religion, an adherent of the Lutheran faith. He is a member of Etz Post, No. 401, G. A. R., and also of Tioga River Lodge, No. 797, I. O. O. F.

JOSEPH POGGENDORF, a son of Samuel and Mary Poggendorf, was born and reared in Prussia, Germany, where his parents lived and died. He came to the United States in 1862, and settled in Tioga, Pennsylvania. In 1867 he purchased his present place of twelve acres, one mile west of the borough. The same year he married Mary Kentch, a daughter of John G. and Sophia (Stanoel) Kentch, natives of Saxony, Germany. To this union have been born the following children: John, a resident of Tioga borough; Lisa, Lena and William, who live with their parents. Mr. Poggendorf is a Republican, in politics, and in religion, is a member of the Lutheran church. His only brother, William, is a resident of Rochester, New York. Mr. Poggendorf is an intelligent, public-spirited citizen, and enjoys the respect and esteem of all who know him. He has lived a quiet, unassuming and industrious life, and by prudence and economy has accumulated a valuable property.

RICHARD HETFIELD was born in Southport, Chemung county, New York, in 1793. His father, who was born in 1766, was one of the first settlers of Southport. Richard was a farmer and hotel-keeper, and conducted the Summit Hotel, between Horseheads and Elmira for fifty-eight years. His wife, Susan, was born in 1805, and was the mother of the following children: William D., who died in 1864; Charles, who served in the Eighty-sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and is now a clerk in the postoffice department, Washington, D. C .; Abner, who died May 3, 1858, aged fifteen years, and Thomas G., of Tioga. Mr. Hatfield died April 21, 1870, and his wife, September 2, 1882.

THOMAS G. HETFIELD, youngest son of Richard Hetfield, was born in South- port, New York, November 21, 1847. He was reared upon the homestead farm, and before arriving at manhood learned the cigarmaker's trade. In 1870 he em- barked in the manufacture of cigars at Horseheads, which business he carried on there and in Elmira until 1880, when he came to Tioga, Pennsylvania, and was employed in the factory of Voorhes, Aiken & Company, until its removal to Mans- field, where he worked at his trade until 1888. He then returned to Tioga and established a cigar factory on the Wellsboro road, a short distance west of Tioga borough. His factory and residence were destroyed by fire on September 15, 1893. After the fire he resumed business in Tioga borough, remaining there until April, 1895, when he returned to his former location, having rebuilt both factory and residence. Mr. Hetfield was married in May, 1866, to Lucy DeLapp, a daughter of Hiram DeLapp. She died on October 31, 1887. In politics, Mr. Hetfield is a Democrat. He devotes his attention to the manufacture of special brands of cigars, such as "Hetfield's Best," "T. G. H.," and "Gilt Edge." He is a popular business man and citizen, and enjoys the respect of the community.

WILLARD REDNER, a son of William and Mary J. (Kennedy) Redner, was born in Steuben county, New York, November 20, 1856. His parents were natives of Tompkins county, and his paternal grandfather, of Orange county, New York. His mother died March 25, 1892, aged sixty-nine years. His father died February 20, 1896, aged seventy-two years. Seven children were born to William and Mary J. Redner, as follows: Adeline, wife of Charles Robb, of Athens, Bradford county;

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Simeon, a resident of the same place; Willard, of Tioga township; Willis, who lives in Tioga township; Frank, a resident of Tioga; Florence, wife of George Farns- worth, of Big Flats, New York, and George, who resides in Harrison Valley, Penn- sylvania. Before coming to Tioga county Mr. Redner resided in Tompkins and Cameron counties, New York, Ashtabula county, Ohio, and Big Flats, Chemung county, New York. In 1880 he removed from the latter place to Tioga township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and located on the H. W. Caulking farm, subsequently removed to Chatham township, and later bought his present farm of 148 acres, in the western part of Tioga township, formerly known as the H. H. Goodrich farm. Mr. Redner married Mrs. Sophia Kennedy, nee White, December 9, 1879, and has five children: Frank, Henry, Ira, who died November 11, 1895, aged eleven years; Vera, and Stanley, who died July 19, 1896, aged fifteen months. In politics, he is a Republican, and has filled the office of constable. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, also of Tioga River Lodge, No. 797, I. O. O. F., and is one of the prosperous and successful farmers of the township.

D. W. HURD was born in Caton, Steuben county, New York, August 2, 1849, and is the only child of Charles and Jane (Harrison) Hurd. His parents were natives of the same county, and his father died there in 1851. His mother resides with our subject. Mr. Hurd learned the trade of stationary engineer in his youth, which he followed in Steuben county up to 1870, when he went to Kane county, Illinois, where he was engaged in farming eight years. Returning east, he located on a farm in Lawrence township, 'Tioga county, Pennsylvania, upon which he lived until 1881, and then purchased his present farm of ninety acres in Tioga township. Mr. Hurd was married to Mary Colder, a daughter of Hiram and Sarah Colder, of Lindley, Steuben county, New York, December 26, 1869, and has four children: Jennie, Harry, Harriet and Walter. Mrs. Hurd's father died July 28, 1891, aged fifty-nine years; her mother lives in Lindley, New York. Her brother, James, is also a resident of Lindley, while her sister, Kate, is the wife of William Ter- williger, of Caton, New York. In politics, Mr. Hurd is a Republican, and has been township supervisor for the past three years. He has made his way in life through his own unaided efforts, and is a man of honest, upright character.

JOHN A. BERGH was born in Sweden, in 1845, a son of Andrew Olson and Christina Bergh. He immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1873 and settled at Fall Brook, Tioga county, where he followed the occupation of a coal miner until 1885. He then rented a farm on the Cowanesque river, which he cultivated up to April, 1890, in which year he leased the old H. W. Caulking place, containing 281 acres, in the western part of Tioga township. This he conducted successfully until 1896, when he removed to Elkland. Mr. Bergh was married October 24, 1875, to Augusta Dyring, a native of Sweden, who is the mother of six children, as follows: Mary, Alvira, Emelia, Helga, John and Corra. Mr. Bergh is a stanch Republican, and in religion, a Lutheran. He is a member of Arbon Lodge, No. 489, I. O. O. F., and En- campment No. 153, of Blossburg, and is also connected with the K. of P. lodge, in Arnot.

JOSEPH BERGH was born in Sweden, in 1858, a son of Andrew Olsen and Chris- tina (Torstens) Bergh. He was reared in his native land, and came to Pennsylvania in 1881, where he found employment for two years in the coal mines at Arnot, Tioga

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county. He then went to Elkland township and worked on a farm three years; next rented a farm near Osceola, on which he remained until he came to Tioga town- ship, in 1892. He rented the T. J. Berry farm of 200 acres, in the northern part of the borough of Tioga, which he has since managed with success, and now ranks among the intelligent and progressive farmers of the township. He devotes his efforts to dairying and the growing of grain and tobacco, and is enjoying the pros- perity due to persistent and well-directed industry. Mr. Bergh was married Sep- tember 15, 1883, to Anna Mangnuson, a native of Sweden, to which union have been born the following children: Charles J., Jennie C., Frank A., Oscar W. and James Walter. In politics, Mr. Bergh is a Republican, and in religion, an adherent of the Lutheran church. He is a member of Elkland Lodge, No. 800, I. O. O. F., and of Tioga Tent, No. 176, K. O. T. M. His brother, John A., is a farmer at Elk- land; Otto, another brother, lives in Tioga; while his sisters, Emma Sophia, widow of Olaf Danielson; Caroline, wife of John Hanson, and Ida, wife of Alexander Anderson, reside in Arnot, Tioga county.

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP AND LAWRENCEVILLE.

*HON. JAMES FORD was born at Morristown, New Jersey, March 4, 1783. This branch of the Ford family came from Middlesex county, England, six miles from the city of London, between the years 1636 and 1660. Records do not agree on this point. They were of the gentry and bore arms. Much of the data obtained from old records leads to the belief that Marshfield, Massachusetts, was their first place of settlement in America. Four brothers, Charles, William, Oswald and Samuel, went from Massachusetts to New Jersey, settling in Piscataway, Woodbridge and Morris- town. Charles, the ancestral grandfather of James Ford, married Meribah Thorn- well, to which union were born nine children. The third, Benjamin Ford, married Jemima Walker, a daughter of Hon. Thomas Walker, son of Capt. Samuel Walker, who was a member of His Majesty's Council under Lord Cornberry, governor of East and West Jersey and New York. Captain Walker was named for governor just before the Revolutionary War broke out. The Walker family and Benjamin Ford were Tories, and refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the United States, their property was confiscated and they were obliged to flee to New York City for protection. Captain Walker died in that city and was buried in Old Trinity church- yard. At an early age James Ford went with John P. Ryers, as clerk, to a little settle- ment not far from Lawrenceville. About 1816 he purchased land on the Cowan- esque river and built for himself a home, yet standing in Lawrenceville, where he resided until his death. He named the new settlement "Lawrence," in honor of Captain Lawrence of "Don't give up the Ship" fame. Old family letters show that it was called Lawrence for many years. Mr. Ford was very successful in busi- ness, a man of rare intelligence and advanced ideas, energetic, quick to see, reso- lute to do and ready to venture on any new enterprise which promised success. Nothing better was to be found in the settlement than the lumber and flour from his mills which he shipped to southern markets. He took a prominent part in public affairs, served two terms as a member of the state legislature, and two terms as representative of this district in Congress during President Jackson's administra-

* Contributed by Mrs. M. L. Beaumont.

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tion, with whom he corresponded for a time. He was also a friend and corres- pondent of James Buchanan. Mr. Ford married Maria Lindsley, a daughter of Judge Eleazer and Eunice (Halsey) Lindsley, and grand-daughter of Col. Eleazer Lindsley, who soon after the Revolution purchased a tract of land six miles square, now Lindley township, Steuben county, New York. Colonel Lindsley's first visit to this part of the country was with General Sullivan on his march from the Wyom- ing valley, the year after the Massacre, through to the lake country to punish the Indians for their ravages and atrocities. Maria Lindsley was a direct descendant, through Eunice (Halsey) Lindsley, of Lion Gardiner, Lord of the Isle of Wight, and of Jeremiah Conkling, the ancestor of the Hon. Roscoe Conkling. To James and Maria Ford were born the following children: Charles H. L., who married Eliza Cruger, a daughter of General Cruger; Mary L., who married Milton P. Orton, M. D .; Emily C., who married Rev. George R. H. Shumway, and Susan Eliza, who married Col. Charles Dorrance, of Wilkes-Barre, a grandson of Col. George Dor- rance, who fell in defense of home and country at the Wyoming Massacre. Charles Dorrance spent a long, useful and honorable life near the place where his heroic grandfather was slain by the cruel savages. James Ford was a friend to the poor and rich alike, and a man who never spoke ill of any one or allowed others to do so in his presence. He filled a prominent place in the early history of Tioga county, and died at his home in Lawrenceville, in 1859. He was laid to rest in the family burying ground, set apart by Colonel Lindsley for that purpose.

DR. SIMEON POWER is one of the well-remembered pioneer physicians of Tioga county, where he settled and began the practice of medicine more than ninety years ago. He was born in Guilford, Vermont, July 5, 1784. His parents were Manasseh and Susannah (Paine) Power, the former a native of Lancaster, Massachusetts, and the latter of Chatham, on Cape Cod. His father was a veteran of the Revolution. Dr. Power came on horseback to this county in 1805, arriving at Samuel Miller's, at what is now Millerton, in the evening. He intended to remain there over night, but finding what he thought to be a rough gathering he rode on through the dark forest, made hideous by the howling of wild animals, and finally arrived near day- break at the home of Ira Kilburn, who lived on the site of what is now the borough of Lawrenceville. Here Dr. Power decided to "hang out his shingle," but after a short stay he removed to Knoxville and from there to Tioga-then the principal village in the county. While in Tioga he was married to Polly Inscho, February 2, 1809, a daughter of Obadiah Inscho, who settled on the Cowanesque river in 1798. She was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, September 28, 1788, and was about ten years old when her parents came to Tioga county. In 1821 Dr. Power returned to Lawrenceville, where he continued in the active duties of his profession during the remainder of his life. He first purchased a small tract of land within the village limits. This he sold and then bought a farm near the western limits of the town, and built the "Red House" on Cowanesque street, now one of the old land- marks of Lawrenceville. Dr. Power and wife reared seven children, viz: Mary, who married Samuel Ryon; Susan, who married Frederick Thurber; Judith, who became the wife of George Thurber; Simeon I., who was elected sheriff of Tioga county in 1858 and died at Lawrenceville; Dyer, a resident of that borough; Caro- line, now residing in Lawrenceville, who married George Prutsman, of Tioga, and

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after his death Enoch Blackwell, of Nelson; and Samantha, who lives in Corning. The four oldest children are dead. Dr. Power was a prominent factor in the early political history of the county. In 1815.he was elected the second sheriff of Tioga, which office he filled three years, and in 1851 he was chosen an associate judge and sat upon the bench the full term of five years. An ardent Democrat up to the war, he gave a loyal support to the Union cause, but gradually drifted into the Republican party. He died at his home in Lawrenceville, December 19, 1863. His wife survived him until March 14, 1868, both dying in the eightieth year of their age. They sleep side by side in the Power Cemetery, which was laid out on their farm. During the early years of his professional labors, Dr. Power's practice extended over a vast territory-westward up the Cowanesque into Potter county; south as far as Williamsport, and northward to Addison, Painted Post and Bath. A man of fine education, a good physician, and always kind and charitable to suffering humanity, his memory is revered by his descendants and the people of the community in which he spent the greater portion of his life.

JOHN RYON, SR., was born on the Atlantic Ocean, March 10, 1748, while his parents were en route to New York. His father, Sir Anthony Ryon, was a native of Ireland, and died soon after coming to America. John grew to maturity in New York, whence he removed to the Wyoming valley, in Pennsylvania, prior to the Revolutionary War. Here he married Sarah Goodale, a native of Long Island, and settled near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was a veteran of the Revolution, in which he served nearly six years. His name appears on the rolls as a private in Capt. Thaddeus Weed's Company (formerly Capt. Solomon Strong's Company), Fifth Connecticut regiment, commanded by Col. Philip D. Bradley, from July, 1777, to December, 1780, with the remark, "Enlisted October 20th, for during the war." In 1779 he was with Sullivan's expedition against the Indians of the lake country. The records also show that he served as a sergeant in the Fifth Company (formerly Capt. Thaddeus Weed's), Second Connecticut regiment, commanded by Col. Heman Swift, from March, 1781, to April, 1783. During a portion of his services he was employed in the commissary department, New York City, superin- tending the manufacturing of clothing for the army. He was subsequently pen- sioned by the state of Connecticut for his services in the Revolutionary War. While stationed in New York he was visited by his wife, who rode the whole distance from Wilkes-Barre on horseback, carrying her infant son, Benjamin, in her arms, and leaving her son, William, with friends in the Wyoming valley. Though the route was infested with hostile Indians, the brave wife returned to her home in safety, but both she and Benjamin died soon after from smallpox, contracted during the trip. After the war closed Mr. Ryon returned to the Wyoming valley, where he found his son, William, alive but sadly neglected. When William grew up he married Miss Marcy, a cousin of Governor Marcy, of New York, settled in Wayne county, Pennsylvania, and there died. Mr. Ryon's second wife was the widow of Captain Inman, who was killed in the Wyoming Massacre. Two sons, James and John, and a daughter, Betsey, were born of this union. A few years after his marriage to Mrs. Inman, Mr. Ryon removed with his family to Southport, New York, and later to Newtown, now a part of Elmira, where his wife and daughter died. In the spring of 1811 his sons removed with a colony of settlers to the Cowanesque

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History of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, Part 134

Author: Publication date: 1897 Publisher: Harrisburg : R. C. Brown Number of Pages: 1454

Author:
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Harrisburg : R. C. Brown
Number of Pages: 1454